Walgreens regional vice president for Operations Connie Latta advised students to stay abreast of technology as a means of perfecting patient care at the Campbell University School of Pharmacy opening convocation on Wednesday, Aug. 29.Latta, who interfaces between Walgreens southeast district stores and corporate headquarters in Illinois, said that her job involves helping local stores do what is needed to take care of patients.”There are huge changes on the horizon for the pharmacy industry,” said Latta, who discussed technological innovations such as self-serve terminals for new prescriptions and refills; biometric monitoring of patient care; and Remote Exception Handling centers within stores concentrating on caring for patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes or heart disease.”Why do we study technology?” asked Latta, “To improve patient care. Everybody here selected pharmacy as a career for different reasons, but I hope one of those reasons is caring for patients because that’s what our profession is all about.” A total of 435 students are enrolled in Campbell University’s Doctor of Pharmacy program; 108 of those are first-year students and another 102 will graduate in 2008.The Campbell University School of Pharmacy was established in 1986 as the first new school of pharmacy to open in the United States in 35 years. In 1990, the charter class distinguished itself with a 100 percent passage rate on state and national board examinations. Subsequent classes have maintained a record of 99 percent passage rate on the national board exam and 99 percent on state board exams. The school is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Additional courses are taught at the School of Pharmacy Department of Clinical Research located on Campbell University’s RTP campus.Photo Copy: Connie Latta, regional vice president for Operations for Walgreens pharmacies, was the keynote speaker at the School of Pharmacy’s opening convocation on Wednesday, Aug. 29. (Photo by Bennett Scarborough)
Focus on technology top priority for pharmacy students