Pharmacy institute provides funds to support 41 residency programs

Drug Store News,  March 5, 2001  by James Frederick,  Diane West

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Recruiting new pharmacists locally while maintaining a pool of experienced faculty at pharmacy colleges nationwide is behind the Institute for the Advancement of Community Pharmacy's continued multimillion-dollar support of community pharmacy residency programs.

The Fairfax, Va.-based institute announced on Feb. 13 another in a series of grants to support community pharmacy residency programs, with $900,000 earmarked for 41 new programs. The latest round of funding, coupled with $1.5 million in outlays last year in support of residencies, brings the institute's commitment to community residencies to more than $2.4 million.

"The first goal is to retain the talents of these residents within community practice ranks where they can sustain a model of pharmacist care practice in chain and independent pharmacies," IACP executive director Laura Cranston said. "The second goal in supporting community residencies is to develop a cadre of advanced community practitioners with a strong practice management background that can assume faculty appointments in the nation's colleges of pharmacy."

The institute, established in 1998 by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association to support community pharmacy practice initiatives, draws on a $27.5 million grant from Knoll Pharmaceutical Co. to fund educational initiatives, research projects, programs and activities to increase the number of community pharmacists and to promote the role and value of community pharmacy services.

Cranston said the institute received over 85 proposals for support of residency programs in this cycle, requesting over $3.8 million in support. The 41 projects receiving support represent a wide swath of pharmacy schools, retail practice settings and disease management initiatives.

Among the programs being funded are: a new residency program focusing on OTC patient-care initiatives at Longs Drug Stores, in conjunction with the University of California School of Pharmacy, San Francisco; a residency focused on establishing a diabetes management program at the University of Colorado School of Pharmacy in conjunction with King Soopers Pharmacy; and a resident training program at Medicap Pharmacy's wellness clinic in Des Moines, Iowa.

The news was praised by institute co-chairman and NACDS president and chief executive officer Craig Fuller. "We are excited about the significant interest and growth in community pharmacy residency programs nationwide," he said. "The institute has been able to accelerate the momentum by supporting quality partnerships between the nation's colleges of pharmacy and chain and independent pharmacies. We are pleased with the development of a network of patient-care providers who are being trained through these residency programs."

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