title: Unique collaboration between a private college of pharmacy and a private academic health system.
abstract: Advanced experiential education represents the culmination of a pharmacy student's training, where students can apply the knowledge they have learned in the classroom to real patients. Unfortunately, opportunities for students to provide the direct patient care recommended by pharmacy organizations and accrediting bodies are lacking. Additionally, academic health systems that can provide these experiences for students are experiencing hardships that have stalled the expansion of postgraduate training programs and services. Formal cooperation between unaffiliated colleges of pharmacies and academic health systems has the potential to increase the number of experiential students completing rotations in an academic environment, expand postgraduate education training programs, enhance the development of resident educators, increase research and scholarly opportunities, and expand clinical pharmacy services. This article describes the formation of a unique joint initiative between a private academic health system without a college of pharmacy and a private college of pharmacy without a hospital. The successful cultivation of the relationship has resulted in professional growth at both institutions and can be implemented at other sites around the country to synergize the efforts of academic health systems and colleges of pharmacy.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Assistant Professor, Mercer University College of Pharmacy , Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Metzger
authors.affiliation: Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Emory University Hospital , Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paciullo
authors.affiliation: Clinical Assistant Professor, Mercer University College of Pharmacy , Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chesson
authors.affiliation: Professor and Chair of Pharmacotherapy, University of North Texas , Denton, Texas.
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Jann
authors.affiliation: at the time of this writing, Assistant Director for Clinical and Educational Services, Department of Pharmaceutical Services, Emory University Hospital , Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Janice
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Glascock
authors.affiliation: Associate Administrator, Department of Pharmaceutical Services, Emory University Hospital , Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Emamifar
authors.affiliation: Dean, Mercer University College of Pharmacy , Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Hewitt W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Matthews
keywords: academic medical center; clinical pharmacy services; experiential education; scholarship