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ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) has a new program to teach pharmacy and other health professions students the basics of quality measurement and strategies to improve medication safety, adherence and appropriate use. The PQA Healthcare Quality IQ (HQIQ) program provides more than 20 hours of specialized learning opportunities in quality.
“Quality improvement and measurement are increasingly important tools to promote better patient outcomes and support our health care system’s shift toward value,” PQA Chief Executive Officer Micah Cost, PharmD, MS, CAE, said. “PQA is committed to equipping and empowering the next generation of medication use quality professionals by providing students with opportunities to learn the fundamentals of developing, implementing and evaluating quality improvement programs.”
Sponsored by Pharmacy Quality Solutions (PQS), this new program centers aroundMedication Use Quality (MUQ), PQA’s nationally accredited continuing education and certificate program. Students selected to participate in HQIQ through a self-nomination process will receive scholarships to attend the 2023 PQA Annual Meeting, May 10-12, in Nashville, Tenn. The meeting includes a special four-hour MUQ training event.
Following the meeting, students will independently complete the Medication Use Qualityprogram, an additional 11 hours of training. A final live, online workshop will train students on how to construct a quality improvement proposal to improve medication use quality based on the Plan-Do-Study-Act problem-solving model. Students that develop and submit a quality improvement proposal following the live session will receive a certificate commemorating their successful completion of the HQIQ program.
“High quality care continues to be a growing focus in healthcare,” said Todd Sega, Chief Executive Officer of PQS. “Pharmacy students who understand the importance of quality measures and quality improvement programs will lead the way to an even better healthcare system in the future. At PQS, we believe that measurement is the pathway to better patient health outcomes, and we are proud to support HQIQ’s efforts to educate the pharmacy leaders of tomorrow.”
HQIQ is open to undergraduate and graduate students who have completed their second year of study in a pharmacy or other health care degree program. Self-nominations will be accepted through a form on the PQA website through February 24. Selected participants will be notified in early March.
In addition to the special MUQ training, the PQA Annual Meeting is an ideal setting for learning about top issues and emerging trends in medication quality, measure development and implementation, care transformation and technology. The HQIQ scholarships to attend the meeting include registration costs, three nights’ hotel and a travel stipend.
For more information, visit the Student Programs page of the PQA website.
