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AWARD WINNERS


PHARMACIST OF THE FUTURE


CHARLOTTE RIGDEN ROBERT GORDON UNIVERSITY


Prof Donald Cairns, RGU, Charlotte Rigden RGU and Prof Robin Plevin University of Strathclyde


THE WINNER OF THIS YEAR’S PHARMACIST OF THE FUTURE AWARD CLEARLY SHOWS WHY THE FUTURE OF SCOTTISH COMMUNITY PHARMACY IS IN SAFE HANDS! DURING HER STUDIES AT ROBERT GORDON UNIVERSITY (RGU), CHARLOTTE RIGDEN HAS DEMONSTRATED THE VARIED ROLE THAT PHARMACISTS CAN PLAY ACROSS A WIDE RANGE OF AREAS IN HEALTHCARE; ALL OF WHICH RESULT IN IMPROVED PATIENT OUTCOMES.


In March 2015, for example, Charlotte played a critical role in organising and running the first student-led event on the topic of anaphylaxis. Rather than providing an academic presentation, some of the students, who had personal experience of Epipen use and the consequences of hospitalisation, were invited to share their experiences. This not only provided the students with amazing insight into the topic, but also showed members that there was more than one way to learn. The event was praised as the first student-led event of its type at RGU and was widely covered in the media.


In the same year, Charlotte also organised a talk on naloxone and overdose because she felt that this was a critical topic for both herself and her fellow students to understand. By using her contacts, Charlotte was able to secure an NHS substance misuse pharmacist and a drug action worker as key speakers.


In addition to organising events, Charlotte also devoted a lot of her time at RGU to developing the way in which students learn.


36 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST


In December 2014, she participated in a group discussion held by the National Union of Students (NUS). The objective of the study was to understand what it was like to be a student at RGU, to examine views held by RGU students about the quality of their learning, and to find out about the experiences students had had since attending RGU. This covered both educational and social aspects, and the support available from the Students’ Union and study support.


Within RGU, Charlotte contributed to the development of the curriculum with regard to materials used for teaching patient safety. She did this by participating in research undertaken by the university’s learning enhancement co-ordinator. Last year, for example, she was asked by her pharmacy careers advisor to provide a short talk as part of the third years’ lecture sessions on pre- registration applications, placements and pharmacy careers, and was delighted to be able to not only share her experiences, but also to provide advice to help reduce the stress which inevitably comes with the long process


of securing a pre-registration place. Charlotte also volunteered her time to several final-year pharmacy students, who required feedback for their individual projects.


Charlotte also takes a particular interest in inspiring the healthcare professionals of the future. In September 2015, for example, she took part in a volunteering session which aimed to show fifteen and 16-year-old students from less privileged areas of Aberdeen what is involved in working as a healthcare professional. As part of this project, Charlotte ran a station talking about asthma and inhaler use, which she felt was a perfect example of how something as simple as taking five minutes to speak to a patient could immeasurably increase their quality of life and management of their disease.


Her aim was to engage the next generation of professionals by showing how every single person is able to make a difference. The interaction and enthusiasm displayed by the students on the night strengthened Charlotte’s belief that pharmacists are responsible for steering pharmacy in the direction they want it to take.


Charlotte also participated in a pilot run by the university, which involved undertaking the ‘diabetes challenge’. Run over a two-week period, four days were spent living as a patient


with diabetes, using substituted products such as Smarties® to simulate the dose and frequency of medication that would be experienced by a real patient. Over the two weeks, there was discussion with medical students from Dundee, with reflection on the difficulties faced by patients with complex medicine regimes and using each other’s experiences to examine if there was anything that she and her colleagues could do as medical professionals to support their patients. This was a pilot year where the pharmacy and medical students undertook the study together; working together as an inter- professional team rather than each running the study in isolation.


In November last year, Charlotte also took part in a simulation pilot in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, which involved working with a team of medics in a learning environment to help develop positive inter-professional skills during the university year which could be taken into the pre- registration year.


Charlotte’s experiences at RGU are an excellent example of how, by becoming involved in a wide range of extra-curricular activities, pharmacy students can bring added value to their university experience.


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