STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
 

ASHP is the organization for students with an interest in hospital and other health-systems work settings. If you want to work as a clinical pharmacist, this is the place for you!

The ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists) is the only national organization for hospital and health-system pharmacists. As a 35,000-member national professional association representing pharmacists who practice in settings of hospital, long-term care facilities, home care, and many other health-system settings, ASHP offers students the opportunity to get involved in advocacy, continuing education, drug information, national meetings and conferences, professional policies and practice standards, publishing opportunities, as well as a multitude of residency options throughout their education and continuing into their professional careers.

Although ASHP-SSHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists) is one of the smaller chapters recognized at our college, it has an impressive history of providing our students with incredible opportunities to develop professionally and explore the large world of health-system pharmacy careers. Through ASHP-SSHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists), students have the opportunity to get involved with advocacy in patient care (including ASHP policy making), professional development projects, clinical skills competitions, and national meetings. Members of our student society have found leadership opportunities in our Clinical Skills Competition, professional practice policies, publishing opportunities, and, more recently, the national ASHP summer meeting has begun offering student-specific leadership programming. Winners of our clinical skills competition are eligible for a $1000 grant from the local chapter to compete nationally. Members are also eligible for reimbursement from our local chapter and ASUU to attend the Midyear Clinical Meeting in December.

The mission of ASHP is to advance and support the professional practice of pharmacists in hospitals and health systems and serve as their collective voice on issues related to medication use and public health. Here at the U of U, we focus on achieving this mission with 2 main yearly activities: the clinical skills competition and the residency showcase midyear meeting.

Clinical Skills Competition:
This is a great chance every student has to get a feel for what clinical pharmacy is all about. A team of two students is presented a patient case and given two hours to prepare a written plan for optimizing that patient's drug therapy. Just as in a real world setting, references are available and their use is encouraged to make sure we are making recommendations based on best evidence based medicine principles available. Students then present their plan to a board of judges and are asked relevant questions about their recommendations. This mirrors the daily activities of many clinical pharmacists in hospital and ambulatory settings.

Midyear Clinical Meeting:
At this meeting, held in December, most everyone that has a residency program to offer sets up a booth and detailing their program. Students find out about the different programs available and interview with those they are interested in. ASHP is responsible for matching students with their program based on the preferences of both the students and the residency programs. It is the place to be if you are interested in pursuing a residency after graduation.