Twelve local, clinical pharmacists and pharmacy residents spoke to Belmont students during a roundtable discussion April 15 in the Massey Boardroom.

Students enrolled in the College of Pharmacy’s Ambulatory Care Pharmacy elective listened to professionals from health institutions, including Vanderbilt, Saint Thomas and the Veteran’s Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System shared their experiences in pharmacy practice.

Twenty pharmacy students rotated through the tables and were given the opportunity to ask questions to gain a better understanding of the role of ambulatory care pharmacists and the value of pharmacy residency training.

“I asked one participant ‘what is the best part about your job working in a pain clinic?’ She said she liked working with a diverse patient population and having a real impact on patients’ lives. She never would have imagined working in a pain clinic, but she really loves it,” said Meghan Duquette, a second-year pharmacy student.

“The variety of different pharmacists as well as having residents in PGY1 and PGY2 gave a variety of topics to be discussed and a variety of questions to be answered,” said second-year pharmacy student Nicholeah Lay.  “I am very thankful for this opportunity.  It got me thinking more about my concentration as well as what I really want to do after graduation.”

Ashton Beggs, the course coordinator of the Ambulatory Care Pharmacy elective, was delighted with the turnout of the event.

“It was a great experience for these second and third year pharmacy students. We were fortunate to have so many local pharmacists and residents give of their time to discuss the multitude of career paths available following graduation from pharmacy school. This is an event I will continue to host for students year after year,” Beggs said.

Third-year student Gena Curl said, “It was a great experience and I really enjoyed it. It was a nice way to casually talk with our future colleagues and learn about future residencies and careers.”

Students enrolled in the Ambulatory Care Pharmacy elective have spent the spring semester focusing on topics pertinent to primary care, including financial considerations, patient education, medication adherence, health literacy, and technology available to patients and health care providers. Common primary care disease states, such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma, and pharmacists’ impact on the treatment and understanding of these conditions have been addressed in the course as well.