Two Shenandoah University Nontraditional Doctor of Pharmacy (NTDP) students are participating in the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ (ASHP) virtual Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) this year. They’re the first NTDP students to ever participate in this ASHP rotation.
“ASHP’s experiential education program has been long-standing, however, this is the first year we received an application for a nontraditional student pharmacist,” said ASHP Director of Member Relations/Pharmacy Educators and Community Pharmacy Practitioners Gina Luchen, Pharm.D.
Shenandoah students Sahid Sahid and Adikali Kamara are taking part in a program that Dr. Luchen said “is focused on association management principles, pharmacy practice advancement, advocacy, and development educational programs and initiatives. It is a project-based rotation that focuses on enhancing the student’s professional development and autonomy, so it was a perfect fit for advanced learners of a nontraditional program.” Luchen is also Sahid’s APPE preceptor.
Sahid is a pharmacy manager at Walgreens in Columbus, Ohio. He has been a community and clinical pharmacist for about 11 years, both in the U.S. and Sierra Leone. He enrolled in Shenandoah’s NTDP program to improve his clinical strength.
Sahid Sahid
“I have always been interested in the areas of pharmacy that support the professional practice of pharmacists in hospitals and health systems and also advocate to government agencies on public policy issues related to medication use and public health,” Sahid said. “I saw a post on LinkedIn about ASHP and what they do and I reached out and expressed my interest and was offered a rotation.” After he connected with ASHP, Kamara did as well.
He said when he learned he had been accepted by ASHP, he was elated beyond belief. “It seemed like a dream come true and I just could not wait to start and learn as much from ASHP as possible.”
“During our virtual APPE, students are immersed into projects and initiatives that are ongoing for our association,” Luchen said. “They become an integral part of our staff and volunteer team, contributing to all aspects of program development – from the planning, to the research, and the implementation. Students may rotate through a number of ASHP divisions to gain exposure to all facets of national association management including accreditation, education, policy planning, member management, and publishing.”
“I hope to be versed in all aspects of what ASHP does and what they stand for,” Sahid said. “Also, I plan on using what I learn at ASHP and apply it to my daily pharmacy practice to help improve my patients’ therapy outcome.”
“ASHP looks for enthusiastic and driven learners, who are passionate about making a positive impact in our profession,” Luchen added. “Our students and residents have a genuine interest in learning and growing while with us, and ASHP staff embraces the opportunity to mentor and support them in their professional journey. Interested students can apply at ashp.org/appe. Selection of learners is based on evaluation of the application materials submitted, which include description of the student’s professional experience and interests, as well as references from faculty and mentors.”
