Question

V. Conclusion/action – Why is it important to practice counseling as a student pharmacist? What steps will you take to ensure you provide optimal counseling in the future?

Answer 1

Ans-

Councelling is defined as " the process of assisting and guiding clients, especially by a trained person on a professional basis , to resolve especially personal , social, or psychological problems and difficulties.

Importance of councelling as a pharmacist students -

- The pharmacist has immense responsibility in councelling the patients with chronic illness. The councelling pharmacist should possess adequate knowledge and should be an effective communicator, making use of the verbal and non- verbal communication skills.

- To provide effective pharmaceutical care , a pharmacist students needs to acknowledge the responsibility they have in a patient's pharmacotherapeutic outcomes.

- Patient councelling provides an opportunity to elicit the necessary information from a patient and to enable safe and effective use of medicine.

- pharmacist students should document education and councelling in patients permenant medical records as consistent with patients care plans , the heath systems policies and procedures, and applicable state and federal law.

- In future pharmacist students must have to knowledge of councelling. Because it's an important part of patients care. It can provide an opportunity to elicit the necessary information from the patients, and to provide the required information to enable safe and effective use of medicine.

- During councelling, the pharmacist should assess the patient understanding about his or her illness and the treatment, and provide individualized advice and information which will assist their medication in right , effective and safe manner.

So , practice of councelling in pharmasy as a student is very important and necessary for future.

* Steps of Councelling -

For effective councelling we should follow the some steps of councelling, which are - relationship building, problems assessment, goal setting , councelling interventions, evaluation ect . The following stages help to effectively communication and good outcome of councelling.

- RELATIONSHIP BUILDING :

The 1st step involves building a relationship and focuses on engaging clients to explore issue that directly affect them. Counselor should empathaize with clients and active client with velbally and nonverbally.

Some steps for effective building of relationship for the counselor :

* Introduce yourself

* Invite client to sit down

* Ensure client is comfortable

* Address the client by name

* Invite social conversation to reduce anxiety

* Watch for nonverbal behaviour as signs of clients emotional state

* Invite client to describe his or her problems

* Allow client time' to respond

" Indicates that you are interested in the person.

- PROBLEMS ASSESSMENT :

While the counselor and the client are in the process of establishing a relationship, a second process is taking place , i.e. problem solving.

This step involves the collection and classification of information about the client life situations and disease and related medication.

- SETTING GOAL :

According to problems assey counselor should find the actual problems and set the goal for solution to solve related problems.

Goals are the results or outcome that client wants to achieve at the end of councelling.

- INTERVENTIONS :

There are different points of view concerning what a good counselor should do with clients depending on the theoretical position that the counselor subscribe to.

- EVALUATION, FOLLOW UP AND TERMINATION :

Termination the councelling process will have to be conducted with sensitivity with the client knowing that it will have to end .

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