University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy students Esther Jarvis of Douglas and Greg Sarchet of Ogallala, Neb., have received two of eight national appointments in a U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) training program.
The highly-competitive senior COSTEP (Senior Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program) appointments allow the students to be commissioned during their final year at UW, and then continue to serve in the PHS after graduation.
Jarvis received a senior COSTEP appointment to the Maniilaq Health Center in Kotzebue, Alaska, 33 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Jarvis says she chose the PHS Commissioned Corps as a career because she believes it will concentrate on patient-focused pharmaceutical care, and that it will give her a chance to use and expand upon the valuable education she received at the UW School of Pharmacy.
"The quality of education I have received will give me the tools I need to survive and thrive practicing in a rural environment, where a pharmacist is required to wear many hats and fulfill many roles in the healthcare setting," says Jarvis, a 1999 graduate of Douglas High School.
Sarchet received a senior COSTEP appointment to the Pine Ridge Indian Hospital in Pine Ridge, S.D. He also received a citation presented by Rear Admiral Robert Pittman, PHS chief pharmacy officer, for exemplary performance of duty while completing his Junior COSTEP at the Haskell Health Center in Lawrence, Kan.
"His dedication and strong performance resulted in better health care for patients and supported the Indian Health Service's mission of improving the health status of American Indians," Pittman says.
Sarchet received the award for his sustained quality performance of clinical duties which included responsibilities for EHR (Electronic Health Record) configuration, patient registration, third-party data entry cleanup and primary patient care.
