|
 
MU
to Help Meet Demand for Pharmacists
By Jennifer Faddis
More opportunities than ever are becoming
available for pharmacists, while the pharmacists themselves are
scarce. Missouri has the fifth highest demand for pharmacists
in the nation, according to the Pharmacy Manpower Project. The
University of Missouri-Columbia and the University
of Missouri-Kansas City are partnering to meet this challenge.
Future pharmacists are now getting their start at UMKC while attending
classes on the MU campus. The first 28 students to be accepted
into the new satellite program should graduate in five years with
their doctorate of pharmacy.
“It is a great time to have another
avenue available,” said Kathleen Snella, assistant dean
of pharmacy. “Columbia is perfect for this program, with
great hospitals and community pharmacies to offer opportunities
for partnership.”
UMKC is the only public pharmacy school in
the state of Missouri. Students can now attend classes on the
Columbia campus and earn their pharmacy degrees from UMKC. The
program is a mix of classes already available at MU and courses
offered via satellite from UMKC. The students will be able to
interact with their peers on the Kansas City campus.
“A pharmacist must be very knowledgeable;
it is certainly far more than counting pills,” said Kevin
Rudeen, assistant dean of MU’s
School of Health Professions. “People are taking more and
more medications and in many cases the physicians are not aware
of every medication that has been prescribed. A pharmacist must
review all the latest information in order to prevent serious
drug interactions.”
Snella points out that there is not just one
type of pharmacist. Sub-specialties have emerged such as nuclear
pharmacy, veterinary pharmacy and long-term care pharmacy.
The Missouri
Hospital Association cites an 8 percent vacancy rate in the
number of pharmacists. There are actually no states in which there
is considered a surplus of pharmacists.
Archives
| Comments | Home SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscribe
| Change Your
Address | Unsubscribe
Copyright © 2007 — Curators of the University of Missouri
DMCA and other copyright information.
All rights reserved.
An equal opportunity/ADA institution.
Published by the Mizzou Alumni Association
Questions? Comments? E-mail comments@mizzoualumni.org
Last Update:
November 15, 2007
|
