Since 1927, Xavier University of Louisiana’s College of Pharmacy (COP) has readied future pharmacists to take the skills they learn in the classroom to positively impact the health of their communities. Through experiences such as participating in community health fairs, convening in pharmacy conferences, or presenting research to industry leaders, Xavier’s COP gives students a multitude of opportunities to practice what they learn in real-world settings. One way students choose to take advantage of these opportunities is by applying their knowledge through“Skills Competitions.” Recently, a pair of Xavier College of Pharmacy students, Brianne Chiasson and John Michael Houeye, competed on the national level as representatives of Xavier after winning a local skills competition.

Chiasson and Houeye are both P4 students intending to graduate in the Spring with this last year of pharmacy school dedicated to participating in rotations based on their interests and aspirations as pharmacists. The Local Clinical Skills Competition that Chiasson and Houeye participated in comprised of P3 or P4 two-student teams from Xavier competing against each other to give the best presentation of patient case studies. Houeye decided to sign up because he thought it would be a great way to practice and reinforce his clinical skills. After his original partner decided against competing, he brought Chiasson on board.

“He texted me and asked if I was interested in doing the Clinical Skills Competition. I said, ‘Of course, when is it?’ and he said, ‘Tomorrow.’” said Chiasson, recalling her last-minute pairing with Houeye for the local Clinical Skills Competition. “I had no time to prepare, but it worked out.”

The 2-hour case study presentation was judged by a panel of Xavier professors who determined how well each team presented the problem with their patient and the recommendations they had for each patient. This presentation included the introduction of the patient and the main problem they wanted to address, the recommendations for that problem, their monitoring parameters, their therapeutic goals, and if time allows, the other issues the patient might have and how they would address those as pharmacists. Though Chiasson joined the team a bit later in the process, her and Houeye‘s ability to best present their case and recommendations for each problem still earned them first place in the competition.

“I think one of the main things that helped me and Bri[anne] going into the competition is that we both have the same critical care rotation, so we already dove in a little bit into the critical care patients, and every clinical case is a critical care patient,” said Houeye.

For finishing first place in the local competition, the two were given the opportunity to represent Xavier at a National Clinical Skills contest. At the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition in Anaheim, California, Houeye and Chiasson competed against 133 other pharmacy schools where they presented a different case than the one that took first place locally. After practicing with various cases in the weeks leading up to the national competition, they finished the match only 10 points away from ranking in the Top 10.

“It was an honor to go out in a competition like this and represent Xavier,” said Houeye. “We were able to show them we have the skills to pay the bills.”

For Houeye and Chiasson, the experiences they gained through the competitions were more significant than the competitions themselves. Applying everything they learned to a clinical setting helped fortify what they were taught in their classes. It gave them the experience of working for patients with critical care needs. They find this is more valuable than anything they could have won at the competitions, and they credit Xavier’s COP professors and classes with preparing them to excel at these opportunities. They hope that other COP students are inspired to follow in their lead.

“Just kind of some advice for any P3s and below: don’t be afraid to go after something, even if you think it’s challenging and you do not think you could get it,” said Chiasson,  “John and I were not expecting to win at all given our circumstances. It so happened to work out in our favor, and I just want to tell anyone who’s thinking about it and maybe has a slight doubt, don’t let that get to you. Just go for it because you never know what could happen.”