Pharmacy Practice Experiences

PCSP is unique in many ways, and one of those is how we schedule our experiential education hours.  Our rotations are integrated into our curriculum making our summers free.  So as a P3 I spent the past 6 Thursdays at the Free Clinic in Greenwood.  Our objectives were to learn the practice of pharmacy from our preceptors at a practice site. 

At United Ministries Free Clinic of Greenwood, I worked alongside many wonderful volunteers who taught me what it really means to give back.  I worked extensively with the pharmacist in charge at the free clinic, and organized donations and filled prescriptions.  I also worked with one of my professors who volunteers at the clinic and got great experience educating patients.

The free clinic runs on donations from the community.  Community members donate unwanted medications and medical equipment, yet only some of these donations can be used.  It was important to ensure the products were sealed, in date, and something the pharmacy will actually use.  Local physician offices also donate professional samples.  Again, I had to screen the donations to ensure they would be used, and they were in date.  The clinic also orders a few generic medications that are paid for with monetary donations, and I shelved those as they arrived.  Patient assistance programs from drug companies are also used to obtain medications for patients and those had to be inventoried as they arrived.   

On Thursdays, a physician and medical resident are available to see patients.  If the physician prescribes medications for the patients, then the pharmacy fills those prescriptions.  This process is very similar to other community pharmacies.  The physician brings the order to the pharmacy; the right product is pulled from the shelf, counted, labeled, and checked by the pharmacist.  The patient is then called back to the pharmacy and is educated on the prescription.

One day I got to observe Dr. Johnson, a PCSP professor, provide a diabetes education program to patients newly diagnosed or needing help controlling their diabetes.  This was geared towards dietary modifications and how the patients can integrate modifications into their busy lives. 

I truly enjoyed this experience; there are several truly fantastic people who choose to volunteer at United Ministries Free Clinic in Greenwood.  Not only did I learn new pharmacy skills, I was also able to hone my existing pharmacy skills on this rotation.  I also learned how important it is to give back to the larger community. 

Written by Molly, P3 Student