by Anna Peck
SDN Staff Writer

It’s a given that there are healthcare professionals out there with substance abuse problems. But, as we prepare to enter practice, many of us find it difficult to imagine that we’ll be working with affected individuals, or that we could become affected ourselves. Few professional programs ask students to consider what they would do if they suspected or knew that someone in their workplace was impaired. And, still fewer programs formally acquaint students with recovery resources.

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by Laura Turner
SDN Staff Writer

Based on a series of polls conducted by the Student Doctor Network, students generally understand the current salaries they can expect to receive as a health professional.

The polls asked SDN users to select the salary range for an occupation “without Googling” to find the correct answer.  The results of the polls are available in the SDN poll archive.

Students were most likely to select the salary range into which the actual mean annual wage falls for all occupations except Dentists and Optometrists.  Actual wages used for comparison were determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and are accurate as of May 2007. Read the full story

by SDN Member SpirivaSunrise

Nuclear pharmacy is a specialized practice area in pharmacy that involves compounding and dispensing radiopharmaceuticals to be used in various nuclear medicine procedures.  Unlike radiology, nuclear medicine is a fantastic tool for assessing physiology (function), as opposed to only structure and anatomy.

It is a unique niche within pharmacy and this article will provide an overview of the specialty area, including common radiopharmaceuticals and procedures used in nuclear medicine, as well as the role of a nuclear pharmacist on the healthcare team.

From a business perspective, the industry’s current standing includes nuclear pharmacies which are either institutional (and cater to a single medical center), or commercial.  Centralized commercial pharmacies are contracted by hospitals/clinics to provide radiopharmaceuticals.

Today, there are only a few major radiopharmacies: GE (formerly known as Amersham), Covidien (formerly known as Tyco or Mallinckrodt), and Cardinal Health (which bought out Syncor, among others), as well as a few smaller independents. Read the full story

by Abby Beane, SDN Contributing Writer
Edited by Sean Parrish

Since October is National Pharmacists Month, now is an excellent time to examine the evolving role of pharmacists in the modern health care system. The profession of pharmacy is going through a period of vast development and change. Instead of being tied solely to the product of medications and dispensing, it is diligently recreating its image into an increasingly cognitive practice.

Pharmacists have become such an integral part of the health care team because they have the unique advantage of being among the most accessible health care professionals. As patients come in once a month to refill a prescription, the pharmacist tends to be the professional that they see the most regularly.

Unfortunately, due to the mandates of insurance companies, physician visits are growing shorter and shorter these days.

If a patient presents for an acute condition during a physician visit and that condition is addressed and cared for, there is generally little time left for the management and care of any chronic conditions. It is in the management of such chronic conditions that the cognitive services offered by pharmacists can be useful.
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The career of Joni Fowler, PharmD, BCPP, CGP career focuses on medical education and communication.

Through her three companies (Creative Educational Concepts, ConvenePro and PromoGistics) she interacts regularly with health care professionals in a variety of medical specialties.

She earned her PharmD from the University of Tennessee and was previously employed in as a Clinical Pharmacist in the Continuing Education department at University of Kentucky’s Chandler Medical Center and as a Clinical Pharmacist in the areas of geriatrics and psychiatry with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

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Dale Whitby, PharmD, BCPS works for Gold Standard Inc, an Elsevier Company. Gold Standard provides drug information products such as Clinical Pharmacology, eMPOWERx and Pharmacy Solutions to the health care community.

Dr. Whitby earned his PharmD from Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia and completed residencies in Pharmacy Practice and Pediatric Pharmacy at the University of Kentucky. Prior to joining Gold Standard, he was a Pediatric Critical Care Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida.

What do you like best about your current position? What do you like least?

I enjoy the constant challenge of keeping up with current literature and being able to summarize it in a useful manner for other practitioners. I also appreciate that my work

schedule is flexible. One drawback is the limited opportunity I have to serve as a mentor. I would like to have more contact with student pharmacists and residents.

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By Juliet Farmer
Staff Writer

Nicholas Blanchard, PharmD, MEd, is Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Advocacy at Wegmans School of Pharmacy, St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York.

Dr. Blanchard has nearly 20 years of practice and academic experience in pharmacy. Prior to coming to Fisher in early 2006, he held the positions of Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at Wingate University School of Pharmacy, Associate Dean of Experiential Education at Texas Tech University School of Pharmacy, and Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Washington State University College of Pharmacy.

He also held positions in the pharmaceutical industry and in practice.

Dr. Blanchard received his B.S. in Pharmacy from University of North Carolina, his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Washington, and his Master’s in Education from Campbell University.

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