VPhA hosts successful second SPPAF colloquium
Thanks to third-year Pharm.D. student Thuy Tran for providing the following report on the second Student Pharmacist Policy and Advocacy Forum Colloquium, presented Feb. 21 at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. The colloquium, open to student pharmacists from across the state, took place in conjunction with Virginia Pharmacists Association’s 2015 Midyear Conference.
See more photos from the colloquium.
Despite the horrible weather, pharmacists and student pharmacists from VCU and Shenandoah were present. This event could not have been organized without the financial support of a Harvey B. Morgan Institute of Government & Public Service grant and the mentorship of the SPPAF advisors, VCU School of Pharmacy faculty Gary Matzke and Jennifer Neal.
The colloquium began with an introduction by SPPAF Executive Committee member Adrienne Simmons (P1) to the Student Pharmacist Policy and Advocacy Forum and the program’s objectives.
The keynote speaker, Rebecca Snead, was introduced by Jacob Buck (P3), president of the VCU chapter of the Virginia Academy of Student Pharmacists.
Snead, executive vice president and CEO of the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations, is a 1985 VCU School of Pharmacy alumna. She introduced the topic of pharmacy quality measures and how they will play an important role in the advancement of the profession toward a more value-driven health care model. Her presentation included ways that students could gain experience in pharmacy measure organizations (such as PQA, EPIQ and NASPA rotations), as well as resources to help pharmacists track down potential errors via the Alliance for Patient Medication Safety (APMS).
Based upon the foundation that Snead built with her presentation, Thuy Tran (P3) led a moderated Q&A session with five panelists who were asked how the implementation of these quality measures will impact their respective practice settings.
In addition to Rebecca Snead, the panelists and some of the key points they discussed were:
- Dawn Havrda, Shenandoah University’s Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy, PGY1 Residency Program director: the importance of the pharmacist’s presence in the primary practice/ambulatory care setting
- Shamly Abdelfattah, Appalachian College of Pharmacy, adjunct associate professor: introduced telemedicine, via an Internet website he developed, that enables pharmacists to conduct MTM sessions with patients, regardless of their geographic location. Patients have the option of setting up a telephonic or video appointment with a pharmacist to discuss their medical concerns. Emphasized that pharmacists should always think outside of the box to find ways to be more involved in the management of a patient’s chronic disease states. (Due to the inclement weather, Abdelfattah could not make it to Roanoke and had to telecommunicate with the group via his website.)
- Cindy Warriner, clinical pharmacist and member, Virginia Board of Pharmacy: stressed the importance of staying connected to professional organizations (such as VPhA and APhA). Emphasized the importance of always thinking about what you can do to benefit a patient’s health care regardless of the practice setting. Warriner is also a 1986 VCU School of Pharmacy alumna.
- Margaret Robinson, VCU School of Pharmacy, P4: completed a NASPA rotation with Snead during her fourth year and shared with students her perspective as a student about to graduate. She is also a former SPPAF Executive Committee member.
The last segment was a “Think, Pair, Share” session to allow students the opportunity to apply the information presented in the previous segments into practice. There were two case scenarios, each relating to the community pharmacy or hospital pharmacy setting.
Students were asked to work within their tables, joined by VCU SOP 2014 alumna Tehra James, who is a member of VPhA’s Academy of New Practitioners, and the panel members. After 10 minutes, each group was asked to present their solutions to the case scenarios. This segment was led by VCU School of Pharmacy’s Erin Hickey (P2).
Mimi Baker (P3) wrapped up the colloquium with a message on “Looking Forward,” summarizing the discussions that were presented.
Categories Alumni news, Events, Student news, Student organizations