Students participate in CP’s first-ever patient counseling event

March 12, 2017

By Melissa Marticio, The Pharmakon

The University of the Philippines Pharmaceutical Association Student Council (UPPhA SC) organized the very first college-based patient counseling competition Expert Care, a two-part event held on October 21 and 28 with the theme “Advancing the Continuity of Care through Pharmacy Counseling Services.”

For the first part of the competition, which was on October 21, students of Clinical Pharmacy 180 (Patient Medication Counseling) participated in the auditions. Teams consisted of pairs of students, one being a patient counselor and the other being an understudy who will assist the counselor during the information gathering phase.

From these students, faculty members of the Pharmacy Department then chose the qualifiers for the final round.

The final leg of the competition took place on October 28 at the Emilio T. Yap Auditorium, with UPPhA SC Vice President Ryan Joseph Tuzon formally opening the ceremony. The keynote speaker, Ten Outstanding Young Men awardee Mr. Roderick L. Salenga, RPh, MPH, shared the importance of pharmacy counseling services in the field of health care.

For the competition proper, students drew lots for the case and were given ten minutes in the preparation room to browse through references, and another ten minutes for the counseling session itself. Understudies were not allowed to coach in the actual counseling session. UP Manila Dramatista’s Uriel Molina acted as the patient for all five finalists.

PATIENT CARE THRU COUNSELING. Jameca Malate (L) counsels a UP Manila Dramatista patient actor during the competition proper; she and understudy Mara Sarabillo emerge as the best counseling team in Expert Care. Photo by Patrick Encarnacion, The Pharmakon

Judges of the said event were Young Pharmacists Group (YPG) Philippines’ 2013 Patient Counseling Event Cup champion Jerson Jerick N. Taguibao, RPh; UP-PGH Senior Pharmacist LoralynPostre-Pascua, RPh; and head of the first National Patient Counseling Event and former Pharmacy Department faculty member Carmela D. Barcelona, RPh, MHA.

The finalists were judged by the following criteria: content (25%), influencing (25%), interviewing (20%), attending (15%), and active listening and empathic responding (15%).

Jameca Mae Malate and her partner Mara AngeliSarabillo bagged first place in the competition. Christelle Joy Reyes and partner Dianne Camille Belotindos won second place, followed by AldrinNicoPlantado and partner Marc Joseph Sison for third place. Other finalists were Noreen Vera Tuibeo with partner Rebecca Mae Madriaga and Dana Lorena Tanuecoz with partner MarkyDonellyBitonio.

Champions of said event are set to be trained for the upcoming National Patient Counseling Event, tentatively scheduled this December.