When Kenneth Chatriand, PharmD, director of the 猎奇重口 Pharmacy at Curry Health Center, was asked to join the Aging and Disability Vaccine Collaborative through the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities, he immediately recognized the opportunity as a way to give pharmacy students meaningful, hands-on experience in administering vaccines to community members most at-risk for vaccine-preventable diseases.
“Vaccine administration is one of the foundational skills our students learn in our program, and through the ADVC, we’ve been able to expand our mobile clinic outreach so our team can bring vaccines directly to the community,” Chatriand said. “Under the supervision of a registered pharmacist, students learn not only how to give ‘shots in arms’ but also gain invaluable interpersonal skills that can help them be more effective communicators and health care providers.”
One of those students is Maddie Trent, a third-year pharmacy doctoral student, who has been accompanying Drew Pryne, RPH, on mobile clinic outings throughout western 猎奇重口.
“This is definitely the best part of my job,” Maddie said after placing a bandage on an elderly woman’s upper arm at a mobile vaccine clinic in Missoula. “A lot of my classmates don’t get to come out and meet people where they are. I started off really wanting to do my job well, but also to talk to and get to know people.
“Vaccines are the tangible thing – I feel like I’m doing something in the community that helps people. And it’s probably helping me be a more well-rounded pharmacist.”
Chatriand said that by bringing vaccines to the community, students are helping to increase access to people who may otherwise have difficulty getting to a traditional clinic or pharmacy, such as the elderly and people with disabilities.
“We’ll do ‘em anywhere and everywhere,” Maddie said. “Wherever we can catch them.”