June 14, 2023
The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Beyond Clinic Walls (BCW) offers Asheville-based students hands-on experience in supporting community members and their overall well-being.
BCW connects students from medicine, nursing, pharmacy and social work to individuals in underserved populations. Clients may have limitations or barriers to care such as disabilities, social isolation, low health literacy and socioeconomic disadvantages. BCW helps students learn how social determinants of health impact a patient’s overall health, treatment management, care and quality of life.
This Asheville-based interdisciplinary program is led by students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Western Carolina University in partnership with the Mountain Area Health Education Center.
“Beyond Clinic Walls has been one of my favorite pharmacy school experiences. It provides a hands-on opportunity to learn and witness the strengths of each profession and emphasizes the importance of coming together to address an individual’s health care needs,” said Cassie Twisdale, Pharm.D. candidate class of 2024 and BCW president 2022-2023.
The students meet monthly with their clients to learn about their health care needs. Each client works with a group of three to five students who help them in assessing support systems, identifying medical needs, goal setting, connecting them to community nutrition and health resources and discussing and organizing medications.
Additionally, roundtables occur once per semester with all students in BCW. These roundtables provide students an opportunity to reflect on and share their experiences, as well as ask faculty mentors questions.
“We also learned the value of having team members with differing educational and professional backgrounds, each with their own perspectives on the client’s situation,” said Twisdale.
After having 47 students participate across the different disciplines in 2022-2023, Twisdale is passing the BCW baton to Leeann Musick, Pharm.D. candidate class of 2026 and BCW president for the upcoming 2023-2024 academic year.
“I am honored to have the privilege of leading such a special organization. I am excited to build meaningful relationships with elders in the community and to share my passion for this organization with my fellow classmates. I hope to continue the work that the former leaders have done to make this year meaningful for our clients and students,” said Musick.
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