Interprofressional Education: A Collaboration Between Nurse Practitioners and Pharmacists

Introduction and Purpose: Pharmacy faculty provide valuable insight into the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of medications. They are the experts in this field. Sometimes, what is the best treatment for a condition in the textbook based on these principles is not well suited for a real life patient due to co-morbid conditions and patient preferences. In addition, the scope and practice of the nurse practitioner may prohibit the provider from prescribing this medication. It is important for nurse practitioner students to understand and apply pharmacology principles, and also understand how the medications fit into the patient life and disease conditions. Nurse practitioners will frequently collaborate with pharmacists in the treatment plans of patient. It is important for the nurse practitioner to understand the role the pharmacist plays in the treatment plan of the patient as well as how to approach and converse with their pharmacist colleagues. Students may not have exposure to this collaboration in the clinical setting so it is important for them to gain this knowledge in the didactic portion of their education.

Approach:  Nurse Practitioner and Pharmacy faculty collaborated to determine the needs and requirements of teaching pharmacology to the nurse practitioner students. Students need to be able to safely prescribe the medications as well as be knowledgeable about the patient conditions that warrant pharmaceutical intervention. The current Advanced Pharmacology course is presented entirely on-line. A collaborative approach was created in which Pharmacy faculty would educate the students through the use of PowerPoint, Voice-over lectures, and study guides. The Nurse Practitioner faculty will use “real-world” case studies to allow students to safely prescribe and treat acute and chronic health conditions throughout the lifespan. These case studies included diagnostics to be ordered and follow up. The nurse practitioner and pharmacy faculty would meet to discuss pharmaceutical approaches in the clinic setting compared to the textbook setting. Common medications and treatment plans were also discussed. Case studies also included when a pharmacist consult would be important and what insights a pharmacist could bring to a patient case.

Results: Student evaluations and feedback of the partnership will be reviewed.