New Interprofessional Student Experiences at CHSU College of Pharmacy

California Health Sciences University (CHSU) is pleased to announce our collaboration with the Central California Coalition Senior Awareness and Fall Education (SAFE) Program. Founded in 2011 by the College of Health and Human Services, Department of Physical Therapy at Fresno State, the SAFE Coalition team is designed to offer joint interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) student experiences to provide comprehensive balance assessments for older patients to determine their fall risk.

The professional student disciplines participating in SAFE include: physical therapy, nursing, kinesiology and pharmacy. The student teams will evaluate patients on a self-reported questionnaire regarding medical history, medication therapy, lifestyle, physical activity, and fall history. 

During the screening, CHSU pharmacy students will have an opportunity to conduct medication review and reconciliation, assess side effects, doses, adherence, patient education, and to reduce polypharmacy in older adults. Through this experience, pharmacy students would provide exposure and insight into medication management to students in other disciplines, while gaining valuable knowledge of patient assessment from physical therapy and nursing students.  

The goal of interprofessional learning is to promote and prepare all health professional students for team delivery of care that would transform patient-centered and community oriented health care systems.