Reception Celebrates the Opening of Pharmacy Practice Lab at Shady Grove

Lab provides space for student pharmacists to practice fundamental elements of pharmacy

By Becky Ceraul
January 28, 2009

Faculty, staff and students from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and officials from the Universities at Shady Grove gathered on January 22 in the School of Pharmacy’s new practice lab at Shady Grove to celebrate its opening. In what was once a former library, representatives from the School of Pharmacy, the University of Maryland, Baltimore and the Universities at Shady Grove created a pharmacy practice lab that will serve student pharmacists for many years.

“Having a space in which to practice the fundamental elements of pharmacy is crucial to our students’ educational experience,” said School of Pharmacy Dean Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, at the event. “Prior to the completion of this lab, students based at Shady Grove had to travel to Baltimore to use facilities in Pharmacy Hall.”

Under the direction of Meghan Sullivan, PharmD, an assistant professor of pharmacy practice and science, the 2,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility accommodates up to 48 students at a time and contains simulation model community and institutional pharmacies as well as a patient counseling suite.

The model community pharmacy consists of a medication order processing area which houses 12 order entry terminals, the top 100 medications and over-the-counter products. The order entry terminals use order processing software that is representative of current systems in place in practice. Students are also exposed to new technologies which enhance safe medication practice, as well as the dispensing process with a ScriptPro robot. The robot holds the top 50 medications and is capable of counting, dispensing and labeling the medications for student pharmacists to verify. The School of Pharmacy is one of only three pharmacy schools in the country to house such technology for its students.

The model institutional pharmacy consists of the top oral, topical and intravenous medications on the market. The pharmacy comes equipped with a medication cart and a soon-to-arrive Pixis machine that allows students to simulate institutional dispensing after the review of patient charts. Attached to the main institutional pharmacy is a state-of-the-art “clean room,” which is equipped with both horizontal and vertical flow hoods used for the preparation of sterile products.

The patient counseling facilities enable students to practice simulated counseling. Students use this area to counsel mock patients on prescriptions processed in the dispensing area. In addition, these interactions also facilitate medication therapy management sessions and provide the opportunity for students to gain practice with resources related to informatics.

“With 80 student pharmacists based at the Shady Grove campus, this facility will be an integral part of their education,” said Dr. Eddington. “To those students I say, use this space well and learn all you can with a goal of making us proud when you graduate and become a vital resource for your future patients.”

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