PHPR 696 Community Externship I or
PHPR 697 Community Externship II

  • Joe Koechner, R.Ph.
    Steve's Corner Drug Store
    101 S. 6th Street
    Hiawatha, KS 66434
  • Phone: (785) 742-2125
  • Fax: (785) 742-4551
  • E-mail: jaycat@rainbowtel.net

Clerkship Description
 

Welcome to Steve's Corner Drug a community retail pharmacy and durable medical equipment provider.  You preceptor is Joe Koechner, R.Ph., pharmacy owner.  We serve the health care needs of the Hiawatha Community and surrounding rural area.

Our retail pharmacy services include:  prescription and OTC medications, compounding of patient specific medications, Medication Therapy Management for qualifying Medicare recipients, patient education for use of blood glucose monitors, cholesterol screenings, blood pressure monitoring, unit dose medications to long term care patients, replenishment of patient's weekly medication planners and prescription delivery.

We are also an accredited Durable Medical Equipment provider offering motorized wheelchairs, scooters, hospital beds, lift chairs, walkers, canes, bathroom aides and more.

The objective of this rotation is to provide the student with a comprehensive overview of rural independent pharmacy by working in all facets of the pharmacy and working with other profesionals in the health care community.  In the pharmacy the student will learn:

  1. The dispensing function relating to retail: order input, filling, checking and counseling.
  2. The dispensing function relating to long term care: order input, filling, checking and delivery.
  3. The dispensing function relating to compounding:  order input, filling, billing and counseling.
  4. Inventory management:  how to receive, invoice and reorder prescription and OTC products.
  5. Durable medical equipment sales:  identify needs of individual, review supplier standards, learn billing methods, and perform patient follow-up.

Other topics to be covered include: pharmacy automation, staffing, customer service, competition, evaluating pharmacies for sale, developing a niche and other general business topics.

In the community the student will spend one day with each of the following:

  1. Family practice physician focusing on drug selection for patients.
  2. Hospice based nurse practitioner reviewing end of life pharmacotherapy.
  3. Hospital pharmacist observing needs of community hospital.
  4. Retired retail pharmacy owner discussing importance of networking within the profession and legislative issues facing independent retail pharmacy today.

Rotation Objectives

The objective of this rotation is to provide the student with a comprehensive overview of rural independent pharmacy by working in all facets of the retail pharmacy and with many professionals in the health care community.

At the conclusion of this rotation, the student will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate how to receive new and refill prescription orders via phone, fax or hard copy, input into a computer system, fill, perform final check and counsel patients for retail prescriptions, compounded medications and durable medical equipment.
  2. Demonstrate how to determine proper inventory levels, how to place and receive orders from primary wholesaler and other vendors.
  3. Describe how a durable medical equipment department in a retail pharmacy can improve patient care and increase sales.
  4. Describe how a prescription compounding department can improve patient care and increase sales.
  5. Describe how other health care providers interact with retail pharmacists in a rural community to improve patient's quality of life.
  6. Discuss how to evaluate retail pharmacies available for purchase and identifying potential niche markets to develop.

Specific Site Requirements/Information
Hours are 8:30am - 6:00pm Monday through Friday.  Dress code is business casual.

Directions to Site
Steve's Corner Drug is located at the intersection of Oregon and Sixth Street in beautiful downtown Hiawatha.

PPE Director:   Jim Kleoppel
Page modified by:  Steve Smith 2/01