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 60 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.
Some community service activities are required as part of the curriculum. These activities are required as they exemplify service to underserved and rural communities. The Remote Area Medical (RAM) events in Wise County and in Grundy and the Brown Bag Days at area senior centers are examples of curricular events. Even though these activities are required, students have the option of submitting the PICS form for approval of the time spent at these activities.
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.
PICS Program Service and Activities:
- 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
- RAM
- Brown Bag Day
- Wellness Challenge
- Health Screening and Information Booths
- AHA Heart Awareness
- Asthma/COPD
- OTC
- Health Advocacy
- Health Promotion
- Preparation of materials for Health-Related Patient Care Activities
- Health-Related Non-patient Care activities include but are not limited to…
- 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
- Campus beautification (refer to the Dean for projects)
- Working with a youth group
- Coaching a team
- Cleaning a park
- Reading to children
Contact
Appalachian College of Pharmacy
C/O Dr. Randall Cole, Director
1060 Dragon Road
Oakwood, VA 24631
Email: rcole@acp.edu
Phone: 276-498-5260
