Pharmacy students give out 100,000th flu shot during American Pharmacists Month
Two more opportunities to get flu shots from Lipscomb Bisons on Oct. 22 and Nov. 11
Janel Shoun-Smith |
On Wednesday, Sept. 27, the Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy provided its 100,000th flu shot since the establishment of the college in 2008.
The milestone shot came during Vanderbilt Medical Center’s Flulapalooza, an annual event designed to ensure that everyone on the nationally known medical center’s staff is up to date on their flu vaccinations. Lipscomb’s student pharmacists participate every year, and the event is traditionally where each student administers the most shots at one time throughout the academic year, said Dr. Sarah Uroza, sponsor of the APhA-ASP chapter and associate professor of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences.
Lipscomb student pharmacists blazed right past the 100,000th milestone and continued to provide flu shots the next week at the on-campus Bison Flu Fest, which offers free shots to Lipscomb faculty, staff and students.
Lipscomb’s APhA-ASP chapter has been honored nationally for its community service through vaccinations twice through the Operation Immunization program.
Each year, Lipscomb’s award-winning chapter of the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) administers 3,000-6,000 vaccines through Bison Flu Fest, off-campus health fairs and extracurricular activities, said Uroza.
Lipscomb’s APhA-ASP chapter has been honored nationally for its community service through vaccinations twice, winning the association’s Operation Immunization crown for the number of vaccinations given in the 2020-2021 school year and the 2018-2019 school year. The chapter has won the regional award for Operation Immunization three times.
“This student organization has organized vaccine clinics at malls, hospitals, community centers, churches, schools and many more locations. Every year we typically give a few thousand vaccines, but during COVID things really ramped up,” said Uroza. “That spring we administered more than 33,000 vaccines. This year, we are only two weeks into flu shot season and we have administered more than 4,500 vaccinations.”
Lipscomb President Candice McQueen got her flu shot from a pharmacy student in 2023.
The Flulapalooza clinic held at Vanderbilt in Nashville is the largest flu clinic the students participate in each year.
“Since 2012, we have given 54,361 vaccinations at the Vanderbilt event. At these events, students typically volunteer for two hours and administer approximately 100 vaccines per shift, making it a great opportunity for students to practice their vaccination skills” said Uroza.
In addition to vaccines given through volunteer events, Lipscomb students have also given thousands of vaccines during their introductory and advanced practice experiences in the community, said Uroza.
If you need your 2023 flu shot, you can catch Lipscomb’s student pharmacists providing vaccinations at Brentwood Hills Church of Christ on October 22 or Bisons Weekend in Bison Square on November 11.
The College of Pharmacy has provided its 100,000th flu shot since the establishment of the college in 2008.