Preceptor Spotlight: Cindy King, PharmD, BCACP, CACP

01/21/20

Categories: Preceptor Pride

We spoke with Cindy King, PharmD, BCACP, CACP, who is a preceptor at MetroHealth Medical Center. She has precepted 10 rotations since May 2018 and will have 2 more students this spring!

What advice/tips could you provide to new students and young pharmacy professionals just starting their careers?

I would encourage young student pharmacists to take advantages of as many different types of experiences as possible. The field of pharmacy continues to grow and change as our profession works to have expanded roles and provider status. For many students, their area of interest may change during school or a few years after graduation. It is important to have different experiences as this helps students to network. It is very hard to know what experience that will be defining factor that helps to guide you in your new career. For me, it was a research project that gave me my first exposure to ambulatory care which resulted in me completing residency training and being in my current position as shared faculty and an ambulatory care pharmacy specialist.

What is your philosophy on the practice of pharmacy?

My philosophy of the practice of pharmacy is to focus on the patient and be an integral member of the healthcare team. I feel we always need to put the patient first and truly understand their needs, challenges and goals. If we as the healthcare team do not take these aspects into consideration, our patients will be less likely to meet their health goals and may have worse outcomes. When we listen to and advocate for our patients, it is amazing how this can result in a positive change for our patients. As a member of the healthcare team, we can be the drug experts and really help to optimize treatment for patient in creative ways while considering the patients needs, challenges and goals.

Would you share the benefits of hosting students on rotation?

Students at MetroHealth have the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of patient care areas, diverse patient population and welcomed as part of the interdisciplinary team. As we serve a mainly underserved patient population, our students are exposed to a very diverse patient population. Student have the opportunity to round with our infectious disease, antimicrobial stewardship, critical care and oncology in patient teams. In our emergency room, students are involved with medication reconciliations, patient education, codes, and culture call backs to improve our antibiotic stewardship. In our ambulatory care setting, students can gain experience with a variety of disease states including diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, anticoagulation, pain management, and cholesterol management. Students are very involved and given opportunities complete patient interviews and develop treatment plans for patients with chronic diseases in primary care and geriatric clinics. Students enjoy being able to being able to directly interact with the patients and other members of the healthcare team. I find it very rewarding to see the growth and development each student has while on rotation.