Drug Information Journal - March 2009 - (Page 152) 152 MEDICAL INFORMATION Hurley, Miller TABLE 1 Career Opportunities for Pharmacists Specializing in Drug Information Drug Information Center Academia Poison control Pharmaceutical industry Medical writing Medical education and communication Managed care organization Medical informatics cists specializing in drug information are diverse for graduates of PharmD programs, with specialization in the pharmaceutical industry included among these opportunities (Table 1). Colleges of pharmacy in the southeast will benefit from the addition of sites to provide drug information practice exposure to PharmD students, specifically within the pharmaceutical industry. M E D I C A L I N F O R M AT I O N S E RV I C E S In recent years, outsourcing has increased in response to advances in telecommunications and computer technology, as well as evolving business needs (7). Outsourcing involves the utilization of a third-party vendor to provide an array of services, depending on the business needs of the contracting client. A pharmaceutical company may outsource medical information services to meet daily needs, such as the fulfillment of requests from health care providers and consumers, or temporary needs, such as product launches or product recalls. Outsourcing medical information services is also a useful option for companies that experience large seasonal fluctuations in product demand, such as manufacturers of certain types of vaccines. Outsourcing partnerships in medical information allows a vendor to provide expertise in medical information to meet the business needs of the partnering pharmaceutical or biotechnology company (7). A medical information company containing a medical information services (MIS) department is in the unique position to provide students with a different perspective of drug information through offering an APPE. Such a company may provide medical and drug information services to multiple pharmaceutical companies through outsourcing agreements, and utilize medical information software to provide a variety of services to pharmaceutical company and biotechnology clients, including providing real-time drug information responses to requests from both health care providers and consumers, development of written documents such as standard response letters, support for new product launches, and adverse event and product complaint reporting. The strategic location of such a medical information company in the southeast will provide students with an increased opportunity for exposure to the specialized area of drug information, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry, an opportunity that students in this region may not otherwise gain exposure to or be likely to pursue. In addition, the unique business environment of a medical information vendor will also afford the student a unique perspective on opportunities available for drug information specialists within the pharmaceutical industry. To expand educational opportunities for pharmacy students as well as to accommodate the growing need for pharmacy student rotation practice sites, an industry-based drug information rotation was developed at a medical information company, initially in partnership with the University of Tennessee, Memphis College of Pharmacy. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES The goals and objectives of the rotation are provided to the student at the start of the rotation. The main goals are as follows: 1. To provide the student with exposure to residency and future employment opportunities for graduates of PharmD programs in drug information. 2. To provide the student with experience in the pharmaceutical industry. 3. To improve the student’s communication skills. 4. To strengthen the student’s literature searching and evaluation skills. 5. To strengthen the student’s problem-solving skills.
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