Specialized Clerkship
in Drug Information/Patient Education
Consumer
Health Information Corporation
8300 Greensboro Drive, Suite 1220
McLean, VA 22102
"The uniqueness of this rotation was the best.
This company is one of a kind and likely the only one
in the world to provide the types of services that it does."
-- Student Testimonial
Consumer
Health Information Corporation offers a specialized clerkship
in drug information for
senior Doctor of Pharmacy
candidates who are keenly interested in patient education and consumer awareness. The company develops a wide range of evidence-based patient adherence programs that health professionals use in their patient counseling. The goal is to help patients better understand how to take their medications safely and wisely and reduce medication errors made by patients and consumers. You will work directly with the founder of the company, Dorothy L. Smith, Pharm.D., who is an expert in all areas of patient education.
The company
develops a wide range of patient adherence programs with strong emphasis on the integration of behavior modification techniques, patient counseling techniques, patient comprehension/ health literacy and graphic design. Many of these programs have won national and international awards for excellence.
The student will be involved in the current
projects of the company. These projects include helping develop patient information programs for prescription medications, OTCs, medical devices, home monitoring devices and wellness programs. Specific types of programs include patient pamphlets, patient diaries, patient adherence tools, websites for patients and/or consumers, FDA-approved Patient Package Inserts and customized REMS programs, as well as patient programs for clinical trials.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
You will learn how to
integrate your knowledge from several areas of practice. This
requires a thorough understanding of the clinical pharmacology,
pathophysiology, therapeutics, pharmacokinetics, interpretation
of adverse effects reported from clinical trials, clinical
statistics, drug interactions, potential patient compliance
problems and appropriate behavior modification techniques
that can be used to address these problems.
You will learn how to conduct world-wide electronic literature searches and how to critically evaluate the studies. You will use your literature searches to develop creative patient information about specific medical conditions, lifestyle
changes (diet, exercise, stress reduction), specific
medications and other types of therapies used to treat
these conditions. Behavior modification and patient
compliance techniques will be integrated throughout.
You will learn how to translate medical terminology into language the average patient can understand (Grade
6 to Grade 8 level). You will learn the various
criteria involved in meeting patient comprehension and
readability requirements.
You will learn how to
explain the early signs and symptoms of an adverse reaction
in language that patients can understand and will not frighten them.
You will learn how graphic design can help simplify complicated messages for patients and often be just as important as the "words".
You will learn how important it is in clinical practice to always consider a problem a patient is having with a medication from the "patient's point of view". You will learn how to predict patient adherence problems from both the drug as well as the illness.
You will learn the types of information patients need in order to take their medications correctly and the importance of behavioral psychology and counseling techniques. This will help you in your future patient counseling services.
You will be involved in the day-to-day activities of the company and will gain experience in business. Students who are interested in learning more about how to apply drug information and patient education to marketing and public relations may be given this opportunity depending on the specific circumstances.
CONSUMER
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
Every student will write an article
for their hometown newspaper in order to give them an opportunity to learn how to write an article that will be understood and interesting for a consumer audience. The student's article will also be posted on the Consumer Health Information Corporation website. Students are encouraged to include their published articles on their resumes.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Consumer Health Information Corporation was founded in 1983 by Dorothy L. Smith, Pharm.D.
The company is internationally recognized for its patient adherence programs. Consumer Heath Information Corporation is a teaching site for several schools of pharmacy across the United States and is involved with major national medical, pharmacy, and consumer organizations.
The corporate office is located in McLean, Virginia (a suburb of Washington, DC) and approximately
25 minutes from downtown Washington, DC. Professional
business dress is required. The office building has a gym facility to which the student will be given free access. Parking is free.
PREVIOUS STUDENT TESTIMONIALS
Click here to read what previous students have said about their rotation at Consumer Health Information Corporation.
HOUSING
The company will assist students in finding housing. Several families who live near the corporate office are willing to take students into their homes at minimal cost. The company is affiliated with many schools of pharmacy and there is the possibility that the student may be able to share housing with another student.
HOW TO APPLY FOR THE CLERKSHIP
Because this clerkship is unique, please try to apply early in the application process while rotation openings are still available. We can only take 3 students for each rotation.
Students require computer
skills,
excellent spelling and grammar...and a strong desire to help patients
learn about their medications.
Students who are interested in this clerkship should
inform their Experiential Director and send a resume, transcript of marks,
and letter outlining interest areas in patient education
to: