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UT Tyler Fisch College of Pharmacy Gains Insights to Service-Learning Education

GonzalesUT Tyler alumna Alessa Gonzales of Belton discovered the University’s Fisch College of Pharmacy from an online list of pharmacy schools in Texas, and as she notes, “the rest is history.”

After a campus visit and candidate interview, she realized UT Tyler’s pharmacy program was a great fit for her. She found a welcoming, helpful atmosphere and a dedicated founding dean in Dr. Lane Brunner.

“Everyone was so willing to help and passionate about furthering the profession of pharmacy,” said Gonzales. “I also liked the idea of team-based learning and felt that Dean Brunner was very knowledgeable – and successful – with starting up a college of pharmacy.”

Gonzales, who graduated this May from the Fisch College of Pharmacy, knew she wanted to be a pharmacist from her curiosity about the pharmacists she saw as a child. 

“I always wanted to be the person ‘who puts the pills in a bottle,’ and I stuck to that. Of course, the role of a pharmacist is a lot more than that coming from a 6-year-old’s mind, although I’ve never swayed from that career choice,” Gonzales said.

Insightful Research

She credits her UT Tyler education for preparing her to become a successful pharmacist. While at UT Tyler, Gonzales also conducted insightful research. She was one of two students who worked with Dr. Norman Fenn III on a research elective rotation during the summer.

The team researched “Perceptions of Service Learning in Pharmacy Education.” Their review was published this past July in the journal, Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning.

During their research, they explored the following questions: Do pharmacy students recognize the benefits of this kind of learning? Are there many Doctor of Pharmacy programs that implement service learning into their curriculum? Gonzales specifically performed a comprehensive review of known literature as it pertained to service learning in pharmacy education.

According to Fenn, service learning is a learning method where students learn by doing while also performing a service to the community. Examples include pharmacy students participating in health screenings, evaluating patient medications at “brown bag” events or administrating vaccines to patients at health fairs.

“While educators generally appreciate the academic aspects of these activities, it wasn’t clear if students recognized the benefits of this kind of learning,” said Fenn, a UT Tyler clinical assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences.

In conducting this study over a six-week period, the team discovered through findings from the literature review that pharmacy students nationwide not only had overall positive perceptions of the activities they participated in, but they also felt their confidence, knowledge and skills/abilities improved as a result of these activities.

Fenn noted that service learning is helpful because the method can reinforce what students learn in the classroom while giving back to the community and educating the public about their health.

The team also found that most Doctor of Pharmacy programs incorporated service learning into their curriculum at some point, and research on the topic is lacking. Some programs did desire more service-learning opportunities, Gonzales said, noting that she appreciated the fact that UT Tyler encourages community engagement and all UT Tyler students have ample opportunities to get involved.

“Personally, service learning throughout school was extremely helpful,” she said. “I felt like my pharmacy education at UT Tyler was enriched by combining service learning with classroom learning.”

A Rewarding Experience

Gonzales said she also enjoyed collaborating with Fenn on this research project, calling the experience “rewarding” and the faculty member an accomplished researcher and outstanding mentor.

“Dr. Fenn is very passionate about research and great to work with while conducting research,” Gonzales said. “I was not the most experienced researcher prior to this rotation, but I would not have traded this experience for any other. I learned a great extent during this process, and it’s nice to know that this work contributed to my knowledge and also to future generations.”

The experience often introduces pharmacy students to scholarship and broadens their view on research and the level of effort needed to produce quality work, Fenn noted. His research elective is specifically designed to help pharmacy students with their critical thinking and writing abilities – with the goal of submitting a manuscript to a reputable journal.

“Having this experience can also help UT Tyler students be more competitive for residency or other post-graduate training and the pride in knowing that they have contributed to the academic community,” Fenn said. “Alessa was a fantastic student, and her commitment to the project was commendable. I’m pleased that she is able to see it completed.”

Fenn, whose primary interests include pediatrics, scholarship and student progression, will continue to research further into pharmacy education and how service learning affects the pharmacy student with future UT Tyler student researchers.

Currently a CVS pharmacist intern, Gonzales is interested in institutional pharmacy and hopes one day to work within the VA/DoD Health Affairs System to help active duty military and/or veterans and their families. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, playing golf and crafting.

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