Joel Glasson, BS Pharm, MS
Duke University Hospital
Durham, North Carolina

Tell me about your training, the jobs you’ve held and your current position.

Joel: I have been a pharmacist at Duke for 27 years. Prior to my role in pain management I served as a staff pharmacist and supervisor. My training in pain management began in 1990 when I joined the Acute Pain Service at Duke University Hospital . Under the tutelage of the pharmacists and anesthesiologists on the service, I learned pharmacology and skills necessary to serve as a physician extender in managing pain, mainly with opioids and Patient Controlled Analgesia devices. The pharmacists oversaw PCA therapy for all patients at Duke, up to 120 patients per day.

Due to reimbursement issues for anesthesiologists and a program then initiated to place aspects of pain management under the control of primary care teams instead of a consult service, the pharmacist’s role with the pain service changed. Starting in 1998 the pharmacists served in an education role for the hospital staff, providing an informal consult service to aid with the transition to pain management by primary care teams. There was a need to provide education to the staff and assistance for patients with complicated pain management issues. My role expanded to clinical educator, and patient advocate to the primary teams caring for the patient. Through interactions with the patient, family, nurses and physicians the pharmacist provided safe and effective pharmacological pain management therapies.

How long have you been precepting pharmacy students?

Joel: I have been precepting pharmacy students at Duke since the early 1980''s and precepting students for full month rotations since 1992.

What is your teaching philosophy?

Joel: As with all of our jobs in pharmacy, we have had to learn to do more with less. At times I have felt overwhelmed with both clinical and education responsibilities of pharmacy practice. 90% of my day was involved with clinical care of patients, which was great for the student with me as it exposed the student to a wide range of clinical experiences. I felt that even though the students got good experiences, there was not enough time for clinical instruction of the student. I used to resist taking more than one student at a time; I just could not see how I could do more. With a growing number of students completing rotations at Duke, I began to accept two students a month.

In order to provide a valuable experience for two students at the same time, I had to expand their work functions within my service. The dilemma facing me was that this required additional training time. I learned that by investing time early in the rotation with training, these bright, highly educated students could contribute and help me with the patient data collection and record keeping while at the same time optimizing their own educational experience. I encourage the two students to compete, but also reward and encourage them for helping each other with learning.

Have you had any particularly memorable experiences while precepting pharmacy students? If so, please describe one experience.

Joel: Some of my most rewarding experiences with students occur after they have left, when they call on me from their jobs as pharmacists, asking for advice to help them in advocacy for their patient’s pain management. Then it is really good feeling to realize that by educating the student, so many more patients are helped way beyond my own practice.