Macary Weck Marciniak

Characteristics of Postgraduate Year Two Pharmacy Residency Programs with a Secondary Emphasis on Academia

Objectives. To identify and characterize postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) pharmacy residency programs with a secondary emphasis on academia. Methods. Residency programs were identified using the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) online directory of residencies, fellowships, and graduate programs and cross-referenced with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) residency directory. An electronic questionnaire was developed and sent to residency program directors to collect attributes of each program. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results. Most programs were initiated during the past decade. More than two-thirds were ASHP-accredited and half had a primary specialty in ambulatory care. The average program structure consisted of clinical practice service (50.4%), experiential teaching (18.5%), classroom-based teaching (16.4%), research (10.7%), and service (3.7%). Most residents (90.0%) accepted an academic appointment upon completion of these programs. Conclusions. Postgraduate year 2 residency programs with an emphasis on academia provide experiences in clinical practice, experiential and classroom teaching, research, and service. These residency programs result in participants obtaining academic positions after graduation.

Service preferences differences between community pharmacy and supermarket pharmacy patrons.

Abstract Differences in service preferences between patrons of supermarket and chain pharmacies were determined. Subjects fell into two groups: patrons of a supermarket chains pharmacies and patrons of the same supermarket chain who patronized other community chain pharmacies for prescription drug purchases. Subjects were asked to prioritize services in terms of convenience and impact on pharmacy selection. Differences in service preferences emerged. Community pharmacy patrons were more likely to rate easy navigation through a pharmacy and 24 × 7 hours of operation as key services. Supermarket pharmacy patrons were more likely to rate one-stop shopping and adequate hours of operation as priorities. Both groups rated basic services such as maintenance of prescription and insurance information as priorities. Pharmacies should stress the delivery of basic services when trying to attract customers.

Physician-reported factors that encourage collaboration with community pharmacists

OBJECTIVE To determine factors that encourage physicians to establish collaborative practice agreements with community pharmacists. METHODS A 20-item cross-sectional survey was mailed to a random sample of 1000 family medicine physicians practicing in North Carolina. Two weeks after the initial mailing, a reminder was sent to physicians. Physicians were entered into a drawing to receive a gift card as an incentive for survey completion. The questionnaire collected demographic information, factors important to physicians for collaboration with a community pharmacist, and physician perceptions of pharmacist qualifications. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze patterns in the Likert scale survey responses. RESULTS Of the 1000 mailed surveys, 67 were returned as undeliverable, resulting in a final sample size of 933 surveys. One hundred forty-six family medicine physicians responded to the survey, yielding a 15.6% response rate. Respondents were 58% male, 73% had been practicing longer than 10 years, and 60% had an academic affiliation. Our results indicate that an established relationship with a community pharmacist is the most important factor when considering a collaborative practice agreement. At least 90% of physicians reported that the most important pharmacist contributions were drug therapy adverse effect management, drug interaction management, medication access assistance, prescription counseling, and medication adherence. A majority of physicians reported that community pharmacists improve quality outcomes and metrics (74% and 72%, respectively). CONCLUSION Physicians in North Carolina recognize the value of the services a pharmacist can provide to their patients. Developing relationships between community pharmacists and physicians and describing the value of additional credentialing in the provision of patient care will be integral in establishing collaborative practice agreements in the community setting.

Residency pathways to ambulatory care practice: Essential insights for students, residents, and educators

OBJECTIVE To provide a guiding document describing residency training opportunities in ambulatory care for students, postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) residents, practicing pharmacists, and pharmacy educators. SUMMARY Student pharmacists, residents, practitioners, and educators can benefit from a guiding document describing the various pathways to develop as an ambulatory care practitioner through residency training. The benefits and differences of PGY1 and postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) ambulatory care residency programs are included. CONCLUSION There are many possible training options for pharmacists interested in pursuing a career in ambulatory care pharmacy practice. In addition to the required ambulatory and community experience required for all Doctorate of Pharmacy students, postgraduate training in an ambulatory environment can allow for specialization. Candidates for residency training can complete a PGY1 pharmacy residency or a PGY1 community-based pharmacy residency, possibly followed by a PGY2 ambulatory care residency. Career paths for ambulatory care pharmacists vary regionally across the country according to competition for positions, local availability of training programs, and the experience of regional leaders. A comprehensive description of these available training pathways and advantages of each are beneficial for students, residents, practicing pharmacists, and educators.

Community pharmacists as vaccine providers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the history of pharmacist involvement as vaccine providers in the USA and discuss examples of growing interests in other parts of the world. Design/methodology/approach Literature searches were performed in PubMed as well as pharmacy-related journals. Findings Pharmacists have been involved with the storage and management of vaccines for more than a century. Based on the unmet needs in meeting national goals for vaccination rates among adults in the USA, efforts led to training and recognizing pharmacists as vaccine providers which is now within the scope of practice for a pharmacist in all US states and territories. Pharmacists complete a comprehensive training program in vaccine sciences, regulatory considerations, as well as demonstration of skills in administering vaccines. Over 300,000 pharmacists have been trained in vaccine delivery and this represents the majority of the pharmacist workforce in the USA. There are examples of the beneficial impact of pharmacist involvement as vaccine providers in community pharmacy settings. Research limitations/implications This review is based on a thorough review of the literature but was not conducted in a systematic fashion. Originality/value This review provides a historical perspective and evidence of the benefit of pharmacists as vaccine providers.