July 2020 Vol. 7
Welcome to the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Newsletter for Experiential Partners and Preceptors! Newsletters will share updates about the School and Experiential Programs, recognize our preceptors and students, and provide teaching pearls for preceptors.
Recognition
Congratulations to students, faculty, and preceptors receiving UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy 2020 Awards. For a complete list of awards, please click on the following link.
Preceptors receiving the Claude Paoloni Preceptor of the Year Awards are Dr. Jonathan Cicci and Dr. Jennifer Kim.
The Claude Paoloni Preceptor of the Year Awards recognize preceptors for outstanding contributions to the educational development of future pharmacists. The awards are given in honor of Claude Paoloni who was a faculty member at the School from 1967 until his retirement in 1985 and was instrumental in the evolution of the clinical pharmacy program and the growth and development of the AHEC system for statewide pharmacy student education. Students nominate preceptors who serve as exemplary role models, contribute markedly to students’ educational development, and who are practitioners that demonstrate high standards of professionalism, ethics, and clinical practice. Congratulations to the two 2019-2020 recipients of these prestigious awards.
Jonathan D. Cicci, PharmD, BCPS, BCCP, CPP
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Cardiology
Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner, Cardiology
University of North Carolina Medical Center
Clinical Assistant Professor
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Jonathan Cicci graduated from the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University in 2011. He completed his PGY1 pharmacy practice residency and PGY2 cardiology specialty residency at the University of North Carolina Medical Center in 2012 and 2013. Since 2013, he has worked at the University of North Carolina Medical Center as a cardiology clinical specialist on the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and General Cardiology services and serves as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Education at the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
Some nominating comments include: “During the month at I was on immersion with Dr. Cicci, he fostered in me an interest in Cardiology that I didn’t even know I had. He taught me have to deliver confident recommendations to the healthcare team. He challenged me to use drug information resources every day to answer [drug information] questions. He prioritized giving me feedback at the end of each week. He encouraged working hard at your practice, but also remembering to make your personal health a priority. And when he laughs, it’s too hard not to laugh with him. He made immersion so enjoyable!”
Jennifer J. Kim, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, CPP
Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner, Cone Health Internal Medicine
Assistant Director of Pharmacy Education, Greensboro AHEC
Associate Professor of Clinical Education
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Jennifer Kim is an Assistant Director of Pharmacy Education with Greensboro Area Health Education Center, Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner at Cone Health, and an Associate Professor of Clinical Education with the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She oversees pharmacy research for Cone Health and Greensboro AHEC, precepts residents and student for ambulatory care rotations, serves as director for the ambulatory care pharmacy student internship, and teaches physician residents and other interprofessional trainees. She practices clinical pharmacy at Cone Health Internal Medicine and Family Medicine clinics, including interprofessional disease management, panel management, quality initiatives, and transitions of care. Her favorite pastime of all is spending time with her family.
Some highlights from nominations include: “Dr. Jen Kim is a truly exceptional preceptor.” “Dr. Kim always has her students’ interests and goals in mind. She constantly finds opportunities to help us grow as student pharmacists and encourages us to think outside the box. With her growth mindset, she provides resources and feedback to build our confidence and achieve our goals.” “One of the best things about Dr. Kim was her ability to find the perfect balance of letting her students build confidence through independence, while continuing to provide guidance.” “Having Dr. Kim in your corner is so special.” “In my short time with Dr. Kim I already feel much more confident in my ability to make clinical decisions, interact with patients, assert my opinion on interprofessional teams, and conduct scholarly research on relevant issues in ambulatory care pharmacy. She is an amazing pharmacist and mentor.” “Dr. Kim deserves this preceptor award because she is very team-oriented, creative, and caring towards the well-being and professional aspiration of her students.”
Class of 2020 Graduate News
Congratulations to our class of 2020 graduates who are securing positions and who have matched for residency and fellowship programs!
- 66% of the class matched for a residency
- 21% of the class secured a fellowship
- Of those who matched for a residency, 84% did so with their first or second choice.
- Of those who secured a fellowship, 100% did so with their first or second choice
Graduates who have secured full-time positions have done so in the following areas of pharmacy:
- Community (chain and independent)
- Industry
- Nuclear
- Strategy consulting
- Vet pharmacy
Preceptor Spotlight
Anne C. Carrington Warren, PharmD, BCPS, CPP is a clinical pharmacist practitioner at Mountain Area Health Education Center and Assistant Professor of Clinical Education with UNC Eshleman School of Pharmacy. Below she shares her perspectives on how to utilize learners to assist with quality at her site.
Providing “Quality” – An Experience in Utilizing Student Learners in Quality Measure Work
by Anne C. Carrington Warren, PharmD, BCPS, CPP
Background:
As preceptors, we are constantly trying to balance how to provide robust experiences for our students while maintaining our own responsibilities as pharmacists. With the ever-changing climate of healthcare, more emphasis is being placed on “value-based” services and providing the best care for our patients. Many organizations are following “quality indicators” through their ACOs or hospital-systems. These quality measures are tied to reimbursement and often account for a hefty proportion of the budget. So how can pharmacists also contribute to these quality improvement initiatives while hosting learners?
My Experience:
In my role as a clinical pharmacist at the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) in Asheville, NC, I precept many students. I host my own students on the inpatient “Family Practice Service” as well as help to facilitate Early Immersion students on their ambulatory care rotations. This precepting occurs in addition to my job alternating patient care within the family medicine clinic and inpatient team, teaching responsibilities with the medicine residents, and being tasked with optimizing diabetes care at MAHEC as a whole. As many can relate, I often find it difficult to complete tasks for my other roles at work while trying to teach and engage with students on rotation. Therefore, I wanted to devise a way to use students to get my job done while providing a worthwhile learning opportunity.
And eureka – “Diabetes QI Time” was born. Students are generally scheduled for 1 to 2 half-days per week to focus on a panel of patients with diabetes. During their first week, I train them to perform chart reviews that focus on quality measures related to diabetes (i.e. A1c uncontrolled, microalbuminuria screening, retinal eye exam, BP at goal, adherence to statin, etc.). They write an assessment and plan in the patients’ charts, document outside records or labs appropriately, and make recommendations for lab or appointment scheduling as needed. Through repetition, students get really good at remembering diabetes screenings and medication management. Many students even work with me or a pharmacy resident to follow-through in calling these patients to make medication adjustments or address barriers to care over the phone.
I evaluate the student’s written communication, review their diabetes assessment, and provide feedback before signing off on the note. The nice part is that the time I have to spend combing through patient charts is greatly reduced and students come away with a much broader understanding of diabetes management. The BEST part is that it actually helps with quality measures. We met our mandatory ACO measure for “uncontrolled A1c” in January 2020 (ACO Measure 65: DM A1c Less Than or Equal to 9) and helped to secure a solid reimbursement for MAHEC!
Conclusion:
Get creative – utilize your students to help you do quality measure work. Students will generally appreciate the opportunity to work independently on a project and take ownership of that task; it also frees up some time you to accomplish other tasks during the workday.
Student Spotlight
Interprofessional Virtual Advanced Immersion Experience Helps Communities and Learners During Pandemic
Contributing authors: Stephanie Kiser, RPh, Director of Rural Health; David Hicks, Class of 2021; Taylor Galyean, Class of 2021
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy partnered with UNC Health Sciences at MAHEC to provide a virtual interprofessional rotation for pharmacy, medicine, and public health learners, called the Regional Interprofessional Response to COVID-19 in Western North Carolina. The goal of this rotation lead by Stephanie Kiser, RPh, Director of Rural Health, was to identify and address needs in communities across WNC related to COVID 19. This rotation also met the learning needs of students displaced from sites due to restrictions encountered with the pandemic. Students learned with and from each other as they engaged as interprofessional teams with local non-profits, city and county governments, and communities in WNC. Areas and populations targeted included older adults experiencing social isolation, migrant farm workers, individuals experiencing incarceration, people experiencing homelessness, and personal protective equipment. All students participated in weekly didactic sessions, and pharmacy learners also participated in an academia learning experience created by a team of faculty at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Learnings from this positive experience will inform future interprofessional educational opportunities.
David Hicks, Class of 2021, shared the following regarding his interprofessional team experience: “…I never had a project that incorporated both ethics and decision-making like the one we were assigned…my group approached our issue (prison reform) with passion. It took me out of my comfort zone, while also exposing me to something previous interprofessional experiences had not revealed – your school’s teaching paradigm greatly influences how you approach problems. I appreciated being introduced to a group, and I think the differences between how each of my group members approached our project helped me realize that there is no ‘right’ way to approach any problem.” Taylor Galyean, Class of 2021, was also impacted by the team approach to problem-solving as her group worked to address challenges persons experiencing homelessness were facing: “This experience opened my eyes to how different perspectives and approaches of interprofessional team members can come together to solve problems more effectively.”
Virtual delivery of education eliminated some of the barriers posed by in-person interaction during the pandemic and offered new networking and learning opportunities with additional team members. It also required some initial adaptation by learners. For example, Taylor Galyean, Class of 2021, noted: “It was very interesting to witness the differences of having meetings over Zoom. When you have meetings in person you can read other people’s body language and you know for sure when someone is done talking. However, over Zoom you can only see people’s faces if their video is on and if there is a lag you could take that pause as someone being done talking. It took a while to get used to that new dynamic.” David Hicks also noted the following issues as preceptors and educators prepare for future virtual learning: “The distance meant I had a lot of free-time (considering I didn’t have to commute or wait around between class-session)…. However, the amount of free time I had often made me feel unproductive, and the lack of real face-to-face interaction made it harder to find purpose in the work I was doing.”
This experience is a great example of the positive impact our learners can make in our communities and the synergy created by interprofessional collaboration. Discussing expectations and creating collaborative solutions early on may assist with some of the transitions learners may face in a virtual learning environment.
Preceptor Pearl
Virtual Precepting
Holly Causey Canupp, PharmD, BCACP, CPP, CDCES
Over the past few weeks, many of us have adapted to the changing environment. I have found myself precepting students and residents for an ambulatory experience in new ways. While not normally a tech-savvy person, I’ve had to learn to embrace technology. I’ve had the distinct honor yet simultaneous challenge to offer my ambulatory rotation in a completely virtual venue and also in a half-virtual/half-onset manner.
Preceptor Wellness Minute
A recent article in Greater Good Magazine by Michael Prinzing and Barbara Fredrickson shares information from research at the UNC Positive Emotions and Pyschophysiology Lab on how to experience more positive emotions and foster resilience during the current state of the world. Click on the article link for additional details on the tips below:
- Dedicate/schedule time for self-care
- Take focus off self by helping others
- Actively interact with others on social media versus “passive monitoring”
- Connect face to face (while honoring social distancing guidelines)
Office of Experiential Programs Contact Information
Office Leadership:
Nicki Pinelli Reitter, PharmD, MS, FCCP, CDE
Assistant Dean of Experiential Programs
Leads the strategic vision and assessment of the experiential curriculum and strengthens partnerships with sites and preceptors.
Abbey Kruse, M.Ed.
Assistant Director of the Office of Curricular and Student Affairs – Experiential Programs
Primary contact for student academic, well-being, professionalism, or discrimination/harassment concerns
Practice Experiences and Preceptor and Student Concerns:
Nicki Pinelli Reitter, PharmD, MS, FCCP, CDE
Interim Director of Practice Experiences: Community
Provides oversight of Immersion and Advanced Immersion experiences and serves as the primary point of contact for guidance regarding experiential policies and procedures, assistance with setting student expectations, structuring learning activities to meet learning experience requirements, and guidance with student evaluations at community pharmacy sites.
Kathryn Fuller, PharmD
Director of Practice Experiences: Health Systems
Provides oversight of Immersion and Advanced Immersion experiences and serves as the primary point of contact for guidance regarding experiential policies and procedures, assistance with setting student expectations, structuring learning activities to meet learning experience requirements, and guidance with student evaluations at health system and nontraditional sites.
Experiential Software Management and Systems Support:
Pam S. Jackson
Preceptor and Partner Specialist
Implements student schedules and manages RxPreceptor accounts. Serves as point of contact for RxPreceptor inquiries, AHEC digital library access, completion of preceptor application and training, and AHEC housing questions.
Student On-boarding and School Requirements:
Billy Justus, MS
Compliance Specialist
Ensures student completion of site-specific onboarding and school requirements (e.g. immunizations, drug screenings, criminal background checks, CPR, HIPAA Training, OSHA Training, TB Status, and other onboarding as required by sites).
Preceptor Training, Development, and Recognition:
Charlene Williams, PharmD, BCACP, CDE
Director of Preceptor Development
Develops and oversees preceptor onboarding, training, development, and recognition. Point of contact for preceptor training and development needs and preceptor newsletter content.
Newsletter Content Editor:
Charlene Williams, PharmD, BCACP CDE
Charlene_williams@unc.edu
Content Marketing Manager:
Erica McCready
ericamccready@unc.edu