A collaborative approach to combining service, teaching, and research

To describe a faculty-student collaborative model and its outcomes on teaching, service, and scholarship.

A Medicare Part D elective course was offered that consisted of classroom and experiential learning where pharmacy students participated in community outreach events to assist Medicare beneficiaries with Part D plan selection. The course training was expanded to include medication therapy management (MTM) and the administration of immunizations. At the completion of the course, students collaborated with faculty members on research endeavors.

During the first 6 years of this course, the class size more than doubled from 20 to 42 students, and all students participating in the course met the IPPE requirements for community outreach. Over that same period, the number of beneficiaries receiving assistance with their Part D plan grew from 72 to 610; and with the help of students starting in 2011, faculty members had 28 poster presentations at national conferences, 7 invited podium presentations at national/international meetings, and published 8 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals.

Through collaborative efforts, this model took an elective course and provided classroom and experiential learning for students, needed health services for the community, and opportunities to pursue wide ranging research projects for faculty members and students.