Abstract
Purpose: To describe a unique pharmacy intern program in a group of federally qualified health center (FQHC) outpatient primary care provider clinics. Summary: A pharmacy intern program was created at the North Central Nursing Clinics in Indiana, a group of four FQHC outpatient primary care provider facilities. Intern-performed tasks included: Prior authorization (PA) requests, medication assistance program (MAP) applications, sample procurement and inventory, and contraceptive devices for implantation inventory management. Interns interacted with clinic administration, nurse practitioners, and medical staff to complete their assigned responsibilities. Over a one-year period, the interns completed documentation on more than 2000 charts during a combined 12 h a week. Interns identified the interprofessional interactions as the most beneficial experience, while providers acknowledged no difference in the processing of paperwork during the transition of duties from pharmacy fellow to intern. Conclusion: This unique pharmacy intern program was successfully created and implemented in a primary care provider office, resulting in learning opportunities for pharmacy interns, as well as operational efficiencies to fellows, providers, and the organization.
Highlights
Pharmacy interns have a variety of different roles and responsibilities and typically work in community and hospital pharmacy environments [1,2,3,4,5,6]
While there is evidence of student pharmacist involvement in direct patient care activities through student-run free clinics, these students operate on a volunteer basis or are participating as part of a required pharmacy practice experience, compared to intern positions that are paid [7,8,9,10]
Pharmacy Internship Program Description and Review In August 2016, pharmacy services expanded, which resulted in increased direct patient care activities and the need for assistance with administrative tasks
Summary
Pharmacy interns have a variety of different roles and responsibilities and typically work in community and hospital pharmacy environments [1,2,3,4,5,6]. While there is evidence of student pharmacist involvement in direct patient care activities through student-run free clinics, these students operate on a volunteer basis or are participating as part of a required pharmacy practice experience, compared to intern positions that are paid [7,8,9,10]. There are no descriptions of the role of pharmacy interns in the literature beyond those in hospital or community pharmacy settings In this manuscript, a unique pharmacy intern program in a rural outpatient primary care facility is described. Fellows spend approximately 50% of their time in clinic and perform multiple roles in the clinics, including: conducting patient visits for chronic diseases under collaborative practice agreements (CPAs), precepting student pharmacists on advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs), and providing cost-effective medication recommendations. Each fellow provides remote pharmacy services for the clinics not staffed by the fellowship program
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