By: Erik Pedersen, Senior Communications Manager, and Dr. Jane Ho, School of Pharmacy Assistant Professor
BALTIMORE – Key components of the mission and vision for Notre Dame of Maryland University’s School of Pharmacy include an emphasis on compassion, caring for diverse populations, and a dedication to transform societal health. All three of these ideals are featured as part of NDMU’s unique AdvoCaring program, which provides students with meaningful opportunities to develop their clinical skills while serving community members at a variety of local organizations.
The initiative, which has been built into the curriculum since the School of Pharmacy was established in 2008, matches students with one of eight current AdvoCaring partnership sites throughout their four years on campus. NDMU’s partner organizations assist a variety of underserved populations, including the elderly, low-income groups, those with a history of substance abuse, and people experiencing housing/food insecurity or unemployment.
“The AdvoCaring program offers immense value to our student pharmacists by providing a meaningful partnership with local community nonprofit organizations,” said Dr. Matthew Shimoda, dean of NDMU’s School of Pharmacy. “Through this program, students gain practical experience, develop a strong sense of social responsibility, and contribute to the betterment of their communities while honing their professional and clinical skills.”
An example of tasks that students complete in the first year at their AdvoCaring site include collecting a community member’s medical and medication history, checking their blood pressure, or educating on basic healthy lifestyle strategies. Students provide more clinically based services as they gain more skills through the pharmacy curriculum over the years: by their third year they might be asked to administer immunizations or provide answers to a variety of medication-related questions under supervision by a licensed pharmacist.
“NDMU faculty members are assigned as advisors to each group of students to guide and serve with them at our partnership organizations,” said Dr. Jane Ho, assistant professor and director of the School of Pharmacy’s AdvoCaring program. “Students have often expressed that, through these experiences, they become more confident in their communication and medication counseling skills, they become more empathetic, and they gain a greater appreciation of the need to assist underserved communities.”
The assistance provided by NDMU students goes beyond healthcare. They participate in a variety of community service initiatives, ranging from meal distribution and ice cream socials to community bingo and wheelchair washing.
“Social isolation is a major concern with our older adult population,” said Tiffany Mack, service coordinator at the DePaul House and St. Joachim House Catholic Charities Senior Living Communities. “Partnering with NDMU’s AdvoCaring program has helped us address this, while also educating our residents on important health topics. Beyond the educational component, the students have come to play Wii Bowling, work on arts and crafts, or just engage in conversation. Most residents just want someone to talk to – they love engaging with the students.”
The experience also provides leadership opportunities for the students, with one for each site designated as the AdvoCaring group leader. In that role, they interact with both their faculty advisor and site coordinator to arrange service opportunities throughout the academic year. Other leadership opportunities include documenting outcomes of each AdvoCaring event as the AdvoCaring Outcomes Coordinator, and taking pictures as the AdvoCaring Historian.
For many students involved in the program, AdvoCaring leads to experiences which will remain with them long after their graduation from pharmacy school. One memorable moment for Jahanvi Patel D’25, group leader for the DePaul House and St. Joachim House AdvoCaring sites, was an immunization clinic in which students administered vaccinations and had an opportunity to provide counseling to the residents.
“I learned a great deal about each person I spoke with, and was able to establish strong relationships with them,” Patel said. “That helped facilitate communication about their concerns or medication problems. These kinds of interactions help students become more understanding and mindful of situations which they will likely encounter again in the future. AdvoCaring provides us with priceless and meaningful experiences that we will be able to directly refer to in our future career.”
“Most of the time, student life is focused on academics and how we perform on in-class assignments,” added Iman Hawkins D’24, group leader for the Baltimore County Department of Aging site. “AdvoCaring allows us to use what we have learned and apply it to real life, where there are no multiple choice answers to select and grey areas exist. This program is where we truly begin our training to become pharmacists.”
Learn about how the AdvoCaring program has impacted additional NDMU students and local community organizations below:
Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best "Regional Universities North" by U.S. News & World Report.