Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science
Geriatrics
Associate Professor, Nicole Brandt, PharmD, oversees the Baltimore Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center ambulatory geriatric medication management clinic as a part of the geriatric service and training opportunities.
The VA utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to assessing and caring for the aging veteran population. The VA works in a credentialed provider model which is openly collaborative, thus providing advanced practice opportunities for PPS faculty. The pharmacist plays a primary role in patient assessment, prescribing and adjusting medications, monitoring for efficacy and toxicity, providing patient education, facilitating medication adherence and documenting each encounter in the VA electronic medical record.
A day long clinic is split into two parts. One clinic is devoted to comprehensive interdisciplinary assessments of elderly patients, including psychosocial, medical and pharmaceutical care needs. The second is primarily focused on geriatric primary care and medication management, thus providing continuity-of-care for this patient population. Brandt and Robert Michocki, PharmD, professor, provide pharmaceutical care to this patient population. Student pharmacists and residents gain experience following a cohort of patients throughout their ambulatory care experience.