URI Pharmacy students help give flu vaccine

10/23/09 - Few people are fond of getting shots, but five University of Rhode Island student pharmacists were more than willing to be on the other end of the needle. This past month, students from the College of Pharmacy helped vaccinate students and faculty at Roger Williams University against the seasonal flu. Fifty students in total were trained by URI Professor Celia MacDonnell and faculty in a course designed to teach the method and technique behind vaccinations as well as prepare students to interact with patients. Training lasted a full day, and students had anywhere from eight to nine hours of reading to complete beforehand.

"The 50 available seats filled up immediately," said MacDonnell. "Students gave up a day off and more to be a part of the program. This was evidence of their level of commitment."

The program is part of "Operation Immunization," developed by the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists with the goal of raising awareness of the importance of getting regular vaccinations. It also aims to emphasize the accessibility of vaccinations in what are a familiar and comfortable settings to many prescription drug users.

Ronald Jordan, Dean of the College of Pharmacy, was president of the American Pharmacists Association when "Operation Immunization" began in 1997. According to Jordan, the distribution of immunizations by pharmacists has major implications for pharmacy as a profession.

"Relationships and trust of patients are what will allow us to deliver real changes in healthcare," said Jordan. "The role of the pharmacist has to shift from strict control of distribution to that area of affecting people. And we have to show the public in a different way than we have to date-and this is the big challenge for this generation-that pharmacists are delivering valuable healthcare services outside of the pills in the bottle.