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Pharmacy notes 15 years of teleconferences by Dick Peterson Public Relations “Pharmacy Update,” the College of Pharmacy's continuing education program that launched Dec. 1, 1988, celebrated its 15th anniversary Dec. 9 with a teleconference broadcast to pharmacists gathered in 20 locations around the state,  including MUSC’s Basic Science Auditorium. “This helps South Carolina pharmacists stay in touch,” said the college’s director of continuing education, Ronald Nickel, Ph.D. “They need to keep their finger on the pulse of changes in pharmacy—changes in the law, updates in new drugs.” Drs. William Kirchain, left, and Ronald Nickel open the 15th anniversary telecast of pharmacy update in the studios of MUSC's Educational Technology Services' video services. Nickel, with the help of MUSC’s Educational Technology Services' video services and S.C. Educational Television, produces the mostly pre-recorded, two-hour program reaching 10 percent of the state’s pharmacists (about 300) quarterly with each program. A brochure notifies 3,600 people of each quarter’s topic, which is also put on the college’s Web site and  helps keep South Carolina pharmacists current with their ever-changing profession. “The Pharmacy Update teleconference was started as an experiment,” Nickel said. “The College of Dental Medicine was doing it, and we wanted to see if we could interest enough of the state’s pharmacists with topics that would be worth their time.” He said that the teleconferences begin with a short live introduction, include a topic presentation or panel discussion and conclude with a live call-in for questions and answers. Nickel said that not all the sites are able to use ETV technology, so they plug in a video tape of the pre-recorded portion at approximately the same time as that part of the conference is being broadcast. The videos are also available for viewing later and have a shelf-life of about two years, Nickel said. The productions are approved for two hours of continuing education credit by the American Council of Pharmaceutical Education. MUSC charges a fee of $10 for CE credit. Tuesday’s production, “Opportunities in Weight Management” featured William Kirchain, Pharm.D., of the college’s Department of Pharmacy Practice, and College of Pharmacy dean, John Cormier, Pharm.D.       Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.