KEEPING TABS UFÂ COP JACKSONVILLE APhA-ASP
BEGIN YOUR LEGACY VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1
KEEPING TABS TABLE OF CONTENTS
02
MRM RECAP
03
PREVENTING OTC MEDICATION ERRORS
04
MY FAVORITE APPE ROTATION EXPERIENCE
05
START FINANCIAL PLANNING TODAY
06
HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL ON ADVANCE PHARMACY PRACTICE EXPERIENCE ROTATIONS
07
RESEARCH ADVENTURES
09
FUTURE OF HIV CARE IS CLOSER THAN WE THING
10
ANTIBIOTIC MISUSE AND A C. DIFF SCARE: MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
11
BETA CELL TRANSPLANTATION: POSSIBLE FUTURE FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES
12
A LOOK AT FLU SHOT STATISTICS
13
MONTHLY RECOGNITIONS
14
RXTWINS
15
SEMESTER RECAP
16
THANK YOU
JAX MRM MOMENTS
Jacksonville campus Patient Care VP Michael Finnick being recognized as our chapter's most outstanding member.
MRM RECAP By Kyle Evans This year has been filled with so much already, how do we top it? Well, to answer that question you should have attended the APhA-ASP Region 3 2017 Midyear Regional Meeting in Charleston, South Carolina. Students across the southeast converged on the historic city of Charleston. We saw students from Florida, Georgia, all the way from Tennessee (a nine-hour drive!), and more. The purpose of this conference was to bring together student pharmacist from other schools to work together to continue building our profession.
Former and current Generation Rx Chairs (Jennifer Parmar, Tara Boulous, and Meagan Balding) posing with our Region 3 Generation Rx Award.
Former and current Operation Diabetes Chairs (Khurrum Qureshi, George Parker, Victoria LaVine, Leo Fields, and Michael Finnick) posing with our Region 3 Operation Diabetes Award.
So many people who haven’t been are probably thinking, “What makes it so special?”. MRM is the only student pharmacist lead conference in the United States. Our student pharmacists are extremely motivated to seeing the progression of our profession. Included in this is the ability for students to network well outside the normal boundaries, where work and play intersect. This conference is designed with the development of the student in mind. Allowing students to come together and meet, network, and participate in the actual conference that helps build them professionally. One of the major ways students are involved with our profession, is through the policy forum. This is where students from every school have the ability to help write new policy proposals to be introduced and voted on at MRM. Our University of Florida students embarked on a short road trip to this year’s meeting November 3rd through the 5th. Where we were met with excitement from this year’s Regional Officers, one of which happens to be our very own Shannon Stittsworth! They worked diligently on setting up a slightly revised conference that put more emphasis on individual goals within our own chapters. This was accomplished by Chapter Officer Breakout Sessions, where students from different schools could talk about what they were doing in their own chapters to help raise awareness for different events and programs. Any student could attend these breakout sessions, and we had quite a few students who really took the time to explore these sessions. The other part of these sessions were to help students become more involved in their chapters by introducing the position to them. The conference also gave students the opportunity to speak with different employers and residency programs. Now I was very fortunate to be this year’s University of Florida MRM Coordinator. This is a leadership position that you apply for to build your experience at working with a large group of people. This year we had over 75 students attending. Parts of the position include learning communication skills, collaborating with faculty and student liaisons, setting up collection of information from students who are attending, organizing hotel accommodations for most of the students attending. The main job is learning to stay on your feet while trying to your joggle school load. The MRM Coordinator position is a great position to pursue. It gives you the opportunity to meet so many people at other campuses that you probably would never see. Given that we have three campuses, this conference really helps to unify us as one school! If you are curious about running for this position, or one similar, do it. I did not intend on applying this year for the position, but I did it and would not have changed a thing.
Tips for Preventing OTC Med Errors to Teach Your Patients Store medications away from young children and away from food and candy Keeping medicine in a cabinet that children cannot reach or see is the best way to keep them from getting into it. Dedicate the top shelf in a hallway cabinet to keep it in a dry, kidproof place
Read the entirety of the drug facts label
Preventing OTC Medication Errors By Laura Davis and Danielle Morgan
The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention defines medication errors as “any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer.” (NCCMERP). While some may think of medication errors that happen with IVs in the complicated healthcare setting, an incredible amount of medication errors occur with over-thecounter medications in the home. As future pharmacists, it is important that we inform our patients that while OTC products do not need a prescription, they are still real drugs and can potentially be harmful, especially with children. In fact, an estimated 10,000 children under the age of 18 visit the emergency room due to self-administered OTC medication errors in the United States (AAPCC) Preventing over-the-counter medication errors is the fundamental goal of Operation OTC Medicine Safety. In order to reach this goal, the operation educates children as well as their parents on the importance of reading the drug facts label, properly measuring medications and following all instructions listed on the package, as well as the proper storage and disposal of OTC medications. During the 2015-2016 school year, Operation OTC medicine safety became a national patient care project through APhA-ASP and as a result 36,999 individuals were reached through education by various student pharmacists throughout the country. Student pharmacists have the ability to not only save money by preventing OTC medication errors, but also prevent adverse events occurring due to a misunderstanding or not having proper education on the correct way to take various medications.
The drug facts label contains all the information you need to know to take an OTC product correctly. Be sure to read the ingredient, instructions, and warnings to know what it is and how to take it, as well as when to not take it and when to call a doctor.
Teach children to ask their parents before taking medicine Creating an open dialogue about medicine can prevent medicine errors. When parents know that their child wants a medicine, they can read the drug facts label to know if the medicine will help or if they should seek further help.
Measure with the provided dosing device Liquid OTC medicines should only be dosed with a dosing device like a dosing cup, graduated spoon, or a syringe. A metal or baking tablespoon is not accurate enough for medicine.
You can always ask a pharmacist Pharmacists are trained medication experts. They are available to answer your questions about OTC products: when to take it, what dose to take, and even how to get rid of expired medications.
My Favorite APPE Rotation Experience
By Han Le to attend codes and visit the cath labs. Having all of these exposure and understanding the overall dynamics of critical care allowed me to be a better learner. I had so much fun during my rotation, I did not mind coming early and leaving late every day. It was great! Season’s Greetings Jacksonville Campus! My name is Han Le and I am a fourth year student pharmacist. I tasked myself writing about to my favorite rotation for this edition of “Keeping Tabs.” It turns out to be a bit of a difficult assignment because I enjoyed so many of my rotations, which have been quite varied. For that reason, I will limit my discussion to my top two favorite rotations: Ambulatory Care with the Indian Health Service (IHS) in Wellpinit, Washington and Critical Care at Orange Park Medical Center in Orange Park, Florida. My Ambulatory Care rotation with Dr. Jeremy Burtenshaw at the IHS in Wellpinit, Washington was my very first rotation. March in Wellpinit, Washington, which is about an hour northeast of Spokane on a good day, is starkly different from March in Jacksonville, Florida. I wore professional flats on my first day of rotation and never again afterwards for the rest of the rotation. It was winter boots for the rest of the rotation. Ambulatory Care with the Indian Health Service is not quite your standard Ambulatory Care experience elsewhere. Frankly, it was more community pharmacy. However, there were a lot of counseling, in particular, tobacco cessation, and blood pressure
screenings. There were also home-visits, that required some off-roading. The home-visits were my favorite because the community, albeit very underserved, is rich with history and willing historians to share interesting stories, some of which may or may not be fabricated. I learned about how last year’s wildfire destroyed many homes in the community and how the ground is still warm from uranium mining many years ago. I really got to bond with the Indian community during my two months there and learned about their dynamics. It was a very unique learning experience that allowed me to gain more than just pharmacy knowledge and skills. My second favorite rotation experience was under the preceptorship of Dr. Sally Boes at Orange Park Medical Center, where I completed my Critical Care rotation. I was extremely anxious about this rotation and fretted about whether or not I could really think critically on my feet. However, it was such an amazing learning experience for me because my preceptor was so vested in me maximizing my time there. Even though I was just there for a month, I got to work alongside so many different teams: physical therapy, respiratory therapy, wound care, and endoscopy, among so many others. I was given the opportunity
I would like to leave you with some advice, which I believe are more like truisms than real advice. Play the cards you are dealt with, keep a positive attitude and an open mind. My rotation schedule got changed several times, but things all fell into place because I made it fall into place for me. For instance, I wanted an psych rotation, but I did not get it. However, during my adult medicine rotation, I asked to spend some time with the hospital’s behavioral health pharmacist. I got just what I wanted from the experience. My IHS experience was not without its challenges. For instance, our commute was as long as 2 hours each way on some days. But it allowed me to understand the types of health disparities many people experience. Sometimes the types of relationships you have with your preceptor can make or break your rotation experience. So develop a positive rapport with them early on. Be the exemplary professional that you are each and every day of your rotation! Also, understand rotations are for you to learn and practice what you were taught in pharmacy school. Stay motivated but do not beat yourself up too much for knowledge deficits. We all have them! Lastly, please feel free to reach out to me at hanle@ufl.edu should you have any questions regarding my experience or rotations in general. Best wishes and happy holidays!
Start Financial Planning Today! By Tara Boulos As students we typically focus on short-term goals: When is the next exam or assignment due? Some of us go beyond, asking ourselves “What job do I want when I complete this degree?” We have thought about jobs versus applying to residencies; however, how many of us have financially planned for the next 5, 10, or 25 years. Since I entered pharmacy school, I have made it a goal to learn about finances. Beyond the near future of jobs or residencies, I am thinking of loan repayment, saving for a down payment on a house, and retirement. Some students have considered their future finances while others do not yet think it applies to them. Once we graduate, however, we will go from little money to a six-figure salary. Will you be ready to make smart choices to ensure you become debt-free, wealthy, and well-insured? Are you making smart choices today? My advice is to start reading about financial planning. Yes, you can hire someone to help you along the way and at times this can be helpful; but, until you take the reigns and learn the difference between a traditional or a Roth IRA , or whether you prefer term or life insurance, or what is your credit card’s interest rate versus your loan’s interest rate, or how much you should invest in stocks versus bonds, or what is disposable or discretionary income, or how much risk you are willing to take …how will you truly know what you are investing your money in? We all have some financial studying to do. Financial planners are useful; however, their services come at a price. Wouldn’t you prefer to know what they are talking about or avoid giving them a percentage of your profits?
Go to the library, borrow some books, and start learning! There are also many online resources. Learn how to save money and how to have an investor’s mindset. Like pharmacy school, the more you learn about financial planning, the more you realize there is more to learn. Does it seem daunting? It definitely is. I wish I could give you one perfect book to read and that would be it but financial planning is a process. Luckily you are in pharmacy school and can start today. You have some time to learn before you make that jump to a six-figure salary. I can tell you that my goal is to be financially stable and have enough money to live comfortably during my retirement. There will be little happiness in my dream job if my finances at home are stressful. What are your financial goals? Do you have a budget? What is your plan to pay off your debt? Do you want to live paycheck to paycheck? How much will you need to save up to make sure you can maintain your standard of living during retirement? As Benjamin Franklin, a man well-known for his frugality stated: “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”. Good luck! Here are some good books to get you started: Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes by Belsky and Gilovich; Get a Financial Life: Personal finance in your 20s and 30s by Beth Kobliner; The Investor’s Manifesto by Dr. William Bernstein; The Bogleheads’ Guide to Retirement; Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel
How to be Successful on Advance Pharmacy Practice Experience Rotations
By Joshua Branstetter
During your final year of pharmacy school, you are expected to complete several Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotations. These experiences are very different from your Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) rotations as much more is expected from you. These rotations are typically focused around clinical pharmacy duties and have many longitudinal aspects including journal clubs, patient case presentations, and special projects such as drug monographs. As your APPE rotations creep closer, I would like to share with you some helpful tips I have picked up through my APPE experiences. It is important to remember that the educational background the University of Florida College of Pharmacy provides, has set you up for success on APPE rotations. While it is normal to feel anxious and nervous on rotations, make sure to take a step back and remember this is a learning
experience geared towards creating competent, confident, and independent practitioners. It is important to always be prompt, professional, and prepared. One of the easiest ways to make a great impression on your preceptor is to simply be on time each day, dress appropriately, interact with the interdisciplinary team in a professional manner, and be prepared for daily activities. If you are asked a question and you are not sure of the answer, always offer to look the answer up and get back to them in a timely manner. Do not fall into a habit of guessing or simply saying I don’t know. Always carry a notebook in your white coat pocket. I have found that having a small notebook dedicated to each individual APPE rotation helps me tremendously throughout the course of that rotation. Do not be afraid to ask questions or provide
recommendations on rounds. While each individual rotation will be different depending on the practice site and environment, preceptors appreciate a student that is willing and eager to learn. APPE rotations are a wonderful opportunity to gain exposure to multiple styles of pharmacy practice. Ultimately these rotations can become a month-long interview, and you want showcase your best qualities. However, simply being prepared and professional goes a long way. Lastly, always write a thank you card at the end of your rotation. Preceptors take a lot of time out of their schedules to facilitate your learning experience, and a professional handwritten letter thanking them for the experience is a great way to leave one last good impression. Good luck on rotations, I know you will do great.
RESEARCH ADVENTURES Elizabeth Shald and Ashlan Kunz Coyne are both 3PD student pharmacists at the Jacksonville campus who have completed research internships at Nemours Children’s Specialty Care in Jacksonville. Elizabeth was at Nemours from February 2016 to February 2017. Ashlan started at Nemours in June 2017 and continues research there today. This article offers insight into both students’ research experience.
When I decided to enroll in the college’s Intensive Summer Research Program (ISRP), I contacted Dr. Keller-Wood in Gainesville to see what pharmacogenomics lab in Jacksonville would suffice for the program since the intensive internship is traditional completed in Gainesville. She recommended Nemours, which I knew offered a high caliber internship since multiple exceptional student pharmacists from Jacksonville had previously completed research there. The ISRP prepares interested students for the rigor of completing the dual Pharm.D./Ph.D. program. It was an 8-week, full-time program with a required poster presentation in Gainesville at the end. Completing a research internship at Nemours is one of the best decisions I have made in pharmacy school.
Ashlan Kunz Coyne presenting her research at the Intensive Summer Research Project Showcase
Under the supervision of Dr. Ed Mougey, I learned how to efficiently conduct literature reviews and bench work including polymerase chain reaction, genotyping, and electrophoresis, to name a few. In addition, I completed my own statistical analyses on the computer…yikes! Prior to the internship I avoided statistics as much as possible, so creating and running codes then analyzing the data was an extremely challenging, yet rewarding, part of my summer. The name “Intensive Summer Research Program” is not to be taken lightly. In less than 8 weeks I genotyped over 400 samples each for 6 separate single nucleotide polymorphisms, analyzed my data, created a poster, and wrote a research paper. Whether or not you envision yourself conducting research in your career as a pharmacist, I highly recommend completing a summer research internship to broaden your skill set in preparation for competitive post-graduate opportunities. - Ashlan Kunz-Coyne
Elizabeth Shald presenting her research at the 30th Annual College of Pharmacy Research Showcase
Almost everything pharmacy associated is a result of a research initiative: pharmaceutical development, guidelines on the management of disease states, or the most effective way to manage a pharmacy department, just to name a few. While countless health care providers and patients reap the benefits of research, how many stop to think about the arduous process that produced those advancements? To me, being a graduate research intern was an opportunity to experience yet another side of pharmacy that many may never think about. While the Jacksonville campus is not located at the epicenter of the University of Florida’s research facilities, there are still many opportunities in Jacksonville for pharmacy students to produce quality research. The Center for Pharmacogenomics and Translational Research at Nemours Children’s Clinic focuses on the interplay of genetic polymorphisms and response to drug therapy. Working as Dr. Ed Mougey’s student in the lab provided me with diverse experiences including isolating genetic material from whole blood, using polymerase chain reaction to identify genotypes, and subsequently analyzing those genetic data against clinical data utilizing statistics packages such as SPSS. While these few steps may sound quick and easy, it took a year to complete on a little over 400 samples (a small data set)! Not to mention the initial literature search, mock manuscript writing, and putting it all together on a poster. After all was said and done, there were no statistically significant associations, so a year of hard work and no “eureka” moment. In research, success and validation are not promised for every project, but experiencing the process will make you infinitely more appreciative of those who have experienced success and changed the way we practice pharmacy today. - Elizabeth Shald
FUTURE OF HIV CARE IS CLOSER THAN WE THINK By John Rivera Telemedicine has become a hot topic in medicine as a way to reach more patients and overcome barriers to care. Since the mid 1990s, the implications of telecommunication systems on medicine has been researched in order to increase access to health care for those that truly need it, but have difficulties reaching it. People with HIV/AIDS are one patient population that have a lifelong need of healthcare services leading to an increased need to access compared to patients with other disease states. Once a patient is diagnosed with HIV they will be on a complex regimen of antiretroviral drugs along with constant lab test to assess viral loads. This means patients have to meet with their providers on a continuous basis which causes them to take time out of their days and possibly travel long distances to keep these appointments. Telemedicine has been used in the rural settings in order to improve specialty care which has been found to be successful in overcoming barriers. Recently researchers at the University of Florida – College of Medicine at UF Health Jacksonville have been awarded a $2.2 billion grant from the CDC in order to implement similar strategies in an urban setting using the UF Cares HIV clinic. Jacksonville has been reported to have one of the highest rates of HIV infections in the country and it is the largest city in terms of land mass in the country. These two factors along with patients being of lower income makes the treatment of HIV difficult in our city. Reetu Grewal, M.D. is the lead investigatory and an assistant professor of community health and family medicine here in Jacksonville. It is her belief that through telemedicine patients can
overcome barriers such as transportation or time when treating their HIV. Patients will be able to access their healthcare providers using their portable devices, such as smartphones. Telemedicine helps both the patients and the providers at the same time in to provide the most efficient and effective care possible. Patients will be able to overcome common barriers such as time off of work or transportation to distant specialist while providers will have decrease number of patients they have to physically see in a day. This project is a multidisciplinary endeavor that also encompasses case management in order to provide coordination of care. An interesting question to pose to researchers would be; what role could pharmacists play in telemedicine? If pharmacists were part of the care team they would provide expert knowledge the complex medication regimens. They could anticipate side effects and how to address them with patients along with tailoring regimens to be the most effective possible. This project is especially interesting because in 2015 the UF College of Pharmacy introduced their new curriculum which delivers a large portion of its didactic education via video conferencing technology. As part of the first cohort of students going through the new curriculum, at the time, I did not understand the importance of being able to communicate effectively through technology, but now it is apparent the future of medicine will begin to rely heavily on the use of technology in order to provide patients with access to care they normally may not be able to receive.
Antibiotic Misuse and a C. Diff Scare: My Personal Experience By Julie Huynh
I was two weeks away from graduation. I kept picturing the day when I would be able to debut my graduation gear, a cap that I had bedazzled with the words “Thanks Mom and Dad” and a black gown that was two sizes too wide. I was ready to proudly march around campus with my diploma in hand. Unfortunately for me, those last two weeks of undergrad were the worst two weeks of my life. Studying for finals did a number on my immune system. It started off as a little cough and then quickly progressed to sleepless nights and difficulty breathing. By the end of the first week, I was coughing so much that it was starting to disrupt my class. I avoided seeing a physician for as long as I could because going to the doctors is not something I think anybody enjoys doing. It wasn’t until I started wheezing profusely at night that I thought, “Maybe this could be something serious.” The next day, I went to an urgent care office. The doctor told me Ihad a bad case of bronchitis. He ordered the nurse to give me
asteroid shot, he had me breathing through a nebulizer machine for twenty minutes, and then he wrote a prescription for Ventolin, Tussionex, and Augmentin. Antibiotics? “Wow, I must be really sick”, I thought to myself. As a Microbiology major, I knew that bronchitis is more likely the result of a viral infection. What I didn’t know was how to treat viral infections. I made the assumption that antibiotics could also treat viruses. If only I knew then what I know now as a second year pharmacy student. Sadly, I had to learn the hard way. I was five days into my course of antibiotics. It started off as a dull pain in my stomach that never went away. Without a warning, it became my worse nightmare. Two days before graduation, I experienced several episodes of diarrhea. By that evening, it progressed to fifteen minute intervals of non-stop diarrhea followed by excruciating abdominal pain. I went to the ER at 12:15 a.m. on the day of my graduation. I was diagnosed with antibiotic-induced colitis.
They kept me in the ER until test results came negative for C. diff. I took those antibiotics because that’s what my doctor told me to do. It wreaked havoc on my gut flora. I had to miss my college graduation. Looking back now, I can laugh at the irony of this experience. When people ask me why I missed my graduation, I tell them “Sh** happens” and then I laugh because literally, that’s what happened. It’s not easy to talk about this (because nobody wants to talk about diarrhea), but I chose to take this experience as the perfect opportunity to spread awareness. I want to emphasize the importance of being aware of antibiotic misuse. As future pharmacists, we all have the potential to prevent situations like this from happening ever again.
Beta Cell Transplantation: Possible Future for Type I Diabetes By Leo Fields, Victoria LaVine, and George Parker Type I diabetes is a condition in which the beta cells of the pancreas do not produce enough insulin, which leads to poor blood glucose control and must be treated with daily insulin injections. This is different from Type II diabetes, where the pancreas can still produce insulin, but the body has built a resistance to it. Unlike Type I diabetes, Type II diabetes can often be controlled with oral medications and alterations to diet and exercise. The treatment burden on individuals with Type I diabetes is much greater, as they will be required to inject insulin every day for the rest of their lives. However, groundbreaking research may mean the end of needles and substantial co-pays for those suffering from Type I diabetes. The idea behind this breakthrough is actually quite simple: beta cell transplantation. Researchers from the University of Edmonton paved the way and their procedure protocol is now the gold-standard when it comes to beta cell transplantation (Cravedi, et al.). While whole pancreas transplantation has been shown to improve glucose control better than beta cell transplantation, the latter is a much simpler procedure, is less invasive and more cost-effective (Ryan et al, 2001). The procedure involved injecting the donated beta cells into the portal vein of the patient’s liver. In the study conducted at the University of Edmonton, patients who received the beta cell transplant had improved glucose control both before and after meals, lower HbA1c values, and less exogenous insulin dependence (Ryan et al, 2001).  However, this procedure is not free of drawbacks. Due to the nature of the procedure, one common
 adverse effect is thrombus formation in the portal vein. Additionally, in order to prevent the rejection of the implanted beta cells, patients must receive immunosuppressive therapy consisting of sirolimus, tacrolimus, as well and the monoclonal antibody drug daclizumab (Cravedi, et al, 2010). These drugs may cause adverse effects such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and nephrotoxicity (Ryan et al, 2001). Having an experienced pharmacist on the transplant team can ensure that each patient receives optimal doses for these drugs to allow for a greater life of the transplanted cells, as well as minimizing adverse events. There have been varying results between studies on longterm outcomes of the transplant. One study found that 44% of the patients were able to become insulin independent 1year post transplant another study found that all patients achieved insulin independence after 1 to 3 transplants at a 5-year follow-up. Another concern is the shortage of organs to perform the beta cell transplant as well as the inability to generate beta cells ex vivo (Okere et al, 2016). These two factors could limit the number of patients that will be able to receive the transplant. Beta cell transplantation could be a huge step in the cure for Type I diabetes. However, more research is warranted to determine the long-term effects that beta cell transplantation has on insulin dependence and glucose control as well as how to make the transplant available for more people. It could take many years before beta cell transplantation becomes first-line therapy for patients with Type I diabetes.
References Cravedi P, van der Meer I, Cattaneo S, Ruggenenti P, Remuzzi G. 2010. Successes and disappointments with clinical islet transplantation. The Islets of Langerhans. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. 654:749-769. Okere B, Lucaccioni L, Dominici M, Iughetti L. 2016. Cell therapies for pancreatic beta-cell replenishment. Italian Journal of Pediatrics. 42: 1-9. Ryan E, Lakey J, Rajotte R, Korbutt G, Tatsuya K, Imes S, Rabinovitch A, Elliot J, Bigam D, Kneteman N, Warnock G, Larsen I, Shapiro A.M. 2001. Clinical Outcomes and insulin secretion after islet transplantation with EdmontonProtocol. Diabetes. 50: 710-719.
A Look at Flu Shot Statistics By Austin Maronel, Aliza Tan, and Megan Van Fleet
Every year, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) analyzes information collected during the flu season to generate many statistics regarding vaccination prevalence and efficacy. For example, last flu season, 2016-2017, it was found that only 31.8% of the population between 18 and 49 years old received the influenza vaccination. In 2015, the CDC found that influenza and pneumonia was the 8th leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for 2.1% of the deaths. One of the major causes of viral pneumonia is contracting the flu and in the 2015-2016 flu season alone, it is estimated that influenza vaccinations prevented 3,000 deaths. The influenza virus, much like many other types of viruses, has different genetic strains which circulate throughout the world and are constantly changing. The vaccine is designed to target three or four of the strains, resulting in the trivalent or quadrivalent vaccines, which yearly flu surveillance show to be the most common strains of the virus to affect the population. There are hundreds of influenza research centers worldwide that send their surveillance findings to the World Health Organization’s five major influenza research centers. It is here that the research findings are reviewed and recommendations are made on which strains should be included in the vaccine. This past flu season, the vaccination was found to be 42% overall effective. This means that patients who received the vaccination saw a 42% reduction
in the risk of falling ill from the influenza virus. There are two major measurements that are used to determine this statistic: laboratory confirmed cases that resulted from hospitalizations, or confirmed cases that resulted from physician visits. Since 2004, CDC has estimated the effectiveness of influenza vaccine to prevent influenzaassociated acute respiratory illness (ARI). In 2017, CDC found that overall vaccine effective against influenza A and B infection associated with medically attended ARI was 48% (3). Even though the majority of adults who received flu shots get theirs at doctor’s office (37.4%), the second most popular destination to get the flu vaccination is at a community pharmacy which accounts for 24.3% according to CDC’s national immunization survey (2). 24.3% may not seem like an impressive number, but it is a good starting point considering how recent pharmacists gain immunization status, especially in Florida. Retail pharmacy has become a popular place to get vaccination because it is fast and convenient, it is the “one-stop-shop” for many patients who can also get their prescriptions filled. This popularity shows a clear demand for more trained professionals in the retail setting. With the availability of vaccinations at pharmacies across the nation, and the large number of pharmacists who are trained and certified, more than 280,000 pharmacists nationwide according to American Pharmacists Association (1), pharmacists are the answer to the problem.
References: American Pharmacists Association. Immunization news. Access on 11/09/2017. http://www.pharmacist.com/immunization-center Centers for Disease Control. National Early-Season Flu Vaccination Coverage, United States, November 2016. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/nifsestimates-nov2016.htm Flannery B, Chung JR, Thaker SN, et al. Interim Estimates of 2016–17 Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness — United States, February 2017. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2017;66:167–171. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6606a3
MONTHLY RECOGNITIONS
Chair/Co-chairs of the month September
October
Madison Clayton Operation Heart Co-Chair
November
Megan Van Fleet Operation Immunization Co-Chair
Laura Davis OTC Medicine Safety Co-Chair
Members of the month October
October
Kayla Peludat First year student pharmacist
November
Anastasia Engeleit Second year student pharmacist
Nichole Varela First year student pharmacist
Officers of the month October
November
Julie Huynh Historian
Stacey Curl International VP
Pharmacy Twins In pharmacy school, we spend a lot of time together. Not only do we get to know each other well, we also start to dress alike! From the JDRF Gala, to every day class, to students emulating professors, we are proud to be "pharmacy twins."
CAPTION THIS!
What do you think when you see this picture? Send your best caption to stittsworth@ufl.edu by January 1st and the best one will win a giftcard at our first spring GBM!
SEMESTER RECAP This semester started with our chapter's first officer leadership retreat, which set the tone for one of the most productive and impactful semesters to date! Overall, we held 31 events collaborating with many different organizations on campus as well as the other UF campuses!
299
50
Individuals reached through Generation Rx Events
Individuals reached through Operation Pediatric Awareness Events
77
1800
Flu shots given by APhA-ASP members through Operation Immunization
American Pharmacist Month coffee sleeves given out during October
160
47
Individuals screened for high blood pressure through Operation Heart
Student pharmacists attended MRM in Charleston, SC
129 Individuals screened for high blood glucose through Operation Diabetes
2 Regional awards won for Generation Rx and Operation Diabetes
17
165 Individuals educated through OTC medicine safety on how to correctly use their medications
Units of blood collected for the Vampire Cup which will be used to save 51 lives
200
5 Student pharmacists walked in the First Coast AIDS walk
Dollars raised for the Florida Pharmacist Political Committee
123 Amazing Members!
THANK YOU! Editor Megan Van Fleet
Designers Ishani Patel Shannon Stittsworth
Writers Austin Maronel Megan Van Fleet Aliza Tan Victoria LaVine Leo Fields George Parker Tara Boulos Ashlan Kunz Coyne Elizabeth Shald Joshua Branstetter Han Le Kyle Evans Julie Huynh Laura Davis Danielle Morgan John Rivera
Extra Mymoona Mohsin Taqwa Pippin
From the Keeping Tabs Team: Thank you for another amazing semester! We hope you all have a relaxing, enjoyable winter break with family and friends. See you in January!