Dr. Samantha Isidro

My name is Samantha Isidro. I went to Chapman University School of Pharmacy through the Freshman Early Assurance Program, and I graduated in 2020. I am currently a staff pharmacist at CVS pharmacy. I like to do indoor rock climbs, sing at my church, and am interested in learning ballroom swing dancing.

Career

During my third year of pharmacy school, I got a position with CVS as an intern pharmacist. I continued working for them until I graduated, and they offered me a pharmacist position. I am now a staff pharmacist at CVS pharmacy in Garden Grove. It’s one of the busiest stores in the district, and I love it there. All my teammates are awesome at what they do, and I couldn’t ask for a better store. I admire how devoted all the stores are toward patient care. We even have metrics and goals to make sure our patients are well taken care of.

Goals as CUSP Alumni Advisory Board Member

I want to find a way to keep alumni engaged in the school, even throughout this pandemic. I am part of the mentoring and advising relations team which is currently working on involving alumni in preceptorships. Hopefully, by the time it’s safer to be outside more often, we will have a system up and running to make it quick and easy for our alumni to help out.

Memories at CUSP

When I was in school, my favorite professors would always be the ones who taught pathophysiology. It’s one thing to memorize a medication and what it does, but when you remember how and why it works in the body, it makes it that much more memorable. You come to a whole new level of understanding.

I was also very involved with CSHP. We planned a lot of events and worked on many projects that helped our classmates engage in the pharmacy world. My favorite projects were the music videos (#1 and #2) I helped make. Check them out on YouTube!

Messages to CUSP Alumni and Students

Almost all pharmacists have the same reason for choosing the field: they want to help people. I’m sure that’s true for a lot of us. If ever you’re feeling down, talk to your patients. Get to know them; ask them how they’re doing. It makes it worth it to see right before your eyes that you’re making a difference for someone who needed your help.

This interview has been edited for clarity.