Three pharmacy graduates hired by Apothecary by Design
Kayla Stewart, Sarah DeRaps, and Justin Levesque, three members of the College of Pharmacy 2014 graduating class, were recently hired by Apothecary by Design (ABD) pharmacy as full-time pharmacists.
ABD and UNE have partnered together since the university began its College of Pharmacy program in 2009.
In addition to its most recent new pharmacist hires, ABD hired inaugural class member Frank Jamison last year and has precepted for 27 pharmacy student experiential rotations to date. The independently owned pharmacy is slated to provide an additional 15 experiential course credit rotations in the upcoming academic year for a total of 9,600 internship hours since the start of the experiential education partnership.
As stewards of the profession and advocates for patient care, staff pharmacists at ABD take an active role in the student experiential education programs. They ensure students have a full appreciation for the clinical expertise required as well as the support services needed by patients, particularly those who suffer from the most complex, chronic conditions. Beyond just traditional pharmacy services, students are given in-depth exposure to a broad array of pharmacy in an entrepreneurial environment including specialty pharmacy, compounding, and nutritional health.
“UNE students play a critical role on our team,” says Denali Wright, pharmacist-in-charge of the Specialty Pharmacy Division and site preceptor for all UNE experiential education rotations at ABD. “They are given the responsibility to conduct independent research and educate our pharmacists and technicians about new medications. They work with patients to teach them how to use their medications. We even send our students to the hospitals to help manage discharge counseling for transplant patients.”
James Krebs, PharmD, director for Experiential Education at the UNE College of Pharmacy, believes in the important contributions made by students at ABD: “When customers or patients come in to Apothecary, they see the UNE label on the student’s white coat and immediately identify with the excellent service and patient care that both Apothecary and UNE instill in the student. That relationship greatly benefits the students, Apothecary, and the patient.”
Headquartered in Portland, Maine, ABD is an integrated pharmacy model offering traditional prescriptions with customized compounded medications, nutraceutical expertise, and cutting edge specialty pharmacy services. It provides intensive case management services to patients suffering from complex medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, MS and Infertility.