SCHOOL OF PHARMACY NEWS [BACK TO NEWS INDEX]

Note: Manchester changed its name to Manchester University and the College of Pharmacy on July 1, 2012.

News Release (Jan. 19, 2012)

Manchester College School of Pharmacy sets its “sites” high

The Manchester College School of Pharmacy will leave a much greater imprint on northeast Indiana than the state-of-the-art facility that is taking shape at Interstate 69 and Dupont Road. Ultimately, the pharmacy school will help people.

“We are well on our way to reaching our goal of approximately 200 practice sites for our students to work in across Allen County and northeast Indiana,” said Interim Dean Dave McFadden, executive vice president for Manchester College. “Not only will practice sites foster student learning through hands-on training, the community benefits greatly. The surge in organizational capacity and brain power that area pharmacies and health care institutions receive will improve treatment and patient outcomes across the region.”

Student pharmacists will be issued an intern license enabling them to support fully licensed pharmacists and practice under their supervision. That teamwork expands the range of services pharmacists can provide to northeast Indiana patients, and increases the number of patients reached.

That’s important, because pharmacists are doing more than ever before. According to the 2011 U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, over the past 40 years, pharmacists have become more involved in managing medication and disease, preventing disease and promoting health.

Gone are the days when pharmacists just dispensed pills. Today, pharmacists team with physicians, therapists and others to coordinate health care. These teams, according to the Surgeon General, represent one of the most “evidence-based, proven and time-tested strategies” for improving health outcomes.

And there’s more good news. Research shows that pharmacists tend to stay and practice where they went to school. That means that many School of Pharmacy graduates are likely to alleviate the region’s shortage of pharmacists and, ultimately, improve health care in northeast Indiana.