Pharmacists in Community Service (PICS)
The PICS program is designed to actively engage students in service projects that support the College’s mission to promote community service, lifelong learning and service to underserved and rural communities.
The PICS program is a mandatory part of the Doctor of Pharmacy program and requires that all students complete 100 hours of community service over their three year enrollment in the Doctor of Pharmacy program. Students must complete a minimum of 75 hours of community service by the end of the first two years of the program prior to beginning their Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotations.
Adhering to the mission of ACP, to serve the underserved, there are some community service activities that are required and count as part of the curriculum. These activities exemplify the service-to-the-underserved model and they allow students to help the local population. Examples include: Remote Area Medical (RAM) events in Wise/Buchanan counties along with Brown Bag Days at area senior centers. Students have the option of submitting the time spent during these events to count towards their required PICS hours.
All 100 hours of service and the aforementioned required activities must be accomplished in order for students to qualify for a degree and to graduate from the Doctor of Pharmacy program. Participation in the PICS program often requires students to work after school hours, on weekends and/or holidays in order to fulfill their PICS requirement.
PICS Requirements
All PICS hours fall under one of the following three different categories: Health-Related Patient Care, Health-Related Non-patient Care and General Service.
Health-Related Patient Care involves but is not limited to…
Counseling
- OTC
- Medication Therapy Management/Medication review (Brown Bag)
- Proper use of medical devices
Educating
- Distributing health information
- Specific to a patient
- General information to increase awareness of a disease, disorder, drug or class of drugs
Physical assessment
- BP
- BG
- BMI
- Weight
- Body fat composition
- Cholesterol screening
- DEXA scan
Health-Related Patient Care activities include but are not limited to…
- RAM Brown Bag Day Wellness Challenge Booths
- Health Screenings
- AHA Heart Awareness
- Information
- Asthma/COPD
- OTC
Health-Related Non-patient Care involves…
Health Advocacy
Health Promotion
Preparation of materials for Health-Related Patient Care Activities
Health Organization fundraising and awareness (Health Advocacy)
- March of Dimes
- Relay for Life
Educating other Health Care Practitioners (Health Promotion)
Developing a health issue web page (Health Promotion)
Preparing for a Direct Patient Care Activity
- Handouts
- Posters
Blood Donation
General Service involves…
Activities not directly related to health education, awareness or provision
General Service activities include but are not limited to…
- Campus beautification (refer to the Dean, Dr. Mayhew, for projects)
- Working with a youth group
- Coaching a team
- Cleaning a park
- Reading to children
