On April 17, PharmD students from the College of Pharmacy APhA-ASP chapter attended an Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association meeting to teach parents about medication safety.

The students, led by Associate Professor (Clinical) Dr. Susan Vos, PharmD, BCPS, gave a presentation about steps for safe medication administration, including how to properly use syringes and measuring tools and how to recognize dangerous side effects. The presentation also focused on the symptoms and identification of ADHD and offered parents an overview of different medications that can be used to treat ADHD. Dr. Vos compared various common treatments, including both stimulants and non-stimulants, and offered parents advice on which medications would be most suited to their child’s needs.

After the presentation, the students worked one-on-one with parents to review the medications their children were taking and offer suggestions about how to manage side effects.

The meeting, which was held at the Cedar Rapids Four Oaks Bridge, was attended by foster and adoptive parents from around the area who had children of various ages ranging from toddlers to teenagers. The parents shared their experiences caring for children with ADHD and discussed the treatment methods that had helped their children in the past.