Life-Saving Lessons at Times Square: Inside Touro College of Pharmacy’s RxPLORE Program

They participated in a variety of hands-on activities, including role-playing patient care scenarios, compounding a “magic mouthwash” commonly used to relieve pain and inflammation associated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy and other painful oral conditions, and learning lifesaving CPR skills.

The activities all took place over three jam-packed days of seminars and workshops led by TCOP faculty and staff, titled “RxPLORE Summer Academy for College Students.”

“It definitely changed my outlook on pharmacy profession,” said William Teigman, a second-year pre-med student majoring in biology at Touro's Lander College of Arts & Sciences (LAS) campus in Brooklyn.

“I didn’t know what pharmacy was, really. My only exposure was to retail pharmacy. I think most people only think of pharmacists as community retail pharmacists. It opened my eyes that the settings in which pharmacists work and the work they do is way broader than people think,” he said.

Learning Basic Life Support

Sixteen students completed a four-hour interactive CPR training session that included a formal lecture, followed by a written exam and a supervised hands-on practice and skills assessment with adult and infant manikins. The training is required before pharmacy students begin their clinical experiential rotations and is also a prerequisite for immunization certification.

“CPR training is considered essential because pharmacists are on the front lines of patient care. In hospital settings, they may participate in Code Blue and other emergency response teams, where they play a critical role in medication preparation and patient support during medical emergencies,” explained Dr. Keith Veltri, vice chair and associate professor of pharmacy practice at TCOP, who led the training.

“Pharmacists must be certified in CPR before administering vaccinations,” he added. “Training is essential because patients can walk into most pharmacies and request a vaccination. Close monitoring is required following vaccine administration, and if an adverse reaction occurs, the pharmacist must be prepared to respond appropriately, including performing CPR if the patient becomes unresponsive.”

According to the American Heart Association, individuals who receive CPR within the first two minutes of cardiac arrest have significantly better outcomes. A large study involving nearly 200,000 cases found that patients who received CPR within two minutes had an 81 percent greater chance of survival and were 95 percent more likely to survive without severe neurological impairment.

After successfully completing both the written and practical exams, the college students  earned certification in Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers. The certification covers CPR for adults, children, and infants; the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs); participation in clinical emergency response teams; and the management of airway obstructions.

How often do pharmacists encounter emergencies such as sudden cardiac arrest?

“Fortunately, probably less often than in a hospital setting, where we may also participate in emergency response codes, but it can happen,” said Veltri. “That’s why it’s important to stay current with CPR certification and be prepared to respond when needed.”

“Center of Excellence”

RxPLORE programs are part of TCOP’s “Center of Excellence” – a federally-funded initiative to increase the number of pharmacy students, graduates and faculty working in communities to improve health outcomes.

Teigman attended the event with his friend and LAS classmate Rafael Davatgar, also a biology major,  who works as a tech at Flushing Pharmacy in Brooklyn, his cousin’s pharmacy.

“I went in to help in the pharmacy for a couple of days and once I started working, I just fell in love with it. Just helping patients every day,” said Davatgar, recalling an elderly patient whom he described as “very nervous and in need of someone to explain slowly and step by step how to take her medications. She came in frantic but walked out calm and relieved.”

Another of the popular sessions at RxPLORE was an interactive one in the compounding lab, where sterile medications like IV bags and non-sterile medications tailored for individuals, such as creams and ointments, are prepared meticulously. The students raved about making a “magic mouthwash” to relieve pain from mouth sores.

“The compounding is a hands-on experience, another niche of pharmacy that doesn’t necessarily come to mind when you first think about pharmacists and what they do,” said Teigman, who said he is still exploring his graduate school options. “It’s hands-on. It’s fun.”

Three prior RxPLORE participants are getting ready to start their second year at TCOP and two additional alumni will be joining the Class of 2030 in August.