As teachers, experts, specialists, and mentors, University of Iowa College of Pharmacy preceptors provide learning experiences outside the standard classroom to allow student pharmacists a glimpse into daily life of a health-care provider. They assist students with applying their knowledge and skills in direct patient care and other practice settings. Whether in a community pharmacy, hospital intensive care unit, emergency department, or corporate pharmacy management, preceptors actively teach the hands-on experiences student pharmacists desire.
Each year the College recognizes exceptional preceptors, nominated by Doctor of Pharmacy students, with a preceptor of the year award in three categories: Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE), Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE), and Faculty. Congratulations to the following 2022-23 recipients.
APPE Preceptor Excellence Award
Andrew Smelser, PharmD, BCPPS
Stead Family Children's Hospital - General Pediatrics, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, and Nephrology
Students on this rotation actively participate in the development, implementation, and monitoring of pharmacotherapeutic plans for general pediatric patients. They participate in daily medical rounds, providing medication counseling to patients and drug information to medical teams.
Smelser received his undergraduate and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and completed a PGY1 pharmacy-practice residency at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama. He currently practices at the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital as a pediatric clinical pharmacist, focusing on general pediatrics, nephrology, kidney transplantation, endocrinology, and gastroenterology. Additionally, Smelser has three roles at the UI College of Pharmacy: adjunct assistant professor, course coordinator and lecturer for the pediatrics elective, and pediatric clinical faculty advisor for the Pediatric Pharmacy Association student chapter.
Student comments on Smelser included:
“Andrew was a fabulous preceptor. He was always interested in discussing patients and answering our questions. This is by far my favorite rotation that I have had, with the amount of dedication Andrew has to ensuring I learned and understood why we picked a certain medical treatment.”
“Very passionate about what he does (and) goal oriented in teaching and (educating) about all things pediatric. (He) has inspired me as a student and a future pharmacist and impacted me in a positive way.”
IPPE Preceptor Excellence Award
Sharon Rickertsen, ’97 PharmD
CVS #10032 – Marion
This rotation offers students experience in a community-chain pharmacy with a diverse patient population. In addition to regular prescription filling, students fill unit-dose medications for the Johnson County Jail, provide immunizations (influenza, zoster, and pneumococcal), perform biometric screenings, provide MTM services through Outcomes and Mirixa, and practice some light compounding.
Rickertsen has been a retail pharmacist in the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids area since graduating from the UI. After 22 years with Hartig Drug Company, she joined CVS in 2020 and is currently the Marion, Iowa, store pharmacy manager. She is also district support pharmacy leader for the District of Eastern-Central Iowa. In that role, she is responsible for staff development, new pharmacist training, and facilitating onboarding of grad-interns. Rickertsen recently was promoted to an emerging district leader position. She has hosted countless pharmacy students, and it is one of the things she enjoys most about her career. Rickertsen has said sharing knowledge and practical advice with students and showing how to connect to patients and make a difference in their health care has been rewarding.
Student comments on Rickertsen included:
“Dr. Rickertsen not only allowed me to shadow her throughout her workflow but also (took) breaks to explain information and provide me in-depth explanations as to why, and how, community pharmacies run the way they do. Without hesitation, she would stop everything she was doing just to make sure I understood the topic at hand, which (shows) her passion for the field of pharmacy.”
“Sharon made sure to ask several questions about my personal goals and career goals so she could tailor the rotation to what was most helpful. She facilitated me spending time with many pharmacists able to give good advice and pointers for my future.”
Faculty Preceptor Excellence Award
Ben Miskle, Clinical Assistant Professor
UI Hospitals & Clinics Medication-Assisted Treatment Clinic, Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinics
Students on this rotation provide direct patient care by collaboratively working in the clinic with physicians and other health-care professionals to offer comprehensive medication therapy and disease-state management to patients. Students interact with patients daily obtaining medication histories; evaluating drug therapy; identifying, resolving, and preventing drug-related problems; providing recommendations to optimize therapy; following up with all drug-related issues; and providing education on the appropriate use of medications.
One of Miskle’s primary career goals is to educate future pharmacists about mental health. He received his undergraduate degree in biology from Northwest Missouri State University and a Doctor of Pharmacy at the University of Missouri-Kansas City College of Pharmacy. Miskle’s research focuses on medication-assisted treatment for substance-use disorders. He co-started a project to put opioid-overdose medication Naloxone in Iowa public schools and has spent time educating and training school nurses on administering the life-saving drug. The effort is part of a state program to combat the rise in opioid deaths in Iowa.
Student comments on Miskle included:
“Dr. Miskle is one of the hardest-working preceptors I have had to date and his passion for his career is awe-inspiring. His passion for substance-uses disorders is not only portrayed in his interactions with patients, but also his interactions with other members on his team. He takes the time to share the thought process behind recommendations to the team and allows us to share our ideas as well.”
“There was not a day that went by that Dr. Miskle did not show how dedicated he was to ensuring his students did well, from leading topic discussions, to having an open-door policy, to providing daily career/residency advice. He also creates a welcoming environment to participate in patient care and apply our knowledge. (Dr. Miskle) showed how we can advance the pharmacy profession and expand our roles beyond the hospital.”