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Fostering interest in pharmacy students in rural and small hospitals

By Neil MacKinnon posted 12-26-2013 13:41

  
To the readers of this blog, I'm not sure how many of you were able to attend my keynote presentation at the small and rural hospital program at the Midyear meeting, but based on that presentation and my discussions with some of the attendees at the meeting, I have been reflecting on the topic of how to best foster interest in our students in a career in small and rural hospital. I am the Dean of a College of Pharmacy and I'd like to ensure that we are successfully instilling interest in our students to work in rural and urban underserved areas, not only suburbia.

Previous to my current role as a Dean, I was the Director of the Arizona Center for Rural Health, which housed the Arizona State Office of Rural Health. In that capacity, I was very involved in the recruitment of health professionals to rural Arizona and working with rural communities and municipal leaders to address the rural health professional shortage. Our Center also conducted a statewide health professional workforce analysis, with support from our AHEC.

Two elements seem to be key in order to foster an interest in pharmacy students in rural/small hospital practice. The first is if the student grew up in a rural community. I wonder how many College of Pharmacy admissions committees consider this. The second key element is whether the student has a career-modifying educational experience in rural health during their pharmacy education. At the University of Arizona, students in pharmacy, medicine, nursing and public health can complete a certificate program in rural health, which I would argue is a great example of a career-modifying experience. Also, students in the MPH program can complete a week-long practicum in a rural community. They live in the community for the week and work on health initiatives designed by community leaders. Many of our students returned from this experience with a new perspective on rural communities.

Have you been involved in a career-modifying experience for students in a rural or small hospital? What are some ideas that have worked well for you? I would be very interested in learning from you. As a member of the PPE SAG, I know that our SAG would be interested in this as well.

Thanks in advance!
Neil MacKinnon, Dean of the Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati
Follow me on Twitter @RxDeanMac


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01-17-2014 15:54

Hello Neil. Sorry I missed Midyear this year but good to know rural healthcare was represented. I wonder how many other states have an organization similar to Wisconsin's Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative. I've networked with a lot of great people thru RWHC (yourself included). We also network with the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy to expose students to rural practice sites. Good stuff happening here in Wisconsin.

01-17-2014 09:51

Great post Neil,
I am sorry that I missed your presentation as well. Pharmacists that choose to work in critical access hospitals sometimes feel the full burden of risk managing a small department without backup. I am sure it is a lonely and sometimes difficult experience. Hopefully the increasing supply of quality telepharmacy services will help to ease that burden a bit. We all need to feel connected to a larger group.
Regards,
Tim Larson, Pharm D
Cardinal Health Remote Order Entry Services

01-06-2014 14:07

Hello Neil-
Due to a last minute change of schedule, I was unable to attend Midyear this year. I did have the Small and Rural Hospital Program on my list of sessions to attend, and was disappointed I did not hear your keynote.
I agree with your assessment about fostering interest in rural/small pharmacy practice, specifically the ability for students to experience these setting prior to graduation. Many years ago, during my fourth year, I was able to spend a one month rotation with the Indian Health Service in Ft. Thompson, SD. It was an eye opening experience!
I currently work very closely with many rural and critical access hospitals assisting them to create Drug Libraries for Smart Infusion Pumps. Not a day goes by that I don't see the effects of a shrinking pharmacy workforce in these areas. Speaking to a pharmacist in rural MN, she explained how difficult it was staffing not only the local hospital, but also the only local pharmacy in town!
I work very closely with the Illinois Pharmacist Association New Practitioners Network, and would like to discuss potential education opportunities. Please feel free to email me directly.
Regards,
Thomas Karakosta, PharmD.
Senior Clinical Product Manager
Infusion Technology
Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC
T: +1 312.775.2597
Thomas.Karakosta@fresenius-kabi.com

12-31-2013 09:50

Thanks for the feedback Thomas and thanks for your service on the ASHP Pharmacy Student Forum. Best of luck as you wrap up your studies in 2014!

12-30-2013 21:28

Great post, Dean! I was unable to attend your keynote presentation; however, the topic of discussion geared towards this subject was prominent at Midyear. I recall three separate conversations regarding plugging pharmacy students into rural and small hospitals. There certainly are barriers; those were raised during my encounters in Orlando. However, there definitely is momentum in other instances. I am eager to see the responses of others' success in career-modifying experiences. Thanks for the post!
Thomas S. Achey
Chair, Executive Committee
ASHP Pharmacy Student Forum
Pharm.D. Candidate 2014
Harrison School of Pharmacy
Auburn University