Healthcare professionals across all specialties can agree that interprofessional education (IPE) is essential for more thoughtful and successful patient outcomes. Members of a healthcare
team need to work together to ensure their patients are receiving the best care possible.
As PCOM’s IPE-focused efforts continue to expand, programs are working together for
student success. One initiative that was recently launched will send PCOM Georgia’s
doctor of pharmacy students to PCOM’s Family Medicine Office to interact with their doctor of osteopathic medicine peers in a clinical setting. Celia Sha’ron Black (PharmD ‘22) is the first student
to travel to Philadelphia for this five-week clinical rotation.
“This has been a very surreal experience,” shared Ms. Black. “The experience gained from this rotation is an actual representation of what interprofessional collaboration looks like. We spend the first three years of our didactic careers mostly in a classroom setting viewing patient care from a pharmacy standpoint, having this rotation has allowed me to gain a more holistic outlook on patient care while also allowing for an exchange of knowledge across both professions,” continued Ms. Black.
During her rotation at PCOM’s Family Medicine Office, Ms. Black is practicing the
patient-facing skills that she will need upon graduating. Such daily duties include
reviewing patient prescription lists, counseling patients about their medications
and working with the attending physician to ensure that the patient’s prescription
plan accurately reflects their needs.
While in Philadelphia, Ms. Black also had the opportunity to live in the new, campus-adjacent Meta Christy House. Ms. Black will complete her clinical rotation at Family Medicine at the end of July. There are plans to make this rotation available to more PCOM Georgia doctors of pharmacy students going forward.
For the past 125 years, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms. PCOM, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. PCOM students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
Brandon Lausch
Executive Director, Strategic Communications
Email: brandonla@pcom.edu
Office: 215-871-6312 | Cell:
717-371-0609
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