Career and professional development services for pharmacy students.

INTRODUCTION: As the number of pharmacy programs and graduates continue to rise, pharmacy students are being faced with new challenges in seeking post-graduate positions. A Career Connections program was established as part of the student affairs office to develop, implement, and evaluate career and professional development at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy. The objective of this paper was to evaluate student perceptions and value of career and professional development services in preparing students for competitive job and residency markets. METHODS: An electronic survey was administered to second-, third-, and fourth-professional year students and 2017 graduates to evaluate all facets of career and professional development services offered by the college of pharmacy. RESULTS: The majority of students (76.8%) were satisfied with their access to career development services. Of all the services and events evaluated, students were most satisfied with the internship panel, fourth-year residency seminars, and third-year professional development elective course. Additional services recommended by students included more networking opportunities with alumni, continued exposure to different careers in pharmacy, and more emphasis on the job searching process. CONCLUSIONS: Career development services were generally perceived favorably. The college has implemented several changes based on feedback from students, including splitting students into career-based tracks in the professional development elective and adding additional job-searching seminars. Future initiatives will include increasing outreach to college alumni. Career and professional development services at pharmacy programs should be continuously evaluated in a rapidly changing post-graduate landscape.

A Pilot Evaluating Clinical Pharmacy Services in an Ambulatory Psychiatry Setting.

Objectives: A pilot of clinical services provided by psychiatric clinical pharmacists in an outpatient clinic are described and evaluated. The primary objective was to evaluate the difference in change of Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 and/or Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Questionnaire scores between the two groups. Secondary objectives were to assess time patients spent in clinic, time to target psychotropic medication dose, and patient self-reported medication adherence. Experimental Design: Data were collected from January 2014 to November 2015 for patients with depression and/or anxiety who had an appointment within an outpatient psychiatric clinic with either a provider (control) or both a provider and clinical pharmacist (case). Principle Observations: A total of 217 patients were included in the study; 117 patients served as controls and 100 patients received clinical pharmacist intervention. No statistical difference was detected in the primary outcome. However, patients in the case group had higher baseline PHQ-9/GAD scores, and the frequency of measured values was lower than anticipated, limiting power to detect a difference. All secondary outcomes achieved statistical significance. Both time in clinic and time to reach a stabilized psychotropic medication regimen were shorter in the control group. Patient self-reported adherence favored a higher adherence rate in the intervention group. Conclusion: While this study found no significant difference in the change in PHQ-9/GAD scores between groups, it demonstrated the need for enhanced utilization of measurement-based outcomes in the psychiatric setting. Pharmacists provide a range of services to patients and providers and can serve as key partners to enhance measurement-based care.