While many people tend to think of pharmacists solely as the individuals responsible for dispensing medications, you may also find them working in an ambulatory care setting as a vital part of a healthcare team.
Mandy Reece, PharmD, is an associate professor and vice chair at PCOM School of Pharmacy and writes a blog—Reece’s Pieces in a Diabetes World—in which she provides practical information about medications for people living with diabetes.
She also works in a family medicine clinic where she helps patients manage chronic diseases. In that role, Reece works collaboratively with physicians to provide care for patients dealing with diabetes, hypertension, hepatitis B and other conditions.
Essentially, an ambulatory care setting is a non-hospital setting in which healthcare services are delivered.
“It could be a physician's office—internal medicine, family medicine—it could be a clinic associated with a large health system, such as the Veterans Health Administration, and it could be in a center such as a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center or it could be in a community pharmacy,” Reece explained.
Chronic disease management is the overall management of diseases.
“Pharmacists are engaged actively in managing these conditions collaboratively with the healthcare team in these settings,” Reece said.
According to Reece, a pharmacist will usually have a collaborative practice agreement that defines the boundaries, processes and procedures within which the pharmacist will operate.
In her role at the family medicine clinic, Reece works collaboratively under physicians in managing persons with diabetes through drug therapy.
“I do a lot with diabetes technology, continuous glucose monitors, insulin pumps and things such as that,” she said.
The Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program at PCOM School of Pharmacy offers an ambulatory care concentration in which students may take classes including diabetes management and chronic disease management. Students also learn how to work collaboratively on the healthcare team under the supervision of a physician to manage these chronic conditions.
Reece noted that ambulatory care pharmacy is growing throughout the United States. This growth, she added, is providing numerous opportunities for pharmacists.
“It's getting bigger and bigger and it's so exciting,” she said.
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