UH Hilo pharmacy student wins national counseling competition
To earn top place, Henry Quach, a third-year pharmacy student who competed against students from pharmacy schools across the country, excelled in the skill of counseling patients on safe and effective drug use.
A third-year student pharmacist at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy recently won the national American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Patient Counseling Competition.
Henry Quach, who competed against students from pharmacy schools across the country, will receive a plaque and $1,000 prize.
The national counseling competition is designed to encourage student pharmacists to develop their skills as healthcare providers and educators. The contest mimics a patient picking up medication for the first time and requires pharmacy students to counsel the patient on safe and effective drug use. This year’s final round of competition involved the scenario of a mother picking up medication for her young son.
“She showed some signs of concern and anxiousness but was very responsive to learning about the medication,” Quach says.
Quach adds that Jarred Prudencio, assistant professor of pharmacy practice at UH Hilo, played a big role in helping him prepare for the contest. “I don’t think I could have done it without all of his help and encouragement.”
Quach achieved some of his counseling skills working with the Pacific Island Mobile Screening Clinic, an organization manned by UH Hilo pharmacy students to conduct health screenings and educate local residents about issues relating to chronic diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. This past year, Quach served as lead on-site chair for the group.
As this year’s national winner, Quach will return to help judge next year’s APhA competition.
