Serena Roberts, PharmD’24, Top Three in APhA-ASP National Patient Counseling Competition

The APhA-ASP National Patient Counseling Competition aims to encourage student pharmacists to become better patient educators, reflects changes that are occurring in practice and reinforces the role of pharmacists as health care providers and educators.

Roberts initially participated in the local University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences competition in fall 2022 where she was selected to advance to the national competition held at the 2023 APhA Annual Meeting, March 23-25, Phoenix, AZ.

At the national competition, Roberts participated in two rounds of competition against more than 115 students from pharmacy schools across the country. Both rounds of competition consisted of assessing medications that differed from one another in formulation, drug class and directions of use.

In the first round of competition, competitors randomly chose a medication then had to look up the prescription alongside a patient’s profile using drug reference tools. Competitors then counseled the patient on medication use while addressing their individual profile and personality characteristics. Roberts was selected as one of 10 students who advanced to the final round of competition.

In the final round, competitors again had to review a medication alongside a patient’s profile, then counsel the patient on appropriate medication use according to their specific needs. Roberts placed second runner-up in the competition overall.

“I am extremely proud and grateful for this opportunity and achievement,” says Roberts. “The competition was a challenge, but it was amazing being able to put into practice what I have been learning over the last few years.”

Roberts was recognized at the 2023 APhA Annual Meeting awards ceremony with a certificate and cash prize.

“I am happy that I was able to represent the UB School of Pharmacy on the national level and I hope that someone from UB will go even further in the competition in the years to come,” Roberts adds.

The mission of APhA-ASP is to be the collective voice of student pharmacists, to provide opportunities for professional growth, to improve patient care and to envision and advance the future of pharmacy.