Through the utilization of select community pharmacies and competency based objectives, the student will gain a greater appreciation for the profession of pharmacy as practiced in the community, and develop professional attitudes, judgment and skills needed to function in that setting. In this controlled learning environment, pharmaceutical competency is the goal and end result. The student will observe/discuss the role of the community pharmacist and actively participate in daily operations.
The community pharmacy Early Practice Experience is an integral element of training since the majority of students will practice in the community. This experience has the following goals:
1. To develop a concern for the patient's health and welfare and an appreciation for the impact of the community pharmacist in the health care system.
2. To foster the development of a responsible, professional attitude.
3. To develop professional judgment.
4. To develop proficiency in educating patients on health and medication-related matters.
5. To learn the value, importance and application of patient profiles.
6. To process prescriptions and acquire knowledge in the specialty of community pharmacy management.
7. To apply information gained in the didactic education component of the curriculum into clinical practice.
8. To provide a variety of exposures to pharmacy operation and to different practitioner philosophies and problem solving skills.
The following functions of community pharmacy practice in which instruction will be given:
1. Patient Interaction. Includes securing correct information from patients concerning an accurate and complete drug history, advising the patient as to proper use and storage of prescription drugs and assisting in proper selection of over-the-counter medications. In addition, the student should be encouraged to convey current public-health information, e.g., information related to cancer, diabetes, heart, sexually transmitted diseases, etc. Students should be trained to monitor patients through outcomes assessment. The most important aspect of community pharmacy is your patient.
2. Dispensing of Prescriptions. Receiving, verification, checking for errors, drug selection, filling, recording, filing and delivery of prescription to the patient. This includes contacting physicians, interpreting telephone and written orders, handling of patient records and understanding laws related to drug type, pricing strategies and completing all third party medical reimbursement.
3. Pharmacy Administration. Inventory control, ordering and returning merchandise, receiving and pricing drug products, stock arrangement and storage, management policies, bookkeeping, payroll, bills, employee policies, complaints, correspondence, pharmacy layout, traffic patterns, etc.
4. Drug and Product Information. There should be time for the student to identify/evaluate information about both prescription and non-prescription drugs. Each student will have a knowledge of general drug information, generic and trade names, common dosage forms, indications, side effects, interactions and patient counseling for the top 200 drugs dispensed. The preceptor should discuss these variables with the student and quiz him/her orally to test his/her comprehension.
5. Compounding. Each student should be able to compound prescriptions from each dosage-form type during the practice experience training. This includes bulk compounding, when appropriate.
6. Non-Prescription Information. Includes age-specific over the counter medications, hospital and surgical supplies, diabetic parapharmaceuticals, cosmetics and other health-related items.
Matching the student's duties with his/her education and previous experience is an important task for both learning and public safety. Depending on the student's knowledge and experience, competencies may range from technical to highly professional functions. For purpose of supervision and instruction, the range of learning activities/responsibilities is divided into three levels, beginning, intermediate and advanced. Preceptors should arrange learning experiences systematically, with assistance from the Campbell University Experiential Director, into these levels as listed. Care should be taken to avoid assignment of complex practice tasks to the beginning student. Conversely, inhibiting the systematic progress based on previous accomplishments and demonstrated competencies from one level to the next is contradictory to good educational practice. The three levels of competency represent a conceptual framework and serve as guidelines for the preceptor to allow each student to perform at the greatest potential and to advance during the Community Practice Experience throughout the entire program.