Abby McKee has found her voice at Ohio Northern University; and she intends to use it to deliver compassionate care.
A fourth-year pharmacy student in the Raabe College of Pharmacy, Abby aspires to be the kind of pharmacist who can connect with patients from all walks of life.
In her words, she wants to cut through the complexity, “look people in the eye and make sure they understand their medications.”
A high achiever who rarely slows down, Abby is also shy and introverted. In general, she prefers to observe events from the sidelines, she says.
So, when she saw a public speaking course on her schedule for her first semester at ONU, she was filled with dread. But to her surprise, she not only grew to enjoy the class, but found it so inspiring that she decided to add a major in communication & media. She also added minors in chemistry and medical humanities.
“Literally every day my communication major is helping me be a better pharmacy student. There are so many gaps in communication (in the healthcare system). Knowing how to connect with people from all backgrounds, at their level, is how we can succeed as healthcare providers and make people feel better.”
Her newfound confidence as a communicator enabled Abby to assume the presidency of ONU’s chapter of the Student Society of Healthcare System Pharmacy, and become a student liaison for the state-level organization. She is also president-elect of ONU’s chapter of the Association of Managed Care Pharmacists.
Abby’s required senior thesis for her communication & media major was titled “Communication: Better than Any Medication on the Market.” She developed web resources to teach healthcare providers how to communicate with a broad range of patient populations.
“While I have always struggled to find my voice, and oftentimes still do—ONU has made it possible for me to find my voice and project it toward inequities and disparities that I see in everyday practice. And that’s an ability I never imagined myself having.”