Anyone who believes that being a student is only a Monday through Friday responsibility obviously has not been a member of the UConn School of Pharmacy LEADERS Track. These students are committed to demonstrating their dedication to the people of Connecticut 24/7/365...even if that means giving up Saturdays and Sundays during the summer.
The students within the track educate the public on summer health risks through our Farmers Market Initiative. At farmers markets through the state, the students man a booth at which they educate market attendees on the importance of sunscreen use and it proper application, along with discussing other topics such as tick prevention and removal or dehydration prevention.
Why do the students do this?? From the student perspective, they enjoy the opportunity to interact with the public and provide education in a service-focused setting. From the patient perspective, they enjoy the free samples of sunscreen that we use to lure them in and benefit from the knowledge gained. We have lost count of the number of people who say they know exactly how to use sunscreen but then are surprised when the students remind them to reapply every 2 hours. From my perspective as a faculty member and pharmacist, this initiative provides the opportunity for students to practice their communication skills while providing a service to the community. Students often think that a relaxed environment like a farmers market will be easy but when they actually need to find a way to engage someone who is walking by and get their key points mentioned, they quickly learn that this setting can be just as challenging as standing in front of a large audience. By the end of the day, the students have learned different "tricks" for getting the attention of attendees - anything from convincing a small child to come win a sunscreen sample by playing a game to reminding the person with the tattoo who think he does not need sunscreen that he needs to protect the beautiful artwork on his arm to offering sunscreen to the vendors who will be standing outside all day.
Service, patient education, and student development...that sounds like a win-win to me!! But, how successful is the program??? Between the 6 markets we attended this summer we educated over 1500 Connecticut residents. Definitely win-win!!
