Transitions of Care: A Student Perspective on the Value of Current Successes and Growth Opportunities in the PharmD Curriculum

Transitions of care (TOC) is becoming an essential component of pharmacy practice, and requires problem solving that is difficult to learn in the classroom. My unique experience of interning in community and inpatient settings along with doing my own TOC research with geriatric patients has allowed me to see patients throughout the spectrum of health care, and how discrepancies arise as they move between settings. This manuscript will provide insight to pharmacy students about why TOC is a critical area for pharmacist involvement, and how we must be prepared to guide patients through these transitions as we become new practitioners.

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Future health care and hospital pharmacy practice: Perspectives based on a unique experience

American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy ◽

10.1093/ajhp/41.9.1851 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 41 (9) ◽

pp. 1851-1854

Author(s):

Brian J. Ellinoy ◽

Genevieve Gilroy

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Hospital Pharmacy ◽

Pharmacy Practice ◽

Future Health ◽

Future Health Care ◽

Unique Experience

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Engaging Pharmacy Students, Residents, and Fellows in Antimicrobial Stewardship

Journal of Pharmacy Practice ◽

10.1177/0897190013516506 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 28 (6) ◽

pp. 585-591 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Elias B. Chahine ◽

Rania M. El-Lababidi ◽

Mariette Sourial

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Infectious Diseases ◽

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Health Care Cost ◽

Pharmacy Practice ◽

Pharmacy Students ◽

Practice Experience ◽

Formally Trained ◽

The Impact

Antimicrobial stewardship programs are mainly established by infectious diseases physicians and infectious diseases-trained clinical pharmacists with the goal of optimizing patients’ outcomes while halting antimicrobial resistance, decreasing adverse events, and controlling health care cost. The role of the infectious diseases-trained clinical pharmacist in antimicrobial stewardship is well established; however, there are not enough formally trained pharmacists to assume the challenging responsibilities of the steward coordinator. The purpose of this article was to review the available literature and resources and propose a model to engage introductory pharmacy practice experience students, advanced pharmacy practice experience students, postgraduate year (PGY) 1 pharmacy residents, PGY2 infectious diseases pharmacy residents, and PGY2 or PGY3 infectious diseases pharmacy fellows in antimicrobial stewardship. Further studies are needed to assess and document the impact of pharmacy students and postgraduate trainees on antimicrobial stewardship programs.

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Desirable Skills in New Pharmacists

Journal of Pharmacy Practice ◽

10.1177/0897190015621804 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 94-98 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Catherine E. O’Brien ◽

Schwanda K. Flowers ◽

Cindy D. Stowe

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Drug Information ◽

Pharmacy Practice ◽

Pharmacy Students ◽

Knowledge And Skills ◽

New Graduates ◽

Ethics Management ◽

Pharmacy Curriculum ◽

Survey Responses

Objective: To compare survey responses between licensed pharmacists who work with or employ new graduates and graduating senior pharmacy students at a college of pharmacy. Design: This was a retrospective analysis of surveys given to 2 groups of pharmacists and students. Responses to items regarding importance of desirable qualities in new pharmacists and level of preparation of new graduates were analyzed. Qualities included drug information, pharmacology, therapeutics, communication with patients/customers or health care professionals, professionalism, ethics, management, and conflict resolution. Results: There was consensus between pharmacists and students regarding the importance of all items ( P > .05 for all comparisons). However, the percentage of pharmacists versus students who agreed that new graduates communicate effectively differed (86.7% vs 100%, respectively, P < .05). Of pharmacists surveyed at a career fair, 64.1% chose communication as the 1 skill that would distinguish an applicant, and retail and hospital pharmacists displayed a statistically significant ( P < .05) difference in the audience (patients/customers vs other health care professionals). Conclusion: Pharmacists and students agree on the knowledge and skills essential for pharmacy practice but disagree on the level of preparation for effective communication. These results support ongoing efforts to improve the development of communication skills in the professional pharmacy curriculum.

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Impact of an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience Student-Run “Meds 2 Beds” and Discharge Counseling Program on Quality of Care

Hospital Pharmacy ◽

10.1177/0018578718791519 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 54 (5) ◽

pp. 314-322

Author(s):

Brette Conliffe ◽

Jocelyn VanOpdorp ◽

Kyle Weant ◽

Vanessa VanArsdale ◽

Jennifer Wiedmar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Pharmacy Practice ◽

Transitions Of Care ◽

Care Providers ◽

Counseling Program ◽

Medication Delivery ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Ed Visits

Purpose: As health care progresses toward pay for performance reimbursement models and focus is placed on the patient as a consumer, health care systems must adapt by initiating new programs and services. This institution responded by implementing a “Meds 2 Beds” program integrating clinical services with dispensing and medication delivery during transitions of care. This study evaluates outcomes relevant to patients, health care providers, pharmacists, and administrators. Methods: This observational chart review evaluated the effectiveness of a “Meds 2 Beds” program from May 1, 2014, through December 1, 2015. Patients who participated in this program were matched 1:1 with controls who did not. The primary outcome was 30-day hospital readmission. Secondary outcomes included 30-day emergency department (ED) visits, patient satisfaction, and financial impact. Results: In this sample, 185 “Meds 2 Beds” patients were matched to 185 controls. Thirty day readmission occurred in 16 (8.7%) “Meds 2 Beds” cases and 19 (10.3%) controls ( P = .71). Rates of 30-day ED visits were nonsignificantly reduced in cases (22 [11.9%] vs 33 [18.1%]; odds ratio = 0.62, P = .11) and occurred significantly later (11 vs 7 days, P = .03). Conclusions: This study showcases a creative medication delivery and discharge counseling program. The program provides financial benefit to the institution creating a direct revenue stream from prescription dispensing while highlighting a potential for reduced readmissions and ED visits (although a statistically significant difference was not demonstrated in this analysis). A similar model can be adopted by other health care institutions to improve the quality of patient care.

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Aging and Autism

Perspectives on Gerontology ◽

10.1044/gero17.2.69 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 69-75 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Pamela A. Smith

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Patient Group ◽

Older Patients ◽

Geriatric Patients ◽

Recent Literature ◽

Communication Disorders ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Need For Support ◽

Spectrum Disorders

In this article, I will review the available recent literature about the aging population with autism, a patient group that researchers know little about and a group that is experiencing a growing need for support from communication disorders professionals. Speech-language pathologists working with geriatric patients should become familiar with this issue, as the numbers of older patients with autism spectrum disorders is likely to increase. Our profession and our health care system must prepare to meet the challenge these patients and residents will present as they age.

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Responding to Clinicians' Challenges in Working With Geriatric Patients

Perspectives on Gerontology ◽

10.1044/gero16.1.22 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 22-29

Author(s):

Lisa Y. Milliken ◽

Dawn Ralph ◽

Sally Jones-McNamara

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Geriatric Patients ◽

Clinical Scenario ◽

Medical Diagnoses ◽

Communication Deficits ◽

Resident Care ◽

Physical Limitations

Clinicians work with older residents who have not only multiple physical limitations, but cognitive loss, communication deficits, dysphagia, and multiple medical diagnoses. They must work within procedural, regulatory, and reimbursement systems that challenge them to provide optimal resident care. In this article, the authors will discuss some specific challenges brought forth by clinicians in response to a clinical scenario and will provide information and feedback from several health-care consultants.

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Remote OSCE Experience: What First Year Pharmacy Students Liked, Learned, and Suggested for Future Implementations

Pharmacy ◽

10.3390/pharmacy9010062 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 62 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Amanda Savage ◽

Lana M. Minshew ◽

Heidi N. Anksorus ◽

Jacqueline E. McLaughlin

Keyword(s):

Concept Maps ◽

Response Rate ◽

Skill Development ◽

Pharmacy Practice ◽

Pharmacy Students ◽

Objective Structured Clinical Examination ◽

First Year ◽

Future Work ◽

Assessment Strategies ◽

Frequency Counts

During the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools quickly transitioned their teaching and assessment strategies to online formats. In Spring 2020, a 3-station remote Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) was implemented for first-year pharmacy students. The day following the remote OSCEs students answered three open-text prompts about the remote OSCE experience: (1) “I liked...”, (2) “I learned…”, and (3) “I suggest…”. Responses were open-coded and frequency counts were calculated to determine the most prevalent codes. Concept maps were created to visualize and explore connections between the codes. Out of 157 students, 156 students completed the reflection assignment, a 99.36% response rate. The three major themes in the Liked data were: Logistics (n = 65, 41.7%), Differences In-person Versus Remote (n = 59, 37.8%), and Skill Development (n = 43, 27.6%). The three major themes in the Learned data were: Technology (n = 66, 42.3%), Communication (n = 58, 37.2%), and Skill Development (n = 56, 35.9%). The three major themes in the Suggest data were: Logistics (n = 89, 57.1%), Technology (n = 31, 19.9%), and Continuation of Remote OSCE (n = 31, 19.9%). Overall, the remote OSCE experience was well-received, and students described it as applicable to their future pharmacy practice. Future work should explore the design, implementation, and outcomes of remote OSCEs.

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