Drug Topics - April 14, 2008 - (Page 12)

12 DRUG TOPICS APRIL 14, 2008 www.drugtopics.com Letters Students need grounding in chemistry T he American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy has read with interest and concern the exchange of views on pharmacy education stimulated by Dennis Miller’s Nov. 19, 2007, Viewpoint on his education after 30 years in practice. It is not my intent to offer a point-by-point rebuttal to anything he has written. Instead there are some important reflections on the changes in contemporary pharmacy education that should be on the record. Much has changed in pharmacy education and practice since Pharmacist Miller and I were in school. However, one thing has not changed: to be a medication use expert equipped to deliver patient-centered care that is evidence-based, pharmacy educators must ensure that our graduates have a rock-solid scientific foundation. Indisputably, this includes chemistry from its elemental to sub-cellular applications. Pharmacists must draw upon their grounding in chemistry and other sciences every day in the care of patients to ensure the safety and optimization of therapy. It is important to note that many current Pharm.D. students hold their medicinal chemistry faculty in very high regard, as evidenced by the number of those individuals annually recognized as local Teachers of the Year. Clearly these faculty members have identified ways to bring chemistry to life for these students. The contemporary pharmacy curriculum is analogous to a crew team rowing in unison. If one oar isn’t properly placed in the water, the performance of the entire team is affected. AACP will continue to collaborate with ACPE to ensure that nothing compromises students’ access to a team of faculty which possesses the knowledge needed to produce quality pharmacists of the future. Lucinda L. Maine, Ph.D., R.Ph. Executive VP and CEO American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy contract with the pharmacy, it stated we were permitted a 30-minute meal break. It sure is great to take a meal uninterrupted! The technician advises patients that the pharmacist is “out to lunch.” If there is a “pick-up” Rx that is new, the patient is advised to return after the pharmacist has returned from his meal. If the “pick-up” is a refill, then the technician can release the medicine. We had a “Sunday clause” in our contract, too. That meant we would be paid during our meal period! Great, eh? When the non-union pharmacists tried to take a meal break, many were denied this right. They approached the board of pharmacy to create a universal meal policy. After all, this is a safety and standard of practice issue, right? The board denied their request to create a meal policy. So the interested parties went to the Industrial Welfare Commission of California where a meal policy was created and is still in effect today. It is amazing what we had to go through just to grab a bite to eat! Bill Kean UFCW Local 1179 (now Local 5) Pittsburg, Calif. BillRx01@aol.com Give wholesaler a break Regarding your Feb. 11 letter, “How supply chain kinks can affect you,” to suspend three Cardinal Health distribution centers and prevent them from selling controlled substances to pharmacies is an enormous task for the wholesaler to overcome. The DEA must have understood that as well. Not to say that Cardinal Health did not use poor judgment. However, the DEA should have worked closely with Cardinal to prevent pharmacies from being affected by the agency’s actions. In 2004 Hurricane Ivan hit Millvale, Pa., and I lost my pharmacy to a flood. It took Cardinal Health less than 24 hours to create my inventory and deliver it. So pharmacists should not forget that the company has the ability to do many good things as well. Jennifer Cohen Lincoln Pharmacy Millvale, Pa. jlclincoln@aol.com Viva the unions! I enjoyed Jim Plagakis’ Feb. 11 article, Viva La France! I say, Viva the unions! I joined United Food and Commercial Workers in 1989 when I joined Thrifty Drugs of California (now Rite Aid). In our Letters (including e-mail) should be as brief as possible and sent with the writer’s name, address, daytime phone number, and date of the issue you are referencing to: Editor, Drug Topics, 123 Tice Boulevard, Woodcliff Lake, N.J. 07677-7664. E-mail address: drugtopics@advanstar.com. Correspondence may be edited for length and clarity. http://www.drugtopics.com

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Drug Topics - March 14, 2008 Contents Latebreakers Letters: Students Need Grounding in Chemistry Pharmacy Directors Wary of Heparin Shortages Some E-prescribing Standards are Ready to Go, Others are Not News Briefs Nanotechnology: Big Stakes in a Small World Pay for Performance is Coming to Pharmacy Patient Safety Organizations Still Very Much in Planning Stage Reconciling Medications in Specialty Patients Poses More Challenges Pharmacy Outsourcing Still Much in Use by Hospitals Studied Extensively, New Drug-Eluting Stent Said to be Very Safe Prevention is Key in Treating C. Difficile Infections E-prescribing Grows in Massachusetts, but Other States Lag Behind Active Metabolite Gives New Life to Antidepressant NSAIDS not Recommended for Long-term Use in Osteoarthritis This Time R.Ph.s and States Are Ready for Tamper-Resistant Rx Pads Cardinal Caught Between DEA and Pharmacies over Diversion Control Medicating Kids: Still More Questions than Answers Schnucks Pharmacy: Drug Topics' Chain of the Year Panel Will Ask for a System for R.Ph. Practice Across State Lines FDA Safety Page: How to use Fentora Safely The Shining OTC/HBC Stars of 2007 Take a Look at These OTCs for Eye Health Technology Update: Google Offers a Sneak Peak at its Electronic Records Initiative Recent Advancements in HIV/AIDS Treatment New Products Advertisers Index Classified Viewpoint: Are State Boards of Pharmacy Abusing Their Power?

Drug Topics - April 14, 2008

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