A Brief Synopsis of the Utah Experience for Pharmacy Students

By Jeff Baldwin

Once you have registered, you should receive a receipt from the Utah School . I have included a copy of a campus map and a map of the lodging area below with key buildings labeled. For dorms, check in at the Heritage Center unless the materials you receive with your registration confirmation state otherwise. Check in at the University Guest House if you are staying there.

The Utah School information can be accessed at http://uuhsc.utah.edu/uas/ I would suggest at least printing off the Introduction, Registration, and General Session and Pharmacy Section information.

For those who are flying in, the SLC airport is west of town and the University is in the northeast part of town. Cab fare will probably be about $25 from the airport to the University; transportation can be prearranged by calling Express Shuttle at 1-800-321-5554 (in the Registration section of the webpage under Travel Information). If you are flying, I would suggest making reservations soon to get discount fares and because the flights tend to fill quickly on Friday afternoon after the School closes. I would not suggest trying to catch a flight that leaves SLC before 2:30pm because it takes at least 30 minutes to get to the airport and the School does not close until noon .

For driving to SLC and arriving from the East on I-80, take exit 129; follow signs on the exit ramp to get on Foothills Dr. (Hwy 186). Follow Foothills Dr. north until it intersects Wasatch Dr; turn right on Wasatch Dr. For the dorms, turn right on Hempstead Rd. and follow it to Fort Douglas Blvd. Park somewhere near the Heritage Center and check in there (or to whatever place your registration confirmation directs you in that immediate area). Find your way back to Fort Douglas Blvd and follow it to the dorm area; find your dorm building and park in the parking lot nearby. For those staying at University Guest House, stay to the right on Wasatch Dr. as you go under a pedestrian bridge – this will put you on Medical Drive . Take the first right after going under the pedestrian walkway – University Guest House will be on your right. If you are arriving after about 3:00pm on Sunday, go to the Olpin Union (take Wasatch Drive and follow it around – note that you will turn left just after you pass under the very large pedestrian bridge) until you get to Federal Way (there is golf course on either side of this street). Turn left on Federal Way then left again at the next stop sign. Follow that drive around and park in the visitor lot just east of the Olpin Union - normally there = s no parking fee on Sundays. Registration is open from 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm in the East Panorama room (top floor) at the Union . If you have a car and want to park fairly close to the Union and did not already order a parking permit, you will need to purchase this at check-in ($25 for the week). You may park in the engineering parking lot without having to have the permit (East of the Merrill Engineering building on the campus map). If you have not yet checked into your room, you can then get a shuttle in front of the Union that will take you up there from the Union to check in (or you can drive up if you have a car). Plan your arrival so that you can check in at registration and your room and attend the Pharmacy Section reception and orientation which begins at 5:00pm in the Saltair Room on the entry level of the Union toward the back of the building on Sunday. The Pharmacy Section meetings throughout the week will be in the Saltair Room. There is a shuttle bus down from the dorms to the Union that runs periodically – probably from the Heritage Center ; they should have information about that at registration. It is about a mile from the dorm to the Union if you would like to get some exercise, downhill to the Union , uphill to the dorms. SLC is fairly high altitude and a dry climate; you may experience headaches and be short of breath for a day or so and will find yourself drinking quite a bit of water.

The opening session of the Pharmacy Section at 5:00pm will include pizza, so you do not need to worry about eating before you arrive (unless you do not like pizza). This is a required part of the pharmacy curriculum if you are taking this for credit, so you must attend the Sunday sessions! You will be tied up in sessions until about 10pm on Sunday. There are also a lot of restaurants around University St. on the West side of campus (about a 10 minute walk from the Union )

You’ll be done by noon on Friday.Please read the information below, which includes information about what to bring. See you in Utah !

Pharmacy support group meetings will be held on Monday and Thursday at 9pm in Post Chapel (near University Guest House). Meetings will be held in the Saltair room at the Union as follows: Sunday, 9pm ; Tuesday about 7pm immediately following the Native American dance presentation at the picnic; Wednesday, 4:30pm . While you must attend at least one of these if you are taking the School for credit, you are encouraged to attend whenever you can - these are open meetings and you are welcome to participate or just listen. You may learn as much about addiction in pharmacy at these meetings as at the formal presentations at the School.