Palicka, Jeremiah.

Professional Development

Then University of Arizonas medication management and counseling program is the

activity I chose to participate in to further develop my nursing professionalism. The Medication

Management Center (MMC) was established by the college of pharmacy in 2006 and provides

individualized services designed to optimize the health outcomes of high-risk populations. I

spent 4 hours at the Medication Management Center on both Thursday, March 23rd and Thursday,

March 30th.

During my time in the MMC, I worked as a member of an interdisciplinary team which

included nursing students, pharmacy inters, and dietetics students. We completed calls to

patients enrolled in the medication management program. I confirmed and consolidated a list of

medications they were currently taking, documented any eliminated or added medications, and

performed brief assessments regarding any barriers the patients encountered when filling or

taking the medications. For myself, this meant addressing adherence alerts, which were

notifications within the computerized management program. These notifications indicated that

the patient had refilled a medication late, indicating adherence issues. I was responsible for

inquiring why this late refill may have occurred such as hospitalization or the patient forgetting

to take that medication. Additionally, I asked if the patient had any methods or strategies, such

as pill boxes, to help them remember to take their medications and encouraged implementation

of these ideas if they didnt. Part of my assessment included whether the patient participated in

alcohol and tobacco use, and whether the individual had received the recommended vaccinations

for his/her age. After I finished a pharmacy intern and dietetics student delved further into the

medication regimen and dietary habits.

On a personal level, this experience enabled me to see how healthy, friendly teamwork

and collaboration can influence what a patient feels about his/her healthcare team. During my
 Palicka, Jeremiah. Professional Development

second day volunteering in the facility the interdisciplinary team were more comfortable working

with one another. I noticed that the patients were more willing to participate in phone calls when

there was a palpable sense of understanding and genuine concern among healthcare

professionals, rather than a competitive, antagonistic nature (which I had experienced the first

day). This also ties into what I believe was the most valuable experience during my time at the

MMC. Collaboration has been identified as an essential component in providing the highest

quality and delivery of healthcare. I feel as though this experience ignited an internal desire to

advocate for effective teamwork and collaboration among all healthcare professionals, regardless

of title or profession. I plan to incorporate this into my practice by acknowledging that each

profession has their strengths and weaknesses and accepting them for what they are. Working

extensively with a team of nursing students, pharmacy students, and dietetic students helped me

to realize that utilizing diversity and collaboration among team members increases the chance of

accomplishing positive patient outcomes. I believe that all healthcare professionals should be

more focused on this and less focused interdisciplinary hierarchy.

I would absolutely recommend this activity to any nursing student who likes to work as

part of a team. Working as part of the team and completing phone calls to these high-risk

populations reminded me of the IPEP activates I had previously participated in at the College of

Medicine. I feel like this activity helped to improve my confidence while working with other

healthcare disciplines, improved my ability to effectively communicate with other team

members, and allowed me to accept help from others without feeling threatened or belittled. I

accepted that we were much more effective as a group than we were individually, which I believe

fostered a positive environment and participation.