Integrating Innovative Technologies Into a Psychiatric Pharmacy Clerkship Rotation Leonard Rappa, PharmD, BCPP, Margareth Larose-Pierre, PharmD, Calandara McDonald, PharmD, Angela J. Massey, PharmD, BCPP, and Angela Singh, PharmD P SYCHOPHARMACOLOGY IS AN EVOLVING SCIENCE of the study of drugs used to treat psy- chiatric illnesses. As society becomes more educated about mental health, and more people are being rec- ognized with mental illnesses, a pharmacist’s famil- iarity with psychotropics has become essential. 1,2 Mental illnesses are now the leading causes of dis- ability in the United States, and approximately 1 in 4 people suffer from a diagnosable mental illness. 3 Recognizing the incidence and the frequency with which mental ailments affect the American popula- tion, it is clear that more education is necessary, espe- cially to students with limited knowledge in the area. Extensive education on mental health issues and the drugs used to treat them is much neglected in most colleges of pharmacy’s Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) curricula while students perform clinical rotations. An estimated 11% of colleges of pharmacy in the United States require their students to do a psychiatric clerkship rotation, although more than three quarters offer it as an elective. 4 Florida A&M University is the only college of pharmacy in the state of Florida to have a mandatory clerkship experience in this specialized field (see appendix). It is Florida A&M’s philosophy that having practical experience in the area of psychiatric pharmacy is indispensable to future pharmacists. All too often, though, qualified preceptors for clinical clerkships in this specialized area are difficult to find. 5 Moreover, a One quarter of the US population suffers from a diagnosable mental illness, and society is becoming more educated about these diseases and the medications used to treat them. Inasmuch as pharmacy is considered one of the most trusted professions, it is imperative that pharmacists have a good understanding of psychotropics to properly counsel their patients. However, psychopharmacology is often given dis- proportionate coverage in most pharmacy curricula consid- ering the frequency of these illnesses. For future pharmacists to gain much-needed knowledge, a psychiatric pharmacy clerkship rotation can be instrumental in developing com- petence through patient consultations and in performing drug regimen reviews. Integrating simple technologies into a clerkship can greatly reduce the burden on the preceptor and provide a consistent and fulfilling experience for the student. Educators in nursing and medicine have used vari- ous technologies with much success, albeit in mostly a class- room environment. Applicable media include e-mail, the Internet, personal digital assistants, CD-ROM programs, and video teleconferencing. Various basic and advanced tech- niques, such as making monthly calendars and using CD- ROM media to free Web-based video teleconferencing, are described in detail to assist preceptors in using these tech- nologies for their rotations. The future potential of the addi- tion of technology into education is only limited by one’s imagination and the tools available. To whom correspondence should be addressed: Margareth Larose- Pierre, PharmD, Associate Professor and Director of Pharmacy Practice, Miami Division, Florida A&M University, College of Pharmacy, Miami Campus, 1500 NW 12th Ave, Suite 1126 East, Miami, FL 33136. E-mail: margareth.larose@famu.edu. Leonard Rappa, PharmD, BCPP, is an associate professor at the Psychiatry Pharmacy-Miami Center at Florida A&M University, Miami Campus. Margareth Larose-Pierre, PharmD, is an associate professor and director of Pharmacy Practice, Miami Division at Florida A&M University, College of Pharmacy, Miami Campus. Calandara McDonald, PharmD, is a clinical psychiatric pharmacy specialist at Memorial Regional Hospital, Hollywood, FL. Angela J. Massey, PharmD, BCPP, is an associate professor of psychiatry at Florida A&M University, New Pharmacy Building, Tallahassee, FL. Angela Singh, PharmD, is an assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Florida A&M University, College of Pharmacy, New Pharmacy Building, Tallahassee, FL. JOURNAL OF PHARMACY PRACTICE 2006. 19;6:386–394 © 2006 Sage Publications DOI: 10.1177/0897190007300732 KEY WORDS: Technology, CD-ROMs, teleconferencing, PowerPoint  , pharmacy