Union pharmacy team advances to national quarterfinals
JACKSON, Tenn. — Three Union University School of Pharmacy students will compete in the finals of the national Clinical Pharmacy Challenge in Hollywood, Florida, after finishing among the top eight teams after the first four online rounds.
The competition, sponsored by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, began with eligible teams from 112 schools of pharmacy across the nation. The Union team of Christopher Buckley, Christopher Gore and Sarah Beth Stephens will begin their live competition in the quarterfinals Oct. 22 during the ACCP annual meeting.
Monica Barrett is an alternate team member.
Jodi Taylor, chair and associate professor of pharmacy practice at Union, said the team’s success speaks to their hard work and dedication to academic and professional excellence.
“It’s also a testament to the clinical knowledge and skills passed on from our faculty and preceptors,” said Taylor, who coaches the team. “We are equipping our students to make a difference in the lives of their patients, and we are so very grateful for this opportunity to showcase their skills on the national level.”
The first phase of the competition consisted of four online rounds, with three sections in each round. The first section was trivia, which tested the students’ basic drug knowledge. The second section required students to apply knowledge to a clinical case and answer questions on how drug therapy should be tailored to a specific patient scenario.
The third section was a “Jeopardy”-type section where students answered questions from 22 different specialty practice categories such as cardiovascular disorders, immunology/transplantation, critical care, infectious diseases, hematology/oncology and others.
In the first four online rounds, the teams with the highest scores advanced to the next round. The format changes beginning with the quarterfinals, with teams now facing off in head-to-head competitions.
