March 11, 2022
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Pharm.D. students Cami Andreini and Julia Fabricio have a passion for connecting with patients and serving as patient advocates.
Andreini, a third-year pharmacy student, and Fabricio, a second-year pharmacy student, each pursued separate ambulatory-care based internships to support their desire to improve patients’ health on a more personal level.
Fabricio worked in family medicine at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, while Andreini participated in a Johns Hopkins summer internship focused in HIV. They returned to UNC inspired to educate their peers on the opportunities they discovered within inpatient pharmacy practice.
With the support of the Carolina Association of Pharmacy Students (CAPS) and the Student College of Clinical Pharmacy (SCCP), the two created a five-part Ambulatory Care Workshop Series designed for all students interested in a deep exploration of ambulatory care pharmacy practice.
The series, held Feb. 14-18, featured topics including a crash course in ambulatory care, sustainable business models, and an evening roundtable discussion with professionals in the industry, among others. Each session boasted 70-80 students in attendance.
Workshop speakers included the president of The American Pharmacists Association, ambulatory care residency directors, book authors, and ambulatory care pharmacists in various specialties such as neurology, rheumatology, and cardiology, among others. Guest speakers represented the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Johns Hopkins, Tennessee, Cleveland Clinic, the University of Toledo Medical Center, and the University of Florida.
“Our goal for this event series was to shine light on the area of ambulatory care pharmacy,” Cami said. “We hope that by participating in this event, students will gain awareness of the variety of opportunities available as an ambulatory care pharmacist and exposure to some specialty areas, the day-to-day roles and responsibilities, the future of ambulatory care practice, and how to set themselves up for a residency and successful career. Ultimately, we hope to inspire some future careers in ambulatory care.”
The event was also an innovative way to bridge the Chapel Hill and Asheville campuses of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Fabricio said, as the events were held synchronously on both campuses. Participants received a certificate of attendance following the series.
“This has sparked even more engagement with students ranging from first-to-third-year students, as national certificates are expensive and hard to come by for pharmacy students. This was an easy, feasible, and accessible way for students to do something unique and innovative created right here at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy,” Fabricio said.
Andreini and Fabricio hope the event continues as an annual workshop for students interested in ambulatory care pharmacy practice.
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