Pharm 511: Community Outreach Service
Winter 2009
rev 1/12/09

Karan Dawson, Ph.D., M.S., R.Ph.
Senior Lecturer,
Director, Continuing Pharmacy Education
Department of Pharmacy
Office:
Telephone: (206) 543-1030
E-mail: kdawson@u.washington.edu

Don Downing, R.Ph.
Clinical Professor, Department of Pharmacy
Office: H-375P1
Telephone: (206) 616-4587
E-mail: dondown@u.washington.edu

Welcome to the Pharm 511 web site. This site is our communication center and subject to change as the quarter progresses. Please check the Schedule page weekly.

Pharm 511: Community Service Outreach is designed for students to explore various at risk populations through agencies that aid these populations in order to stimulate ideas about health/pharmacy services for unmet needs. This year Pharm 511 merges with the elective Pharm 584: Pharmacy and Patient Advocacy. Pharmacy 584 was originally designed as an elective for students in or intending to be in leadership roles. However, all students eventually find themselves in work and professional leadership positions. Therefore, Pharm 511 and 584 are merging so that all students can benefit from leadership and advocacy discussions in the context of providing potentially innovative or more specialized pharmacy services. The goals of the merged courses are to 1) inform pharmacy students about the issues that impact the practice of pharmacy and the patients pharmacists serve, and 2) assist pharmacy students in learning skills for patient and pharmacy advocacy that can be used while in school and in practice, and 3) for students to involve themselves in a project focused on making a real-world difference for their patients and their profession.

As part of the learning process and to help students develop their projects, students will meet with a faculty mentor in small groups five times during the second five weeks of the quarter. The first five weeks of the quarter, students will meet as an entire class for two hours per week to learn about issues that impact pharmacy services and patient care and to discuss and practice advocacy and leadership skills. By Monday, Jan 12, students will select community agencies to explore. Students will work at their selected sites for a minimum of 20 hours throughout the quarter to observe potential health care and pharmacy related needs. Based on student observations and class and small group discussions students will develop project proposals for pharmacy services. Students will receive credit for the course based on participation in course activities, fulfilling their obligation to their service sites in a professional manner, and producing written proposals. Students may elect to implement their project proposals during Spring or a subsequent quarter by registering for elective credit. Please contact the instructors with regard to this option.

Role of Service Learning

Community Service Outreach recognizes that our patients come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, which must be appreciated before making decisions regarding care. Especially important to advocacy and leadership is establishing a relationship with an organization and the population it serves to advocate for enhanced pharmacy services, to provide leadership for change, and to effectively provide appropriate care. In effect, advocates, leaders, and typical pharmacist must understand culture as it is enacted in organizations, socially and politically in the state and nation, as well as patient specific cultures and cultural practices. Thus, Pharm 511 is a mechanizm for practicing cultural awareness, which is expected to help students develop skills for use throughout professional practice. Community Service Outreach recognizes the importance of ourtreach by pharmacists. We are all embedded in a variety of communities and cultures with responsibilites to each of these. Pharmacists have distinct skills that can contribute to the health of communities as well as to individuals.