In honor of Women’s History Month, Knours is celebrating the stories of several incredible women from all walks of life. As a female-founded, women-run business, we think it’s important to hear the stories of the women in our communities. In these conversations, we explore each woman’s career path, what empowers them, what womanhood means to them, and more. We hope you enjoy these glimpses into their lives and that you celebrate the women in your lives today and every day! (These interviews will also be on our Instagram Stories all week and will be saved on our account so you can view them at any time.)
This week’s featured woman is Shanice Coriolan, PharmD. Shanice is a 27-year-old Haitan-American pharmacist who grew up in Long Island, NY. She recently completed a general post-residency in clinical pharmacy in New York City and is currently working towards becoming a clinical ambulatory care pharmacotherapy specialist. Her interest in pharmacy first began when she had the unique opportunity to take a pharmacy technician class in high school. She said that she “loved the direct patient contact and the medications were so interesting to me.” She decided to specialize in clinical ambulatory care pharmacy because of the relationships she can build with her patients and because “it’s extremely satisfying to see the positive impact I can have in people’s lives.” These interactions are especially important right now since the pandemic has made it difficult to visit loved ones in hospitals and nursing homes.
Shanice’s hobbies and favorite things include spending time with her family and friends, reading, traveling, and eating different foods. Keep reading to learn more about Shanice’s journey as a pharmacist!
1. How has your job/routine changed pre/post covid?
As an essential worker, I was still at work every day. I definitely became even more of a germaphobe though. I alcohol and sanitize everything! Being in NYC we were hit really hard with COVID and it was probably the busiest I’ve ever seen the hospital. We were overflowing and had to have makeshift units inside and outside the hospital to accommodate all our patients. As a clinical pharmacy resident, we spend a lot of time inpatient on the floors rounding with multidisciplinary teams and direct face-face patient counseling but when COVID hit, everything changed to telehealth. We were rounding on Zoom and if I needed to speak with or counsel a patient, I would have to call them instead of going to their room. Many people were sick and so many people didn’t make it..it was tough. Luckily, we have the vaccine now and things are on the way to being so much better.
2. What is the most interesting part of your job? What is the wildest thing you’ve seen during your job?
I would say the most interesting part of my job is that anything is possible and you never know what you are going to see. The wildest thing I’ve ever seen was during my emergency department (ED) rotation during residency. As the clinical pharmacist in the ED we respond to all the codes and traumas to facilitate drug therapy including preparation of medications, drug information and dosing questions. We had a level 1 trauma come in with a patient who was descalped! He worked in a factory and his long hair got stuck in one of the machines and completely tore off his scalp, with his hair attached from his head. His entire skull was intact but visible. Totally insane!
3. How do you manage your time as a pharmacist? Balance self-care, health, and your career?
Prior to COVID, I struggled a lot with my work/life balance so quarantine gave me the space to really sit back and become mindful of what I felt like was most important in my life. I work full-time so on my days off I try to make time for myself to relax but also take time to work on some of the extra projects I’ve taken on. I have a planner so I typically plan out my days but some days I’ll just wing it. Prior to COVID I used to take a lot of spin and barre classes. Since that’s not possible now, I recently purchased a peloton bike and I’m excited to get back into exercising. I also love to read but had so much trouble fitting it into my day, so I got an audible subscription and listen to my books whenever I’m in the car. It’s honestly the best!
4. Do you have a skincare routine?
I recently started a new skincare routine for the first time in my life. For the past couple of months, I’ve been having really bad hormonal breakouts around my period. Now, I wash my face in the morning with a facial cleanser and in the evening with cocoa butter soap. In the morning, I use a lactic acid cream, facial mist, under eye cream and vitamin C moisturizer. At night, I use a retinol cream, and a water based moisturizer. It’s been helpful a lot. I’m also really mindful of what I eat now too because I feel like it really influences my skin.
5. Did stress from studying ever affect your skin health?
Pharmacy school is really intense and difficult. It requires a lot of discipline and about 20-30 hours per week dedicated to studying. Although the stress was definitely there, I was really lucky and only got a few pimples here and there but never had any terrible breakouts. I was always very mindful of what I ate.
6. What is your favorite Knours product? What do you know about it?
I love the facial cleanser and the double duty mist. I love that the facial cleanser is a double cleanser and saves me a step! It cleans off my makeup and then switches over to a foam cleanser. It leaves my face feeling soft and fresh. The double duty mist is the perfect addition to my skincare routine. It keeps my face moisturized throughout the day. I love that Knours is formulated with clean and safe ingredients and doesn’t have any harsh chemicals.
7. What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
Don’t ever doubt yourself! When you have an idea or want to pursue something, be super passionate about it and don’t let anybody deter you. Always follow your bliss and doors will open.
8. What makes you feel empowered as a woman? What does womanhood mean to you?
I feel empowered as a woman when I continuously embrace what I love without becoming absorbed in how it may appear to everyone. I think it’s so important to always be unapologetically yourself.
To me, being a woman means so many things. It is confidence, strength and empowerment. It means taking up space, being exactly who you are and stepping into your own power. I am powerful, worthy and deserving of everything great this world has to offer. It is a sisterhood. Being surrounded by supportive women who lift you up and understand what you’re going through. It’s literally everything!
Our Woman of the Week series will continue on Monday with Joy Castro, an Asian-American sergeant in the US Army.