Why student involvement is crucial to shaping the future of pharmacy

A constant for all my friends and colleagues in the healthcare profession is that at some point during our training we did clinical rotations in our field of study. I am sure we all have stories to tell about the experiences we had that were good, bad, and “I can’t believe I am paying to be here!” I can honestly say that I learned something valuable from the 9 rotations I did. Some of the preceptors were much more engaged in my learning and didn’t use me as unpaid labor for 5 weeks. A few preceptors became mentors and helped guide me into the initial phase of my professional career.

Finding value in my experiences as a pharmacy student

One pharmacist preceptor particularly stands out because of the way he described the benefits of training student pharmacists and how he utilized students at his practice site. He had a strong conviction that it was a primary responsibility of practicing pharmacists to train students knowing they would be the future of the profession. He would jokingly say, “One of these students might be taking care of me down the road and I want to make sure they are doing it right.” As far as he was concerned, every student on his rotation would participate in each and every activity he performed and would complete the rotation with at least a rudimentary understanding of everything he did on a daily basis.

Part of the negotiations for my first job in pharmacy included being a preceptor for a 4th year pharmacy student (P4). If you recall from a previous post, I spent half of my time performing clinical activities outside of the pharmacy, many of which were done as home visits. The intention I had for this student was to prepare each of the home visits, lead the appointment, document the intervention, and send communications to the primary care providers. All of this would be done under my supervision and with me serving as a safety net as each student was encouraged to be aggressive when making clinical recommendations. I was adamant none of the P4s on my rotation would ever touch a counting tray or spatula.

More often than not a P4 would identify a drug therapy problem and recommend the patient contact their physician to discuss it. I would send them back to the drawing board with the expectation they come up with a very specific recommendation to send to the physician with supporting evidence as to why the recommendation was appropriate. Keep in mind each P4 would conduct on average 15 patient appointments per week during their five-week rotation for a total of 75 opportunities to make clinic recommendations to other healthcare providers. Yes, it was uncomfortable for them at times, and yes, they made many mistakes. I never chastised a recommendation they made, or a patient interview they conducted. By the end of each rotation, I had witnessed growth from every P4 and their confidence was bolstered.

We prioritize our students' experience for the sake of their futures and our company

Student involvement is critical for the success of Centralized Healthcare Solutions. We employ at least 2 student pharmacists at a time, have 2 more P4 students each rotation, and occasionally have student pharmacists needing volunteer hours working on projects for us. Sure, there are unique challenges that come with employing students and including them as part of the workforce. We still demand a high level of clinical care be provided to the patients we serve, and accountability is important to ensuring this happens. We have never had a student pharmacist leave Centralized Healthcare Solutions because they didn’t enjoy the work. I have received numerous cards thanking me for giving them the opportunity to be a better clinician and pharmacist. Confirmation I am doing my part preparing the next generation.