My First Patient Program to Introduce First-Year Pharmacy Students to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Objectives

To implement and assess the effectiveness of a program to teach pharmacy students the importance of taking personal responsibility for their health.

Design

The My First Patient Program was created and lectures were incorporated into an existing first-year course to introduce the concepts of health beliefs, behavior modification, stress management, substance abuse, and nutrition. Each student received a comprehensive health screening and health risk assessment which they used to develop a personal health portfolio and identify strategies to attain and/or maintain their personal health goals.

Assessment

Student learning was assessed through written assignments and student reflections, follow-up surveys, and course evaluations. Students'' attainment of health goals and their ability to identify their personal health status illustrated the positive impact of the program.

Conclusion

This program serves as a model for colleges and schools of pharmacy and for other health professions in the instruction of health promotion, disease prevention, and behavior modification.