Caring for the underserved: exemplars in teaching

Outcomes of a college-led community-based influenza vaccine program for underserved New York City communities

BACKGROUND

Vaccine-preventable diseases are a major public health issue. Underserved communities are at heightened risk in New York City, where influenza morbidity and mortality remain elevated. Pharmacists and student pharmacists can play important roles in these communities through vaccine-based initiatives.

OBJECTIVES

Enhance student experiences in encounters with underserved individuals; determine patient satisfaction with pharmacist-administered vaccines; assess for gaps in immunization care among the underserved.

PRACTICE DESCRIPTION

St. John's University, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (CPHS) prioritizes public health outreach to underserved neighborhoods through various initiatives organized by its Urban Institute. The CPHS's annual Pam Shea-Byrnes community outreach immunization initiative was developed to increase access to influenza vaccinations for the indigent population through the establishment of new community partnerships.

PRACTICE INNOVATION

The partnership between CPHS and community-based organizations resulted in influenza vaccines administered at no cost to beneficiaries, while offering students experiences in immunization initiatives and care for the underserved.

EVALUATION METHODS

Participating students completed a pre- and postexperience survey. After vaccine administration, patients completed an immunization history survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in addition to a satisfaction survey.

RESULTS

A total of 105 patients received the influenza vaccine. Of these, 53 (50.5%) patients completed both the CDC assessment and satisfaction surveys. Of the survey respondents, 81% agreed that the pharmacists and student pharmacists were friendly and professional. Most of the patients (92.5%) were satisfied with the service. Fourteen student pharmacists participated in the initiative and completed both pre-and postsurveys. Student pharmacists indicated in postsurveys a stronger personal responsibility for caring for those in need. They also agreed that there is a clear responsibility for pharmacists to personally care for those in need.

CONCLUSION

Student experiences during interactions with the underserved were enriched, and patients were satisfied with the pharmacist-run initiative. Further expansion of the initiative will be considered.

Cultural competency in health care and its implications for pharmacy part 3A: emphasis on pharmacy education, curriculums, and future directions

Culture influences patients' beliefs and behaviors toward health and illness. As the U.S. population becomes more diverse, a critical need exists for pharmacy education to incorporate patient-centered culturally sensitive health care knowledge and skills into the curriculum. Nursing was the first profession to incorporate this type of learning and training into its curriculums, followed by medicine. Pharmacy has also made great progress to revise curriculums, but inconsistency exists in depth, breadth, and methods across pharmacy colleges. This article addresses important aspects of pharmacy education such as curriculum development, incorporation of educational innovations and techniques into the teaching of patient-centered culturally sensitive health care across the curriculum from didactic to experiential learning, assessment tools, and global education. A preliminary model curriculum with objectives and examples of teaching methods is proposed. Future directions in pharmacy education, teaching and learning scholarship, postgraduate education, licensure, and continuing education are also presented.

A medical mission to Guatemala as an advanced pharmacy practice experience

OBJECTIVE

To describe the development and outcomes of an advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) for a medical mission trip to Guatemala.

DESIGN

Pre-mission preparation and post-mission reflection activities were combined with in-country activities to create a 5-week APPE. During the 10-day medical mission trip, pharmacy students dispensed medications, counseled patients, conducted quality improvement assessments, and presented their findings and experiences as part of an interdisciplinary health care team.

ASSESSMENT

The students who completed the mission trip met the objectives of the APPE and reported substantial learning in the areas of interdisciplinary teamwork and cultural competency. All students' scores on the Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence-Student Version (IAPCC-SV) increased. The majority (81%) of student-generated quality improvement recommendations were implemented by the mission team.

CONCLUSIONS

The medical mission APPE provided a rich learning environment for pharmacy students and resulted in modifications to the medical mission operation. This type of APPE could be implemented in other colleges of pharmacy via formation of partnerships with established medical mission teams as this one was.