Long Term Care / Geriatrics - VA Medical
Center, Danville, IL

Preceptor: Theodore J. Commons, RPh. MS 

Description: This is a four week rotation. The Long Term Care rotation is designed to further develop the
student's clinical skills in this area of medicine. the rotation will expand on their knowledge gained from classroom
instruction and will require the application of that knowledge to patients in an extended care environment. These
areas include but are not limited to drug therapy selection, patient monitoring, interaction with multidisciplinary team,
and delivery of pharmaceutical care to long term care patients. 

Goals and Objectives: 

1. Application of knowledge gained from pathophysiology and therapeutic classes to patients in a long term care
environment 

2. Develop clinical skills necessary to assess a patients drug therapy and potential problems related to that therapy

3. Develop a good understanding of medication related problems and how they can cause, aggravate, or
contribute to problems in the geriatric patient 

4. Understand Minimum Data Sets (MDS) and their use in the long term care environment 

5. Provide drug information in a timely fashion to all providers, patients and their families using all available
resources 

6. Develop an understanding of dementia and its effects in terms of drug therapy in the geriatric population 

7. Have an appreciation for the role pharmacy plays in the care of our Nation's Veterans 

Activities: 

1. Review patient charts 
2. Provide input on drug therapy and drug therapy related problems 
3. Attend and participate in team meetings 
4. Provide drug information in a timely fashion using available resources including use of the internet 
5. Participate in the completion of MDSs 
6. Select a patient at beginning of rotation; develop pharmaceutical care plan and present to the pharmacy staff 
7. Present 2 short talks on drug therapy gleaned from recent pharmacy publications with 1 of the talks related to
alternative medicine 
8. Complete projects assigned by the preceptor 
9. Successfully complete an end of rotation exam