October 2, 2024

By: Markie Heideman, Content Marketing Manager

 

A Passion for Pediatrics and Academia 

Nour Kadouh, PharmD ‘22, sits at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy’s 2024 Commencement watching each new doctor receive their hood. It’s a position she was in just two years prior. In those two years, a lot has changed, but she has leaned on the knowledge and experience gained during her time in U-M’s PharmD program and as she navigated her two-year pediatric clinical residency with Michigan Medicine – a residency that she explains as the perfect fit. 

 

“Before thinking about pharmacy as a career, I always thought I was going to be an elementary school teacher,” Kadouh explains. “I love working with kids and I like teaching, and it was during my time volunteering in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Detroit Medical Center before beginning pharmacy school that I learned about the pharmacy profession and how I can integrate pediatrics and teaching.”

 

And, starting this fall, she’s doing just that – mixing her love for teaching and pediatric pharmacy into one perfect role. 

 

“I will be staying with the University of Michigan serving as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the College of Pharmacy, and a Clinical Pharmacist Specialist in Pediatric Pulmonology at Michigan Medicine.”

 

For Kadouh, this joint appointment is the perfect fit for her. 

 

“I love academia. Staying in the academic space has always been my long-term career goal. As a student, learning the many career paths I could take with a PharmD was eye opening. To be able to pursue two career passions: education and pharmacy was something I didn’t realize was possible going to Pharmacy school, until now”. 

 

That love for the academia sprouted during her time in the College of Pharmacy. As a PharmD student, she helped develop the Foundations of Pharmacy Leadership course, a professional development elective. 

 

“I was always interested in teaching, but it wasn’t something that I had a lot of experience in and I ended up doing an independent study during my P2 year of my PharmD with a faculty member, and it exposed me to the didactic side, and I loved it.”

 

She says the support and mentoring she received from faculty at the College inspired her to want to do the same for others.

 

“Faculty at the College helped define my path, and even now, I still go back to them and ask for advice and questions. The pharmacy phamily at UM extends beyond your time as a student - I am experiencing that same phamily community as an alumna.” 

 

Award-Winning Research Project Aims to Help Pharmacy Students and Residents

That interest in staying in academia and creating a positive experience for pharmacy learners  sparked her latest research project entitled “Breaking the Cycle of Trauma: Enhancing Pharmacy Learner Psychological Safety.” The research focuses on the culture of perfectionism in the field of pharmacy for students and preceptors. Preceptors help guide pharmacy students through rotations, residency, research and other projects during their time in pharmacy school. 

 

Kadouh prepared a survey that was distributed to residency program directors and preceptors across the country. And what did she find? Preceptors overwhelmingly use their past experiences as mentees to shape how they work as mentors. “97% of respondents believed that training had influenced their precepting style. It’s important to note that assuming the way we were trained is not the universal truth or method in the way we should train others. This study looked into how preceptors can think about both the positive and negative experiences they may have had as students, and how they can change and enhance the experience for their mentees.” 

 

For Kadouh, this research is personal. Not only does she hope it helps preceptors across the country move forward, but she plans to use these findings in her own work.

 

“I want to precept in the future, so it was great to get this perspective. Throughout the research, I recognized things that I can do to help learners.” 

 

Kadouh’s research identified areas of opportunity for preceptorship and also recommendations for mentoring future generations of pharmacy students. 

 

“In my research presentation, I gave tips on how to give feedback and provided some feedback models that could be used. There’s also a Habits of Preceptors rubric which is designed for pharmacy preceptors to help self-evaluation.”

 

Some of those tips include modeling inclusivity, displaying vulnerability, disclosing your past mistakes and sharing new concepts to demonstrate that learning is ongoing, showing empathy, and setting clear expectations. 

 

Kadouh also notes that although this project highlighted that preceptors were able to recall negative experiences from their training, it also gave them an opportunity to reflect on how they will shape their precepting styles in a positive way. 

 

“I feel very fortunate to have worked with numerous preceptors throughout my PharmD and residency training that has shown me the type of preceptor I hope to become and inspired me to pursue a career in academia,” Kadouh explained. “My past preceptors and mentors have challenged and pushed me to step out of my comfort zone to take on experiences that I otherwise wouldn’t have, while simultaneously providing me with support and guidance.”

 

Kadouh’s research earned her the Exemplary Resident CE Award for the Southeastern Michigan Society of Health-System Pharmacists, or SMSHP in March. Earlier this year, she presented her research findings at an SMSHP meeting. 

 

“This project was great to work on, and it touches my heart to be recognized like this. I really hope it can help both students and preceptors.”

 

Future-Focused

As Kadouh prepares for her new chapter within the College of Pharmacy and Michigan Medicine, she thinks about the type of educator she aims to be.

 

“It’s important to provide challenging experiences to learners to allow them to grow as a practitioner and individual but to do so in an environment that is encouraging and fosters growth, rather than fear or distress. I’m very excited to be returning to the College this fall to get the opportunity to help, teach, and inspire students in the same way I was during my training as a student and resident at the College and the University of Michigan Health.”

 

We know a successful road ahead is in the bag for Kadouh, who puts her passions above all and works toward creating successful health outcomes for her patients, and an intentional learning experience for all students she works with.