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honor National Pharmacy Week, Oct 20 through the 24th, the Harrison
School of Pharmacy chapter of the American Pharmacists Association-
Academy of Students of Pharmacy (APhA-ASP) sponsored a week-long series
of health related events. These events kicked off at 7 AM Monday morning
at the HSOP Walker Building
with Operation Immunization.Flu shots were administered to 82
patients by the
AUPCC staff and student
pharmacists. Niambi Horton, a P3 student who coordinated this event,
said several patients mentioned they were "impressed with how
professional we [students] were." She added, "I think this was a good
experience for everyone involved. It really makes me feel good that
students can have such a positive impact on their community."
Tuesday, the students performed Body Mass Index
Screening (a weight assessing process) on 91 clients at the Foy
Student Union. Individual stations were set up to measure height and
weight. Another station offered a one-to-one Body Mass Index
consultation with a student pharmacist. The clients left with a helpful
information packet as well as their own personalized plan for improving
their health. Greeters at several entrances to Foy Union passed out
information on BMI to several hundred people. Brock Woodis, a P3, was
the event's coordinator.
Wednesday
was STD/AIDS Awareness day. Student volunteers showed up on the
concourse at Haley Center from 10 till 2PM. This well traveled location
offered a great opportunity to maximize the distribution of information
to as many students as possible. P3 student Anne Marie Liles, president
of APhA-ASP, reported that the volunteers talked to 350 students about
prevention of STD/AIDS and where to get tested. They also gave out
general information pamphlets as well as passing out condoms to
interested students. Anne Marie said, "I was very impressed with the
professional attitude that our students had when talking about what can
be an awkward subject."
On Thursday, P3 student Corie Williams coordinated
a trip to Auburn High School to talk to their students about "Promoting
Our Profession." Corie and six other student pharmacists - Jennifer
Brooks, Jennifer Patterson, Allison Kurts, Megan Agee, Jonathan Edwards
and Spencer Durham were able to speak to two different classes for a
whole period. They shared their personal pharmacy related experiences
while also talking about the opportunities and advantages of a career in
pharmacy. The informal talk was augmented by a slide show full of facts
and figures. Then they opened the floor for questions. Corie reported
that the students were very receptive to what they had to say and asked
many intelligent questions. She said, "I believe they were surprised to
learn about what pharmacy had to offer. If we influenced just one
student, then our efforts were a success."
Friday
brought the week to a close with a well coordinated Health Fair
at the Frank Brown Recreational Center. Stations were set up to conduct
blood pressure, glucose (blood sugar), body mass index, cholesterol and
osteoporosis screenings, as well as a station for dispensing information
on breast cancer awareness. Student pharmacists spent between 20 and 30
minutes with each client. Naomi NarhMartey, a P3, was coordinator of the
Health Fair.
The students did a wonderful job this week in
giving consultations, screenings and pharmaceutical services to hundreds
of patients. Hundreds more were dispensed information packets. Much
preparation went into the planning and execution of these various
events. The students worked very hard all week. Many thanks to all of
the student pharmacists and other key people within Auburn University
and the Auburn community who helped make Pharmacy Week so successful.
Special thanks goes to ASP for sponsoring all the week's events.
Please browse the link to the left for some photos
of all the week's events.