Community Pharmacy Clerkship (728-743)
Credits: 6 credits
As contemporary pharmacy practice evolves, the pharmacist is increasingly expected to utilize their professional judgement to ensure the safe and appropriate use of drugs by patients, while working with members of the health care team. This concept is termed pharmaceutical care, and is aimed at optimizing the benefits patients receive from their medication regimen and preventing medication related problems.
The purpose of the community pharmacy clerkship is to provide students with an educational experience where they can develop the skills and judgement necessary to apply the knowledge gained in the basic and clinical sciences to specific patient care situations. In addition, the course seeks to demonstrate the philosophy that clinical and distributive pharmaceutical services should be patient oriented and integrated in contemporary ambulatory practice.
The Community Pharmacy Clerkship is scheduled in community pharmacy environments. By participating in patient oriented experiences, students should be able to achieve the following goals:
- Patient-Centered Care – provide patient-centered care as the medication expert using the pharmacist’s patient care process (collect, assess, plan, implement, monitor, evaluate, and document).
- Medication Use Systems Management – manage patient healthcare needs using human, financial, technological, and physical resources to optimize the safety and efficacy of medication use systems.
- Health and Wellness – design prevention, intervention, and educational strategies for individuals and communities to manage chronic disease and improve health and wellness.
- Population-Based Care – describe how population-based care influences patient-centered care and the development of practice guidelines and evidence-based best practices.
