Pharmacy Residency Program
Community Practice in El Paso
Introduction
PRACTICING IN EL PASO, TEXAS
El Paso, the Land of the Sun, is one of the largest international borders in the world. The city has a unique blend of American and Mexican culture and a history like that of no other place.
The community pharmacy residency is located in Central El Paso and offers a diversity of experiences. First of all, as a bordering city of Mexico, El Paso is predominantly populated with Spanish-speaking individuals. The fact that many patients presented to the Texas Tech Medical Center speak Spanish only offers a challenge to many healthcare professionals. Furthermore, a large number of patients also utilize medications across the borders, which do not undergo FDA approval. Therefore, the pharmacist plays a crucial role in educating not only patients about medication use, but also other healthcare professionals about drugs across the border and significant drug interactions. In an area of such underserved population, pharmacists are encouraged to be extensively involved in providing direct patient care in any way possible. This allows one to innovatively expand his/her practices to limitless areas of interests.