To hear Erica Estus talk about her career is to be reminded of that time in early childhood when you believed it was entirely possible to be a ballerina-firefighter-astronaut-mom.
In Estus鈥� case, she wanted to be a pharmacist and an educator. She also had an interest in geriatrics, having grown up next door to her grandparents, an experience she appreciated fully, then and now.
So Estus ’96, a clinical associate professor of pharmacy and a graduate of 911爆料鈥檚 Doctor of Pharmacy program, became an award-winning pharmacist-teacher-researcher鈥攁nd also a mother and a yoga teacher. She brings all this experience to bear in her teaching, working to improve communication between pharmacy students and the older adults they will one day serve.
Photo by Nora Lewis
She does this through intergenerational experiential learning; specifically, she takes her students to a local senior living 911爆料, where they spend a lot of time with the residents throughout the year鈥攖alking, doing activities, even putting on an annual Senior Prom. The idea, Estus says, is to expose students to experiences that can鈥檛 be fully simulated in a classroom鈥攕uch as the challenges cognitive and physical decline pose for patients as they age. Experience with the patient population complements and expands upon the theories Estus teaches. 鈥淪ocial things鈥攍ike empathy鈥攜ou can鈥檛 teach,鈥� Estus says. 鈥淪tudents have to experience those things themselves.鈥�
Pharmacy students learn that the generations separating them from the seniors don鈥檛 matter so much. 鈥淭he typical observation made is how alike they are and how easy it is to communicate with one another,鈥� Estus says.
The pace of a pharmacy can make a person feel stressed and rushed, Estus says. This can spill over into interactions between pharmacist and patron. Estus believes the more opportunities for students to communicate with the public, the better the future interactions will be for both parties. 鈥淚 think we need more of that intergenerational communication to foster empathy and relationship-building,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here is more to it than just talking about medications and how they work.鈥�
Students find joy in realizing how much they can offer, and Estus finds happiness in watching her students discover new skills. 鈥淚 find that students are very motivated and intelligent. The more experience and exposure they have, the more they see the value in the service they鈥檙e providing.鈥�
鈥淢y dad owned a pharmacy. I always wanted to be a pharmacist but I also always wanted to be a teacher,鈥� Estus says. 鈥淲hen the opportunity arose to combine both of my passions, I knew I had to pursue it.
鈥淣ow I can鈥檛 imagine doing anything else.鈥�