Pharmacists Are Not Mid-Level Providers

Pharmacists should not be classified as “mid-level” providers. This classification implies that there are different levels or a hierarchy of providers when in fact each health care provider brings unique and essential knowledge and contributions to the health care team and to the care of patients. Pharmacists are no exception. Timely issues germane to pharmacists, including dependent and independent practice, provider status, and professional identity, contribute to the rationale that pharmacists, just like all other health care providers, should be classified by their professional identity. While use of the term mid-level provider to identify various practitioners may not seem consequential, in today’s health care environment, words do matter when it comes to attributing value, and the contributions of all health care providers should be recognized as equally important to the patient care team

Report of the 2020-2021 Professional Affairs Standing Committee: Pharmacists Unique Role and Integration in Healthcare Settings

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The 2020-21 Professional Affairs Committee was charged to (1) Read all six reports from the 2019-20 AACP standing committees to identify elements of these reports that are relevant to the committee’s work this year; (2) Identify opportunities and models of integration of pharmacist care services in physician and other health provider practices beyond primary care; (3) Differentiate and make the case for the integration of pharmacist care services from that of other mid-level providers; and (4) From the work on the aforementioned charges, identify salient activities for the Center To Accelerate Pharmacy Practice Transformation and Academic Innovation (CTAP) for consideration by the AACP Strategic Planning Committee and AACP staff. This report provides information on the committee’s process to address the committee charges, describes the rationale for and the results from a call to colleges and schools of pharmacy to provide information on their integrating pharmacist care services in physician and other health provider practices beyond primary care practice, and discusses how pharmacist-provided patient care services differ from those provided by other healthcare providers. The committee offers a revision to a current association policy statement, a proposed policy statement as well as recommendations to CTAP and AACP and suggestions to colleges and schools of pharmacy pertaining to the committee charges

Genome-wide Trans-ethnic Meta-analysis Identifies Seven Genetic Loci Influencing Erythrocyte Traits and a Role for RBPMS in Erythropoiesis

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified loci for erythrocyte traits in primarily European ancestry populations. We conducted GWAS meta-analyses of six erythrocyte traits in 71,638 individuals from European, East Asian, and African ancestries using a Bayesian approach to account for heterogeneity in allelic effects and variation in the structure of linkage disequilibrium between ethnicities. We identified seven loci for erythrocyte traits including a locus (RBPMS/GTF2E2) associated with mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean corpuscular volume. Statistical fine-mapping at this locus pointed to RBPMS at this locus and excluded nearby GTF2E2. Using zebrafish morpholino to evaluate loss of function, we observed a strong in vivo erythropoietic effect for RBPMS but not for GTF2E2, supporting the statistical fine-mapping at this locus and demonstrating that RBPMS is a regulator of erythropoiesis. Our findings show the utility of trans-ethnic GWASs for discovery and characterization of genetic loci influencing hematologic traits

Applying college choice theory to student selection of a pharmacy school : a qualitative study

The decision to go to college may be one of the most important choices a person makes in his or her lifetime. Students considering higher education following completion of high school have come to the realization that the additional education may influence career choices, potential earnings, and professional and personal satisfaction. Students considering a college education undergo different phases in making the decision of an institution to attend. Depending on the individual, this process may have occurred over many years and/or during the time the student is in high school. The goal of this study is to determine if the pharmacy college choice process used by prospective pharmacy students followed other college choice models (including Hossler and Gallagher’s (1987) three-phase model) and identifying the primary and secondary factors that influence final choice. A qualitative methodology is employed to understand the phenomenon of Pharmacy College Choice (PCC) from the perspective of students who had just gone through this experience. This study examines the college choice process at two Texas institutions. This research seeks to understand the lived experience of students selecting a college of pharmacy by inquiring 1) what is the college decision-making process for pharmacy students, 2) how do students select a school of pharmacy to attend, 3) what factors influence students’ choice of a pharmacy program to attend at different types of institutions.Educational Administratio

Demystifying Advocacy: Moving Faculty and Students Toward Citizen Engagement: Report of the 2015-2016 AACP Standing Committee on Advocacy

The article presents the report of the 2015-2016 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Standing Committee on Advocacy regarding moving faculty and students toward citizen engagement. The goal of the 2015-16 Advocacy Committee is to identify citizen exemplars among faculty, practicing pharmacists and students, as well as recognizing the key characteristics and development opportunities to expand and empower the pool of pharmacy education advocates