UF receives nation’s first accreditation for chain pharmacy-based residency program
Two of pharmacy’s premier professional societies have fully accredited a University of Florida residency at a national chain pharmacy.
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the American Pharmaceutical Association have approved the 12-month training program, based at a Walgreens pharmacy in the southeast section of Gainesville. UF’s College of Pharmacy and Walgreens launched the program for postgraduate students in July 1998.
“Accreditation is a significant accomplishment and a first for a U.S. college of pharmacy residency based in a chain pharmacy,” said William H. Riffee, Ph.D., College of Pharmacy dean. “A residency in a chain pharmacy allows pharmacists to raise the level of care typically provided. We are the physicians’ agents to help their patients get better faster and have a better quality of life.”
Traditionally, residencies are hospital-based. However, the new program is part of UF’s effort to increase the number of special practice residencies offered through the department of pharmacy practice.
The resident’s time is divided between the Walgreens Community Care Center at 1120 E. University Ave. and the interdisciplinary Shands Eastside Community Practice, where the resident is responsible for participating in pharmacist-managed clinics and educating patients.
Walgreens Community Care Center is a private patient counseling office adjacent to the pharmacy. The UF resident checks blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels and provides counseling, educating the patient about diet, exercise and medications that will improve health. Results are sent to the patient’s physician.
“Patients are not going to pay for the high cost of medicine without services, and pharmacists need to become more involved in patient care,” said James Taylor, Pharm.D., who co-directs the program with Kristin Weitzel, Pharm.D. Both are UF clinical assistant professors in the department of pharmacy practice. “We need to offer more services to patients beyond the traditional dispensing of medications. This is Walgreens’ vision of how their pharmacies will practice pharmacy in the future.”
UF residents also are required to complete a research project, teach, publish and complete various electives.
“The community pharmacy resident is uniquely positioned to impact community practice through the development or enhancement of unique patient-care services and the corresponding studies on the impact of these services,” said John A. Gans, Pharm.D., executive vice president of the American Pharmaceutical Association.