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Class of ’18 pharmacy students Kayla Harris and Shea Ryan placed sixth in the 75^th American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Skills Competition, held December 3-7 in Orlando, Florida. This marked the first time that the 91ֱ����Ƶteam reached the final round of competition.

The clinical skills competition (CSC) encourages and recognizes excellence in clinical skill development. It entails analysis of a case study, where pairs of pharmacy students demonstrate their ability to provide direct patient care in a collaborative practice alongside physicians.

The 2017 case study required students to develop a care plan for the treatment of Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) in a patient with severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). They were expected to address the primary cause of the patient’s admission, as well as provide a treatment plan for all additional health concerns that should be addressed.

“The most difficult aspect was the two-hour time constraint,” said Harris and Ryan. “We worked as quickly as possible, trying to swiftly reach consensus about treatment, use resources for aspects of care we were uncertain about and compose our plan as neatly and thoroughly as possible.”

In the final round, teams presented a two-minute proposal of care before the judging panel. Judges then had time to ask questions about the case and the team’s specific care plan.

"The competition was challenging, requiring us to dig deep into our therapeutic knowledge, manage time effectively, work together seamlessly and provide a succinct, compelling argument for our decisions,” Harris and Ryan said. “This was a fantastic opportunity to work as a team, cultivating skills that will benefit our future careers in pharmacy.” 

To learn more about the 91ֱ����Ƶ’s College of Pharmacy, visit www.une.edu/pharmacy

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions