Pharmacy Students Lead the Field Into the Future

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to accelerate the field of pharmacy into the future, pharmacy students are at the forefront of innovation and change. Amid technological advances, changes in pharmacists’ roles and responsibilities, and shifting expectations from patients, pharmacy students have expanded their horizons during these tumultuous times in health care.

In this issue of Pharmacy Careers^®, we explore how pharmacy school curricula are responding to the growing responsibilities of the pharmacist, and also the future of pharmacy and students’ roles within it. For example, at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy in Pennsylvania, a new curriculum framework examines novel approaches to pharmacy practice transformation and ways that professors can prepare students for the rapidly changing future. This curriculum shift is explored in our cover feature.

Pharmacists play an essential role as accessible health care providers, but pharmacy students can help expand that accessibility even more. An article by Ashley Walker, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, explores how pharmacy students can improve accessibility and access to health care for deaf and hard-of-hearing patients.

Technology is also changing the way that pharmacy functions, and pharmacogenomics is offering new opportunities for precise, individualized care. An article by Matthew Busalacchi, PharmD, examines how pharmacogenomics is ushering in a new era of streamlined prescribing without the guessing game of dosing.

In addition to a focus on the future of pharmacy, this issue includes articles to help pharmacy students move smoothly through their journeys in pharmacy school. Victoria MacLelland and Madeline Kravitz, both PharmD candidates at the University of Saint Joseph School of Pharmacy and Physician Assistant Studies in West Hartford, Connecticut, look back at their pharmacy school experiences and offer wisdom to incoming pharmacy students.

Transitioning to the fourth year of pharmacy school can bring unique challenges with Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs). To help students entering this phase of pharmacy school, Shawn Humphreys, a PharmD candidate at the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy in Morgantown, outlines tips for a successful transition into APPE rotations.

Finally, this edition’s Mental Health Matters column tackles trauma-informed care, including the biological mechanisms at play and how pharmacy students can educate themselves on the issue. In addition to outlining the topic, Helen Sairany, PharmD, MBA, BCACP, gives students ways they can educate themselves on the impact of trauma. Be sure to look online for a bonus article discussing the stress response and what pharmacists should know to help patients who have experienced trauma.

We hope you enjoy reading these and other stories about how pharmacy students are forging the path ahead for pharmacy.

Thank you for reading.