Volunteering as medical staff at a diabetes summer camp as a component of a pharmacy residency program.

A number of summer camps across the country have been developed specifically for children with diabetes, most of whom would not be able to attend a traditional summer camp due to the extensive medical attention and scheduling considerations required to continually maintain appropriate glycemic control. These camps rely on the service of various medical practitioners to ensure the safety of the children. In addition to providing an important service to the campers, volunteering at such camps offers both personal and professional rewards for the practitioners. Furthermore, such experiences provide tremendous learning opportunities for medical trainees. However, while a limited number of articles were identified discussing the experience of nurses, physicians, and pharmacy students volunteering at diabetes camps, no such accounts from the perspective of pharmacy residents were found in the medical literature. This educational case report briefly describes the recent experience of ambulatory care pharmacy residents serving as diabetes camp medical staff.

Psychologists in academic health centers: reflections on traditions and innovations in education, science, and practice.

In 2007, the Association of Psychologists in Academic Health Centers (APAHC), formerly known as Association of Medical School Psychologists (AMSP), held its first national conference since 1997. At the latter conference, the author of this article [Sheridan (1999) Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 6, 211-218] was asked to present some of the issues that would be important to health care psychologists in the next decade. These issues included the role of psychology in academic health centers, interventions psychologists offer, reimbursements for such treatments, education and training models, and research. This article examines those observations, offers new data, and explores the current challenges and opportunities for psychologists in academic health centers. The presentation also addresses aspirations of psychologists as well as resistances within the profession.

Identifying variables predictive of success: The next step in alternatives to psychiatric hospitalization research.

This investigation addresses two issues central to psychiatric hospitalization: (1) Can alternative treatments be effective? and (2) How can patients appropriate for the alternatives be identified? This random design study found that a majority of patients assessed as requiring immediate psychiatric hospitalization could utilize a combination of emergency housing and outpatient treatment to avoid hospitalization. Five key variables examined at intake proved useful in predicting ability to succeed in the alternative treatment setting. Patients who failed in the alternative setting had trouble utilizing leisure time, were grandiose, exhibited eating problems, had difficulty with family, and showed an absence of paranoia.