Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy students Jessica Kerwin and Emily Donahue have won second place in a national patient counseling competition.
The students competed at the Student National Pharmaceutical Association’s regional meeting held March 14-16 in Columbus, Ohio. Kerwin serves as a delegate for the SNPhA’s local chapter.
A total of 19 teams across seven states in competed from SNPhA Regions 3, 4 and 5, including Illinois and Missouri. The crux of the fast-paced, live competition was to read a description of the acting patient’s condition and then quickly advising him/her on prescription medications.
“It was the fastest 10 minutes of our lives,” said Donahue. “Jessica and I listened to the patient (for five minutes) to learn what his condition was along with the medications he was currently taking and the side effects he was experiencing.
“Then we had just five minutes to walk through those issues with him, offering counseling as to what he might consider doing regarding his condition.”
Although the competitors had access to three different drug information booklets, Donahue said student competitors really had to know the information, because there wasn’t much time to use the guides.
“Our patient, who was in reality the Region 3 SNPhA facilitator, had multiple medical issues, so it was definitely a challenge to address them in the minutes we were allotted.”
Through collaboration with other member universities and chapter delegates at the regional level, Kerwin presented four resolutions to the SNPhA national chapter’s bylaws. All four were accepted at the region’s conference and will be reviewed. They will be voted upon at the SNPhA national meeting in July before being added to the national bylaws.
Lakesha Butler, clinical associate professor in SIUE’s Department of Pharmacy Practice and SNPhA faculty advisor, said both students are preparing to begin clinical rotations and will earn their doctorate of pharmacy degree next May.
“I am extremely proud of Emily and Jessica and all the other students who attended SNPhA’s regional conference,” said Butler. “They both have such a zeal and passion for SNPhA and the pharmacy profession. Emily has taken the chapter to new heights under her leadership as president.”
Although SIUE’s SNPhA chapter has always had a presence at the regional and national meetings, Butler added, this past year has been extraordinary.
“The students have represented the School in a way like never before,” Butler said. “SIUE is now nationally recognized for its stellar students within the national organization of SNPhA and the students’ noteworthy service to the community.
“Achievements such as this, along with the chapter’s first-place win last year in the national clinical skills competition, exponentially raises the bar of our national image. It also reflects our continued success as a school focused on developing future leaders in pharmacy.”