By: James Kent, class of 2018
One of the commitments of the WSU chapter of the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) is to provide WSU student pharmacists with opportunities for professional development through the delivery of quality patient care.
Patient care activities with APhA-ASP allow student pharmacists to apply the lessons taught in the classroom to real-life situations. These activities force student pharmacists to think critically to explain screening metrics. Students must recall previous lessons and clinical guidelines taught to them throughout different points in the curriculum. This allows these lessons to be reinforced for students, ultimately increasing comfort levels for students when they enter their clinical advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) as fourth-years. Many WSU student pharmacists have recognized this value, as the WSU APhA-ASP chapter has bolstered its highest recorded membership at 250 members strong.
This fall, APhA-ASP provided a number of community health screenings and vaccination clinics, including a new initiative to screen for HIV. Some of the larger events hosted by WSU APhA-ASP included vaccination clinics on both the WSU Pullman and Spokane campuses, as well as health fairs at Spokane Valleyfest and at the East Central Community Center. These four events allowed WSU student pharmacists to administer 316 influenza vaccinations, provide 87 cholesterol and blood sugar screenings, and screen 14 people for HIV.
WSU APhA-ASP also provided a multitude of additional opportunities for student pharmacists to improve their patient care skills, offering clinics at sites such as Safeway and Walgreens pharmacies, Benewah Medical Center in Plummer, Idaho, long-term care facilities, and Providence Pharmacotherapy Clinics.
This spring, WSU APhA-ASP is looking to expand upon patient care activities by increasing collaboration between the WSU Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) and the Spokane Regional Health District, as well as partnering with Muv Fitness and continuing existing community relationships.