Vickie Ripley, PharmD, CPP, was recently named North Carolina Preceptor of the year by the UNC School of Pharmacy. Ripley is the Coordinator for Pharmacy Services and clinical pharmacist at Coastal Plain Hospital, the Bryant T. Aldridge Rehabilitation Center and Hospice and Palliative Care of Nash General Hospital.

Pharmacy students are required to complete clerkships, which provide them hands-on experience to complement their studies. Ripley works with advanced fourth-year pharmacy doctoral candidates, focusing on psychiatric and Hospice medical care.

"This is such an important program; it provides students with practical experience that cannot be learned by simply studying in a classroom," she said. "It is truly rewarding to work with these advanced students as they work toward their Doctor of Pharmacy degrees. They are valuable members of our team, and they have an excellent rapport with patients and members of the health care staff."

Ripley, originally from Bailey, earned her BS and PharmD degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill, and is board-certified in psychiatric pharmacy. She is also a clinical pharmacy practitioner, and is licensed Medical Board and Pharmacy Board of North Carolina. This means she is able to prescribe medication working in collaborative practice with a supervising physician. In addition, she has also serves as an adjunct associate professor with the UNC-School of Pharmacy. Ripley conducts extensive lectures and in-services for the community and health care providers. These lectures cover topics that include geriatric psychopharmacology, bipolar disorder and treatment for depression.