University of Iowa (UI) College of Pharmacy Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) student Josephine Vonderhaar gently places a blood-pressure cuff on an Iowa City resident visiting the Senior Center and watches numbers appear. The conversation turns to the importance of knowing and improving the measurements to avoid heart disease and decrease the risk of stroke, dementia, and more.
Such hands-on, real-world experience is a hallmark of a UI PharmD education. Through two projects, students recently took their skills into the community to teach individuals how to preventatively improve their long-term well-being.
Heart Health
During February’s American Heart Month, the college partnered with multiple organizations to hold seven blood-pressure screening events in the Iowa City area as part of the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Libraries with Heart program. Clinical Professor Mike Ernst learned about the model, which places blood-pressure kits and health-education resources in accessible public locations – not just libraries, and wondered if there was anything like it in the Iowa City area. He has been involved in hypertension and management throughout his career, including as an advisor to the AHA’s Target:BP™ initiative.
“Many studies, including several done here at Iowa in the past, support the role of pharmacists in helping manage blood pressure,” Ernst said.
He connected with the AHA and started planning. As he reached out, Ernst discovered Johnson County Public Health (JCPH) also was pursuing getting monitors into public spaces. Combining efforts made sense.
“This is a fantastic example of what can happen when organizations work together to move the needle on health by providing an immediate benefit to community members,” said Tim Nikolai, sr. rural health director, AHA Midwest region.
Ernst recruited Vonderhaar and other PharmD students from the college's American College of Clinical Pharmacy student chapter. Miss Iowa Lydia Fisher, a cardiovascular health champion and sister of Clinical Assistant Professor Lorin Fisher, also spoke at two stops. Vonderhaar noted being able to participate in the screenings helped connect what’s being learned in class to real interactions with people in the community.
“It allows me to apply the clinical skills and pharmacy knowledge I gained while giving back to the community,” Vonderhaar said. “It is rewarding to educate patients about their blood pressure and overall health, empowering them to take a more active role in their care.”
Sam Jarvis, JCPH community health division manager, noted that holding screenings at the Iowa City and Coralville public libraries, recreation centers, and the senior center, helps lower accessibility barriers.
“It’s an opportunity to provide residents the ability to check their blood pressure and hopefully learn a bit more about heart health,” he said. “Having a volunteer team, one that includes pharmacy students, engaged in such events is great, especially as we plan more sites.”
Coralville Integrated Library System Administrator Shalar Knupp added every person has the right to information and resources. “More and more that has meant a particular focus on health,” she said.
Take Your Meds
Pharmacies offer an ideal location to inform community members about the importance of taking medication as prescribed. That was the thinking of PharmD students Lucas Hardy, Maddie Hinkel, and Alexis Lensch when they decided to participate in the Script Your Future competition and lead UI's team.
The national consumer education campaign, sponsored by the National Consumers League, raises awareness about the importance of medication adherence as a critical first step toward better health outcomes. The challenge emphasizes the role health-care professionals have, through education, advocacy, and providing resources, in clarifying for patients safe and effective medication use.
“We signed up because we were excited about the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in our community while also gaining valuable patient-care experience,” Hardy said. “Pharmacists are often the health professionals people see most frequently. Being able to connect with people and help them understand their medications is an important part of what we do.”
Faculty advisor Cindy Sanoski, associate dean of Student Affairs, watched the co-chairs jump in with both feet.
“I was so impressed by their preparation, maturity, and enthusiasm for wanting to participate and raise awareness of the importance of medication adherence,” Sanoski said. “The challenge also expands access to reliable health information – especially for underserved or medically vulnerable populations – by meeting people where they are.”
The trio and their crew of 20 PharmD-student volunteers held four events in pharmacies and assisted living facilities, supervised by a licensed pharmacist, to discuss medication regimens, provide tools such as med-tracking wallet cards, and more. Additionally, they ran an “Ask a Pharmacist” series on social media and widened their message through KCRG-TV coverage.
“The events were fulfilling and professionally transformative,” Lensch said. “Helping individuals understand how their treatments contribute to their overall health embodies the patient-centered care process. These experiences have allowed me to feel as though I am stepping into my future role as a health-care provider.”
College students comprised part of the audience, a segment Lensch explained struggle with medication adherence due to busy schedules and limited understanding of the long-term importance of consistent medication use.
“Participating in Script Your Future enhanced my PharmD education by allowing me to apply what I’m learning in the classroom to real conversations with community members and watching pharmacy preceptors explain medication information,” Hinkel said. “It also directly links the counseling and communication skills we develop in our PharmD lab courses.”
Positive feedback reinforced the students’ commitment to becoming pharmacists. “It has strengthened my confidence in my ability to positively impact patient care,” Lensch said.