UCSF School of Pharmacy Team Wins National Clinical Skills Competition

University of California–San Francisco (UCSF) School of Pharmacy brought home the win in ASHP’s 28th annual Clinical Skills Competition, with team members Linda Cheng and Siavash Panahi earning first-place honors during this year’s event. This is the third time a team from the UCSF School of Pharmacy has won the clinical skills title.

The National Clinical Skills Competition challenges student pharmacists to analyze and make treatment recommendations for complex patient case scenarios that represent situations the participants may encounter when they practice as pharmacists.

Weston Esplin and Justin Ashburn from the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy earned second place, and Samuel Yang and Alexander Michno from the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, came in third.

This year, the event drew teams from 133 schools and colleges of pharmacy. The competition, an interactive, team-based analysis of clinical scenarios for pharmacists, provides student pharmacists with the opportunity to enhance their skills in collaborative practice with physicians in providing direct patient care.

Case topics run the gamut of pharmacotherapy, often focusing on a core topic such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and anticoagulation, with several ancillary problems exploring the depth of the student’s acumen. Cases are often based on a real patient case or the cumulative clinical experiences of the case writer.

Team members on Dec. 2 prepared a written case study for evaluation during sessions that were closed to the public, and judges with expertise in various fields of pharmacy graded their work. The 10 teams (see list below) that made the final round were announced Dec. 3 and appeared that afternoon before the panel of judges to explain the reasoning behind the treatment recommendations.

Each finalist received an iPad with a one-year subscription to Lexicomp Mobile, generously provided by Wolters Kluwer. Finalists also received an ASHP self-assessment resource of their choice. The top three teams received a cash award.

The Clinical Skills Competition was sponsored by the ASHP Foundation with support from Wolters Kluwer and McGraw Hill. Each team member received complimentary registration at the Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exhibition to attend the national competition.

The competition would not be possible without the hard work of volunteer judges, case writers, and faculty coordinators who dedicated countless hours to ensure this competition was a success.

Top 10 Teams

• Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences — Olivia Hill, Kaysey Gilchrist
• Lebanese American University School of Pharmacy — Nour Rehayem, Stephanie Dibo
• Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy — Gabrielle Jones, Landry Slaughter
• Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy — Samuel Yang, Alexander Michno
• Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy — Khushali Sarnot, Jillian Thro
• University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy — Tori Hoggard, Lexi Jacobus
• University of California - San Francisco School of Pharmacy — Linda Cheng, Siavash Panahi
• University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy — Zack Moreo, Hailey Kemp
• University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy — Weston Esplin, Justin Ashburn
• University of Toledo College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences — Christina Beran, Ethan Shell

Visit ASHP’s Clinical Skills Competition webpage to learn more.