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Christy Hartline, P4

Practice Pays Off: Christy Hartline, P4

Choosing to serve the underserved in pharmacy was an easy decision for Christy Hartline, a fourth-year College of Pharmacy student.

“I feel like I’m just drawn to ambulatory care…I can’t pinpoint a specific thing,” says Hartline. “I had a rotation in an underserved area my first year of pharmacy school and it’s stayed with me all this time.”

As she prepares to enter the world of pharmacy, Hartline feels confident in the internship experience she gained at AxessPointe Community Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). During her pharmacy internship, Hartline rotated between the Kent, Barberton and recently expanded Arlington locations.

“AxessPointe is definitely underrated. You see a lot of things there as a FQHC that you wouldn’t see at a typical pharmacy, but I love it,” says Hartline.

The recently expanded Arlington location benefits NEOMED students by offering a second residency position, overseen by Magdi Awad, Pharm.D., an associate professor of pharmacy practice.

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Coursework can seem tiring and burdensome at times, but Hartline reminds students it will come full circle and pay off in the end.

“The whole process NEOMED has set up for pharmacy students—in terms of Wasson trainings, as much as we often dread them, they help,” says Hartline. “The trainings help you prepare for what you’re going to experience in the real world.”

Third- and fourth-year College of Pharmacy students are required to complete a two-hour Pharmacy Skills Assessment (PSA) in the Wasson Center, a simulation facility used to train and practice individual and interprofessional clinical skills. For the assessment, students consult with their patient, use an allotted 20 minutes to write a Situation Background Assessment and Recommendation (SBAR), then report back to their preceptor. Following approval by the preceptor, students meet back with their patients and present a plan of care.

Hartline now has a greater appreciation for the semesters full of coursework and examinations.

“It sounds silly, but sitting through class I hated it. Now going through the process at my internship, I get it. It’s literally an application of everything we’ve been taught,” says the fourth-year College of Pharmacy student.

As Hartline prepares to graduate from NEOMED, she’s eager and ready to go forward with the solid foundation she has set.