Filling the void for pharmacists in rural communities

Dr. Elise Wildman’s story begins in Arthur, Illinois, a town of about 2,200 best known for hosting the state’s oldest and largest Amish community—an undeniable nod to its bucolic setting.

There, Wildman remembers visiting Dicks Pharmacy on Vine Street, which featured both an old-time soda fountain and a pharmacist dispensing medications and health care guidance. The liveliness of Dicks inspired a young Wildman’s professional ambitions.

“Way back in second grade, I knew I wanted to be a pharmacist,” she said.

To turn that dream into reality, Wildman enrolled in the UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy in 2011, specifically attracted to the Rural Pharmacy Education (RPHARM) program housed at UIC’s Rockford campus.

“I love working in a rural community and helping my friends, family, and neighbors,” Wildman said. “I have more face-to-face interaction and an opportunity to work with people on a more personal level that’s really fulfilling.”

Since graduating its first class in 2014, RPHARM— one of only 20 rural pharmacy programs in the United States—has propelled dozens of pharmacists like Wildman into rural practice and care for underserved populations.

Addressing needs of rural communities
In Illinois, where 65 of the state’s 102 counties are considered rural, pharmacists remain in short supply. Only one in 10 licensed Illinois pharmacists practice in a rural location, according to industry figures. The dearth of pharmacists in rural communities has been linked to increased rates of hospital readmission and rising health disparities between rural residents and their urban counterparts.

The college committed itself to putting pharmacists in areas with limited health care resources and tackling an important patient care void.

In many rural communities, pharmacists end up being a first touchpoint, if not a lifeline, because they are the most readily accessible health care professional. People come to lean on pharmacists to help them navigate the health care arena and receive appropriate care.

Enter RPHARM, a thoughtfully crafted PharmD concentration preparing students to practice patient-centered, interprofessional pharmacy in rural communities.

UIC launched RPHARM in 2010, the same year the College of Pharmacy established itself at the UIC Health Sciences Campus in Rockford. Modeled after the UIC College of Medicine’s longstanding Rural Medicine (RMED) program in Rockford, RPHARM was established to ensure UIC addressed pressing health care needs across the state and, in particular, the medically underserved rural areas comprising much of Illinois’s geographic footprint.

“With the RPHARM program, the college committed itself to putting pharmacists in areas with limited health care resources and tackling an important patient care void,” said Dr. Allison Schriever, RPHARM’s inaugural director and the current director of pharmacy experiential education on the Rockford campus.

RPHARM imbeds rural-focused course work within UIC’s traditional PharmD curriculum. Students learn alongside peers from RMED as well as the UIC College of Nursing’s Rural Nursing (RNURSING) program, an intentional effort to prime students for the interprofessional collaboration rural settings often demand.

“You definitely come to understand the importance of partnerships when working in rural communities, because care isn’t so readily available oftentimes,” fourth-year RPHARM student Lauren Johnson said.

Preparing pharmacy leaders
A vast majority of pharmacists work in either a community (44%) or hospital setting (37%), while 11% practice in a federal government organization, and 6% work in a long-term care pharmacy.
“We’re growing our own rural workforce. Students are coming to us for specialized training and returning to help the communities they know and love,” current RPHARM director Dr. Heidi Olson said, adding that more than half of RPHARM alumni practice in communities within 50 miles of their hometowns.

Olson labels RPHARM graduates “a community of doers.” They deliver medications to homes and fill knowledge gaps to ensure medication adherence. They develop outreach programming for schools, community centers, and senior facilities. They partner with the local physical therapist to launch walking groups and collaborate with the neighboring nutritionist to lead healthy eating seminars. They serve on community boards and become mentors for others interested in rural pharmacy. “Our graduates are embedded in their communities and meeting needs far beyond the traditional pharmacist’s role,” Olson said

Johnson, who graduated recently, looks to soon join the ranks of pharmacists practicing in rural communities, where she hopes to promote optimal drug therapy and lead community-based efforts like vaccination clinics or educational outreach at schools.

“I see so much I could do that residents need and will appreciate,” she said.

The UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy offers the largest and most comprehensive pharmacy program in the nation, with seven college-run ambulatory pharmacies and over 200 clinical faculty. It is ranked the #1 college of pharmacy in Illinois and #15 in the nation.

The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce.