Originally from Englewood, Florida, volleyball player and 2012 Winthrop graduate Becca Toor has dedicated years of her time to further her education in order to help those in the medical community.
“Dr. Grossoehme was my mentor. I learned so much from him; he was an incredible mentor and teacher. All these people have great stories about why they decided to go into the medical field, and really, for me, it was more ‘What do you even do with a chemistry degree these days?’” Toor said.
Toor stumbled upon Pharmacy as a potential career, so she decided to move back home to attend the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine’s School of Pharmacy in Bradenton, Florida.
“I did my first rotation, which was at a typical Walgreens or CVS, and I hated it. People are just really cranky, and I was like, ‘I don’t want to sit here and talk about why your insurance isn’t covering this medication,’” Toor said.
Discouraged that the pharmacy world was not as she expected, Toor did some more research and happened to discover the profession of clinical specialist.
“They’re a different kind of pharmacist. In order to be a clinical specialist in a certain field, you have to do a residency program, which obviously isn’t the most ideal when you’ll be putting yourself through school for another four years working towards your doctorate, on top of just finishing a degree after four years,” Toor said.
Nevertheless, Toor knew this was the right path for her when she “fell in love” during her first rotation at a trauma center.
“I was like, ‘This is where I am meant to be.’ I love the adrenaline rush. A lot of people aren’t aware, but pharmacists do a lot of work, especially going to these Code Blues: mixing up all the meds and getting the right drug to the right patient at the quickest time possible,” Toor said.
Following that first rotation, Toor earned a spot at her top pick residency program at Orlando Health, where she went on to complete her PGY1 and PGY2 internship in Critical Care.
“In total, it took me a good six years to get the education to do the dream job. It took a lot of time and dedication, and as a resident, you are working crazy hours, but it got me where I wanted to be,” Toor said.
Upon finishing her residency, Toor started her first job as a clinical care specialist at Broward Health. She was employed there for two years until recently when she was able to move closer to her and her fiance’s family to work at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
With this new job, Toor is directly involved with assisting those who are suffering from COVID-19 in the ICU.
“As a critical care specialist, we round on all the patients with the intensive care physician on a day-to-day basis. I am fully working up the patients, understanding which medications they are on, what drug interactions, clinically assessing their liver function, their kidney status, and making sure all the drugs and doses are appropriate,” Toor said.
“I have really focused on a lot of research and education surrounding the COVID pandemic, and I think it’s definitely tough because we see the worst of the worst, but at the same time, it is rewarding to get those small victories for COVID successes,” Toor said.
As an avid volleyball player the majority of her life, Toor began her journey at Winthrop when she was recruited by former head volleyball coach Sally Polhamus.
“I felt this gut feeling as soon as I came onto Winthrop’s campus that this would be my home for the next four years. I felt such a strong connection with the coaching staff, including Chuck [Rey], my head coach Sally Polhamus, and my assistant coaches Shannon and Steve,” Toor said.
Toor was determined to find an institution where she could not only play volleyball but also study in a strong science program. She also hoped to attend a university in a state with distinct seasonal changes, as that is something she does not experience at home in Florida.
“I fell in love with the beautiful campus — the brick is incredible — and the connections I built with not only my coaches but also with my teammates. I felt like it was more of a family,” Toor said.
As an incoming freshman, Toor and her team even had the opportunity to attend a welcome party at Winthrop’s then-president Anthony J. DiGiorgio’s house.
“It doesn’t get any more welcoming than that,” Toor said.
During Toor’s time as an Eagle, she received many recognitions for her volleyball success, including being named Big South Player of the Year her senior year, being All-Academic First Team for two years and earning multiple Big South Player of the Week titles.
“I think it was like seven or eight times, which was a crazy amount of times,” Toor said regarding the numerous times she was named Big South Player of the Week. “I still look back and am like, ‘Wow, that was the best time of my life.’”
Recently, Toor was also named to the Big South All-Decade Team.
“They only select a few players from the entire decade to be recognized, and I was just so honored to be able to be on the All-Decade Team. That was so incredible. I was shocked,” Toor said.
Since graduating from Winthrop almost ten years ago, Toor switched to playing outdoor volleyball and was playing very competitively at a semi-pro level until her pharmacy schooling overtook the majority of her time.
“When I started my career, I was able to pick it back up, and now I still play multiple times a week. It’s really nice that this old girl can still do something,” Toor said.
Besides being immensely busy with her career and volleyball, Toor is excitedly awaiting her winter wedding in just a few short months.
“We are getting married on Dec. 3, 2021. I just love that date because it is a palindrome, and I will never forget that,” Toor said.
Toor is also looking forward to the opportunity to travel back to Rock Hill to visit her old friends and coaches, as well as take part in Winthrop alumni events.
“I am certainly so grateful for all the learning experiences and my time at Winthrop. They really shaped me to be who I am today. I still look back today, and I don’t think I would be as successful in my career if it wasn’t for playing a college sport and for being at Winthrop University,” Toor said.
