School of Pharmacy

Contacts:

• Contact: Nicole Brandt, PharmD, (410) 706-1491
• Chanel Agness, PharmD, (410) 706- 5535 Assistant Professor, Pharmacy Practice and Science

The University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy has a focused pathway or curriculum to increase pharmacy student’s awareness and knowledge to aging and medications. This pathway is designed to prepare graduates to work with the older adult in a variety of practice settings or pursue advanced degrees (PhD, MPH) or training (fellowships, residencies) in the area of geriatrics or gerontology. By completing this pathway, graduates will learn essential principals to manage medication related issues as well as understand the complexities in caring for the older population. In addition, there is an American Society of Health- System Pharmacist (ASHP) accredited PGY2 Geriatric Residency.

Courses and Experiential Opportunities with an Aging Focus:

PHMY 516 Geriatric Imperative: This is a five-day interdisciplinary course open to all University of Maryland students during the first week in January. The course presents a wide range of information on the health and well-being of older adults through clinical, research, and policy presentations. Course content will be conveyed through lectures, panel discussions, team and case presentations, role play, videotapes, and site visits.

PHMY 517 Geriatric Pharmacotherapy: This course provides advanced discussion of the geriatric diseases and different presentations of disease and responses to therapy. A case-based approach expands on previous geriatric coursework and allows students to apply material to different patient-care settings. Journal club and drug information questions are utilized to illustrate concepts.

PHMY 539 Special Projects (1–3) [can be repeatable up to 12 credits]: These are independent investigations under the mentorship of an identified faculty and/or preceptor. Students work with the mentor to create objectives for the special project and timeline. Students have earned credit for this course through various methods. Examples of work completed include: Geriatric Assessment Interdisciplinary Team programs and projects, study looking at inhaler technique in older adults, and evaluating medication related problem screening in the community.

PHMY 552 Pharmacology and Aging: This course presents advances in our understanding of variations in drug response in the aging population. The course is designed to give students an appreciation for the basic physiological and biomedical changes which normally occur with aging, and how these changes relate to altered pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic responses following drug administration. Basic and clinical pharmacologic studies are used to support the conclusions presented.

PHMY 553 Consumer Education Program for Older Adults: The urgent need for pharmacists to become more involved with the health care of the elderly is well documented. This course trains students to educate the elderly about drugs and drug taking. Students benefit from the didactic and applied aspects of the course, since they must first learn about the special needs of the elderly and then actually interact with the elderly both in large groups and a one-on-one basis.

PHMY 593 Care of the Terminally Ill: This course provides students an increased understanding of the social and psychological aspects of death and dying as well as the palliative pharmacotherapeutic management of these patients.

PHMY 597 Bereavement: This course addresses the skills and knowledge needed to serve bereaved individuals: the theory of attachment, loss, and grief, as well as how to effectively interact with the bereaved.

Experiential Learning Training Opportunities: There are numerous opportunities through out the 4 years of the PharmD curriculum to either directly work with older adults through service learning or direct patient care activities. These structured learning and training activities have students work under the supervision of experienced preceptors (pharmacy practitioners who have faculty rank) and academic faculty in a variety of health care settings. Students obtain and apply knowledge and skills necessary for successful delivery of pharmaceutical care and develop competence, confidence and maturity as responsible professionals working to meet the needs of an aging population.

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