Post on 18-Feb-2016
Pharmacy InternAnderson Free Clinic
Anderson, SC
Reagan Stokes
Fall 2015 Health Science Intern
• Throughout this semester I have completed my health science internship at the Anderson Free Clinic
• I have been interested in the field of pharmacy for a while and was placed at the AFC to get experience interning in their pharmacy
• Although I focused most of my internship time working in the pharmacy, I also played a role in the medical clinic at the AFC
Anderson Free Clinic Mission Statement:
“Providing a health care home for the
underserved. Made possible by a partnership
of the Free Clinic, the patient, and a caring
community.”
Anderson Free Clinic• Anderson Free Clinic, along with Honea Path Free
Clinic, provides healthcare services to low-income, uninsured residents of Anderson County.
• Includes medical, dental and prescription assistance• Dedicated to improving patient wellness through..
• Individual and group education • Referrals to community resources
Photo by Matthew McDermott, AmeriCares
AFC Spotlight • The Free Clinic focuses on helping
patients manage their own care• The health of a patients is affected
by the patient’s lifestyle outside of the clinic
• AFC wants to improve patient outcomes by looking at the patient’s lifestyle factors
• AFC now has a care coordinator, a staff RN, who works with most vulnerable patients to improve these patient’s health outcomes
Anderson Free Clinic Pharmacy
I spent most of my time at the Anderson Free Clinic interning in the Pharmacy
under the pharmacist, Lisa Thorndyke.
Photo by Matthew McDermott, AmeriCares
AFC Pharmacy • The Anderson Free Clinic
operates a dispensing pharmacy, regulated by the SC Board of Pharmacy
• Pharmacy staff along with free clinic volunteers fill and dispense necessary medications to the free clinic patients who need them
• In order to continue operating, the pharmacy must charge $2 per prescription
Photos by Matthew McDermott, AmeriCares
AFC Pharmacy • AFC pharmacy only carries certain,
commonly used prescription medicine• The medicine dispensed is medicine for
common chronic conditions such as,• High blood pressure• Diabetes • Neuropathy• Depression• Asthma
Lisinopril is one of the blood pressure pills the AFC provides
Roles as a Pharmacy Intern
• Dispensed medicine to patients
• Checked patient’s prescription bags to be sure the correct medications were going to the correct patient
• Read prescription labels in order to fill prescriptions
• Ordered patient prescription refills when needed using QS/1• QS/1 is a Pharmacy Management Software• Becoming familiar with QS/1 will be beneficial
for future pharmacy jobs I wish to pursue
Roles in Pharmacy (continued)
• Learned about and sat in on a Telepharmacy conference
• Called pharmacy company to order prescription refills
• Organized prescription bags alphabetically on the shelves
• Checked to see if patient owed a balance and wrote that balance down to be given to the patient
• Took expired medication out of its packaging to be disposed of
• Put donation stickers on the donated items • Researched medications
Roles at AFC Outside of Pharmacy
• Called patients to remind them of their appointments or make them an appointment
• Filed patient papers into patient folders
• Pre-audited patient appointments • Created PDFs for patient
appointments • Shadowed doctors during patient
group session
Roles Outside the Pharmacy
(continued)• Went to training to learn about Practice Fusion, the new electronic file system the AFC is transitioning to
• Scaned patient files into the computer to be put into Practice Fusion
• Entered patient appointments into Practice Fusion
• Checked QS/1 to be sure patients are picking up their prescriptions on time
• Called patients to remind them to pick up their prescriptions
• Typed up dental policies and procedures
Patient Compliance Project
• All semester I have been using QS/1 to look up patient’s prescription history
• Each week I check to see that patients are picking up their prescriptions in a timely matter
• For patients who have not picked up their prescriptions, I have called them to remind them they have prescriptions ready to be picked up• I also noted which medications they
are not picking up
AFC Transition to Practice Fusion
• The AFC is currently in the process of transitioning to electronic files using a system called Practice Fusion
• This process involves,• Learning how to use Practice Fusion• Scanning patient files into Practice Fusion • Entering appointments into Practice Fusion
• I have been a part of this transition by helping scan, enter appointments and learning how to use the basics of practice fusion
Researching Medication
• In my free time at the clinic I researched the many aspects of the medicine, Gabapentin
• I chose to research Gabapentin because many of the free clinic patients are prescribed this medication
• Gabapentin is used to treat the effects of neuropathy (nerve pain) and also treats epilepsy. • Many of the free clinic patients are prescribed Gabapentin to help the
treatment of Diabetic Neuropathy, nerve damage due to diabetes
• Along with the uses of Gabapentin, I learned about the administration and dosage, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, distribution, and warning and precautions
Conclusion • Overall, I had an incredible experience
interning at the Anderson Free Clinic• I got excellent pharmacy experience from
dispensing to filling prescription medication• I learned about the daily operations of a
healthcare facility • I made connections with and learned from
healthcare professionals • I confirmed my decision to pursue further
graduate studies in Pharmacy in hopes of one day becoming a Pharmacist