Pharm.D. Professional Program

 

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Allina Unity Hospital Pharmacy

APPE Experience Types
Acute Care
Patient Care


Address

550 Osborne Road
Fridley, MN 55432

Phone

763-236-4123

Main contact
Mary Foss, PharmD
Pharmacy Clinical Manager


Main Preceptor

Mary Foss, PharmD
Pharmacy Clinical Manager

Email

Phone: 763-236-4135


 

Teaching Philosophy

We are committed to maintaining an environment conducive to education and learning through encouraging and promoting continued professional growth for all staff and students. We focus on providing evidence-based, patient-centered care.  It is our goal to help students gain exposure to a broad array of medical conditions, to enhance clinical competence and confidence, and to improve communication skills. Clinical focus areas include oncology, critical care, cardiology, infectious diseases, pain, geriatrics, bariatrics, and emergency care.

Students are expected to be prepared, self-motivated and enthusiastic about pharmacy practice.  Preceptors will provide direct supervision and guidance at the beginning of the rotation. As the rotation progresses, students are expected to become more independent and confident in their clinical skills. In addition, we embrace collaboration with other disciplines and encourage our students to gain a broader scope of patient care. Thus, we provide opportunities to job shadow professionals outside of the pharmacy department, including respiratory therapy, catheterization lab, and operating room. Additional time for self-directed learning outside of the rotation is to be expected


Detailed Site Information

Institution
Unity Hospital, located in Fridley, Minn. serves the northern metropolitan communities with a full continuum of care and services and is known for its expertise in bariatrics and obstetrical care. With 1,500 employees and 209 staffed beds, Unity provides inpatient and outpatient services to more than 90,000 patients each year. It shares its nearly 800-physician medical staff with Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, Minn.

Institutional Mission Statement and Vision
At Allina Hospitals & Clinics, our mission is to serve our communities by providing exceptional care, as we prevent illness, restore health and provide comfort to all who entrust us with their care.

We put the patient first; make a difference in people’s lives by providing exceptional care and service; create a healing environment where passionate people thrive and excel; and lead collaborative efforts that solve our community’s health care challenges.

Pharmacy Services
Unity Pharmacy is committed to being the national leader in assuring the optimal use of medications resulting in safe, effective, and cost-appropriate outcomes in a collaborative, patient-focused environment.  Integrity, respect, trust, compassion and stewardship are the cornerstones of our work. The pharmacy department services all inpatients as well as patients in the operating room, emergency department, procedural care center, ambulatory care center, and outpatient oncology clinic. We also serve a key role in Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T), Medication Management and Medication Safety Committees among others.  

The pharmacy department uses evidence-based medicine and best practice literature to create safe, effective and cost-appropriate medication use.  Our pharmacists routinely provide clinical services such as kinetics and TPN monitoring, warfarin dosing, infectious diseases and inter-disciplinary rounding.  We also collaborate with certified nurse practitioners in Pain Team and Geriatric consultations. We are proud of our progressive role in the organization and we continue to seek ways to advance our practice and services.

Professionalism and Assessment
Our department practices in compliance with the Pharmacist Oath of Ethics as well as the five values of our organization as described above, and we expect our students to do the same. Our staff is very involved and dedicated to precepting students and residents.

Formal evaluations are conducted twice during the rotation, one at mid-rotation and the other at the end of the rotation. Two-way communication and feedback are ongoing; we seek and encourage students to provide input throughout the rotation. The goal is to ensure the rotation is meeting the students’ professional needs.

Resources
All patient specific information are found in our comprehensive electronic medical record.  The Allina Intranet provides many medical and pharmacy references and is available to students at any computer in our facility.  Print references are also easily accessible in the pharmacy and the library at Unity Hospital.  Workspace and computers are provided for students in the pharmacy or decentrally in patient care areas.

On-site parking is free. Refrigerator, microwave oven, and lockers are available for students in the pharmacy. Students are notified of and encouraged to attend Lunch & Learns and conferences whenever possible.


Acute Care

Primary Preceptor
Vandi Anderson, PharmD

Preceptors
Jeanine Asp, RPh
Angela Cortese, PharmD
Jennifer Gednalske, PharmD
Dan Husak, RPh
Lori Koopman, PharmD
Nicole Nelson, PharmD
Leo Paquette, RPh
Shawn Pritchard, PharmD

APPE Structure
Student will rotate through the following areas: cardiac/step-down, oncology, bariatrics, geriatrics/delirium prevention, warfarin dosing, pain, critical care, and emergency department.  Students will attend multi-disciplinary rounds when applicable.  One weekend/5 weeks will be required where the student will be responsible for kinetics, antibiotic rounds, TPNs, and ICU rounds.  Comp days will be granted for every weekend day worked.

Fifteen percent of student time will be spent in direct interaction between the student and pharmacist.  Roughly 60% of student time will be spent gathering patient specific information from the electronic medical record, researching and preparing for cases or rounds.  The student will be presenting to preceptor or group 10% of the time.  The remaining time will be spent shadowing other disciplines, attending meetings, answering drug information questions, or completing projects.

Student Roles and Responsibilities
The focus of the rotation is three-fold:  1) To gain clinical competency and confidence through exposure and experience with patients.  2) To enhance oral and written communication skills.  3) To continue professional growth.

Students are assigned patients to monitor. The student will assess patient-specific data, develop an understanding of the patient’s disease states and appropriate pharmacology interventions for the patient, and research and resolve pharmacotherapeutic issues on a daily basis. Students will also provide drug information or education to other health care providers when appropriate.

Students will be participating in multidisciplinary rounds in the ICU, cardiac/step-down unit, oncology unit, and surgical unit. Students will also participate in Pain Team consultation, Geriatric consultation, and infectious diseases rounds. Other clinical training includes warfarin dosing, TPN and kinetics monitoring.  In the emergency department, students will participate in critical and trauma response. Throughout the rotation, the student will gather literature-supported guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of commonly encountered medical conditions or diseases and complete a one-page summary of the information. This one-page summary will be completed once per week and will be discussed with a decentralized pharmacist or preceptor. The student will also lead one journal club discussion (15-30 minutes in length), complete a one-page educational piece for nursing, and give two major case presentations (30-45 minutes in length). In addition, the decentralized pharmacists will meet with the student periodically for topic discussions. The pharmacist will assign articles which the student will be expected to present to the pharmacist.  Additional projects may be assigned based upon need (such as drug utilization projects or in-services, etc).

Educational Opportunities
Students will attend and/or present at clinical meetings such as the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. Students are also required to attend all available conferences and learning opportunities. Additional shadowing experiences will be arranged

Other Requirements
Interview by preceptor via telephone is required prior to entrance into this APPE.


Patient Care - Emergency Department

Primary Preceptor
Jennifer Gednalske, Pharm. D.
Angela Cortese, Pharm. D.

APPE Structure
Student will rotate through the following areas of Emergency Department (ED): Pre-hospital paramedic ride-alongs, triage, shadowing of ED Techs, shadowing of ED nurses, shadowing of ED physicians, and working closely with ED pharmacists. In addition, students will assist ED pharmacists with daily culture and lab results review. This rotation necessitates a flexible schedule and is comprised of all evening shifts, except where schedule adjustments are necessary for ride-alongs and meeting attendance, with at least one weekend required. The student will have the opportunity to discuss and set his/her schedule with the primary preceptor prior to, or at the start of the rotation. 

At least 15-20% percent of student time will be spent in direct interaction between the student and pharmacist.  Roughly 50% of student time will be spent assisting ED pharmacist with medication reconciliation, attending conscious sedations, attending critical responses, gathering patient specific information from the electronic medical record, interacting with the ED staff, and researching and preparing for cases or culture/lab review.  The student will be formally presenting to preceptor or group 10% of the time.  The remaining time will be spent shadowing other disciplines, attending meetings, answering drug information questions, or completing projects.

Student Roles and Responsibilities
The focus of the rotation is four-fold:  1) To gain confidence and clinical experience/competency through exposure to a multitude of Emergency Department patients.  2) To enhance oral and written communication skills. 
3)  To continue professional growth.  4) To understand the importance of great teamwork and an interdisciplinary approach to providing excellent emergency care.

In the Emergency Department, students will be participating in medical codes, critical responses, trauma responses, conscious sedations, rapid acute myocardial infarction transport activations, daily review and discussion of culture and lab results with the ED physician(s), and medication reconciliation efforts. Students will be assisting the ED pharmacist, or other health care provider being shadowed, with providing direct patient care, as needed. The student will assess patient-specific data, develop an understanding of the patient’s disease states and appropriate pharmacology interventions for the patient, and research and resolve pharmacotherapeutic issues as they arise.  Students will also provide drug information or education to patients or other health care providers when appropriate.

Throughout the rotation, the student will gather literature-supported guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of commonly encountered medical conditions or diseases and complete a one-page summary of the information. This one-page summary will be completed once per week and will be discussed with the preceptor. The student will also lead one journal club discussion (15-30 minutes in length), complete a one-page educational piece for nursing, and give one major case presentation (30-45 minutes in length). The pharmacist will assign articles that the student will be expected to present to the pharmacist.  Additional projects may be assigned based upon need (such as development of quick reference tools, drug utilization projects or in-services, etc).

Educational Opportunities
Students are strongly encouraged to attend all available conferences and learning opportunities, as the schedule permits and as discussed with preceptor. Additional shadowing experiences can be arranged.

Other Requirements
Interview by preceptor via telephone is required prior to entrance into this APPE.