College of Pharmacy preceptors recognized at Hooding Ceremony

Despite the complexities that COVID-19 presented over the past two years, preceptors continued to rise to the challenge and teach Pharmacy Buckeyes how to navigate pharmacy practice in real-life settings – supplementing what they learn in the classroom.

The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy (COP) recognized several preceptors with Preceptor of the Year Awards at the Doctor of Pharmacy Hooding Ceremony on May 7.

The award recipients were selected by a faculty and staff committee based on certain criteria in student nomination letters:

• The preceptor demonstrates high standards of professionalism
• The preceptor demonstrates a spirit of cooperation with COP
• The preceptor demonstrates commitment to students as a professional mentor and teacher

This year's awardees included:

• Jessica Hoover, PharmD, BCPPS, Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital
• Ryan Riley, PharmD, Genoa Healthcare
• Lynn Wardlow, PharmD, MS, MBA, BCIDP, AAHIVP, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
• Kelly Wise, PharmD, BCACP, Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Preceptors were recognized on stage in front of an auditorium full of graduates and their families and friends, with excerpts from their nomination letters read aloud.

Dr. Hoover, a pediatric transplant pharmacy specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, was the first preceptor to be recognized for the Preceptor of the Year Award.

In her nomination letter, a student states that “she exemplified the impact that a pharmacist can have on patient care in the hospital setting. Dr. Hoover was trusted by all members of her team and she was fully engaged in clinical decision-making for each patient.”

The student goes on to write that Dr. Hoover allowed her the freedom to figure out her own best methods of working with patients and pushed her to take the lead during direct patient interactions. The student states that her knowledge and confidence grew each day that she spent with her.

“Dr. Hoover's care for her students was best illustrated when I experienced a health emergency in the third week of our rotation together,” the student said said. “She guided me to the emergency department, visited me in my hospital room and checked in on me daily. She brought me snacks and books and other treats to make me smile. I will never forget the kindness she imparted on me during a time when I felt afraid, frustrated and overwhelmed. Because of Dr. Hoover's compassion, I aspire to be an impactful preceptor myself one day.”

Dr. Hoover continues to serve as a mentor to this student even though her rotation has finished.

“She has consistently checked in and offered advice as I went through the residency process,” the student said. “She encourages me and believes in me, and I feel grateful that she has chosen to invest her time in me.”

Dr. Riley, pharmacy manager at Genoa Pharmacy, was the second preceptor to be recognized.

Genoa Pharmacy is a community pharmacy that specializes behavioral health pharmacy and medication management services for individuals with behavioral health and other complex, chronic health conditions in the US. 

“I was able to learn a lot because he gave me autonomy to make pharmacist-level decisions,” a student said. “This allowed me to develop my critical and clinical decision-making skills and greatly improved my confidence. I feel like I am better prepared to be a pharmacist due to the positive learning environment Dr. Riley created.”

The student states that Dr. Riley prepared her to think independently about what to do if a problem surfaced because once she graduated, she would be the pharmacist in charge.

“This rotation was very enjoyable and super helpful,” the student said. “I learned so much and really grew in my time at this site. Dr. Riley was a fantastic preceptor and really did a great job pushing me to learn new things and grow as a leader. I would absolutely recommend this preceptor and site to another student.”

The next preceptor who was recognized was Dr. Wardlow, an infectious disease specialty practice pharmacist at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.

While the infectious disease specialization can be challenging, Dr. Wardlow had patience with her students and guided them through their rotations while building important skills they would need in the field. 

“She helped me develop many essential skills, such as applying primary literature to our patient population, developing therapeutic plans for patients as well as alternative plans in anticipation that something could change with the patient, and she helped me continue to develop my communication skills with other health care professionals,” a student said. “These are just a few of the ways Dr. Wardlow was a standout preceptor.”

The student goes on to recommend Dr. Wardlow as a preceptor to any student interested in infectious disease because of her expertise, commitment to the profession and mentoring style.

“I would recommend Dr. Wardlow as a preceptor to any student as she will prepare them very well,” the student said. “Her expansive knowledge in the field of infectious disease and drive to help others are contagious. I greatly benefited from observing Dr. Wardlow and her impact on patient care through collaborating with clinicians and contributing evidence-based recommendations. Dr. Wardlow invested in my growth as a future clinician and I am motivated by Dr. Wardlow’s work ethic in providing optimal patient-centered care.”

The last preceptor who was recognized was Dr. Wise, an advanced patient care pharmacist in rheumatology and the specialty pharmacy, at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

While rheumatology medications and specialty medications in can be complicated and uncommon, a student said Dr. Wise had patience with her students while they were learning.

“Dr. Wise was very open at the beginning of the rotation,” The student said. “She didn't expect students to be experts. She met you where you were at and worked on building whatever knowledge you came in with.”

The student said what solidified his decision to nominate Dr. Wise for preceptor of the year was how supportive she was of her students.

“She wants us to succeed and that was very evident,” the student said. “As anyone who has gone through the residency application process will tell you, it can be beyond stressful. Dr. Wise was supportive and offered advice and feedback as I had received several rejection emails for residency interviews. I had given up hope, but she was optimistic. The night before my final rotation day I finally received an interview invitation and I think she was more excited than I initially was when I told her.”