June 21, 2010
CONTACT: Tory Olson, 515-271-1834, tory.olson@drake.edu
DRAKE PHARMACY STUDENTS LEARN ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS DURING SUMMER INTERNSHIPS
Seven Drake University pharmacy students will gain real world experience this summer through internships developing their professional leadership skills within the community pharmacy environment.
The Entrepreneurial Leadership Internship Program — now in its second year — is a component of the Drake Entrepreneurial Leadership Tools for Advancement (DELTA) Rx Institute. http://www.deltarx.drake.edu/
Anne Sciurba of Mount Prospect, Ill., is spending her internship at a Jewel-Osco pharmacy.
“The internship gives students the chance to work in a pharmacy, attend meetings, complete projects and interact with other pharmacy students,” said Sciurba, who is in her second year of the professional pharmacy program at Drake. “It’s an exciting opportunity, and I am learning a lot.”
The other students participating in the program are:
• Mariah Brandt of Steedman, Mo., a first-year in the professional pharmacy program
• Kim Downs of Boone, Iowa, a second year in the professional pharmacy program
• Matthew McAllister of Sedalia, Mo., a second year in the professional pharmacy program
• Sean Moorhead of Woodbury, Minn., a second year in the professional pharmacy program
• Danielle Snyders of Rock Rapids, Iowa, a second year in the professional pharmacy program
• Brenda Riesenberg of Carroll, Iowa, a second year in the professional pharmacy program
Rockford Anderson, owner of Clarion Pharmacy, one of the internship sites, said that the experience provides students with opportunities to develop real-world business skills.
“In addition to pharmacy practices, the students will get to see financial information, insurance reconciliation and other office operations that they may not have been exposed to previously,” Rockford said.
Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice Renae Chesnut oversees DELTA Rx and the summer internship program.
“The program is valuable because it provides students with an experience that develops their entrepreneurial skills, ” said Chesnut, who also serves as associate dean for student affairs. “Students have the unique opportunity to learn skills and apply them in a practice setting under the guidance of a pharmacy mentor.”
Keith Bibelhausen, president of Hartig Drug Stores in Dubuque, Iowa, said that the experience provides the students with critical exposure to actual business practices.
“Academia is not able to reproduce a real-time or real-world business environment,” Bibelhausen said. “The experience gained from observing and participating in business operations is irreplaceable. Companies benefit as well from the enthusiasm and eagerness to learn that the student brings to the table.”