Student Society of Health-System Pharmacy Spotlight

There are two chapters of the Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists in Arkansas. The Harding University and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) colleges of pharmacy both have SSHP Chapters. Each chapter president serves as a member of the AAHP Board of Directors. Each chapter is invited to contribute information to this page to keep members up to date on the happenings of their chapter. 

Harding University SSHP
2023 Harding SSHP Students

The mission of Harding University College of Pharmacy (HUCOP) is centered around improving spiritual and physical wellness, patient-centered care, and Christian service. HUCOP’s Student Society of Health-System Pharmacy (SSHP) chapter was founded in 2008, and it strives to fulfill HUCOP’s mission through providing student pharmacists opportunities in leadership, residency preparation, service, and networking.

Each fall semester we begin the year with our membership drive. First, we attend orientation week for the incoming first year students and present on what SSHP is and why they should consider being a part of this organization! Once the semester begins, we hold a large membership drive meeting for the entire college of pharmacy which usually turns out to be our largest meeting of the year. We serve lunch and present on what SSHP is, the benefits of joining, how to be involved, and the exciting events we have planned for the upcoming semester. We are very excited to be able to say that each year our chapter continues to grow despite smaller class sizes!

Since 2014, HUCOP SSHP has been conducting one-day Pharmacy Technician Certification Board Exam review sessions to help prepare local pharmacy technicians to take their certification exam. This event has been held at AAHP Fall Seminar, as well as local pharmacies, such as ArCare! During this course, we have current SSHP members volunteer to teach topics such as pharmacology and medical terminology. We plan to continue holding these review sessions for the years to come as many pharmacy technicians find this to be very beneficial!

HUCOP’s SSHP chapter participates in the ASHP Clinical Skills Competition every year. Per the ASHP website, this competition “provides pharmacy students the opportunity to enhance their skills in collaborative practice with physicians in providing direct patient care.” In 2023, twelve teams participated in the local challenge at Harding, and one team was sent to compete at the national level.

The organization also tries to stay involved in current legislative issues concerning pharmacy practice. In 2021, Attorney Leslie Rutledge was invited to speak about Rutledge vs. PCMA. The event had approximately 100 attendees, and the livestream has been viewed nearly 600 times. The chapter was grateful to be given the opportunity to show support and appreciation for Leslie Rutledge’s efforts and advocacy for the profession of pharmacy.

 

 

UAMS SSHP

image of UAMS SSHP
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Student Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (SSHP) chapter works closely with our college to encourage student growth as well as benefit the surrounding community. The mission of this organization is to represent pharmacy students who are interested in residency and health-system pharmacy. The chapter's goals are to educate, equip, and prepare our student members to be successful pharmacists in their respective fields. To accomplish these goals our student organization hosts our annual clinical skills competition, a plethora of residency program roundtables, and monthly speakers who educate our students on all avenues of health systems pharmacy. Additionally, the UAMS SSHP chapter strives to give back to both our Little Rock and Fayetteville communities by volunteering at local health screenings and educating the public on various topics. For example, in 2022 our Health Systems Outreach committee started a Language RX series where we were able to provide education about common medical terms and questions in various languages such as Spanish and American Sign Language. Finally, this organization hosts an annual Residency Night where we celebrate our fourth-year students who have matched to a residency program. This also allows our P1-P3 students the opportunity to ask questions about the match process. The UAMS SSHP chapter strives to represent our parent organization, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and continues to be an integral part of the UAMS College of Pharmacy.