Students from Belmont University School of Pharmacy are among eight elite teams competing in this weekend’s national Clinical Pharmacy Challenge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Sponsored by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), the competition began weeks ago with student teams from 86 pharmacy schools throughout the United States. The Belmont team has advanced through several online rounds of competition and will face a team from Campbell University School of Pharmacy on Saturday in the national quarterfinals. If they continue to win, they will advance to the semifinals on Sunday afternoon and finals on Monday morning. Each match is divided into 3 segments: a trivia/lightning segment, a clinical case segment, and a Jeopardy-style segment.
Members of Belmont’s team include: Kimberly Bentley, a third-year student; Rebecca Lucas, a fourth-year student; and Lee Rembert, a fourth-year student. Team alternates include: John Barnwell and Cortney Manning, both third-year students. Serving as faculty sponsors for the team are Dr. Cathy Ficzere and Dr. Rachel Franks.
According to Dr. Ficzere, “Our students would not be able to accomplish what they have done without the foundation they have received here at Belmont. The questions that they have to answer cover almost every aspect of pharmacy practice. They must draw upon knowledge of pharmacologic and pharmacokinetic drug activity, current recommendations for drug therapy, and biostatistics and clinical trial design. Added to this, they must answer the questions as a team, under time constraints, and, in some cases, choosing the best answer, not a ‘black-and-white’ right answer.”
Dr. Philip Johnston, School of Pharmacy Dean, added: “We are in some tough company in the finals, but we have been competing with well established schools in all the previous rounds and obviously scoring very well. What is so impressive to me is that we have students competing who have not completed all of their electives nor their final clinical rotations, yet are showing they have great critical thinking skills, work well as a team, and can apply their knowledge. We are absolutely thrilled with the success of the team, the faculty coaches and supporters, and happy that this reflects well on Belmont.”
The other six teams in the quarterfinals, in addition to those from Belmont and Campbell, are from pharmacy schools at Butler University, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, University of the Pacific, University of Utah, and Western University of Health Sciences.
More information about the competition and results this weekend can be found at www.accp.com/stunet.
UPDATE: The Belmont University School of Pharmacy rose above 85 competing schools to rank No. 5 in a national pharmacy and clinical skills competition. The team lost to Campbell University College of Pharmacy by less than 300 points in the quarter-final match. Both teams were quick on the buzzer and displayed a broad knowledge of clinical pharmacy. Ultimately, the winner of the match came down to the last 300 point question.