Warrior Magazine June 2019

Evans enjoys career as pharmacist, spends leisure time traveling

A passion that began as a young girl helping care for her grandfather spurred Jaclyn Evans to seek a ca reer in the healthcare profession. And the academic path to that career began as a freshman at East Central Community Col lege in 2001. Today, she works as a hospi tal pharmacist in Jackson and when she’s not working, she can typically be found fulfilling her other passion of travel. “As a young child, I have vivid memories of watch ing my paternal grandmother taking excellent care of my grandfather and his post-military medical needs,” Evans said. “I remember that, through all of the medical appoint ments, prescription refills, daily vital checks, and household checklists, my grandmother cared for my grandfather with a loving heart, kind words, and a sympathetic mindset. Seeing this, I, too, wanted to help with his treatments, therapies, and medications in any way that I could. Due to the fact that my grandfather suffered upper limb amputations, I asked my grandmother if I could help give him his medica tions. Under her very watchful eye, she allowed me to do so. Even with the small role that I provided in his care, it was then that I knew that I wanted to have a large, active role in helping others receive the best medical care and treatment options possible.” Evans, who grew up in Bay Springs, began working as a student volunteer at the local nursing home and medi cal clinic during high school. It was during that time she witnessed the collaborative efforts of medical providers and pharmacists and the knowledge and training necessary for a pharmacist to do his or her job. She soon realized she, too, wanted to provide that same care for patients one day. She said East Central provided her with a solid academic foundation in the areas of mathematics, biology, and general and organic chemistry, which are four key areas she said she uses daily in pharmacy practice. As with most EC alumni, Evans said her best memories of East Central are the lifelong friendships she made with both fellow students and faculty/staff members. “Some of my most cherished friendships to this day are those that I formed while at East Central Community Col lege,” she said. Evans was also selected as one of six inductees for the ECCC Hall of Fame in 2003 and said it is an award that will always be special to her. “That award remains close to my heart, not only for what it represents, but also because it was an award in which inductees were nominated and chosen by a panel of ECCC faculty members.” When asked who some of her favorite professors were at ECCC, Evans said it was difficult to choose because she felt

as though every instructor at the college played an integral role in helping to mold her into the person and pharmacist she is today. There were a few, however, who stood out and remain as personal and academic mentors today. “The late Ron Davis, who served as my biological sciences instructor, academic counselor, and Sigma Sigma Mu Tau (biological sciences academic organization) advisor, taught me that the cornerstone for a successful healthcare career is kindness. He taught his students, who were training for different careers in healthcare, that we would never truly understand what patients and their families were going through in making life-altering decisions; and for that rea son alone, the best “medicine” we could give them is a kind word or gesture. “Dr. Bettye Sue Hennington, who served as my General Chemistry I and II instructor, instilled in me my passion for chemistry. She had an infectious way of teaching us the fundamentals of general chemistry, without making it seem like work. “Gloria McRae, who served as my Calculus I and II instruc tor, heightened my passion for mathematics by allowing me to see how I could incorporate my passions for mathematics and pharmacy together.” After completing her Associate of Science Degree at East Central in 2003, she continued her education at Mississippi State University where she received the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees, both in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2005 and 2008, respectively. She was awarded the Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the McWhort er School of Pharmacy at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., in 2012. As a hospital pharmacist, Evans says her job is very complex; and, in addition to routine responsibilities such as entering physician orders and checking medications prior to administration, there are also responsibilities that change frequently. “As one of the nightshift pharmacists, I oversee daily re nal adjustments of patients’ medications, provide treatment recommendations to providers, work collaboratively with providers on appropriate therapy and dosage questions, and review home medication orders. I attend all hospital emer gency (Code 99) patient codes, in which I work alongside the hospital physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists and provide STAT medications for the purpose of life-saving measures. Lastly, I oversee all medication needs for cardio vascular surgery, neonatal intensive care unit, and labor and delivery for my shift,” she said. While she says the most challenging aspect of her career is having to be involved in terminal patient care develop ments/outcomes and the effect it has on a patient’s family, she said “The best part of my career is being able to follow a patient’s medical progress, based on any of my medicinal recommendations, and being able to see the positive out comes.” Evans said her best advice to students considering a

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