Student project leads to simulated diabetes experience for PharmD class of 2028

PharmD student Emma Anderson wearing a CGM sensor.

Last year, PharmD student Emma Anderson took a first-year course on diabetes and common stigma, healthcare barriers, and social determinants of health that accompany the chronic disease. About halfway through the course, her class of roughly 15 PharmD students spent a week simulating aspects of living with diabetes in order to better understand the disease and common factors that can impact blood sugar readings, like exercise, stress, illness, hormonal changes, and medications. 

Students used continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensors and simulated insulin injections with syringes filled with saline to practice adjusting their own blood sugar, logging meals, and fulfilling responsibilities people with diabetes manage day-to-day. Anderson found the simulation so informative that later in the term, when her class was assigned a project to write a mock grant proposal, she decided to write hers on extending the CGM and diabetes simulation to every PharmD student in her year. 

“We got a hypothetical $1,000 to improve education for pharmacists around diabetes and improving lifestyle outcomes. I just really appreciated the experience of getting to use the CGM, so I used that as my grant proposal idea,” Anderson said. “The $1,000 was split up between the 100 pharmacy students in my class for saline vials, insulin pen syringes, pretend blood sugar readings, and information sheets. I had a plan to administer a pre-test and post-test to see how it changed students' ideas surrounding diabetes and their confidence in education.”

When Anderson met with Dr. Kylee Funk, the course instructor, about her project, Funk mentioned that she had a similar wish to introduce the simulation to the entire PharmD class of 2028. So, through a connection with a College of Pharmacy alum employed at Dexcom, a large manufacturer of CGM sensors, and an approved proposal through the college, the simulation became available to the PharmD class of 2028. 

“The entire P2 class was wearing the sensor, tracking how diet and exercise affected it, and just learning more about how to interpret these numbers and counsel patients on these numbers,” Anderson said. “Some people had tech difficulties, so it just [helped us] become more aware of how these devices work.”

Funk observed that although students were initially nervous about applying the CGM sensors, most quickly realized the process was simple. She said students developed a much deeper understanding of CGM data— for instance, how glucose trends vary throughout the day and how this information can be applied to patient care— and discussed how this will help them care for their future patients. In addition to increased understanding of common complications, Anderson said the simulation helped PharmD students become more knowledgeable about evolving technology for people with diabetes, such as the various brands of sensors and their different benefits. 

“Kind of like comparing two different medications for a patient, you can do the same with comparing two different sensors and which one might be better,” Anderson said. “I feel like pharmacists play a pretty important role in that, with the accessibility of being able to talk to a pharmacist, so I think the education around it is important.”