• Health
• Pharmacy

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Explain the role of the pharmacist in the health care system.
• Discuss the use of both prescription and nonprescription medication use in society.
• Describe the differences in how pharmacists practice in community, hospital, and clinical settings.
• Understand the educational process involved in becoming a pharmacist.

• Laptop computer or equipment to view videos
• Medwise materials—Review ahead of time and print activities and materials for each participant (available at http://www.scouting.org/BSAFit/MedWise_Award.aspx)
• Medication history form from Institute for Safe Medication Practices—Download from https://www.ismp.org/newsletters/consumer/alerts/ISMP_Med_Form_PDF.pdf
• Medication package inserts (various) for interpretation and discussion
• Supplies for Activity 3:
  • Ointment—white petrolatum, additive (vanilla, eucalyptus, etc.), ointment paper or parchment, ointment jars, labels, spatulas
  • IV admixture—syringe, needles, alcohol wipes, additive (saline, ampicillin, etc.), IV solution (small or large volume)
  • Capsules—mortar and pestle, powders, tablets, empty gelatin capsules
• Arrange for a pharmacy professional to speak about practicing in a hospital or community setting.
• Arrange for a tour of a hospital or community pharmacy.

Reminder: Any time you use an outside source, be sure you follow the content owner's or website’s permission requirements and guidelines.

Advisors should preview videos before showing them to make sure they are appropriate for the post.

• “Love Your Job! Careers in Health-System Pharmacy” from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
• “The Drug Discovery Process” from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
• “Steps to Becoming a Pharmacist” from Three Minute Summaries
• “Transferring a Solution From a Vial to an IV Bag” from Erin Jannetta, Stefania Carrano, and Tuong Diep
• “Extemporaneous Preparation of a Cream” from the School of Applied Sciences, University of Wolverhampton

Reminder: Any time you use an outside source, be sure you follow the content owner's or website’s permission requirements and guidelines.

The following are suggested resources that Advisors may find helpful in planning this session:

• “What Kind of Pharmacy Is Right for Me?” from Pharmacy is Right for Me
• “What Comes After High School?” from Pharmacy is Right for Me
• “How Do I Get There?” from Pharmacy is Right for Me
• “Prescription Drug Use on the Rise in U.S.” from WebMD
• “DrugFacts: Nationwide Trends” from National Institute on Drug Abuse
• “Fact Sheet: The Use of Over-the-Counter Medicines” from the National Council on Patient Information and Education
• “Over-the-Counter Medications: Use in General and Special Populations, Therapeutic Errors, Misuse, Storage, and Disposal” from the American College of Preventive Medicine
• “Over-the-Counter (OTC) Drug Monograph Process” from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• “How Drugs Are Developed and Approved” from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• “Drug Scheduling” from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
• “Prescription Writing” from P. Angela Rake, D.D.S., Divison of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Minnesota
• “What Is the SCOUTStrong® Be MedWise Award?” from the Boy Scouts of America—See lessons under Resources for information about OTC medications and activities

Tell participants: Pharmacy is the science and technique of preparing and dispensing drugs. A pharmacist is a health care professional trained to prepare and dispense those drugs.

Have a pharmacy professional address these topics:

• Overview of pharmacy as a profession and their role in medication management
• Education requirements, including recommendations for high school and college preparation (you may choose to show the video “Steps to Becoming a Pharmacist” from Three Minute Summaries if no speaker is available)
• A typical day for a pharmacist
• The future of pharmacy practice

• Ask participants to name as many roles for pharmacists that they can.

If you need some ideas to get them started.

• Community pharmacist
• Hospital pharmacist
• Clinical pharmacist
• Drug development
• Research pharmacist
• Pharmaceutical industry
• Discuss the differences or pros and cons of each of these roles for pharmacists.

Watch the videos “Love Your Job! Careers in Health-System Pharmacy” from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and “The Drug Discovery Process” from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and initiate a discussion.

• Show the video “Extemporaneous Preparation of a Cream” from the School of Applied Sciences, University of Wolverhampton. Then have participants pair up and make an ointment or IV admixture.
• Show the video “Transferring a Solution From a Vial to an IV Bag” from Erin Jannetta, Stefania Carrano, and Tuong Diep—optional.
• Have participants use a mortar and pestle to compound and mix powders or crush tablets and fill empty gelatin capsules.

• Show how to read labels using the MedWise resources and have participants take turns reading labels aloud or in small groups.
• Show how to interpret package inserts and have participants examine additional package inserts.

• Tour a pharmacy.

• What type of pharmacist role or specialty most interests you?
• What did you learn during today’s discussion?
• What, if any, modifications will you make in managing your own medication use based on the information gained today?

• Discuss feedback from the videos or hands-on practice.
• What types of ethical issues do you think could arise related to being a pharmacist?

• What can you do now, during your time as a student, to prepare yourself for this or a similar career in the medical field?
• Why is this topic important?

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