1. ASOS London Rebel Bow Mule Shoe
2. Forever 21 Frayed Denim Mule
3.  TopShop Adele Bow Flat Mule
4. ASOS Lucky Bow Ballet Mule

Thats all for this outfit! Hope you enjoyed these cheap alternatives and I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

I brought up Imposter Syndrome to a few friends recently and I've been thinking about it ever since. Most people I've talked to are totally unfamiliar with the term, although it quite commonly plagues students. Imposter Syndrome or imposter phenomenon was originally defined by psychologists Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes in 1978. The term was used to designate an internal experience of "intellectual phoniness" especially in those of "outstanding academic and professional accomplishment". They went further to discuss how women in particular handle imposter syndrome, noting that women often feel that they are "not very bright and have fooled anyone who thinks otherwise" despite amazing achievements. A quick google search will return evidence that women seem to be more affected by this syndrome than their male counterparts in the professional world. While I believe that there are many systematic reasons contributing to that, it's clearly led to a lot of really talented women feeling really crummy about their abilities in the workplace. And regardless of gender, imposter syndrome prevents many people from getting ahead and succeeding at work.

I can admit that I have felt this way off and on through most of my academic career. Even now, as a 4th year student with more experience under my belt and academic knowledge, I still grapple with feeling as though people will find out I'm not as smart as every other pharmacy student out there. The truth is, I may not be, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing or a thing to be ashamed of. The other truth is, I have had just as much of an education, and just as many experiences as my peers. As students, we get boggled down with impressing our preceptors and managing the high expectations we set for ourselves when we finally get to venture outside the classroom. It's perfectly understandable. We've been cooped up for 3 years furiously studying for every exam, and every practical, so we want to make sure the knowledge stuck! We want to finally apply what we've learned, stretch those brains, and shine. However, idealizing and expecting that you'll know the answer to every single question is just unhealthy. Having this idealization of perfection, nurturing it, and then subsequently failing to achieve it can manifest as one big monster of an imposter syndrome. It's hard, I get it! It's even harder to quell the monster once it's risen its big ugly head (I once spent 2 weeks upset over not understanding the complete pathophysiology of heart failure when asked by a preceptor, was it worth it? NO).

So what do we do? There are a lot of tips and tricks out there on how to overcome or manage imposter syndrome but I think there is one hugely important one: just be nice to yourself. It's the easiest, most selfless and compassionate thing you can do for yourself. Allow yourself room to make mistakes, and understand that you are only human. In medicine especially Stop comparing yourself to classmates, embrace that you are a distinct individual with your own successes. Personally, I've found that creating some positive affirmations for myself (ex. you are confident, capable, and doing well) is extremely helpful for when I'm feeling anxious. If I have the time in that moment or even later, I do something that I love, I indulge in some self-care, and I cut myself a break. Handling imposter syndrome is a process, its cyclic and some days and situations will be easier than others. My affirmations sometimes fail, and some days I can't muster up enough confidence to be as nice to myself as I should. But I work everyday to at least try to keep myself positive and reminded that I belong in this field and that my successes are valid.

 Besides carrying a bunch of papers, pens and snacks in my white coat pockets, I carry these items! Anyone in any healthcare field will tell you to always always carry a notebook. I carry two, one of which is not pictured. One is to take notes while on rounds, my other notebook (pictured) is a reference notebook. My last IPPE was at Hahnemann in their cardiology/heart transplant rotation and my preceptor there gave the advice to make a notebook for each APPE filled with tidbits of information I've learned. I decided to try it for her IPPE and ended up really loving it. This notebook is filled with descriptions of disease states I've learned along the way, drug information questions I've had to answer, and diagrams of organ functions (kidney, heart, etc.). It's extremely helpful as a reference for when I need a quick reminder of small details I may have forgotten.

I also carry one of these handy CDC immunization schedules with me. Vaccines are very important to my patients but they can also be very dangerous to transplant patients. My patients cannot receive live vaccinations. Live vaccines consistent of the actual virus toned down so they don't have infective potential in our non-immunosuppressed individuals. Transplant patients are immunosuppressed, meaning they don't have an active immune system, and any sort of virus introduction could have horrible consequences for them. We suppress the immune system of these patients to avoid our patient's immune systems from attacking their new organ. This unfortunately also leaves them susceptible to other infections like ones that the shingles vaccine, a live vaccine, could introduce to them. Instead we suggest that they receive all inactivated vaccines as suggested by the CDC (flu, pneumonococcal, HPV) to prevent them from contracting any of these diseases, while also minimizing the risk introduced to them. It is so important that transplant patients do everything they can to prevent infection, so thats why we suggest that they get their inactivated vaccines, wash their hands, and avoid eating raw/unwashed foods! So, this schedule is important and helps me to keep the time spans right so I know when to suggest that they look into getting these life saving prevention measures!

Reading is one of the hobbies I've been lucky enough to upkeep while in pharmacy school. Any one in professional graduate school knows that its difficult to balance your school readings, with recreational reading. These four books are perfect for my fellow healthcare and science friends looking to learn outside their required readings.

1. The Disappearing Spoon By Sam Kean
This fun and witty book describes the mythology, art, medicine, history, etc. of the periodic table. I know quite a few of these stories left me shocked so you're guaranteed to be armed with plenty of fun facts for your next cocktail party.

2. Gut by Giulia Enders
Ever wonder how your gut works the way that it does? How it absorbs, how it functions, how there seem to be SO many problems with our guts in the western world? This book describes everything you could possibly want to know about your gut in easy-to-understand language and with some fun pictures. The gut is so much more important than we think about it in our everyday, time to give it the appreciation it deserves!

3. Heart Matters by Kathy Magliota
If you're looking for an inspiring, kick-ass, girl power memoir, this is the book for you. Dr.Magliota is among the small ranks of women cardiothoracic surgeons and she details all of her struggles and triumphs to getting there. A timely read considering the #thisiswhatasurgeonlookslike hashtag inspired by the Time Magazine women surgeons cover!

4. Dr.Mutter's Marvels by Cristin O'Keefe-Aptowicz
This book is one of my favorites by far, and it may be because it focuses a lot on my graduate school, Thomas Jefferson University! You'll be transported back to Philadelphia in the mid-nineteenth century where hand-washing wasn't enforced and medicine was pretty much whatever goes. If you're familiar with Philadelphia, you know the Mutter Museum contains Dr.Mutter's collection of medical marvels from his time as a surgeon. This story details how he went from surgeon, to museum inspiration and how his legacy has affected modern medicine.

I finally made the venture out to Glen Mills, PA to visit Terrain's Garden Cafe and I was SO in love with the entire atmosphere of this absolute gem. Terrain is a home and garden center associated with Anthropologie, so of course everything is adorable, and rustic. Inside the garden center is a cafe as well with some of the most yummy food I've ever had. Paired with the wonderful spring weather, this whimsical place had me smiling the whole time.

Say hello to their fried cauliflower sandwich and lavender blackberry spritzer drink (I was very surprised to find that they make their own sodas there and have an array of floral flavors)!

The inside of the garden center itself is a dream boat. So many hanging lights, little succulent plants, and pretty colors.




All in all, would definitely recommend making the trip if you're from anywhere in the Delaware Valley. It's completely worth it. PS. This Urban Outfitters t-shirt dress was a $10 find at Plato's Closet. I've pretty much found all of my UO clothes there and for absolutely incredible prices. This dress is the Silence + Noise witchy t-shirt dress, and is unfortunately old out on the UO website. But they have a baby doll style look-alike still available.

Thanks for reading! I hope i've inspired you to look forward to the nicer weather thats coming!

Pastel pink has been my favorite color as of late so of course I've bought a million tops in the color. This is a new one from Aerie called the flutter sleeve tee and it is SO soft and comfy. Its also on sale for only $11 right now! Personally, I think American Eagle and Aerie have the cutest basics and they're usually pretty cheap (they also do sales about every 5 days so thats convenient). I have so many pieces in this color, I'll probably just end up doing a separate post dedicated to it!



I paired the top with these army green jogger-like pants I got last season at Forever 21. I own a few different pairs of these from different places and in different patterns and I can say that these are my favorite type of pants to wear. They're versatile so I can dress them down to walk around in cooler weather, on the boardwalk during the summer where its windy, or to rotation with a nicer dress shirt! The flats I'm wearing are also new, and honestly were an A+ purchase because they were only $4.50 at H&M!


Also have to give a shout out to the artist of the colorful wall behind me! These hearts are by Amberellaxo whose awesome art is scattered all across Philadelphia. One of the coolest things about Philly is the street art and the murals we have on display. So go check out her work!

On April 25th, 2017 the FDA took action against 14 companies peddling fake cancer cures to the public. The warning letters notified these companies about their violations against the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), one of the larger acts regulating our drug supply here in the United States. For a drug to be considered an approved drug by the FDA, it must prove safety and efficacy in clinical trials and meet a set of standards/definitions set into law through the FDCA. However, supplements and herbs are governed by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. What does this mean?

1. Supplements and herbs do NOT have to prove safety or efficacy before being put out on the market
2. The only way for these products to be removed from the market, is if the FDA can prove that they are UNSAFE
3. Dietary supplements and herbs cannot claim to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent a disease

I am absolutely LOVING the chambray trend, especially with these flowy styles. Paired with other pretty pastels and chestnut brown, this color is a dream. I've pulled together some of my favorite chambray looks (+ some off the shoulder, what could be better?!) and they're all under $20! Number 3 from American Eagle/Aerie is my current favorite because the pretty frayed hem and baby doll look is perfect for cool spring weather.

After 3 long, crazy, and challenging years, I'm thrilled to be wrapping up my didactic pharmacy career and moving on to my P4 rotations: APPEs (Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience)! My transition into pharmacy school was rough. I spent 3 years working on my pre-requisite classes, at a local college where I ended up meeting some of my very best friends. I sacrificed undergrad graduation to move into pharmacy school sooner rather than later, and ended up with whip-lash trying to adjust to grad school life. Practically over night I went from a homework coaster to a "how late is the library open?" person (24/7 in grad school apparently). I went from a few exams a semester to three exams every week. On top of the academic expectation differences, I struggled with making friends in pharmacy school. We were all frantically trying to keep a float, stresses were high and free time was infrequent.

Fast forward three years later and I can say that I have many friends in my pharmacy program. I'm sad that it will be months before my entire class is together again. We've grown together, loved together, leaned on each other, lifted one another, stressed out on each other, messed up with one another, laughed, cried, and most importantly had a BLAST these past three years. In our P1 year, one of our professors told us that "no one gets through pharmacy school alone" and I've found that to be one of the most solid pieces of wisdom I've received. I got through pharmacy school because of the support my friends and family have so wonderfully gifted me with.