Collaborative Training Event - College of Pharmacy and Physician Assistant Studies

POCATELLO - A collaborative education event took place on September 11, 2018, with a collaboration between faculty in the PA program, a pharmacy faculty member, and practicing pharmacists who are part of CPESN Idaho.  CPESN USA (Community Pharmacy Enhanced Service Network) is a clinically integrated network of community pharmacies--essentially it is a way for community pharmacies to collaborate in the delivery of care to improve patient outcomes and decrease overall costs to healthcare systems.  CPESN-Idaho is a new and growing part of the national network, and the pharmacists here, while all from Pocatello, represent an initiative to ensure pharmacist competency in the physical exam skills required for some services.  Who better to help pharmacists with a physical exam refresher than faculty in ISU's Physician Assistant Studies program?  The PA faculty were excellent teachers and walked through the components for gathering a complete medical history in addition to physical exam basics: Pharmacists learned how to accurately and efficiently assess a patient's vital signs, quick assessments for hearing and vision, and the Timed Up and Go test.  All of these skills are prerequisites for the delivery of services such as a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit.  The collaboration has never been done before, but is ideal as the PA faculty were able to share their perspectives as actively practicing clinicians so the community pharmacists learned and practiced applicable skills in a practice-focused environment.  

See all the photos on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/isucollegeofpharmacy/