During the 2022–2023 academic year, the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) Boston ACCP Student Chapter hosted several initiatives to introduce students to clinical pharmacy. The emphases of the initiatives were patient and student education, leadership, research, and patient care. The chapter hosted clinical pharmacy guest speaker and panel events, community outreach activities, and professional development workshops.

For the education component, the chapter hosted a virtual Clinical Pharmacy Spotlight roundtable. During the roundtable, students were able to meet with clinical pharmacy faculty specializing in various therapeutic areas, such as cardiology, infectious disease, pharmacogenomics, oncology, ambulatory care, critical care, and veterinary care. Students were provided the opportunity to learn about the day-to-day work life of the represented specialty fields, as well as the career pathways and preparation needed to pursue such roles. The MCPHS Boston ACCP Student Chapter also hosted a mock Clinical Pharmacy Challenge. The mock challenge was modeled after the Jeopardy portion of the ACCP Clinical Pharmacy Challenge at the Annual Meeting. Teams of three or four students each competed in the Jeopardy-style competition on various pharmacotherapy topics. The mock challenge was created to promote the ACCP Clinical Pharmacy Challenge as well as give students a chance to test their clinical pharmacy knowledge. In the spring semester, the MCPHS Boston ACCP Student Chapter co-hosted the Pharmacy Olympics with the student chapter of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. During this interactive event, students were provided the opportunity to participate in several mini-games of pharmacy, such as pill counting, an IV bag-filling tag-team, and a questionnaire-based contest on medications.

To foster professional development and leadership, the Residency and Fellowship Spotlight (in collaboration with Rho Chi, Industry Pharmacists Organization, American Pharmacists Association, and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists), the mini “Emerge from the Crowd” (hosted virtually as a collaboration of ACCP and ASHP from all three MCPHS campuses in Boston, Worcester, and Manchester), and the Dining and Networking Etiquette event (in collaboration with the American Pharmacists Association, Phi Lambda Sigma, Pharmacy Council, and Student National Pharmaceutical Association) were all created to allow students a chance to grow professionally and connect with current residents in the area to become better prepared for residency applications.

Next, the Faculty Research Compendium was created. The compendium is an online directory of available research opportunities. Students interested in research are encouraged to use the directory to identify potential research opportunities and connect with a faculty mentor. The compendium is updated annually.

Finally, to facilitate community outreach events and improve patient care efforts, the MCPHS Boston ACCP Student Chapter’s Student Programming Committee was created to allow general members to participate in planning and organizing presentations to local community health centers on multiple topics including osteoporosis, diabetes, and urinary incontinence.

In all, MCPHS Boston’s ACCP Student Chapter hopes to continue to advance these initiatives in future years and become a valuable resource to students who are interested in pursuing a career in clinical pharmacy.