Student pharmacist perspectives of rural pharmacy practice.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the level of interest of upper-level doctor of pharmacy students in rural pharmacy practice, rural pharmacy ownership, and a proposed rural pharmacy practice model. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota in October through December 2003. PARTICIPANTS: Third- and fourth-year professional student pharmacists at the University of Minnesota, North Dakota State University, and South Dakota State University. INTERVENTION: Self-administered questionnaire completed by study participants. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Student interest in rural pharmacy practice and potential future directions for maintaining access to medications and the knowledge of pharmacists in rural communities. RESULTS: Of 177 respondents, 62.7% has given serious consideration to practice in rural communities with populations of 5,000 or fewer residents. Of these 111 students, 81% would be interested in the proposed practice model explained in the survey. Of the 108 total students expressing interest in the proposed rural pharmacy practice model, 63% had not previously given serious consideration to pursuing ownership (full or partnership) of a community pharmacy. CONCLUSION: Students from the schools that have traditionally supplied the majority of Minnesota rural pharmacists indicated an interest in practicing in rural areas as long as opportunities align with their personal and professional interests.     

Job Location Decisions of Pharmacy Graduates in British Columbia

Objectives

To determine the factors influencing pharmacy graduates'' selection of their first professional job location.

Methods

A survey was conducted of the 2007 graduating class of the University of British Columbia, examining hometown location, community and workplace factors, personal relationships, financial factors, and leisure activities. Responses were analyzed to determine whether community size or demographic characteristics affected the degree to which each factor influenced the job location decision.

Results

The majority of graduates moved from their hometowns to larger communities, mainly to the largest city in British Columbia. Most of those taking jobs in rural and remote communities grew up in or near those communities, and were more influenced by community size and anticipated working conditions, and less influenced by access to cultural and social activities, than their urban counterparts.

Conclusions

The admission of students from rural and remote communities is modestly effective in ensuring a supply of pharmacists for these areas.     

Practice models used by pharmacists in rural Minnesota to obtain Medicare reimbursement

OBJECTIVES: (1) Define "incident-to" rules for Medicare reimbursement; (2) Describe how pharmacists can meet incident-to rules; (3) Provide examples of models of practice in rural areas that could be useful for meeting incident-to rules; and (4) Develop a strategy for creating a pharmacy practice model that could meet Medicare reimbursement rules in rural areas. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: A survey of participants from the Pharmacy Rural Education, Practice and Policy Institute and the College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota. SETTING: Community, hospital, and clinic practice sites in rural Minnesota. RESULTS: Four distinct models of practice have evolved that meet the incident-to rules of Medicare for reimbursement. Travel, proximity to physicians, and employment are the major determinants of the models described. CONCLUSION: Pharmacists in rural areas have demonstrated the ability to satisfy the incident-to rules for Medicare reimbursement. Collaborative agreements with physicians must include specific employment, practice, and supervisory relationships in order to satisfy these rules.     

Practice patterns of male and female pharmacists

A survey was undertaken using sample alumni of the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy and the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science to attempt to determine practice parameters of male and female pharmacists. The study included male and female graduates during an 18-year period from 1961 through 1978. Data are presented relating sex to practice interruptions and the characteristics exhibited thereof. The results disclosed that 126 (34.7%) of the female and 21 (8.4%) of the male practitioners had interrupted their practices at one time or another following graduation. Furthermore, 88.8% of all practice interruptions among females was found to be linked to familial obligations.     

Obligations of Investigators in Clinical Research a Pharmacist's Perspective

Abstract

The Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Pharmacy currently employs 40 fulltime clinical pharmacists who have minimal drug distribution responsibilities and provide pharmacy services to a specific patient care team and are involved with the education of pharmacy and medical students. In addition, these clinical pharmacists have collaborated in the clinical research activities of the medical and surgical staffs at the University of Illinois, Since many of these pharmacists have gain recognition as primary and co-investigators by various study sponsors, the Department of Pharmacy Practice has developed a program to inform each clinical pharmacist of his/her responsibilities as a clinical investigator. The following document summarizes the Department's policies and procedures.     

培养临床药师 促进合理用药

通过对国内外开展临床药学工作和临床药学教育理论与实践的研究与分析,结合天津医科大学药学院与天津市卫生局及所属医疗机构为建立临床药师制、开展临床药学服务、培养临床药师所进行的临床药学教育教学实践,探讨建立适合中国国情的在成人队伍中进行临床药师培养的模式与方法。     

An Interprofessional Rural Health Education Program

Objectives. To develop, implement, and assess an interprofessional rural health professions program for pharmacy and medical students.Design. A recruitment and admissions process was developed that targeted students likely to practice in rural areas. Pharmacy students participated alongside medical students in completing the Rural Health Professions program curriculum, which included monthly lecture sessions and assignments, and a capstone clinical requirement in the final year.Assessment. Fourteen pharmacy students and 33 medical students were accepted into the program during the first 2 years of the Rural Health Professions program. Approximately 90% of the rural health professions students were originally from rural areas.Conclusions. The rural health professions program is an interprofessional approach to preparing healthcare providers to practice in rural communities.     

Clinical Pharmacy Education as an off Campus Part-Time Degree Program

Abstract

Most people will agree that today's clinical pharmacy practice requires an advanced degree, such as the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree. However, the disagreement in the profession of pharmacy includes whether to phase out the Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) degree or not and how to accomodate several practitioners who have the B.Sc. degree. In attempt to deal with this problem, the College of Pharmacy in Florida A&M University is planning to offer the PharmD degree as an off-campus part-time program for pharmacists with the B.Sc. degree. To determine the need for such a program a needs assessment survey was done, in which all registered pharmacists in the state of Florida were sent a survey questionnaire. The results of the survey showed a high interest in the program by the respondents.     

Opinions and experiences of Indiana pharmacists and student pharmacists: The need for addiction and substance abuse education in the United States

BackgroundSubstance abuse and addiction are growing public health problems. Pharmacists are potentially in a position to be of great assistance in ameliorating these threats yet might not be receiving the education and training to do so effectively.ObjectiveTo assess the relative perceived importance of substance abuse topics in pharmacy education among student pharmacists and pharmacy practitioners in the state of Indiana.MethodsQuestionnaires were administered in class to students at Purdue University College of Pharmacy and via direct mail to the home addresses of randomly selected licensed Indiana pharmacists in 2009 to elicit information on the relevance and interest for particular topics within addiction education, prior education received regarding addiction, and the frequency of professional interactions that involved addiction.ResultsThree hundred fifty students (74%) and 625 pharmacists (26%) responded to the survey. The average interest across all surveyed topics was 3.18/4.00 for students and 3.47/4.00 for practitioners. Areas rated highly by both groups included withdrawal, pain management, and recognition of signs and symptoms of addiction in patients. Qualitative responses from practitioners suggest strong interest in further education in this area and a perceived need for increased educational exposure during the student pharmacist experience. The average pharmacist respondent spent 6.94% of the time dealing with people who were addicted, and 22.2% had independent addiction education.ConclusionsPharmacists and pharmacy student respondents overwhelmingly felt that educational preparation in this area is important. A significant portion of time in practice is spent managing addiction-related issues, and further educational opportunities are being pursued beyond graduation to fulfill the educational needs of the practitioner respondents.     

Prospective student pharmacist interest in a rural pharmacy curriculum

Objective. To determine prospective student pharmacists' interest in a rural pharmacy health curriculum.Methods. All applicants who were selected to interview for fall 2011 enrollment at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy were invited to participate in a Web-based survey. Questions addressed participants' willingness to participate in a rural health pharmacy curriculum, interest in practicing in a rural area, and beliefs regarding patient access to healthcare in rural areas.Results. Of the 250 prospective student pharmacists invited to participate, 91% completed the survey instrument. Respondents agreed that populations living in rural areas may have different health needs, and students were generally interested in a rural pharmacy health curriculum.Conclusions. An online survey of prospective student pharmacists was an effective way to assess their interest in a rural pharmacy program being considered by the study institution. Location of the rural program at a satellite campus and availability of housing were identified as factors that could limit enrollment.     

Expanding experiential opportunities through patient care services: a focus on immunizations

A new set of standards, ACPE Standards 2007, adopted by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), required all pharmacy programs to include introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) to represent 5% of the curriculum and advance pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) to represent 25% of the curriculum. This required many pharmacy programs to revise their curriculum to meet these requirements. The challenge of satisfying the increased accreditation requirements along with the increased number of new pharmacy programs in the United States has resulted in increased competition for experiential sites. Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Pharmacy utilized innovative immunization services to help meet the ACPE Standards 2007. Drake utilized P2 and P3 students who were trained to give immunizations in an IPPE patient care elective in order to help experiential sites in their immunization efforts. Senior pharmacy students at UAMS were involved in expanding APPE opportunities by developing immunization clinics and providing immunizations at their experiential sites. Both pharmacy programs were successful in expanding experiential opportunities by focusing on immunizations. Students, preceptors, and patients all benefit from utilizing student pharmacist at experiential sites to provide patient care services.     

Writing tasks performed by doctor of pharmacy students during clerkship rotations.

The range of writing tasks undertaken by students during doctor of pharmacy clerkship rotations was studied. Data collection involved a review between August and November 1998 of writing samples selected by postbaccalaureate Pharm. D. students at Albany College of Pharmacy for inclusion in their required writing portfolios. The first 200 samples (accounted for by 35 students each submitting two documents for each of three clerkship rotations) were reviewed. Of these, 198 were coded to identify the four rhetorical components of clerkship location, document type, intended audience, and rhetorical purpose. Institutional sites served as the clerkship location for 164 (82.8%) of the 198 documents analyzed. The documents were placed in 28 categories; 5 of these accounted for 126 (63.6%) of the documents: 45 inservice presentations, 32 summaries, 18 patient case write-ups, 16 formulary reviews, and 15 newsletters. Students wrote most frequently to health care providers (34.8%), other pharmacists (32.3%), and teachers (16.7%), with the most frequent rhetorical purposes being informing (73.2%) and demonstrating (14.6%). Analysis of writing samples prepared by pharmacy students during clerkship rotations revealed a variety of clerkship sites, document types, audiences, and rhetorical purposes.     

Continuing pharmacy education practices in geriatric care among pharmacists in the Upper Midwest

ObjectivesTo summarize select continuing pharmacy education (CPE) topics and hours related to geriatric care completed by community, hospital/clinic, and long-term care (LTC)/consultant pharmacists in the previous 12 months, whether pharmacy workplace influenced topic selection or completion, and to describe CPE sources used by community versus hospital/clinic pharmacists.DesignCross-sectional survey (2017).Setting and participantsLicensed pharmacists in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska with primary practice settings in community pharmacies, hospitals, or clinics or those practicing as consultant pharmacists.Main outcome measuresCPE on geriatric-related topics and hours completed in the previous 12 months, CPE providers and sources used, and differences in CPE topic completion and CPE providers and sources by primary pharmacy practice setting.ResultsPharmacists’ response rates for states ranged from 10.5% to 17.1%. Pharmacists (n = 1082) reported limited completion of geriatric-related topics. Almost one-third completed CPE credit in Alzheimer disease (AD) but fewer than 20% of pharmacists in selected age-related chronic diseases (e.g., Parkinson disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, epilepsy, vascular dementia, geriatric syndrome). LTC/consultant pharmacists completed significantly more hours in geriatric-related topics compared with other pharmacists. In contrast, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, asthma, and heart failure were completed by 34% to 64% of the pharmacists. Pharmacist’s Letter (57.2%), Power-Pak CE (42.4%), conferences, conventions, and symposia (32.5%), and Pharmacy Times (21.8%), were the most used CPE sources. Other sources were used by fewer than 18% of the pharmacists. Online CPE providers used by high numbers of study participants offered limited AD- or dementia-related topics and hours.ConclusionFindings revealed modest to minimal CPE completion in select geriatric care topics among pharmacists in the Upper Midwest. Completion rates were higher for LTC pharmacists compared with hospital, clinic, and community pharmacists. Only a few CPE sources were heavily used, and those offered minimal CPE in AD/dementia-related care. Given current findings and previous research, current CPE use habits and CPE offerings from major providers and sources seem insufficient for ensuring continued high-quality patient-centered care for growing U.S. aging populations.     

Recurrent education for pharmacists to support regional medicine

New-generation pharmacists who graduate from the 6-year pharmacy education program will come into being in Japan in 2 years' time. The new program regards technical skills and caring attitudes suitable for healthcare professionals as important, as well as expert knowledge. Pharmacists are expected to become more involved in pharmacotherapy and patient care to overcome rural physician shortage and achieve better outcomes in pharmacotherapy. Pharmacists themselves also want to contribute to improve pharmacotherapy and patient care. Pharmacists educated with the former 4-year education program, however, hardly had a chance to learn clinical pharmacy or pharmaceutical care when they were pharmacy students. They have so far studied clinical knowledge, skills, and attitudes by themselves mostly after graduation. Therefore most pharmacists have not received systematic education or training about clinical pharmacy. Pharmacy schools employ pharmacists and physicians as professors, and built practical rooms for pre-clinical training to study pharmacy practice in recent years. We should use those human resources and laboratory equipment in pharmacy schools to facilitate recurrent education for pharmacists. Internet-based real time remote lecture is also useful for pharmacists working far from pharmacy schools to attend a recurrent class. I propose an education system in which pharmacists who completed the recurrent education program teach students pharmacy practice in their worksites, and both pharmacists and students are developing their practical skills to a high degree together.     

Early Clinical Experiences for Second-Year Student Pharmacists at an Academic Medical Center

Objective. To examine student outcomes associated with the Student Medication and Reconciliation Team (SMART) program, which was designed to provide second-year student pharmacists at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Eshelman School of Pharmacy direct patient care experience at UNC Medical Center.Design. Twenty-two second-year student pharmacists were randomly selected from volunteers, given program training, and scheduled for three 5-hour evening shifts in 2013-2014. Pre/post surveys and reflection statements were collected from 19 students. Data were analyzed with a mixed methods approach.Assessment. Survey results revealed an increase in student self-efficacy (p<0.05) and positive perceptions of SMART. Qualitative findings suggest the program provided opportunities for students to develop strategies for practice, promoted an appreciation for the various roles pharmacists play in health care, and fostered an appreciation for the complexity of real-world practice.Conclusion. Early clinical experiences can enhance student learning and development while fostering an appreciation for pharmacy practice.