Pharmacy Residents Provide Medication Safety Education to Students

Wegmans School of Pharmacy residents Jennifer Rafferty, Tenzin Legdup, and Jennifer Chen visited third graders in the Pittsford Central School District to talk about medication safety and introduce them to the pharmacy profession.

The residents spoke with students about the importance of taking medication properly, not confusing it with candy, and shared with them the role of pharmacists in the community. The team showed an age-appropriate video, engaged the students in a “Medicine or Candy” interactive game, and distributed a “Trip to the Pharmacy” coloring book for the children to take home.  

Earlier this year, residents Mackenzie Roberts, Joe Eskandrous, and Ashley Shtoyko conducted a similar outreach to fifth graders at Honeoye Falls Middle School. The team instructed students on the use and potential misuse of common over the counter medications and engaged the class with opportunities for pharmacists in the community and hospital settings.

"These outreach opportunities help to educate students on the proper use of medication and raise awareness of pharmacy as a career choice," said Dr. Christine Birnie, dean of the School. "We hope to welcome some of them as students to the Wegmans School of Pharmacy in about 10 years!"