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Nuclear Pharmacy Education
Survey and Overview
Nuclear Pharmacy Education
By JOHN F. SCHLEGEL and STANLEY M. SHAW
In
1945, the United States first unveiled the destructive power of the a tom by bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war with Japan. That same year, Abbott Laboratories launched the first commercial program to harness the atom for use in medicine-to save lives rather than take them. The use of radioactivity and radiation in the healing arts has grown tremendously in these past three and a half decades. Today, one of every three hospitalized patients receives a radiopharmaceutical or has an in vitro test based on tracer methodology. A host of procedures and treatments using radiation are now commonplace, using equipment ranging from the simple X-ray to the CAT scanner, gamma camera,linear accelerator, and cobalt-60. The past few years also have seen tremendous strides in the expansion of nuclear pharmacy and its service
Stanley M. Shaw is professor of bionucleonics at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences, Purdue University, Lafayette, IN 47907. John F. Schlegel is executive director of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, Bethesda, MD 20014. This paper introduces the 1981 update of AACP's survey of colleges of pharmacy offering nuclear pharmacy courses and degrees. 38
to nuclear medicine. The necessary attributes of nuclear pharmacists in product preparation, quality assurance and drug distribution have been recognized and used extensively by the nuclear medicine community. Nuclear pharmacy is the firstand only-pharmacy practice specialty recognized as certifiable by the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties. Much has been published about this specialty (see especially American Pharmacy June 1979, pp. 20-26; July 1980, pp. 66-67; and August 1980, pp. 20-28). Standards of Practice have been developed. Board certification soon will be offered. Only a few universities currently offer programs that lead to the specialty of nuclear pharmacy (see table). In most cases, these may be identified as the colleges that offer more than a simple, introductory, undergraduate course . Universities that have been active in supplying nuclear pharmacy specialists are: Southern California, Mercer, Purdue, Michigan, New Mexico, Oklahoma, the Medical University of South Carolina, and Tennessee. Course offerings in nuclear pharmacy are growing in colleges and universities across the nation in recognition of the need for pharmacists in all settings to be familiar with the use of radiopharmaceuticals in nuclear medicine. In the four years since the last AACP survey, most colleges have provided a few lectures or an elective course in nuclear pharmacy. All pharmacy students should have at least minimal education in the field. All schools of pharmacy should consider requiring at least
one course-even if they don't have a nuclear pharmacy specialty program-because of the need for clinical pharmacy services in nuclear medicine. Nuclear pharmacy practice itself is predominantly product oriented. While certain clinical services are-being provided by some nuclear pharmacists, and clinical nuclear pharmacy services have been stressed by a few schools, clinical practice in the area of nuclear medicine can and should -be greatly expanded. Nuclear pharmacists alone cannot fulfill this task. Currently, they are limited in number and are heavily concentrated in facilities physically separated from hospitals and patients. In addition, many hospitals I are located at distances too great to allow service from a centralized nuclear pharmacy. Thus, the current limitations on nuclear pharmacists dictate the need for clinical pharmacists know· ledge able in medical applications of radiopharmaceuticals and trained to provide clinical pharmacy services in the field. The clinical pharmacist is available in the institutional setting for patient consultation, for the monitoring of drug interactions with radiopharmaceuticals, and other clinical services that are not . readily available from the nuclear pharmacist. With the continued expansion of the use of radiopharmaceuticals, pharmacists serving long-term care facilities, outpatient clinics, even community pharmacies, should ' have a general knowledge of the medical applications of the atom. With sufficient knowledge, pharmacists in all working environments can improve clinical services to patients and health professionals as this field continues to expand. 0
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American Pharmacy Vol. NS21, No. 10, October 1981/5
State Schools Auburn Samford Arizona Arkansas CA California CA Pacific CA Southern California CO Colorado CT Connecticut DC Howard FL Florida A&M FL Florida GA Mercer GA Georgia ID Idaho State IL Illinois IN Butler IN Purdue IA Drake IA Iowa KS Kansas KY Kentucky LA Northeast Louisiana LA Xavier Md Maryland MA Massachusetts MA Northeastern .' MI Ferris State MI Michigan MI Wayne State MN Minnesota MS Mississippi MO St. Louis MO Missouri-K.C. MT Montana NE Creighton NE Nebraska NJ Rutgers NM New Mexico NY Long Island NY St. John's I NY SUNY-Buffalo NY Union University, Albany NC North Carolina NO North Dakota State OH Ohio Northern OH ohio State OH Cincinnati OH Toledo OK Southwestern Oklahoma State OK Oklahoma OR Oregon State PA Duquesne PA Philadelphia PA Temple PA Pittsburgh PR Puerto Rico RI Rhode Island SC Med. U. of South Carolina SC South Carolina SD South Dakota State TN Tennessee TX Texas Southern TX Houston TX Texas at Austin UT Utah VA Virginia Commonwealth WA Washington WA Washington State Wv West Virginia WI Wisconsin-Madison Wy Wyoming AL AL AZ AR
-.•
UG CE SC RT GC MS PD PhD
•• •• •• •• • •• • • •• •• • •• • • • •• •• •• ••• •• •• • ••• • •• • •• •• •• ••• • • •• • •• • ••• •• • ••• • • • • •••• •• •• • •• •• • •• ••• ••• • • • • • • ••• • •• •• ••• • • •• • • •• •• •• • •• • •• •• • • •• • • •• •• • •
*This listing should be used only as a guide; individuals are strongly encouraged to write the colleges directly for detailed information. Listing of a pharmacy school does not necessarily indicate a separate course since basic aspects of radiopharmaceuticals and their application in nuclear medicine may be presented as a part of another course in the curriculum.
Key to Abbreviations UG-Didactic offerings in nuclear pharmacy for undergraduate credit ranging from a limited number of lectures in some courses to several courses leading to a curriculum minor. CE- Nonacademic credit continuing education programs in nuclear pharmacy. These courses may be accepted for continuing education credit by pharmacy licensing boards, but they do not apply to degree requirements. SC- Short, intensive nuclear pharmacy programs from one week to one month; mayor may not be for academic credit. RT-Traineeships and residencies in nuclear pharmacy ranging from one month to more than one year. Some are clinically oriented and others concentrate on industrial applications GC-One or more graduate courses in nuclear pharmacy. Some of these programs are research-oriented; others are concerned with clinical or industrial applications. Programs may not be specifically identified as nuclear pharmacy bu t are offered through other departments. PD- Specialization in nuclear pharmacy in a Doctor of Pharmacy program. PhD-Doctor of Philosophy degree with a specialization in nuclear pharmacy. These programs are research-oriented; sometimes offered through other departments.
Nuclear Pharmacy Education
By JOHN F. SCHLEGEL and STANLEY M. SHAW
In
1945, the United States first unveiled the destructive power of the a tom by bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war with Japan. That same year, Abbott Laboratories launched the first commercial program to harness the atom for use in medicine-to save lives rather than take them. The use of radioactivity and radiation in the healing arts has grown tremendously in these past three and a half decades. Today, one of every three hospitalized patients receives a radiopharmaceutical or has an in vitro test based on tracer methodology. A host of procedures and treatments using radiation are now commonplace, using equipment ranging from the simple X-ray to the CAT scanner, gamma camera,linear accelerator, and cobalt-60. The past few years also have seen tremendous strides in the expansion of nuclear pharmacy and its service
Stanley M. Shaw is professor of bionucleonics at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences, Purdue University, Lafayette, IN 47907. John F. Schlegel is executive director of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, Bethesda, MD 20014. This paper introduces the 1981 update of AACP's survey of colleges of pharmacy offering nuclear pharmacy courses and degrees. 38
to nuclear medicine. The necessary attributes of nuclear pharmacists in product preparation, quality assurance and drug distribution have been recognized and used extensively by the nuclear medicine community. Nuclear pharmacy is the firstand only-pharmacy practice specialty recognized as certifiable by the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties. Much has been published about this specialty (see especially American Pharmacy June 1979, pp. 20-26; July 1980, pp. 66-67; and August 1980, pp. 20-28). Standards of Practice have been developed. Board certification soon will be offered. Only a few universities currently offer programs that lead to the specialty of nuclear pharmacy (see table). In most cases, these may be identified as the colleges that offer more than a simple, introductory, undergraduate course . Universities that have been active in supplying nuclear pharmacy specialists are: Southern California, Mercer, Purdue, Michigan, New Mexico, Oklahoma, the Medical University of South Carolina, and Tennessee. Course offerings in nuclear pharmacy are growing in colleges and universities across the nation in recognition of the need for pharmacists in all settings to be familiar with the use of radiopharmaceuticals in nuclear medicine. In the four years since the last AACP survey, most colleges have provided a few lectures or an elective course in nuclear pharmacy. All pharmacy students should have at least minimal education in the field. All schools of pharmacy should consider requiring at least
one course-even if they don't have a nuclear pharmacy specialty program-because of the need for clinical pharmacy services in nuclear medicine. Nuclear pharmacy practice itself is predominantly product oriented. While certain clinical services are-being provided by some nuclear pharmacists, and clinical nuclear pharmacy services have been stressed by a few schools, clinical practice in the area of nuclear medicine can and should -be greatly expanded. Nuclear pharmacists alone cannot fulfill this task. Currently, they are limited in number and are heavily concentrated in facilities physically separated from hospitals and patients. In addition, many hospitals I are located at distances too great to allow service from a centralized nuclear pharmacy. Thus, the current limitations on nuclear pharmacists dictate the need for clinical pharmacists know· ledge able in medical applications of radiopharmaceuticals and trained to provide clinical pharmacy services in the field. The clinical pharmacist is available in the institutional setting for patient consultation, for the monitoring of drug interactions with radiopharmaceuticals, and other clinical services that are not . readily available from the nuclear pharmacist. With the continued expansion of the use of radiopharmaceuticals, pharmacists serving long-term care facilities, outpatient clinics, even community pharmacies, should ' have a general knowledge of the medical applications of the atom. With sufficient knowledge, pharmacists in all working environments can improve clinical services to patients and health professionals as this field continues to expand. 0
l
I
I
American Pharmacy Vol. NS21, No. 10, October 1981/5
State Schools Auburn Samford Arizona Arkansas CA California CA Pacific CA Southern California CO Colorado CT Connecticut DC Howard FL Florida A&M FL Florida GA Mercer GA Georgia ID Idaho State IL Illinois IN Butler IN Purdue IA Drake IA Iowa KS Kansas KY Kentucky LA Northeast Louisiana LA Xavier Md Maryland MA Massachusetts MA Northeastern .' MI Ferris State MI Michigan MI Wayne State MN Minnesota MS Mississippi MO St. Louis MO Missouri-K.C. MT Montana NE Creighton NE Nebraska NJ Rutgers NM New Mexico NY Long Island NY St. John's I NY SUNY-Buffalo NY Union University, Albany NC North Carolina NO North Dakota State OH Ohio Northern OH ohio State OH Cincinnati OH Toledo OK Southwestern Oklahoma State OK Oklahoma OR Oregon State PA Duquesne PA Philadelphia PA Temple PA Pittsburgh PR Puerto Rico RI Rhode Island SC Med. U. of South Carolina SC South Carolina SD South Dakota State TN Tennessee TX Texas Southern TX Houston TX Texas at Austin UT Utah VA Virginia Commonwealth WA Washington WA Washington State Wv West Virginia WI Wisconsin-Madison Wy Wyoming AL AL AZ AR
-.•
UG CE SC RT GC MS PD PhD
•• •• •• •• • •• • • •• •• • •• • • • •• •• •• ••• •• •• • ••• • •• • •• •• •• ••• • • •• • •• • ••• •• • ••• • • • • •••• •• •• • •• •• • •• ••• ••• • • • • • • ••• • •• •• ••• • • •• • • •• •• •• • •• • •• •• • • •• • • •• •• • •
*This listing should be used only as a guide; individuals are strongly encouraged to write the colleges directly for detailed information. Listing of a pharmacy school does not necessarily indicate a separate course since basic aspects of radiopharmaceuticals and their application in nuclear medicine may be presented as a part of another course in the curriculum.
Key to Abbreviations UG-Didactic offerings in nuclear pharmacy for undergraduate credit ranging from a limited number of lectures in some courses to several courses leading to a curriculum minor. CE- Nonacademic credit continuing education programs in nuclear pharmacy. These courses may be accepted for continuing education credit by pharmacy licensing boards, but they do not apply to degree requirements. SC- Short, intensive nuclear pharmacy programs from one week to one month; mayor may not be for academic credit. RT-Traineeships and residencies in nuclear pharmacy ranging from one month to more than one year. Some are clinically oriented and others concentrate on industrial applications GC-One or more graduate courses in nuclear pharmacy. Some of these programs are research-oriented; others are concerned with clinical or industrial applications. Programs may not be specifically identified as nuclear pharmacy bu t are offered through other departments. PD- Specialization in nuclear pharmacy in a Doctor of Pharmacy program. PhD-Doctor of Philosophy degree with a specialization in nuclear pharmacy. These programs are research-oriented; sometimes offered through other departments.