Walgreen's, UC College of Pharmacy Partner for Specialty Pharmacy Education

The University of Cincinnati (UC) James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy and Walgreens are partnering to develop Ohio’s first Walgreens specialty pharmacy residency.

According to a press release, although residency programs already exist across the country in hospitals and retail stores, residencies in specialty pharmacies are starting to gain momentum. This is due to the growing complexities of disease states and the high cost of medications for those with 1 or more chronic or critical illnesses.¹

“A typical community pharmacist in a retail setting might see 300 to 400 patients a day, while a specialty pharmacist might have 20 to 30 patients, but their medications are more sophisticated and might cost 10 times that of the typical patient,” says Bethanne Brown, PharmD, associate professor of pharmacy practice and residency director for UC’s Winkle College, in a prepared statement.

As the role of the pharmacist expands, Doctor of Pharmacy graduates are seeking out residency programs to further their education and training. Therefore, partnerships like the UC College of Pharmacy and Walgreens offer opportunities for experience with complex disease states such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV, and Crohn’s disease, among others, that many students will see after they graduate.¹

Dan Hein, Walgreens area health care supervisor, said he believes that the partnership serves a vital need for community health. “Specialty pharmacists not only dispense medications, but they also provide medication management therapy and help patients navigate insurance costs and find funding through grants and other programs to cut out-of-pocket costs,” said Hein, in a prepared statement.

The program is seeking accreditation from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the American Pharmacists Association.²

References

• UC College of Pharmacy and Walgreens partner to educate specialty pharmacists [news release]. University of Cincinnati website. Published April 30, 2019. https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2019/04/n20831164.html. Accessed May 1, 2019.
• Walgreens Pharmacy and James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati PGY1 Community-Based Pharmacy Residency Program, Cincinnati, Ohio [news release]. https://tbcdn.talentbrew.com/company/1242/v2_1/docs/Residency-Cincinnati-2019.pdf. Accessed May 1, 2019.