August 15, 2024

By: Markie Heideman, Content Marketing Manager

 

Most people can remember the day they were dropped off as a first-year college student. The jitters and excitement of a new environment waiting to be discovered, but also the opportunities to seek and decisions to be made. Recent graduate Noah Poulin is no different. When he started his undergraduate journey at the University of Michigan in 2020, his path was undeclared and he was exploring the hundreds of career options in front of him, but one thing was for sure: he had a passion for science and helping others. So, he leaned into that. 

 

That led him to the Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSPS) program at the College of Pharmacy his sophomore year. 

 

“I realized that I really enjoy organic chemistry, especially the parts that relate to medicine,” Poulin explained. “I looked at the curriculum for the BSPS program and thought that it could be a great major that aligned well with the specific type of science I’m interested in.”

 

And a great major it has been for Poulin. Diving into the pharmaceutical world head-first, he began at Walgreens in Ann Arbor administering vaccines – a testament to the robust health landscape in and around the campus community. 

 

“I loved giving vaccines and interacting with the families and children. It was just really meaningful to me.”

 

Invaluable Inpatient Experience

Shortly after, Poulin began working with the Mott Children’s Hospital through the University of Michigan Health System in the pediatric pharmacy. Starting in non-sterile compounding, he drew up oral liquid medicines into syringes for children, along with dispensing pills,creams, and inhalers to patients.

 

“I learned how to work accurately, efficiently, and how to manage stressful situations.” 

 

That dedication to efficiency and his willingness to learn paid off, eventually landing him a position in the pharmacy’s cleanroom, an area that requires extremely demanding cleaning requirements to keep medicines sterile.  Poulin appreciates the unique nature of working in this part of Mott. 

 

“For children, it’s different than adult sterile compounding because children get such unique individualized doses, and many things aren’t premade.” 

 

After learning the ropes of the cleanroom, Poulin was trained in compounding chemotherapy drugs, and gained experience in the sterile hazardous drug space. “Compounding chemotherapy drugs for patients at Mott is more of a complex process.”

 

“It’s really rewarding to be able to look back and reflect on how I started at Walgreens and now work in a hospital compounding drugs. I now have this huge skillset and knowledge base, and it all happened during my time as an undergrad at pharmacy.”

 

Collecting Knowledge in the Classroom 

It’s not just his time in the Mott Children’s Hospital that Poulin reflects on fondly, but also the time spent inside the classroom and in research projects. 

 

Poulin has had the opportunity to work on a number of projects including research on antibiotic dosing. That gave him hands-on experience in the operating room where he requested blood samples from patients at different stages of surgery to test levels of antibiotics in their bodies. 

 

“Being able to stand in the operating room during undergrad is unheard of, let alone in an official capacity and not just someone who’s shadowing. It’s an experience I never expected to have during my undergrad.” 

 

His experience in class helped tie everything together. 

 

“The classes blended really well with the work I was doing outside of the classroom. I would learn something in class about a drug and then I would go to the hospital to work and be compounding that drug. It came full circle and it was great to have a better understanding of that drug and what it does because of what I learned in class.”

 

Poulin credits the gamut of classes in the BSPS program for giving him the knowledge he needs for his life after his undergraduate studies. 

 

“The curriculum puts a really big focus on a number of sciences including physiology, chemistry and biochemistry. Having that knowledge base has been integral in my understanding of health sciences, and helped me a lot on the MCAT.” 

 

Next Stop: Medical School 

That’s right – the MCAT, or Medical College Admissions Test. Poulin will continue his passion for healthcare and helping others by attending medical school at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee this fall. 

 

He is thankful for his BSPS degree for giving him perspective on the drug development and drug treatment side of healthcare which he says will help him become a well-rounded physician.

 

“I think being able to learn about drug development and medical ethics has been extremely informative for me in terms of my goals and how I view medicine. This program set me up really well for medical school.” 

 

Counting on Community

The University of Michigan College of Pharmacy prides itself on individualized education and small class sizes – something Poulin says he has valued during his time in the BSPS program.

 

“I’ve been seeing the same people in my classes since sophomore year. Many of us work together at the hospital, and many of us are pharmacy technicians.”

 

As he wrapped up his time in at the College, his classmates joined him in reflecting on all they had accomplished and the road ahead. 

 

“There has been a solidarity among all of us, and now that we have graduated, we get a little more sentimental about it. It’s really cool to look around and see people who are pursuing a PharmD, or a PhD program or going to medical school. I don’t think there’s any other program on campus that has small class sizes but also graduates such successful people. I think that’s very unique.” 


Pharmaceutical, medical, and public health leaders like Noah Poulin are born out of one of our best-kept secrets – the College of Pharmacy’s BSPS program. That’s the beauty of its versatility and one more example of how the college is leading at the edge.