Remedy

2 0 1 1 FALL 2011 PUBLISHING SEMIANNUALLY SEMIANNUAL

OPERATION

MEDICINE CABINET Roseman Students and Law Enforcement get Dangerous Drugs off the Street

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

SPECIAL REPORT: Healthcare in the Recession THE GIFT OF EDUCATION Roseman Alumnus Honors His Parents with a Special Gift

INSIDE OPERATION MEDICINE CABINET INSIDE Utah’s First Dental School

Opens

Fall/2011 1

10TH ANNUA L SC H O LAR SH I P GALA

SAVE the DATE SATURDAY

May 12, 2012

Fall/2011 2

Contents Fall 2011

FEATURES

14

HAZARDOUS EXPOSURES AND HEALTH CARE WORKERS

The need for guidelines and regulations BY: (Dr. Regan M. Healy)

20

TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE DRUGS

Taking care of your drugs in extreme temps BY: (Dr. Ron Ziance)

24

SPECIAL REPORT THE DOCTOR IS IN, BUT YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO SEE HIM

Changing health care habits in the recession BY: (Barbara Wood)

27

REINVENTING YOURSELF IN A RECESSION

The Three E’s for self-transformation BY: (Dr. Okeleke Nzeogwu)

28

HEALTH CARE JOBS HOLD STEADY

Recession-proof careers in a down economy BY: (Tracy Hernandez)

29

UTAH’S FIRST DENTAL SCHOOL

Roseman opens Utah’s first Dental School BY: (Tracy Hernandez)

16

COVER STORY

PARTNERING WITH THE COMMUNITY

Law enforcement teams up with Roseman to curb prescription drug abuse.

BY: (Jason Roth)

DEPARTMENTS On the cover: Jennifer Polyniak, Co-President of the Drug Abuse Awarness Team at Roseman’s Henderson campus

EDITORIAL/LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CALENDAR OF EVENTS ARTS & CULTURE THE SOURCE: INFORMATION RESOURCES PRIVACY AND SOCIAL NETWORKING GOOGLE TIPS WEB REVIEWS HEALTHY LIVING EXERCISING SMART SHOPPING SMART INNOVATIONS ALUMNI NEWS THE GIFT OF EDUCATION ROSEMAN PEOPLE

4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 22 23 30 Fall/2011 3

Editor Tracy Hernandez Assistant Editor Jason Roth

LETTER FROM

Copy Editor Sukanya Mandal Contributing Writers Kitti Canepi Xan Goodman Suzanne Fayle Dr. Regan Healy Tracy Hernandez Laura Jarrett Dr. Okeleke Nzeogwu Jason Roth Barbara Wood Dr. Ron Ziance

Welcome to remEDy, a new magazine published by Roseman University of Health Sciences. But wait—before you assume that all university magazines are just publications about current students, faculty, and alumni, and are really only interesting to the people who have attended, are attending, or work at the school—we invite you to read on, and see how this magazine is different.

While this publication is created by Roseman, our aim is to utilize the expertise that exists within our faculty, staff, and our students, to create a magazine with content that will benefit the community. In our inaugural issue, for example, one of our expert pharmacy faculty members, Dr. Ron Ziance, looks at how storage factors like temperature and humidity can affect the pharmaceutical drugs you are taking. Students and former students also researched some of the major drugs on the market today to inform you about which ones are safe to use, and which ones may be harmful to your health.

Photographers Cameron Haymond Kris Carson Francia Garcia Designer Billy George

remEDy

is published semi-annually by the Office of Marketing, Roseman University of Health Sciences 11 Sunset Way Henderson, NV 89014 We welcome any comments, questions and submissions. remedymag@roseman.edu 702-968-1633 College of Dental Medicine 702-968-5222 Nevada 801-878-1400 Utah College of Pharmacy 702-968-2007 Nevada 801-878-1053 Utah MBA Program 702-968-2015 Nevada 801-878-1111 Utah College of Nursing 702-968-2075 Nevada 801-878-1062 Utah

In case you are not familiar with Roseman University, we are a private, non-profit institution of higher learning that focuses on healthcare and business, offering Advanced Education in Orthodontic and Dentofacial Orthopedics (AEODO), Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD), Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and Master in Business Administration (MBA) degrees. We opened in 1999 with a campus in Henderson, Nev. and in 2006 expanded to South Jordan, Utah.

This magazine will also include regular departments like The Source: Information Resources, where you can get useful tips such as how to maximize your Google search capability to find the information you need. Plus we have sections for Arts & Culture, Healthy Tips for Living, and more.

Finally, we hope to get input from you as well—please submit your questions about pharmacy, prescription drugs, orthodontic care, dental care, and nursing. Advice from our magazine should never be a substitute for personalized advice from your healthcare provider, but we hope to be able to answer some of your questions about the myriad of treatment and drug options out there today. And if you know about exciting things happening in the healthcare fields, or people who are making a difference, let us know. We would love to profile them!

You can always reach me with feedback about our magazine, questions, comments, and even story ideas at remedymag@roseman.edu.

Sincerely, Tracy Hernandez, Editor © 2011 Roseman University of Health Sciences

EDITOR

THE

FALL 2011. Vol. 1, No. 1

R O S E M A N

U N I V E R S I T Y

O F

H E A L T H

S C I E N C E S

2011 EVENTS Boulder City Health Festival Saturday October 22 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Boulder City Recreation Center 900 Arizona Street, Boulder City, Nevada College of Dental Medicine Dedication Thursday October 27 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

South Jordan Campus 10920 S. River Front Pkwy, South Jordan, Utah Liberty Mutual Invitation Benefiting Roseman University of Health Sciences 12th Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament Monday November 14 8 a.m.

Cascata Golf Club, Boulder City, Nevada 10th Annual Scholarship Gala “In the Year of the Dragon” Saturday May 12, 2012 5:30 p.m.

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada

For more information about these and other Roseman University events, visit the university’s website at www.roseman.edu.

Fall/2011 5

We Aspire

Transforming Education. Advancing Care. Touching Lives.

Thanks to its visionary founders and early supporters, Roseman University has established itself as a leader in transforming health care education. With exemplary programs in pharmacy, nursing, dental medicine, and business, the university and its graduates have achieved much. As we look to the future, bigger aspirations and greater accomplishments lie ahead, and we’ll need your help to fulfill them.

In the coming years, Roseman will continue to grow and flourish with the involvement and support of dedicated alumni and friends. To benefit from the wisdom of these constituencies, the university is seeking input and support by establishing advisory boards and councils for alumni, community members, and businesses.

Call or email

Brenda Griego Director of Development for more information call: 702-968-1619 email: Bgriego@Roseman.edu.

6 Fall/2011

Artistic

Arts & Culture FALL 2011

The EDUCATOR

by: Barbara Wood

More than a decade ago, Dr. Harry Rosenberg created Roseman University of Health Sciences (at the time it was the Nevada College of Pharmacy), and he has been serving as president of the University since then. To find some balance between running a university, teaching pharmacy students, and family life, Dr. Rosenberg took up the hobby of woodturning.

“I started woodturning about ten years ago because I felt I needed a hobby that was different from what I was doing at work,” said Dr. Rosenberg. All of his skills are self-taught, coming first from reading books and watching videos, and later from experimentation and experience.

He started with small things like bowls, and then gradually as his skills increased, so did the size and range of his creations. Dr. Rosenberg’s beautiful artwork now includes a wide variety of items, including mortars, pestles, bowls, platters, bud vases, wine stoppers, letter openers, pen and pencil sets, and more.

One of the reasons he enjoys woodturning so much is the variety of woods available, both domestic and more rare imported woods. He does not limit the types of wood he will use and, in fact, develops some of his creations based on the type and feel of the wood itself.

“The kind of items I turn depends on the kind of wood I can obtain. Whether it’s domestic wood, which you can get in large sizes so you can make large platters or bowls, or exotic wood that you can get in small quantities that are more expensive,” said Dr. Rosenberg. “You can get different grains, different hardness of wood, there are colors that really come out when you finish a product.”

He has donated some of his artwork to Roseman University auctions, and his items are often the must-have auction pieces of the night. Many of his works have created bidding wars among attendees in an effort to obtain the rare handcrafted items. And although the hobby began as a way to escape from work for a while, the beneficiaries of the auctions are always Roseman students, because the funds generated by the donation of his work raise money for scholarships and student services.

Each item that Dr. Rosenberg creates reflects a little of the artist, and just like him each piece is unique, with attention to detail and quality.

About the Author: Barbara Wood is the Director of University Relations at Roseman University.

Fall/2011 7

The Source: Information Resources FALL 2011

by: Suzanne Fayle

“Social networks” have become a mainstay in our social experience. And let’s be honest, sites like Facebook or Twitter are fun! They allow you to network with others in your field or school, keep up with family members, or re-connect with old friends. You can even promote your business, create events, or play games. But there is another side of social networks – the privacy side, and how much personal information you put out there. So when does sharing personal information cross over from fun to too personal?

The creators of social network sites have also realized that there is a lot to gain from your personal information. Many sites are now tracking personal information and tailoring content like ads to your preferences. For example, if you list shopping as an interest or favorite activity on your Facebook profile, ads on your page will include sales on clothing or discount shopping sites. Some people think this is an invasion of privacy, while others like the personalized online experience.

Before jumping onto the social networking bandwagon here are some quick tips to protect your own privacy online: Think about the purpose that social networking will serve for you and shop around before deciding what site to sign up for. If you want to network on a professional level, try LinkedIn or Twitter. If you are trying to keep in touch with family members across the globe, MySpace or Facebook might work best. If you are promoting a business, setting up a professional website and creating a blog might best serve your purposes.

8 Fall/2011

Read the privacy clauses before creating an account. Everything is a legal matter and reading the privacy terms of a social network site is no different. If the site uses your information in a way you don’t like, knowing the privacy policies may help with getting them to comply with your requests to stop sharing your information.

On the homepage of the site there should be a link to the privacy policies. If there isn’t one, contact the site directly, and if they won’t provide you with their privacy policy, think twice about joining.

Tier your access. On some sites, like Facebook, you can group your friends into certain categories and set up rules to show each group only certain information. For example, you can have a group set up for “co-workers” and give them minimum access to what they can see on your profile, while giving full access to those placed in the “family” category.

Find out about public search options. MySpace and Facebook both give you a choice about including your public profile in results on search engines like Google. Similarly, Twitter allows keeping your “tweets” private so only those connected to your profile will be able to see them.

Choose your friends wisely. Facebook has a feature that allows anybody to add existing friends to a group. Your “Friends” can add you to a group that you don’t want to have anything to do with without getting your permission first.

You can remove yourself (once you find out) but meanwhile could end up being annoyed or embarrassed, depending on the nature of the group. Make sure the people you choose to befriend on Facebook are people you trust to make these kinds of decisions on your behalf.

Change your password periodically and use a combination of letters and numbers. Make sure it will be easy for you to remember but not easy enough for someone else to guess. You don’t want a roommate or friend hacking your social networking account and posting things that could hurt you.

Censor yourself. In a digital age, everyone is using the internet as a resource. That means when you apply for a job, a potential future employer may do a quick online search for you to see what comes up. If you’re applying for a job in a professional setting and the hiring manager finds hundreds of pictures of you partying with your friends, or in compromising situations, he or she may think twice about hiring you to represent the company. The same goes for students applying for college, or even current employees whose bosses may be browsing online to see what they might find about their employees. The bottom line is, if there are people in your life that you may not want to find out about what you did on Saturday night at the party, think twice about posting it online, or at least set up your privacy settings to make sure only the people you approve can see that information.

Remember: you are the one ultimately responsible for what you share on the internet! What you put online can stay online for a long time, and have far-reaching implications. Make sure you think about potential consequences before you post it online.

About the Author: Suzanne Fayle is the Assistant Librarian for the Roseman Henderson Campus.

The Source: Information Resources FALL 2011 Domain Searching

Quotation Mark Search

by: Xan Goodman

Domain Searching

Have you ever tried the site or domain search option? Site searching allows you to limit search results to a preferred domain. For instance, if you wanted to search sites that only had content created by government entities you would enter into your Google search box the following: drugenforcement.gov. This search will give you results found only on .gov websites.

Quotation Mark Search Definition Search

Do you have a particular phrase that you’re looking for? For example, a quote you recall and would like to verify. Put quotation marks (“ ”) around your phrase in the Google search box to search for the exact phrase. Enter the following phrase into the Google search box “The only thing man has to fear is fear itself.” This search will give you results for the exact phrase entered.

Definition Search

Are you looking for the definition of a word? Enter the following in the Google search box define: the word you wish to define. For example, define: wonkish.

Your search results will retrieve a definition for the word wonkish.

Currency Conversion Search

Currency Conversion Search

Do you have an upcoming trip to another country? Are you wondering what the equivalent currency is to the U.S. dollar? Enter the following in the Google search box dollar amount and currency type and the currency type you wish to convert, for example 20 USD in Euro. The search results will return an estimate of the currency equivalency. Make sure to check with your local currency exchange for actual rates. Google only provides an estimate.

Weather Search Weather Search

Are you wondering what the weather will be in the location you are traveling to? Enter the following into the Google search box: weather: your your travel location, for example: weather: Paris, France.

Happy Googling!

About the Author: Xan Goodman, is the Reference & Instruction Librarian at the Roseman University Henderson Campus.

Fall/2011 9

The Source: Information Resources FALL 2011

WE B

R e v i e

eases and conditions, healthy aging, etc.). Information about diverse activities that older adults enjoy for exercise is available, and you can also watch short videos with up-to-date medical information, tips for healthy living, and inspiring stories of older adults who are coping with diseases or conditions related to aging.

Looking up health information on the Internet is fast and convenient.

But how do you know which web sources are going to be reliable for accuracy? Fortunately, the United States Department of Health and Human Services provides free online health resources for the public through the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. The information is heavily vetted and consistently kept up to date. Here are a few sites that you should know about.

MedlinePlus

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/

The first place consumers should go for information about diseases, conditions, wellness issues, latest treatments, drugs, supplements, and the meaning of medical terminology is MedlinePlus. Designed for patients and their families and friends, it offers the latest health information in easy to understand language.

MedlinePlus provides carefully selected links to health-related web resources with information on over 800 topics. You will also find pre-formulated searches that give easy access to medical journal articles; an illustrated medical encyclopedia with over 4000 articles about diseases, tests, symptoms, injuries, and surgeries; interactive patient video tutorials on over 165 procedures and conditions; and extensive information about both prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Information on herbs and supplements is also provided.

NIHSeniorHealth

http://nihseniorhealth.gov/

One of the sites linked to from MedlinePlus is NIHSeniorHealth.

Developed by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) along with the National Library of Medicine, this site makes aging-related health information easily accessible for family members and friends seeking reliable, easy to understand online health information.

Senior-friendly navigational features include buttons at the top of each page to make the text bigger, change text color, or hear the text read aloud. Each health topic includes general background information, open-captioned videos, quizzes and frequently asked questions (FAQs). New topics are added to the site on a regular basis. You can look up a health topic by first letter or category (bones and joints, dis10 Fall/2011

ClinicalTrials.gov http://clinicaltrials.gov/

ClinicalTrials.gov is a registry of federally and privately supported clinical trials conducted in the United States and around the world.

Intended to be used in conjunction with advice from health care professionals, the information includes the trial’s purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more details. Clinical trials can be searched for by medical condition, drug intervention, sponsor or location.

Dietary Supplements Labels Database http://dietarysupplements.nlm.nih.gov/dietary/

Another useful site from the National Library of Medicine is the Dietary Supplements Labels Database. The database includes label ingredients for over 4,000 brands of dietary supplements. It has links to health information and fact sheets, research findings and ongoing clinical studies.

You can search by product, specific active ingredients, and manufacturers. You can even use the information to compare label ingredients in different brands. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalls and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforcement actions about specific ingredients or brands are also included.

NCCAM/ National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine http://nccam.nih.gov/

Consumers looking for timely and accurate information about complementary and alternative medicine can go to this site provided by the National Institutes of Health and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). The mission of NCCAM is to explore medical care systems, practices and products not generally considered part of conventional medicine to determine evidence of safety and effectiveness.

You can search by specific conditions, treatments, herbs, or clinical trials. The health information page provides fact sheets about specif-

Healthy Living FALL 2011

RELIABLE FREE HEALTH

INFORMATION

By Kitti Canepi

i e w s: ic therapies with links to other online sources of information.

Facts sheets range from issues to consider before working with a complementary and alternative medicine practitioner, to discussion of the uses and safety considerations of dietary supplements.

Household Products Database

http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/index.htm

If you have concerns about health risks from everyday chemical products in your home, the Household Products Database will help you find more about what is in those products, the potential health effects, and how to handle them safely.

Over 10,000 brands are included and the database is updated at least twice a year.

…And other dubious weight-loss claims

By Tracy Hernandez You can’t pass a magazine rack or browse the internet without being inundated with advertisements and article teasers like “Lose 10 pounds this week,” “Get toned and sculpted before bikini season,” or “The new skinny pills—yes, they work” (these, by the way, are actual teasers from major magazine covers that I saw). But the truth is that in spite of all the “information,” programs, pills, machines, and gimmicks out there for losing weight, Americans are getting bigger and bigger every year.

You can browse by the type of product (auto products, pesticides, arts & crafts, pet care, etc.), the product name or type, the manufacturer, ingredients, or health effects. The information is based on Material Safety Data Sheets produced by the manufacturer. The National Library of Medicine does not evaluate or give advice on the use of chemicals, but does provide a link to recall lists of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Food and Drug Administration.

healthfinder.gov

http://www.healthfinder.gov/default.aspx

Healthfinder.gov is provided by the National Health Information Center, under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and provides information and tools to help members of the public stay healthy. It pulls together health topics selected from over 1,600 government and non-profit organizations into one place.

The Quick Guide to Healthy Living provides prevention and wellness information with tips on nutrition and fitness, safety, and important screening tests. There are health quizzes, menu and activity planners, calorie and body mass index (BMI) calculators, and videos on various common health topics. You can also look up specific diseases and conditions, or find health care providers and health organizations near you.

About the Author: Kitti Canepi is the Director of Libraries for the Roseman University of Health Sciences.

The Centers for Disease Control have tracked obesity rates in the U.S., and in 1990 there were no states with obesity levels* higher than 14 percent. In the same study 10 years later, more than half of U.S. states (27 including D.C.) had obesity rates between 15-19 percent, 23 states were in the 2024 percent range, and only one state was still in the 10-14 percent range (Colorado).

Fast-forward a decade to 2010, and the rates of obesity have become downright alarming. Today there are no states below 20 percent obesity, and almost half of U.S.states (24 total) have moved into the 25-29 percent obese category. Even worse, 12 states now have more than 30 percent of the population that is obese (to see the breakdown of obesity rates by state, visit cdc.gov/obesity/data/index.html). These rates do not even include the number of people who are overweight, but not obese.

So what’s the problem? If there are so many ways out there to lose 30 pounds by Thanksgiving, or burn off all your extra weight in your sleep, how come we just keep getting fatter? Part of the problem is the overwhelming amount of information out there about what is “healthy” and what is not, and the effort it takes to sort through it all. The truth is that there is no magic pill or miraculous diet that will get you lasting results.

In fact, the longest-lasting and best way to find and maintain a healthy weight is by changing your lifestyle to support healthier habits.

You probably did not gain those extra 30 pounds in 30 days, so it is not realistic for you to lose them that quickly. It will take time, and it will require effort on your part to change your habits. We hope that by offering simple ideas for lifestyle and weight management, you will be able to adopt them into your routines and start living a healthier life today. *Obesity is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more. To find out your BMI, visit Medline Plus (nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus) and search for BMI to find an easy-to-use BMI calculator.

Fall/2011 11

Healthy Living FALL 2011

Exercising Smart: Working toward a goal By: Tracy Hernandez

Have you ever wanted to give up on working out because it feels so pointless?

The truth is that most of us work out because we are told that we have to do it.

So we trudge to the gym and jog on the treadmill or elliptical runner while some mind-numbingly dull show plays on the television screen in front of us and our Top 80’s Hits playlist drones on through the headphones. When we’ve clocked the recommended 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise, we go home. The next day: repeat.

No surprise when we start finding other things to do with our time. Because, let’s face it, that family reunion planning meeting your third cousin invited you to actually sounds like a welcome change from the monotony of the gym today.

So how can we get those 30 minutes of recommended daily activity, and keep it exciting enough that we would rather do our exercise than anything else?

How about training for an event, like a 5K run or a bike race? Here are some tips to finding an event that will get you off the couch and excited about physical activity.

1.

Pick an event that is realistic. Rather than choosing the longest, hardest, most intense event you can, find something you know you are capable of doing if you train, even if you might not be capable of doing it yet.

2.

Do something that will challenge you. If you can already run a 5K, training for a 5K is not going to motivate you to push yourself and get out of your comfort zone. Instead, pick something that will challenge you, and will give you a sense of accomplishment.

5.

Pick an event that you have to register for. Without a specific date/event in mind, you can keep putting it off as long as you are not training for it. Find an event near you, go to the website and register for it. Now you have a financial incentive, and a specific date. Remember to pick a realistic date, though, so you have plenty of time to train.

8.

Do it for charity. If you are going to pay to participate in an event anyway, why not participate in one where your money can go toward a cause you believe in? Contact your favorite local charity and find out if they have an event you can participate in. If they don’t have one, they may be able to point you to another worthy cause in your community. There are a lot of charities getting creative and branching out into new activities like hiking events, mountain biking, snow events, and more.

3.

Tell people your goal. It’s amazing what a difference it will make in your motivation if you tell your friends, family, or co-workers about your goals. They will be able to offer motivation and encouragement even when you might be ready to give up.

6.

Pick an event you can afford. Research all the costs of an event before you sign up—that can include registration fees, travel costs (if the event is not near you), and any other special equipment you may need to complete the course. If you can’t afford to pay for the event, choose something else.

9.

Find a training plan. You don’t have to pay a ton of money for a specialized training program. For the budget-minded out there, a quick Google search on “training plan for [your event type here]” turns up a myriad of free resources that can help you reach your goal, whether it’s running, biking, triathlon, duathlon, snow sports, or anything in between.

If you do your first event and realize that it wasn’t really much fun, maybe the event you chose isn’t your thing. Find something else—a mountain biking race, a triathlon, a swimming race, trail running, water skiing competition, walking for charity, whatever 12 Fall/2011

4.

Find a friend who wants to do it too.

When you’re working out alone, it can be pretty easy to convince yourself to skip a workout. But when you’re training with someone else it motivates you to get up and go. If you don’t have a workout buddy nearby, try searching online for groups you can join, or like-minded people who can offer online support.

7.

Don’t worry about having top-of-the-line equipment. There are many people who put off an event they want to do for fear of looking silly when they show up with “amateur” equipment (for example, riding a mountain bike at a road bike race). Most of the people at the race probably will not even notice, and the ones that do will applaud you for getting outside of your comfort zone and going for it. Save the expensive equipment purchases for when you realize this sport is your passion, and you are going to be doing it for the long term. Until then, use what you have, what you can borrow, or what you can affordably buy.

10.

Don’t worry about winning. The most important thing about your event is that you finish it! If you are worried about being first across the finish line, you may give up. Instead, worry about finding your personal best, and finding something that will motivate you to exercise.

it is that would be fun for you—and pursue that. Eventually you can find something that you really enjoy, and that you will continue to do as a recreational activity for fun, even though it is secretly also exercise.

How many times have you entered a store with a plan to buy a couple of necessities such as bread and milk, and left with a cart full of items you really did not need? Do you do your grocery shopping after work? Do you end up spending more than you planned, and buying things you did not need or that were not healthy choices? As smart consumers have learned (probably the hard way), shopping when you are tired, hungry, or unprepared can not only derail your healthy eating habits, but can strain your budget as well. Here are some easy tips for staying on budget and keeping your healthy eating habits on track.

Stick to a Budget

Clip coupons from weekly publications, but only for foods you eat. Often people buy things with coupons because the items are on sale, but end up storing them in the back of the cabinet and eventually throwimg them out when they expire.

Don’t store your coupons at home—keep them in an envelope in your car, purse, bag, etc. so you will always have them.

Check weekly sales that come in the mail or with your newspaper for items that you need, and see if you can combine sales with coupons for even bigger discounts. And if you don’t want to run all over town to several different stores to find the sales, check to see if your favorite store will match the prices of its competitors if you bring in the ad.

Brand-name corporations pay big bucks to have products positioned at the end of the aisle or at eye level so they are the first items you will see. Check out the higher and lower shelves for the not-so-well-known brands, and generic versions of the same items at lower prices.

Stick to a Healthy Diet

Eat something before you shop and you will increase your likelihood of only buying what you need, not what you think you want because of hunger. You will probably save calories and money, because studies have

shown that our bodies trick us into thinking all food is more desirable when we are hungry, which leads us to purchase more.

When shopping look to the aisles on the store perimeter first. That is where you will find fresh fruits and vegetables, and perishable, unprocessed foods. When looking for poultry, seafood and meat, check with your grocery store butcher first. He or she will know what the best bargain is and which items have fewer additives and preservatives.

The number one thing you should always do is read the label and check the basic nutritional facts for the food you are purchasing. Look at calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates and sugar content. Before you go to the store, it is a good idea to find out the recommended daily consumption on these items for your height and weight, so you can tell if the food has a healthy amount or if it is too high.

When you read labels, don’t forget to check the serving size—eating more than one serving multiplies fat, calories, sodium, cholesterol, carbohydrates and sugar. It may have healthy amounts of calories and fat per serving, but that won’t matter if you eat five servings.

Another thing to check is how the food is preserved. Some preserving processes such as smoke curing, salt curing and sodium nitrate preserving have been shown to be potentially harmful to your health and cause long-term health issues.

BENEFITTING

ROSEMAN UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES (University of Southern Nevada)

HAZARDOUS

EXPOSURES and Health Care Workers By: Dr. Regan M. Healy

“Lifesaving drugs may be killing health workers” was the title of a Seattle Times news article published in 2010. The article covered the heart-wrenching story of Sue Crump, who died at the age of 55 from pancreatic cancer. Sue worked as a pharmacist in a hospital for 23 years, and part of her job was preparing chemotherapy long before current safety standards were used. The article recognizes a “lack of regulation” of chemotherapy handling by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and correlates exposures to chemotherapy, which are considered hazardous drugs, with the development of cancer.

Before healthcare workers panic and refuse to work with the medications that can save patients’ lives, it is important to identify these risks, and determine what can be done to mitigate the negative effects.

What is cancer?

No, this is not a trick question. While most of 14 Fall/2011

us probably know at least one person (and more likely several people) affected by cancer, we may not all know the root causes of cancer. Most simply, it consists of several diseases caused by abnormal, uncontrollable growth and division of cells within the body. In most types of cancer, this leads to a mass of cells known as a tumor or lump, which can spread, invade, and destroy surrounding tissues and organs.

Chemotherapy is one treatment for cancer, designed to kill or stop the growth of cells, and in a perfect world would specifically target cancerous cells only. In our imperfect world, though, it stops the growth of more than just cancer cells (new and ongoing research into cancer treatments is examining chemotherapy that specifically targets cancerous cells). Because chemotherapy medications also kill or stop the growth of normally functioning cells in a person, treatment with chemotherapy can lead to several unwanted side effects, and if poorly managed

these side effects may become severe and potentially life-threatening. Despite these side effects, the evolution of cancer treatment with chemotherapy and other medications has lead to a significant increase in cancer survival rates.

In fact, a study highlighted by the National Cancer Institute in December 2009 showed that overall rates of death from all cancers combined declined 1.6 percent from 2001 to 2006. The declines are attributed to three factors—changes in risk factors (i.e., quitting smoking), higher use of screening methods, and improved treatments such as chemotherapy.

As mentioned, the benefits associated with chemotherapy treatments come with several risks. Both the National Toxicology Program (NTP) and International Agency for Cancer Research (IACR) have included many chemotherapy medications on a list of known or suspected human carcinogens. The concern highlighted in the Seattle Times article

Feature FALL 2011 that chemotherapy may cause cancer is also supported by several reports of second cancers, most commonly leukemia or bladder cancer, occurring in individuals treated with chemotherapy for a previous case of cancer. An increased risk has been linked to the chemotherapy for patients receiving treatment, but what about the risks for the individuals handling these hazardous drugs?

The handling process is wide-ranging. “Handling” includes manufacturing, transporting, distributing, receiving, storing, preparing, administering, and disposing of chemotherapy, and leads to nearly eight million individuals being exposed to these drugs daily in the workplace. Since the 1970s, chemotherapy exposures in the workplace have been linked to both short- and long-term health effects, including problems with the skin, eyes, lungs, fertility, and even a possible link to increased risk of cancer. Two surveys, reported in the 1987 issue of American Association of Occupational Health Nurses and the 1993 issue of the American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, included pharmacy and nursing personnel routinely exposed to hazardous drugs, and findings included significant increases in a number of symptoms in these individuals, including sore throat, chronic cough, infections, dizziness, eye irritation, and headaches. Reproductive studies published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health and New England Journal of Medicine (1985), and the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (1997, 1999), have also linked workplace exposures to hazardous drugs with an increase in miscarriages, fetal abnormalities, and impaired fertility.

The Need for Guidelines and Regulation

In most cases it is difficult to pinpoint an exact cause of cancer, and according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ (ASHP) Guidelines on Handling Hazardous Drugs, the available studies correlating workplace exposures to chemotherapy with the development of cancer show mixed results. On the other hand, a risk assessment study published in 1995 in the International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health estimates exposure of pharmacy personnel to a commonly used chemotherapy medication known as cyclophosphamide causes between 1.4-10 cancer cases per one million workers per year.

In the pharmacy environment from the early years of Sue Crump’s career, chemotherapy was prepared on a countertop with or without the use of gloves, gowns, or any other

safety equipment, leading to frequent exposures from accidental spills, spraying, and puncture wounds. Fortunately for today’s healthcare workers, the risks are recognized and the standards have changed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), guidelines for handling chemotherapy have been developed by several groups, institutions, and agencies around the world. Some of these groups include OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), ASHP, United States Pharmacopeia Chapter 797 (USP <797>), the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), and the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners (ISOPP).

With so many different agencies involved in the process of creating standards and regulations, it may be difficult to know which ones to follow. The CDC recognizes NIOSH and OSHA as the preferred authority, but these guidelines are not currently mandatory for healthcare workers or institutions, and there is no clear punishment at the federal level for failing to adhere to the standards.

Setting Clear Regulations—USP <797>

In the absence of clear federal regulations, the State Boards of Pharmacy in many states have adopted guidelines for facilities to protect the safety of employees handling hazardous drugs, and require adherence to USP <797>. USP <797> is a general chapter of the United States Pharmacopeia–National Formulary (USP-NF) that describes requirements for the preparation of sterile drugs, including radiopharmaceuticals, and regulates pharmaceutical laboratories that produce and disseminate compounded sterile preparations (CSPs). It also includes information for training compounding personnel, handling and storing sterile preparations, designing facilities, and establishing and maintaining a suitably clean environment to produce CSPs. Although several documents have been written to address these things, USP <797> is unique because it was written to be an enforceable set of standards that can be adopted by a regulatory agency, such as a State Board of Pharmacy.

The State Boards of Pharmacy (or equivalent regulatory agencies) in 16 states, including Utah and Nevada, currently comply directly with USP <797>. Another 28 states do not cite USP <797> directly, but have laws governing sterile compounding, and six states do not currently have any laws, according to a survey conducted by Critical Point and the National Association of Board

of Pharmacy (NABP).

USP <797> covers three areas: handling, training, and environmental sterility. It stresses the importance of having properly trained personnel who handle the hazardous materials, and also the importance of the conditions and environment where the drugs are prepared, stating “hazardous drugs shall be prepared only under conditions that protect health-care workers and other personnel in the preparation and storage areas.”

USP <797> recommends storage and preparation to occur in a negative-pressure room where the air is removed directly to the outside of the building through an exhaust system, and recommends appropriate chemotherapy gloves, gowns, face masks, eye protection, shoe and hair covers while handling hazardous drugs to avoid accidental exposures through spills, spraying, or punctures. Use of a “closed system” is also recommended, especially for handling the drugs with highest risk. A “closed system” completely separates individuals from chemotherapy while preparing it, and may include vial-transfer devices, isolators, or biological-safety cabinets.

To ensure proper enforcement, a State Board of Pharmacy will conduct regular tests for compliance. If pharmacies in these states are found to be noncompliant with the guidelines, corrective action is taken to bring the pharmacy back into compliance, and additional punitive damages such as fines can be assessed.

Regardless of current standards, Sue Crump and millions of other healthcare workers have potentially been exposed to excessive amounts of hazardous drugs due to a lack of both standards and enforcement in the past.

Improving technologies and procedures for drug preparation and administration, and fully enforcing the current regulations should be recognized as standard-of-practice for protecting everyone involved with chemotherapy. All healthcare workers whose jobs require them to handle or be in contact with hazardous drugs should use caution and care to avoid inappropriate exposure at all costs, so they can not only save the lives of the patients they treat, but hopefully save their own lives as well.

About the Author Regan Healy is an alumnus of Roseman University’s Doctor of Pharmacy program and is currently an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Roseman University with a focus in hematology/oncology.

Fall/2011 15

Law Enforcement Team Up with Roseman University to Curb Prescription Drug Abuse

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Drugs sitting in the medicine cabinet with no current, legitimate use are easy targets for potential misusers and abusers.â&#x20AC;?

16 16 Fall/2011 Fall/2011

Feature FALL 2011

Prescription Drug Abuse: A Growing Problem

Today, one in five teens has misused or abused prescription drugs, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. With easy access to medicine cabinets in their homes and the homes of friends and relatives, Americans have traded the seedy street corner dealer, or a twitchy schoolmate, for the home medicine cabinet as the best source for an easy drug fix.

Unfortunately, this easy access to prescription and over-thecounter (OTC) drugs is exacerbated by the fact that most people, even parents, view the drugs in their home medicine cabinets as safe because a doctor prescribes them. These drugs can be just as deadly as illicit street drugs, says Dr. Paul Oesterman, faculty advisor of Roseman University’s Drug Abuse Awareness Team in Henderson, and today parents, doctors, pharmacists, and healthcare professionals are fighting an uphill battle to reduce the rapidly growing misuse and abuse of prescription and OTC medications.

that “parties are more fun with drugs” (from 34 percent in 2008 to 41 percent in 2009).

Meanwhile, the study showed that teen girls are more likely to identify with “self-medicating” benefits of drug use. More than two-thirds of teen girls responded positively to the question “using drugs helps kids deal with problems at home” (an 11 percent increase, up from 61 percent in 2008 to 68 percent in 2009) and more than half reported that drugs help teens forget their troubles (a 10 percent increase, up from 48 percent in 2008 to 53 percent in 2009).

To combat the growing problem of prescription and OTC drug misuse and abuse, the simplest step to take is to secure them, says Oesterman.

A number of new home drug safes are on the market today to provide safe storage of drugs, including models that use biometric entry, such as the RX DrugSafe.

They come in a variety of sizes to accommodate small or large quantities of prescribed and OTC drugs.

“We have made great strides in minimizing teen access alcohol, but we’ve done very little as a society in realizing the dangers that lurk our medicine cabinets, including something as simple as cough syrup,” said Oesterman.

How did this become such a big problem? The medicines in the medicine cabinet are often perceived as safe because they’re easily bought at the local drug store or supermarket, or prescribed by a medical professional. But what is prescribed for one person may not be safe for anyone else.

“People don’t realize that doctors prescribe drugs based on a number of factors, including a patient’s body weight, health status and other medications taken,” said Jennifer Polyniak, DAAT Co-President. “When these are not considered, the consequences can be deadly.”

Prescription drug misuse and abuse affects people of all ages, and Rob Corvin, author of Overcoming Prescription Drug Abuse notes that it is now the second leading cause of accidental death in adults age 45-54. But teens are also extremely vulnerable, says Oesterman. A recent study released by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America showed that while both male and female teens are taking prescription and OTC drugs at about the same rate, their reasons for taking them are vastly different.

Partnership for a Drug-Free America’s 2009 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study released in June showed there was a significant increase among teen boys who said that “drugs help you relax socially” (from 45 percent in 2008 to 52 percent in 2009), and an event larger 21 percent increase among teen boys who agreed

pills often go unnoticed.

Another equally important step to take, according to Oesterman, is to dispose of any unused or expired drugs. People often forget about prescription medications they are not taking regularly, creating an easy target for someone looking for drugs, and the missing

“Drugs sitting in the medicine cabinet with no current, legitimate use are easy targets for potential misusers and abusers,” said Oesterman. “It’s important to continually evaluate your drug and medication needs and check labels for expirations, and properly dispose of any that are unneeded.”

Roseman University and Las Vegas Area Police Create Operation Medicine Cabinet

Communities are becoming more aware of the need to offer people a place where they can dispose of unused, expired, or unwanted prescription and OTC medications, and have created local, regional or statewide programs to collect these medications. Until recently, Southern Nevada was not one of those communities.

“We needed to develop a program to offer area residents a way to dispose of drugs safely,” said Oesterman.

In late 2009, the Roseman University Drug Abuses Awareness Team (DAAT) partnered with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s (LVMPD) Narcotics Division, along with a coalition of community partners and supporters, to create Operation MedFall/2011 17

Feature FALL 2011

continued from page 17

times a year.

“The Take-Back Campaign was a stunning nationwide success that cleaned out more than 121 tons of pills from America’s medicine cabinets, a crucial step toward reducing the epidemic of prescription drug abuse that is plaguing this nation,” said DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “Thanks to our state and local law enforcement and community partners—and the public—we not only removed these dangerous drugs from our homes, but also educated countless thousands of concerned citizens about the dangers of drug abuse.”

Efforts to Curb Abuse in Utah

When Utah earned the dubious distinction of being among the top five states for prescription drug abuse (it ranked #4 in 2007), community leaders rallied together to reverse the trend.

The idea for the Utah Pharmaceutical Drug Crime Project (UPDCP) came out of a meeting of law enforcement representatives from all over the Rocky Mountain region (Utah, Colo., Mont., and Wyo.) discussing the alarming rise in unintentional deaths due to prescription drug abuse and misuse. Utah officials involved in the meeting decided to be the first to set up a program, modeled after the state’s highly successful Meth Task Force, bringing together at total of 32 federal, state, city, county, and private organizations from multiple disciplines to address the problem. icine Cabinet (OMC), an anonymous, no-questions-asked, drivethrough drug collection event. The inaugural OMC took place in February 2010 and, with an extraordinary amount of media coverage encouraging community participation, the event yielded nearly 127,000 oral doses of prescription and OTC medications in just eight hours. Following the success of the first OMC, Roseman University and LVMPD came together in August for a second collection in the densely populated Northwest area of Las Vegas.

With awareness of the second event solidified by the success of the first, this OMC yielded more than 250,000 oral doses of drugs and medications to be destroyed.

Part of the project’s success comes from its comprehensive approach. The task force is made up of professionals from the health, treatment, medical, prevention, environmental quality, human services, commerce, prosecution, legislative, law enforcement, and insurance backgrounds, bringing everyone together to address the problem. With such a diverse group, the outcomes are not focused on one part of the problem—enforcing existing laws, for example— but can address all aspects of the issue, including treatment, prevention, and legislation to protect citizens. The group is dedicated to finding long-term solutions that reduce preventable prescription drug deaths.

“It was amazing to see people drop off bags full of prescription bottles that had been sitting in their homes for years, some as old as 35 years,” said Oesterman.

The official mission of the task force is to “reduce the abuse of prescription drugs by accomplishing the following objectives: (1) Reduce availability for abuse; (2) Increase the awareness of risk to include the physical and psychological harmful effects as well as legal sanctions; and (3) Decrease tolerance of the non-medical use of pharmaceutical drugs.”

The Drug Enforcement Agency also organized a National Drug Take-Back day on Sept. 25, 2010. This event provided an opportunity for OMC to expand beyond Las Vegas and into neighboring Henderson. Roseman partnered with LVMPD and the Henderson Police Department to offer five collection sites throughout Southern Nevada in conjunction with the national initiative. OMC collected 1,300 pounds to contribute to an estimated 242,000 pounds of prescription drugs collected across the U.S. that day for safe and proper disposal. More than 4,000 take back sites were available in all 50 states.

Roseman University South Jordan DAAT also participated in the DEA’s National Drug Take-Back; it was the second event at the Utah campus. At the first event in May, DAAT students partnered with Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet, a statewide effort that offers 57 permanent drop-off sites in 14 Utah counties, and hosts take-back events at different locations throughout the state several 18 Fall/2011

UPDCP came on the heels of the “Use Only As Directed” campaign from the Utah Department of Health, an intense public awareness campaign on the dangers of prescription drug abuse. UPDCP retains public awareness and education as one half of a two-pronged effort that also includes enforcement and prosecution.

Since its inception, the UPDCP has secured over $700,000 to provide training, education and public awareness, and to enhance the Pharmaceutical Drug Monitoring Program administered by the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing.

By 2010, the UPDCP had initiated 15 investigations that encompassed drug traffickers, criminal medical professionals, and criminal acts by consumers (“doctor shopping” and prescription fraud).

Feature FALL 2011 tion drug take-back programs in place in an effort to reduce the most common supply of prescription medications (home medicine cabinets), these programs often cannot dispose of dangerous controlled substance medications because Federal law does not permit someone to accept a controlled substance without specific permission from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Take-back programs also have to arrange for full-time law enforcement officers to receive the controlled substance directly from the person wanting to dispose of it.

Current regulations are designed to prevent “diversion”—the illegal removal of controlled substances by someone who is participating in a drug take-back program—and law enforcement officers are trained to create a chain of custody documenting the control, transfer, and disposal of all medications collected. But with these strict regulations in place, the average person may have a difficult time turning in the medications that are at highest risk of being abused.

As a result, people often resort to throwing them in the garbage (which can make them even easier for teens to find) or flushing them down the toilet (which can pollute the water supply).

During the 2010 Utah legislative session, the task force successfully assisted in getting 12 laws and resolutions passed that ranged from creating consistency in the legal definitions and terminology of prescription drugs to creating a Controlled Substances Advisory Committee and improving reporting requirements for tracking and sharing DUI and poisoning information among law enforcement, medical providers, and state officials.

The number of unintentional deaths involving prescription drugs peaked in 2007 at 326, and has steadily gone down since that time, to 236 in 2010, according to a Sept. 21, 2011 article in the Deseret News. Marjean Searcy, Project Coordinator for the Salt Lake Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Initiative and member of the UPDCP Advisory Committee, said that occasionally when projects like the UPDCP begin, there will be an initial increase before the numbers go down. With more awareness surrounding the topic, the number of reported incidents and fatalities linked to the problem goes up and the methods used to track the data improve. Now that prevention efforts have begun to take effect, the UPDCP believes the number of unintentional deaths will continue to decline.

Students from Roseman, in partnership with local police and coalitions like “Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet” and “Substance Misuse and Abuse Reduction Team (SMART)” have also collected unused and expired medications and participated in the DEA National Drug Take-Back events.

Congress Expands Access to Drop-Off Sites

A study commissioned by the White House and published by the U.S. Department of Health’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in July found that abuse of opioid painkillers rose more than 400 percent in the U.S. between 1998 and 2008.

The Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010 passed by unanimous consent in both the House and the Senate and was signed into law on October 12, 2010. It will give the Attorney General (AG) the authority to create new regulations that fall within the framework of the Controlled Substances Act, but will expand access so patients can find an appropriate entity to drop off unused or expired controlled substances for safe and effective disposal.

The law also recommends that the AG set parameters to prevent drug diversion at the agencies and sites where programs are implemented, so a wider variety of public and private institutions can develop methods for collecting and properly disposing of controlled substances.

But all the new rules and regulations will not work without the support of the public turning in unused and expired medications so they are not so easily accessible for potential abuse.

“The biggest issues are access and disposal,” said Polyniak. “It’s important for everyone to monitor their drugs and make sure they are locked up, and when you are finished with a prescription, or when it expires, take it somewhere for safe and proper disposal.”

About the Author: Jason Roth is Vice President of Communications and Public Relations at Roseman University.

Around the same time, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minn. introduced the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010.

Congress recognized that while many states have put prescripFall/2011 19

By Dr. Ron Ziance

Most people know what would happen to a chocolate bar left in the car on a hot day, but may not think about what happens if prescription drugs and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are exposed to excessive hot or cold temperatures.

Consumers should pay attention to the recommended storage conditions listed on the product label, and a list of simple actions a patient can take to maintain the proper temperature range during handling and storage of drug products is at the end of this article.

Many drugs are temperature sensitive and should be maintained within a product-specific recommended temperature range as they are transported and stored in a supply chain, which starts with a manufacturer, may include one or more wholesalers prior to receipt by a pharmacy, and ends with a patient in the community or in a hospital.

Failure to do so may result in reduced stability, as described below.

It should be noted that much of the literature describes changes that typically occurred in a few samples of a tested drug product and is devoid of results from well-designed studies. Currently there is no requirement to report observed changes to manufacturers or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), thus the occurrence rate for altered stability of temperature sensitive drug products and undesirable clinical outcomes is unknown. Implementation of effective transit and storage procedures plus good distribution and storage practices in the supply chain, which includes pharmacies, ensures the availability of high quality drug products to patients and customers.

Some observed examples of how improper storage temperatures have affected prescription drugs include reduced delivery of an asthma drug from metered dose inhalers left in a car trunk during summer, significant reduction of lorazepam content (an antianxiety and anticonvulsant drug) in syringes stored in an ambulance at non-recommended temperatures for an extended time, decreased efficacy of allergen extracts and increased degradation of influenza vaccine. Changes observed in drugs stored at high temperature and humidity include soft and misshaped capsules, solid plug within capsules and impaired drug release from capsules. Exposure of drug products to non-recommended temperatures has also been reported to occur in drug boxes of out-of-hospital advanced life support units and medical helicopters.

20 Fall/2011

Determining recommended exposure temperatures The FDA requires manufacturers to list the recommended storage temperatures in the labeling of each drug product. Some drug products are to be refrigerated at 35-46°F or frozen. Examples of other product-specific recommended ranges include 59-77°F, 68-77°F, 4186°F, and 59-86°F. These values are determined in part from potency analysis, observed

Feature FALL 2011 physical change of the drug product, drug distribution within the body, plus clinical and toxicology studies conducted upon exposure to various environmental conditions.

Manufacturers may conduct accelerated stability studies. For example, drugs requiring refrigeration are stored at a constant temperature of 77 or 104°F for six months or more prior to analysis of various stability parameters. Temperature cycling studies are conducted for refrigerated products that may be frozen. This exposure may consist of three cycles of two days frozen followed by two days at an accelerated condition of 104°F. Transporting Temperature Sensitive Drugs After stability testing, drug products usually travel by truck, air, ship and on rare occasion, rail. For temperature-sensitive drug products, each mode of travel plus environmental temperatures present stability challenges that can be circumvented by using appropriate container and packaging systems (insulated containers, dry ice, frozen gel packs, or battery-powered compressors) and good loading practices.

In truck transport, for example, monitoring devices in the cargo area may activate alarms if there is a temperature deviation beyond pre-set limits. Supplemental contingency plans also protect against mechanical difficulties. Similarly, sea containers are equipped with heating and refrigeration equipment for temperature control. A common logistic challenge with each mode of transport is to limit the time and track the temperature of drug containers on loading docks prior to loading them onto a vehicle.

Do not expose drugs to high humidity within the home (e.g., leaving a drug container with the lid removed in a bathroom).

Ask your pharmacist to clarify any confusion about proper storage and handling requirements.

As a consumer, you should always inform your pharmacist of possible exposure of drug products to excessive heat or cold in your home, or if you obtain a prescription that seems abnormal and may have been exposed to improper temperatures during transportation.

Problems with drug products or biologics can also be reported directly to the FDA by phone (800-332-1088), fax (800-332-0178), online at www.fda.gov/medwatch, or by mail using a MedWatch form that can be downloaded from the FDA’s website. Product problems involving vaccines may be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), co-sponsored by the FDA and Centers for Disease Control, by phone (800-822-7967), fax (800-721-0366), by e-mailing info@vaers.org, or online at www.vaers.hhs.gov.

As of August 2010, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requires 100 percent screening of all air cargo, including prescription drug products, transported in passenger aircraft. Manufacturers who perform their own inspections by qualifying as a Certified Cargo Shipping Facility, or ship prescription drug products on all-cargo flights, may minimize the possible increased shipping time.

Simple actions for patients and consumers Once a pharmacy dispenses a prescription to the consumer, the need to regulate temperature and storage conditions does not disappear.

Consumers should pay careful attention to recommended storage temperatures to maintain the stability of a drug product. Listed below are several simple and important actions patients or consumers can take to maintain the stability of drug products.

Do not leave any prescribed or OTC drug product in a parked vehicle.

During the summer in the western U.S., temperatures inside parked vehicles may exceed 140°F. Likewise, winter temperatures in places like Utah may dip below that recommended by the manufacturer.

If you are not going to be home, arrange for a neighbor or other person to retrieve and properly store a drug-containing package that may be exposed to excessive heat or cold after delivery to a residence.

Do not expose medication to excessive heat within a residence (e.g., storing it close to light bulb or other heat source such as sunlight through a window).

Remove mail-order drug products from a mailbox as soon as possible.

Depending on the season, temperatures within a mailbox may vary significantly from the recommended maximum or minimum.

Unless instructed to do so, do not store a drug product in the freezer section of a refrigerator.

About the Author Dr. Ron Ziance is Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Roseman University. He co-authored a paper that describes the implementation of temperature-controlled requirements into pharmacy practice and has presented invited talks about temperature-controlled drugs at several national meetings.

Fall/2011 21

I N N OVAT I O N S

The New SimMan

®

by:Laura Jarrett

Mr. Watkins is a 69-year old Caucasian male who underwent hemicolectomy five days ago. He has a midline abdominal incision without redness, swelling, or drainage. He is tolerating a soft diet without nausea or vomiting, bowel sounds are present in all four abdominal quadrants, and he had a bowel movement yesterday. He is voiding quantity 400mL. He is reluctant to use the incentive spirometry, but his wife encourages him to do his deep breathing. Abdominal pain has been controlled with Percocet. He has refused to ambulate this morning because of fatigue and a sore leg, and he is ringing the call light to see his nurse.

If this was real life, Mr. Watkins may not want a nursing student to be the one who responds because the student is still learning, but students need to be exposed to real-life situations in order to become competent nursing professionals. To provide the realistic experience while still maintaining the safety of actual patients, nursing programs like Roseman University’s College of Nursing find the next best thing: a full-size adult manikin called Laerdal’s SimMan®. Roseman University College of Nursing has the latest model, the SimMan® Essential.

With SimMan®, Mr. Watkins’ exact condition, symptoms, and reactions can be programmed into the manikin, delivering a more realistic experience for the nursing students. At Roseman, Technology Services has been working in conjunction with Facilities Management and the College of Nursing on upgrades to the Henderson campus, creating a viable clinical environment for the nursing students.

Sue Clarren, Director of Simulation and Skills Laboratory at the Roseman University College of Nursing in Henderson explained the benefits of the technology. “The students can actually see the manikin ‘breathing’, hear a ‘heartbeat’ or carry on a therapeutic conversation with the ‘patient’ answering questions.

The manikin will be used to allow the students to learn clinical responsibilities, such as administering medications and wound care, to managing critical or emergency situations.”

22 Fall/2011

Mr. Watkins is just one example of a scenario that would be given to the nursing students. The student who is the “RN” would be given the above scenario as a “patient report”. Other students would play the roles of the wife, a nursing assistant, and the charge nurse while the remaining students would observe the scenario. The scenario is allowed to be played out for about 10-15 minutes and is videotaped.

The debriefing session that follows immediately after the scenario is the crucial step to deeper levels of learning that transfer from classroom to the clinical setting. In the debriefing session, the facilitator guides the student participants in reflecting back on the actual scenario, analyzing relevant issues, summarizing what was learned and how the lessons learned can be generalized to other situations.

The newest feature of the SimMan® Essential is its wireless capabilities. This allows the instructor to control the manikin remotely, providing a more flexible approach to teaching. The instructor can setup scenarios, monitor the situations, and make changes on the fly remotely, and a bidirectional communication system will enable the instructor to speak to the students through overhead speakers using a push-to-talk microphone.

According to Andrew Smith, Managing Director of Laerdal, SimMan® Essential can facilitate diverse and versatile patient scenarios in a range of operational environments, including a remote emergency room, hospital setting, or even a battlefield.

The goal of SimMan® is to create a mobile simulation solution that injects more realism into different scenario-based trainings to enhance and contextualize learning objectives in preparation for real patient encounters later in a nursing career.

This unique hands-on experience gives nursing students a chance to improve patient safety, build skills competence, and experience a dynamic environment like they will see when working with patients and other health care professionals in the field. When nurses have this kind of experience, the real Mr. Watkins will get the care he needs, and nurses will see the best possible patient care outcomes.

About the Author: Laura Jarrett is a Technology Services Project Manager at Roseman University in Henderson.

Alumni News FALL 2011

THE GIFT OF EDUCATION Roseman University Alumnus Pays Tribute to His Parents with a Special Gift

By Brenda Griego

Imagine how proud you would be if your son were receiving an award as a new member of the Board of Trustees at his alma mater. Imagine traveling to Roseman University to witness him receiving the award. Then, imagine your surprise when the spotlight turned on you instead.

But it was more than that. “It wasn’t just an educational experience, it was a life experience – it taught me what life is about, far beyond just going to school. It made me see Dr. Rosenberg’s vision and what he is about, which in turn made me think outside the box and strive to accomplish more too.”

That’s just what happened on June 2 to Drs. Houshang and Shahla Melamed, parents of Dr. Hootan Melamed, a graduate of the Roseman College of Pharmacy in 2003. The Melameds were welcomed to the Henderson campus by Dr. Rosenberg and Dr. Coffman, and were looking forward to celebrating their son’s accomplishments. Instead, they were the ones being celebrated when Hootan surprised them by making a generous donation to Roseman to name the second-year pharmacy (P2) classroom in their honor.

Hootan is a fan of the people of Roseman too.

“I knew Dr. Rosenberg and Dr. Coffman from Western University, and I’m close to Jackie Seip and Dr. Lacy. They even came to my wedding.”

“It was something I had always wanted to do,” Hootan explains, when asked how the donation had come about. “My parents have been my biggest supporters, through good and bad.

I wanted to make a sincere gesture that would say thank you and let them know that I was able to graduate because of their support. They were always there for me, and I am so grateful.”

As a graduate of the first class of what was then the Nevada College of Pharmacy, Dr. Melamed speaks equally warmly about his Roseman education, though he is quick to point out that he received more than just a pharmacy degree from the university.

“The educational aspect was great, and it almost felt like the professors were part of your family. They were very supportive of every single student, to make sure we graduated, became successful pharmacists, and went on to make a difference,” said Hootan.

About the actual ceremony where the new P2 classsroom name was unveiled, Hootan notes, “I was nervous as heck! Dr. Rosenberg gave a speech, and then he got emotional and turned it over to me. I spoke briefly, and got emotional as well. So then we pulled down the drapes on the classroom wall to uncover my parents’ names. My dad was shocked, and my mom started crying. Then everyone got a bit teary.”

Dr. Melamed’s father is a physician and his mother is a pharmacist, so he grew up in an accomplished family. The Drs. Houshang and Shahla Classroom is a fitting tribute to them and their lifelong dedication to the healing arts.

When asked how it makes him feel to see his parents’ names on the P2 classroom, Dr. Melamed pauses and replies, “I think the main emotion is pride. Their names are going to be there for a very long time, and that makes me feel proud. Proud that I graduated from Roseman, and proud that my experience at the university made me into the person I am today.”

Thank you, Hootan – Roseman takes great pride in you too!

Roseman has a wide range of naming opportunities available to those who wish to honor the accomplishments of alumni, friends, and families, or to mark the generosity of businesses and corporate supporters. From establishing endowed chairs or research funds to naming classrooms and colleges, you can craft your legacy at Roseman.

Call or email Brenda Griego Director of Development or more information at (702) 968-1619 Bgriego@Roseman.edu

Fall/2011 23

Special Report FALL 2011

The Doctor is In, But You Can’t Afford to See Him

NEW HEALTH CARE CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN THE RECESSION It is the worst economic recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s, and most of us know someone, or several people, who have been affected by the downturn. Many businesses have cut employee hours, pay, benefits, or some combination of all of these things in order to stay open. As employers look at salvaging the bottom line to keep people on the payroll, eliminating health insurance or reducing benefits is an increasingly popular option.

A report from the U.S. Census Bureau indicated the number of uninsured has increased almost 17 percent between 2008-2010 to approximately 50 million, some from losing employment-based benefits and some from losing private insurance coverage. Besides making healthcare more expensive for families with no coverage, the economic recession has also changed our health-related behaviors overall.

THE PROBLEM: SKIPPING THE DOCTOR OR SKIPPING MEDICATIONS

We have heard it on the grim news reports, and in our own conversations—people talking about cutting back on spending. This can be a good plan if it means cutting unnecessary expenses; it is not good when people begin to cut out essential care like preventative procedures, doctor’s visits, and life-saving medications. Those who have lost insurance coverage, but are still working and thus ineligible for federal programs like Medicaid, may ignore their health or stop taking 24 Fall/2011

medications because (1) it’s too expensive to cover the cost without insurance; and (2) they do not know what resources are available in the community. In this case, what people don’t know can hurt them!

THE PROBLEM: ER INSTEAD OF PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR

Marilyn Wills, Interim Director for the Nevada Governor’s Consumer Health Assistance (GCHA) office, notes that there has been enormous growth in the number of people needing health assistance, and people need to know the best ways to approach medical care to keep their costs and the costs to medical facilities as low as possible.

Many people will go to the emergency room believing it is less expensive than paying monthly insurance premiums and seeing a primary care doctor. They are shocked when they get the bill for what may have been a very minor ailment. Expensive ER bills can increase financial strain on families and even lead to bankruptcies, makingfinancial matters even worse. ERs also see an increasing number of patients who have been skipping preventative care because they have no insurance, and what may have begun as a treatable minor ailment has become a much more serious condition.

A study published in the September 2010 issue of Health Affairs discussed trends in ER visits versus primary care doctor visits between 2001-2004, examining 354 million annual visits and showing that treatment for new health problems at the ER is on the rise. The un-

Special Report FALL 2011

insured were far more likely to go to the ER, and most ER visits are happening in the evenings and on weekends when doctors are not in their offices. All this data was collected before the current economic crisis, which means today’s numbers are undoubtedly higher.

Ideally, patients should visit a primary care doctor for most care, since primary care physicians cost less than a typical ER visit, they know a patient’s medical history, and having fewer people in the ER waiting rooms with relatively minor problems means there is more time for ER doctors to care for those who really do need emergency care. Even patients without insurance can often negotiate the price of a doctor visit, and pay a lower price if they cannot afford the stated cost.

THE SOLUTION: FINDING AN ALTERNATIVE

For most hospitals, doctors, and health care facilities, the cost of care is not fixed. It can be adjusted for patients who cannot afford the full cost (a sliding scale), and patients who already have big bills they cannot pay may have some success in negotiating payment plans, or reducing the amount owed to an amount the patient can afford.

This option is much better than a patient simply skipping care or going straight to the ER. Patients with minor ailments can also look for low-cost clinics, like those starting to show up at Walgreens (Take Care Clinic) or CVS (Minute Clinic). These clinics alleviate some of the overcrowding in the ER by providing lower cost basic care for a wide variety of ailments and are available for extended hours on weeknights and weekends.

There are also places you can turn to for free assistance if you already have bills you cannot afford. The GCHA is partially funded by the hospitals and can work on behalf of patients to resolve financial issues with the hospitals. The agency receives 25 percent of its calls from uninsured, people who have recently lost insurance, and those who are minimally insured.

In Utah, people without insurance may qualify for programs like Utah Premium Partnership (UPP) or the Primary Care Network (PCN).

These agencies provide insurance or help paying insurance premiums for families who cannot afford it. Utah residents who are having trouble paying for prescription medication can contact RxConnect Utah to see if they are eligible for help.

There are also resources specifically for seniors. The Senior Rx Program in Nevada provides assistance with Medicare Part D expenses (for those eligible) and cost-sharing benefits (for those ineligible for Medicare Part D). There is also a Disability Rx program, Medicaid, and more.

If you have children who are not covered by other insurance or Medicaid, many states have a low-cost or free option to make sure your children are covered. The Nevada Check Up and Utah Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) are both available for income-qualified families.

There are also free clinics available for those with no jobs or insurance. The Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada, founded

by Dr. Florence Jameson, is one of them. The Clinic in downtown Las Vegas is another one. This fall, Sherri Rice’s Access to Health Care Network (currently in Reno) will be opening a Las Vegas office.

Places like the Maliheh Free Clinic, Hope Clinic, and Utah Partners for Health provide free or low-cost medical care to the uninsured and underinsured in the Salt Lake valley.

THE SOLUTION: GETTING DEBT RELIEF

If you are looking for relief from current medical (or other) debt and you are not sure where to start, the Federal Trade Commission’s website has some valuable free advice about what options you have as a consumer, and they vary depending on a person’s level of debt, level of discipline, and prospects for the future. Options include: realistic budgeting, credit counseling, debt settlement/consolidation, or bankruptcy.

Realistic Budgeting. If you have a relatively low level of debt, develop a realistic budget that identifies how much you take in and how much you are spending. Prioritize places where you can cut costs (like entertainment or eating out) and use the savings to pay down your debt. If you lay out a budget and you are having trouble making necessary payments like mortgage or car payments, contact your creditors right away and try to work out a payment plan that reduces your payments to a manageable level. Make sure you contact them before your debts are turned over to collections.

Credit Counseling. If budgeting is not working, or you are not able

to negotiate repayment plans with creditors, you may find help with a credit counseling organization. Many of these companies are nonprofit, but it’s important to do your homework before you sign up with any agency. Legitimate agencies will offer their services, tools, information, and educational materials for free or for a very small fee.

Even one that says it is “non-profit” may have hidden fees and charges, or pressure you to make “voluntary” contributions that will cause more debt and only make the problem worse.

Debt Management Plans (DMP). If you are in way too much debt

or are unable to make your debt payments, a credit counselor may recommend you sign up for a DMP. A DMP is not the same as credit counseling, and it is not recommended for everyone. Before enrolling in any DMP, talk to a credit counselor to see if it’s right for you.

Fall/2011 25

Won’t send you free information about the services it provides without requiring you to provide personal financial information, such as credit card account numbers, and balances Tries to enroll you in a debt relief program without reviewing your financial situation

More Information. For more information onyour rights as a con-

sumer, including your rights when dealing with debt settlement programs, bankruptcy, and creditors, visit the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection website at www.ftc.gov/bcp or call 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357); TTY: 866-653-4261.

HEALTH FESTIVALS

Debt Settlement Programs. In the current economic climate,

many debt settlement companies have emerged with claims that they will negotiate with creditors to reduce the total amount of debt you owe by as much as 70 percent or more. These programs can be risky and can have a long-term negative impact on your credit report.

In truth, there are no guarantees that a creditor will accept a partial payment or that a company will be able to negotiate your payment down. If you stop making payments to your creditors, and the debt settlement company fails to make payments on your debt, it will be reported on your credit history and could include late fees and added interest. Any amount of debt that is “forgiven” may also be considered by the IRS as taxable income.

The FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection recommends that consumers be wary of any debt relief organization that:

Charges any fees before it settles debts Touts a “new government program” to bail out personal credit card debt Guarantees it can make your unsecured debt go away Tells you to stop communicating with your creditors Tells you it can stop all debt collection calls and lawsuits Guarantees that your unsecured debts can be paid off for just pennies on the dollar

LAS VEGAS AREA Cambridge Family Health Center Las Vegas Outreach Clinic Martin Luther King Family Health Center North Las Vegas Family Health Center Volunteers in Medicine Nevada Medicaid Clark County Social Services Access to Healthcare Network Miles for Smiles (oral health) Prescription Assistance (RxHelp4NV) Disability Rx (16-62 & disabled) and Senior Rx (62 & over) Social Security Administration Low Income Subsidy Governor’s Consumer Health Assistance

26 Fall/2011

702-307-5415 702-307-4635 702-383-1900 702-214-5948 702-967-0530 702-486-1646 702-486-5000 877-385-2345 702-220-9908 888-477-2669 866-303-6323 800-633-4227 702-486-3587

For seven years Roseman University has been presenting free health festivals throughout Southern Nevada, and in South Jordan, Utah since 2008. The University has over 90 non-profit and for-profit health care partners who help in providing free health screenings and life-saving information. Pharmacy and nursing students and faculty are at every event providing health screenings and counseling on prescription drugs, diabetes, acid reflux, and more. On some occasions residents from the orthodontic program are able to provide free orthodontic screenings, and pharmacy students help with blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, skin cancer, vision, hearing, pulmonary, spinal and BMI screenings. The Nevada campus organizes six festivals a year, and the Utah campus organizes two or three.

Details on the dates, times, and locations of upcoming festivals is available on the Calendar of Events at www.roseman.edu.

There is hope, even in the worst economies, if patients take the time to ask questions, plan their health care for the future, and work with doctors and hospitals to keep costs affordable.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Please note: Not all of the clinics listed below are “free clinics”.

Some of the community health centers listed below provide access to primary and preventive health care services to the medically underserved, and try to provide service regardless of a person’s ability to pay. Federal grants and donor gifts may give them the ability to adjust charges for patients with no insurance based on family size, income, and other factors.

SALT LAKE AREA Utah 211 – Health & Human Service Resources 2-1-1 www.211ut.org RxConnect Utah 866-221-0265 Children’s Health Insurance (CHIP) 877-543-7669 Hope Clinic (Midvale) 801-568-6700 Maliheh Free Clinic (Salt Lake City) 801-266-3700 Utah Partners For Health (West Valley, Kearns, Magna) 801-417-0131 Midvale Family Clinic 801-561-2211 Primary Care Network (health insurance) 888-222-2542 Office of Consumer Health Assistance (OCHA) 866-350-6242 Social Security Administration (Salt Lake office) 866-851-5275 Utah Medicaid 801-538-6155 COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS Central City Copperview Oquirrh View North Salt Lake

801-539-8617 801-566-5494 801-964-6214 801-328-5750

Special Report FALL 2011

Reinventing Yourself in a Recession Three E’s for self-transformation

By Okeleke Nzeogwu Current economic forecasts suggest that the path to full economic recovery, and thus full employment, will be long and slow, and more than three years after the start of the Great Recession, that forecast is only getting longer.

On the bright side if you are currently unemployed or underemployed, you will have an opportunity to rethink, reinvent and repackage yourself for the potential prosperity years ahead.

In the classic four “P’s” of marketing—Product, Price, Place, and Promotion—the product is always the most critical for long-term success. Right now, people looking for a new career should be thinking of themselves the way businesses think of a product—and packaging, marketing, and selling themselves accordingly.

Many downsized and displaced workers are looking at education as a fast route to selfreinvention, but the mistake you should avoid is getting a superficial education or another diploma/certificate that does not translate to real product (self) transformation. Employers are savvy and they know that not all diplomas speak to the quality of the graduate, just as not all product labels are an accurate reflection of the quality of the product inside. Although education is an important gauge that employers use to assess prospective employees, taking shortcuts in education and diplomas can hurt the job seeker long term.

To rethink and reinvent the new you, use the “Three E’s” as a guide: EDUCATION This encompasses your major, minor, universities/colleges attended, degrees earned, certifications, extracurricular activities, and more.

Although the proliferation of colleges and universities has made education available to all types of consumers, the quality has become more varied. Because of the quality concerns, employers are focusing less on diplomas and more on the quality of the educational training

and student outcomes. If the quality of the educational training is in doubt, the employment experiences and purported expertise are likely to be in question also. In essence, paying good money or getting student loans to get a diploma that signals questionable quality is not a good strategy to market yourself longterm. However, since formal training and/or a quality education is critical to success in professional jobs, do your homework and make sure the place you are getting your education from translates into quality (and employability) in the workforce.

EXPERIENCE This should include your credible employment history—durations, positions held and responsibilities—and the companies or establishments you served. Education is like the soil for your plant of expertise, providing theoretical knowledge and a foundation. But experience provides the water and nutrients, without which your plant will not grow.

To highlight the importance of both education and work experience, suppose you are seeking medical treatment. You might avoid an herbalist with lots of real-world experience but no formal education, and you would probably overlook a doctor with good formal education but no practical experience. Employers are no different. For many professional jobs, both educational training and work experience are necessary to build and support expertise.

Overall, additional education training and work experience are important if they improve the product (you) and support job-market expertise, rather than just taking up space on a résumé or CV. EXPERTISE Indicate your expertise on a résumé by highlighting specializations, awards and certifications, publications, trainings, experiences and specific skills (such as computer, technical, language and international experience).

This is the real job market clincher in a modern economy, and it is what should drive our

choices in education and experience.

For example, I recall the story of one applicant’s résumé and the search committee’s reaction to it. She had a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. all in accounting, and was a CPA. She had worked for the IRS briefly, owned a private tax service and worked as an auditor. Her résumé had no fancy words, ‘fluff’ or hardto-decipher expertise. Her ‘market effect’ on the committee was potent. I have also seen a backhoe operator who had potent market power. His employer, trying to highlight his superior expertise, told me, “The only thing he can’t do with a backhoe is hold a sandwich to his mouth!” The point to remember is that when reinventing yourself for job market success, education and experience must all reinforce, signal and highlight an expertise for you to be market-effective.

Here are some tips to repackage and market yourself: Choose your educational experience, training and work experience to develop or reinforce an expertise/specialization.

If more education is necessary, select an educational program and institution whose market reputation will support your future job search efforts. Moreover, select within your professional interest, academic ability, and financial resources.

Focus on work experiences that will highlight and support your expertise long term, even if that means volunteering or accepting less pay in the short-term.

Remember that by developing a specialization (or expertise), you will be more productive and enter a job market niche where fewer job seekers can compete. And if employer demands increase or remain the same, the reduced competition will lead to better market price, or financial compensation, for the product you are selling – you!

About the Author: Dr. Okeleke Nzeogwu is the Program Director for the Roseman University Master in Business Administration program.

Fall/2011 27

Healthcare Jobs Hold Steady Despite Economic Downturn

By Tracy Hernandez

In prosperous economic times, people search for jobs in fields that are rapidly growing and can promise higher income. In an economic recession, job searches turn to the fields with high levels of job security.

At the intersection of high growth, high income potential, and job security is the healthcare field. Unlike jobs in business or manufacturing, health care jobs have seen a surge in both good and bad economic times, and do not seem to be going away.

One job that consistently appears at the top of the list for job security is a Registered Nurse (RN). The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 201011 Occupational Outlook Handbook indicates that registered nurses earn a median annual income of $62,450, with the lowest ten percent making around $40,000 and the highest ten percent making over $92,000. Other jobs that consistently make the “recession-proof” list are physicians and surgeons, pharmacists, physical therapists, physicians assistant, and medical services managers.

Even Rick Newman, author of a recent article titled “Why ‘RecessionProof’ Jobs Are a Myth” (U.S. News and World Report), concedes that health care is the exception, as the only industry that “has gained jobs in practically every sector over the last few years, despite the recession.”

Health professions are growing exponentially as a result of increasingly complex health care systems, combined with an aging population of baby boomers who are living longer, taking more drugs, and who will need more care. All predictions indicate that health care professions will continue to grow.

One of the biggest obstacles to getting a job in health care is the time it takes to get your degree. After all, if you are looking for a job to get you through the recession, you don’t want to be finishing your academic studies after the recession is over. To become a physician or surgeon, for example, requires four years for a bachelor’s degree, four

28 Fall/2011

more years in medical school, and three to seven years in a residency program, adding up to one and a half decades of school and training, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Requirements to become a physician assistant or physical therapist are shorter at six to nine years, but still a relatively long commitment.

By contrast, Roseman University offers programs to achieve nursing and pharmacy degrees in half the time or less. Roseman has an 18-month bachelor’s in nursing degree (BSN), and someone with a bachelor’s degree in a different field who is interested in changing careers can now enroll in the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) at the Henderson, Nev. campus and become an RN in just 14 months.

If nursing is not for you, consider a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree. With 60 credits of prerequisite courses from an accredited college or university, a student can complete Roseman’s PharmD program in just three years, and be on the way to making $111,570 a year on average, according to the BLS. Although experts agree that there is no such thing as an absolutely “recession-proof” job, it doesn’t look like our need for qualified health care professionals in America will go down anytime soon, making a health care education a good investment for the immediate future to escape the current recession, and an even better investment in the long run.

For more information on healthcare education programs at Roseman, visit www.roseman.edu. Occupational wage outlooks and information about specific industries and jobs can also be found at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov.

About the Author: Tracy Hernandez is the Marketing Director for Roseman University’s South Jordan, Utah campus and Editor of remEDy Magazine.

Utahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

F IRST DENTAL SCHOOL By: Tracy Hernandez

On August 19, 2011, the names and hometowns were announced in succession as students stepped onto the stage to receive their white coats at the official White Coat Ceremony for Utahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first College of Dental Medicine (CODM), Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) program. In total 64 students participated in the ceremony, which officially marks the entrance of a student into the health professions.

Half of the students in the inaugural class are from Utah, some from more populated areas along the Wasatch Front like Bountiful and South Jordan, and many from small rural communities like Richfield and Parowan.

The plan to build a dental school in Utah unfolded on the basis of two things: (1) Utah exported the largest number of dental students per capita to other states to pursue

their dental education; and (2) despite having many thriving dental professionals in the state, there is still a very large population of underserved families that are not getting the dental care they need.

Medicare does not offer a dental benefit, and families without insurance may not be able to afford traditional dental care at the going rate. Thus, a dental school can fill a unique niche in the provider market, offering dental care at a deeply discounted price to reach out to people who do not have insurance and may not be able to afford the high cost of dental procedures.

When the first four members of the CODM administration arrived, they had one year to transform the school from scratch into a world-class program that would match the academic rigor and reputation of other programs at Roseman University. That meant completing the application for Initial Accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation (Initial Accreditation was achieved on August 4, 2011); selecting 64 of the best and brightest students for the inaugural class from a pool of 1,220 applicants; hiring more than 20 staff members and prominent faculty from around the country with backgrounds in dental education and

clinical work; developing an initial curriculum that embodies Roseman Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique core teaching principles, including the block curriculum; and finally collaborating with architects and facilities managers to design a state-of-the-art building that will include both teaching facilities and a patient clinic.

On October 27, 2011, the new College of Dental Medicine building will be officially dedicated. It opens with an initial 80-seat state-of-the-art patient clinic that will expand in coming years to 160 seats, and will eventually treat approximately 300-350 patients each day the clinic is open. The school enrolled 64 students in its inaugural class, and will enroll 80 students per class beginning in 2012.

Fall/2011 29

ROSEMAN PEOPLE J u l y 1 , 2 0 11 t o P r e s e n t

Dr. Renee Coffman

Promotions

Dr. Eucharia Nnadi

Dr. Tom Metzger

Jason Roth

The College of Nursing, South Jordan has promoted Lori Barber to the position of Director of Clinical Resources.

Dr. Marlene Luna has been appointed Dean of the College of Nursing at the South Jordan campus.

Dr. Renee Coffman, Dean of the College of Pharmacy, has been appointed Executive Vice President for Quality Assurance and Intercampus Consistency, and Interim Co-Chancellor of the University’s South Jordan campus.

Manas Mandal was promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Maria Gagliano was promoted to Administrative Assistant to the Dean of the College of Dental Medicine, Henderson campus. She previously served as a member of the clinical staff.

Jason Gibson has been promoted to User Services Director for Technology Services.

Sukanya Mandal is Marketing/Institutional Research and Assessment Coordinator.Mandal previously served as an Administrative Assistant.

Dr. Tom Metzger is Interim Co-Chancellor of the University’s South Jordan campus, in addition to his positions as Campus Administrative Officer and Director for Institutional Research and Assessment.

Previously Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Eucharia Nnadi has been named Chancellor of Roseman University’s Henderson campus.

In addition to her role as Program Director for the Advanced Education in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics/MBA residency program, Dr. Jaleh Pourhamidi is now Dean of the College of Dental Medicine at the University’s Henderson campus.

Jason Roth has been appointed Vice President of Communications and Public Relations.

He previously served as Director of Marketing

Awards, Recognition and Appointments In August, Dr. Richard Buchanan, Dean of the College of Dental Medicine at the South Jordan campus, chaired the Annual Conference of the Deans’ Institute, a group of U.S. dental school deans devoted to promoting collaboration and enhancing the individual and collective capacity of the deans to lead their respective institutions and the dental profession. Dr. Buchanan serves as Director of the organization.

Dr. Traci Christensen and Dr. Tim Drake, both Assistant Professors of Pharmacy Practice for the College of Pharmacy, were elected to the Utah Society of Health System Pharmacists (USHP) Board.

Dr. Mark Decerbo, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice for the College of Pharmacy, was appointed Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine by the University of Nevada School of Medicine. He was also recently called to testify in criminal court for the Clark County District Attorney’s Office as an 30 Fall/2011

expert witness for the prosecution in a felony assault trial.

Dr. Jaleh Pourhamidi was named a Health Care Headliner by VEGAS INC magazine and recognized at an event on September 20 at the Renaissance Hotel in Las Vegas. She was also recently inducted into the American College of Dentists.

Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Diane Swaffer, was re-appointed to the American Society of Pharmacognosy Membership, ASP Newsletter, and Tellers Committees.

Jeff Wainwright, a third-year pharmacy student, was awarded the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) “Outstanding Member of the Year” Award by the South Jordan NCPA student chapter.

Barbara Wood, Director of University Relations, was selected for the Board of Directors

of the World Affairs Council of Las Vegas and the Advisory Board of the India Chamber of Commerce as well as the Association of Turkish Americans. She was also awarded the “Community Leadership Award for Business” by the 100 Black Women organization and the “Community Philanthropy Award” by the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Nevada.

Roseman University was recognized by the South Jordan City Council at their meeting on September 6 with a proclamation. In the proclamation, August 15 was designated as the Roseman University College of Dental Medicine “Charter Class Day” in recognition of the inaugural Doctor of Dental Medicine class at the Utah campus.

On September 30, the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Nevada recognized Roseman University with the “Educational Institution Appreciation Award” at its annual Leadership & Appreciation Awards Luncheon.

Research, Publications and Presentations Research efforts for the Roseman University Center for Diabetes & Obesity Prevention, Treatment, Research & Education have been spearheaded by Dr. Ronald Fiscus and his staff. The laboratory houses state-of-the-art research equipment, such as an in-capillary immuno-detection system (NanoPro100) and a total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) system, a technology that is not available anywhere else in the state of Nevada. Dr. Fiscus’ research lab continues to expand, as he recently appointed two published Research Associates, Dr. Ben Costantino and Janica Wong. Upcoming events involving lab members include several scientific poster presentations to be given by Associate Scientist Mary Johlfs, who also manages research operations for the Center.

A scientific article “Protein kinase G type-I phosphorylates c-Src at serine-17 and promotes cell survival, proliferation and attachment in human mesothelioma and non-small cell lung cancer cells,” by Dr. Fiscus and Ms. Johlfs was published in the August 2011 peerreviewed BMC Pharmacology.

In September, Dr. Fiscus presented a keynote lecture, “Low-level-NO- or ANP-induced activation of PKG-Iα promotes DNA synthesis/ cell proliferation and protects cells against the toxic/proapoptotic effects of high-level NO” at the International Conference on Nitric Oxide in Inflammation in Shanghai, China.

Dr. Fiscus, Ms. Johlfs, and Ms. Wong, along with collaborator Dr. Elaine L. Leung of Macau University of Science and Technology, contrib-

uted a chapter, “Nitric Oxide/Protein Kinase G-1α Promotes c-Src Activation, Proliferation and Chemoresistance in Ovarian Cancer,” to the book Ovarian Cancer/Book 1, to be published in October.

In October, Dr. Fiscus presented a research lecture, “Novel role of the nitric oxide/cGMP/ PKG-1α signaling pathway in promoting cell survival and proliferation in neural, stem/progenitor and cancer cells: Quantification using the NanoPro system,” to the NanoPro User’s Meeting in Washington, DC. Ms. Johlfs, Dr. Renee Coffman, Dr. Harry Rosenberg and Dr. Fiscus, along with collaborator Dr. Thuc Tim Le, Assistant Member, Division of Drug Development at the Nevada Cancer Institute, will present a poster at the 9th Annual World Congress on Insulin Resistance, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease in November in Hollywood, Calif. The poster is entitled “Nitric oxide (NO)/cGMP-dependent protein kinase type-I (PKG-I) signaling pathway regulates fat cell differentiation: relevance to obesity and Type II diabetes.

Xan Goodman, Reference and Instruction Librarian, presented a paper in Istanbul, Turkey for the European Association for Health Information and Libraries (EAHIL) Workshop: “Active Learning and Research Partners in Health.” Her paper, “Embedded Library Instruction in an Accelerated Online Bachelor of Nursing Program,” was based on her work with the Roseman University ABSN program.

She was also awarded a $500 Northern California/Nevada Medical Library Group (NC-

New Employees (Full-Time and Regular Part-Time)

College of Nursing – Henderson Elizabeth Andal, Assistant Professor for ABSN Diana Elmore, Assistant Professor for ABSN Judith Hochberger, Assistant Professor for ABSN College of Pharmacy – Henderson Dr. Renee Holder, Assistant Professor Dr. William Kuykendall, Assistant Professor Dr. Roseann Visconti, Assistant Professor

College of Pharmacy – South Jordan Dr. Heather Hatch, Assistant Professor Erin Johanson, Instructor and Advanced Experience Coordinator Dr. Matthew Milne, Assistant Professor Dr. Nikki Milne, Assistant Professor

College of Dental Medicine – South Jordan Dr. Robert Alder, Assistant Professor Rebecca Brown, Administrative Assistant Dr. Wendy Chu, Assistant Professor Dr. Edward DeSchepper, Professor and Director of Clinical Foundations Dr. Jacob Dunn, Assistant Professor Dr. Robert Kanas, Assistant Professor Dr. Kenneth King, Associate Professor and Director of Primary Dental Care Ronald “Brian” Lacey, Director of Clinical Operations Roy Lovato, Dental Equipment Technician Dr. Hoang-Cam Nguyen, Assistant Professor Dr. Llewellyn Powell, Associate Professor and Clinical Practice Team Leader Brandi Speirs, Administrative Assistant Dr. Duane Winden, Assistant Professor

NMLG) Professional Development Grant for acceptance of her paper by EAHIL. In September, Dr.Gregory Goussak, Assistant Professor with the MBA program, presented a paper at the University of Riverside 2011 Fall Conference on Global Mindset Development in Leadership and Management, in Los Angeles, Calif.

Assistant Professor of Nursing, Traci Hardell, presented a poster entitled “Motivating Nurse Faculty to Use Active Learning Strategies: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study” at the National League of Nursing Education Summit held in Orlando, Florida.

Dr. Brandon Markley, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, presented a poster entitled “Evaluation of the MDRD and CockcroftGault Equations for Sitagliptin Dosing” in October at the 2011 American College of Clinical Pharmacy in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Diane Swaffer, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, presented a poster titled “Cytotoxicity of Phenolic Alkaloids and Non-Phenolic Tropoloisoquinoline Alkaloids from Abuta Species” at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Pharmacognosy, in July in San Diego, Calif. Chad Holley (Class of 2011 graduate) and collaborators at Penn State and Indiana State Universities were co-authors. At the same meeting a she co-presented a poster titled “Leishmanicidal and Anticancer Potential of Selected Naphthoquinones.” Chad Holley and collaborators at Howard University and Ohio State were co-authors.

Research Cheuk Ying “Janica” Wong, Research Associate Service Units James Britsch, Reference & Instruction Librarian Brenda Griego, Director of Development Michael Kelley, Help Desk Lead Catherine Nochefranca, Registration Coordinator Takeshia Osley, Administrative Grants Officer Thomas Runds, LMS Director Emily Squires, Library Assistant

Fall/2011 Fall/2011 31 31

Roseman University

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fast Factsâ&#x20AC;?

Year Established: 1999

South Jordan, Utah campus established: 2006 Total Enrollment (includes Henderson and South Jordan Campuses) as of Sept. 30: 1,073

Roseman University has graduated over 1,200 students from the pharmacy, nursing, MBA and AEODO/MBA programs.

Roseman University is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) and each academic program is separately accredited by its respective accrediting body.

The students of Roseman College of Pharmacy have consistently performed above the national average in the NAPLEX or North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination. Candidates taking the NAPLEX for the first time from the Class of 2011 had a 99 percent passing rate and the National passing rate was 96 percent.

The Class of 2011 and 2012 AEODO/MBA residents had 100 percent passing rates on the American Board of Orthodontics Examination.

ROSEMAN UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES

Roseman University of Health Sciences A Nevada Non-Profit Corporation 11 Sunset Way Henderson, NV 89014-2333

Address Service Requested

NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID LAS VEGAS NV PERMIT NO. 1840