Student and Graduate Comments

FROM Margaret Alvarez, Psy.D., Pomona, New York,

I have spent the week in full in the neurology office doing my second practicum. It looks like the neurologist and I will be moving into a larger office space together. We have found that we work together nicely as a team, in fact it appears thathe wants to refer many of his patients to me for assessments. He is amazing when it comes to imparting knowledge in neuropharmacology, biochemistry and alternate medications. In fact he has physician contacts in  Japan and has developed some awesome knowledge in these areas. 

One case that I will share with you involves a man suffering from Dementia, who was started on Aricept and also had some lab testing. It turns out that his homocystein level was very high and this can be related to atherosclerosis, and thus probably the source of the dementia. In addition, the patient’s wife mentioned that the primary physican also ranlabs and found a very low sodium level (hyponatrimia). So when the neurologist asked if the patient was taking any other medications, the patient added only, “Norvasc,” to which the physician noted would not have contributed to the low sodium. I knew that Norvasc was often used to increase peripheral circulation, sometimes as an add on to other treatments for hypertension.So I asked the patient if he had high blood pressure and it turns out that he in fact was on a sodium lowering diuretic. His primary physician was being contacted and because there was a rash with skin discoloration, we decided to run adrenal testing to rule out Addison's Disease. 

Later that night, while at the dentists office I heard an exchange in the other room. It involved a patient with a sinus infection, unsure if it was really a dental problem. It turns on that she was on Zithromax. I told the dentist later I couldn't help overhearing and spoke about my reading regarding differing opinions on dosing and classes of antibiotics more effective for deep sinus infections. My dentist began asking me questions about pre-medicating and antibiotic choice and I had to tell him that I didn't know too much about that topic, but shared the knowledge I had. He stated that he would like to consult with me in the future, because I'd probably read more drug abstracts recently than most people he knew. I didn't really believe Dr. Rudin in the last class when he said that physicians would be consulting with us, once word got out that we had this knowledge, but now I guess I can see that it might be a possibility.

Margaret Alvarez, Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist
978 Route 45 Suite L-7
Pomona ,  New York 10970
Associate Professor of Graduate Psychology
Touro College, New York City
neuropsych@dr.com
(845) 354-6478

  "I believe the Nova curriculum is preparing me well for the eventual change in the Michigan law that will permit qualified psychologists to prescribe. It also has been nice to leave the cold Michigan winter every other month for warm, sunny South Florida."

From Dr. Belinda R. Novik, a Fly-in student from North Carolina, to Professor Jose Rey, Pharm. D, Director of the Psychopharmacology courses. Sent 4/19/03 (with permission)

I thoroughly enjoyed classes and found the exams challenging. The truth is, I need the exams to focus my learning and they certainly motivate me to study.   I wouldn't change much about it. The 6 day format is great for me.  It is a great gift to be able to fly in, focus totally for 6 days without having to mind the office, the house, or the family, and be totally immersed in pharmacology.  It's grueling in a way, but very rewarding.  I suppose it is important to have different paced learning options for different people, but this one suits me very well. The 7 weeks in between classes are used for reading, working, and recovering a bit before plunging in over our heads again. I don't know how the faculty does it. Hope you're all well compensated.

My patients have already seen the benefit of my psychopharmacology education and I feel that I'm a better, more informed provider. Keep on teaching and thanks for being so responsive to our learning idiosyncrasies.
Belinda R. Novik, Ph.D.,P.C.
Bnovik@nc.rr.com

From Dr. Richard Elghammer, Indiana, a current FLY-IN student. Sent Dec. 18, 2003

I am writing to provide information about an exciting dynamic and new training program: The Master of Science Degree in Psychopharmacology, awarded by Nova Southeastern University, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

As one of the 19 psychologists who are currently enrolled in the class of 2004 (Nova's first fly-in class), I speak from experience when I say this is a unique opportunity to learn neuroscience.

The format of the two-year program consists of 10, six-day segments of classes at Nova, where we fly in from all around America to receive classroom training. Each summer is devoted to practicum, in our own communities, where we receive hands on training with patients who require psychotropic medications.

Nova's program is not a diluted down crash course in "psycho-pharm - lite". This is a well-developed, intense program with depth, leading to a diploma (M.S.) in Clinical Psychopharmacology.

An additional bonus for me has been taking my wife and children on great vacations in South Florida. One evening, after an especially hard day in the classroom, my five year old daughter, Ellen, asked "Daddy, do you have to go back to school each day? We had such a great time building sand castles and swimming, can't you take a day off?" "No, I replied, thinking to myself, how can I instill in my children the importance of learning and education?" Maybe by setting this example.

A last note - psychologists who are members of their respective Psychological Associations receive a significant tuition reduction by Nova to attend the program.

For more information:

E mail Nova's Psychopharmacology Director, Eugene Shapiro, Ph.D. at Mattox@nova.edu or phone 800-541-6682 ex 5702. You may also contact me, Richard Elghammer, Ph.D. at Melghammer@aol.com, or phone 217-431-6000.

From: Dr. Sally Horwatt, Reston Va. A current FlY-IN student. Sent Dec. 2003,

"You need a post-doctoral master’s degree for what?" she hollered. Her expression resembled that of the smoked carp I was unwrapping for brunch. I was telling her I wouldn’t be able to participate in the preparation of a 60^th birthday party for another friend because I was going to be in Florida studying neuroanatomy that week. Indeed, at a time when most of my friends are scaling back, starting to travel, thinking about retiring, my decision to undertake the study of subject-matters I had deftly avoided decades ago does have a quality of derangement about it.

"Why?" she demanded to know.

Why, indeed.

challenging, sometimes worrisome, but always rewarding experiences. I take pride in my storehouse of hard-won experience and can’t imagine throwing it all away by retiring. But these materials that I am learning add freshness to my thinking and are intrinsically interesting. Learning how the brain works, how we think neurotransmitters work, learning the ways that experience, as well as medication, alters the structure of the brain, is more interesting and relevant precisely because it follows years of clinical experience. And it will continue to be fascinating as psychologists produce the research that increases the knowledge. You know, the mind and the body really are one.

A happy by-product of this program is the thrill of discovering that I can learn new, daunting subject matter at any age, but especially at this age. It’s as though my brain relishes the intellectual novelty. Struggling to comprehend Avogadro’s number, for example, I suddenly recognized in myself Mihalyi Czikzentmihalyi’s "flow" experience.

Oh, make no mistake. The second day after 6 hours of lecture over complex new material, half my notes disappeared into the operating system of my laptop never to be found again. When I looked at the examination and for a moment recognized nothing on the page, I faced failure with an even worse sense of dread than I did in college. It isn’t exactly Sesame Street down there in Florida. It’s also too hot. But I was able to calm myself and proceed.

We humans are living longer and better. I expect, based on the behavior and abilities of colleagues decades older than I am, that psychologists who are in their 60s today will be vigorous well into their 80s. This is no time to allow our lives and minds to ossify. Looking into the future, I believe psychologists will be both prescribing and doing psychotherapy. At that time I don’t want to be grieving and thinking, "If I knew I’d live this long, I would have taken better care of myself."

I couldn’t make my friend, who is a successful manufacturer, understand what makes me forego, temporarily, travel, fun and relaxation. In her opinion, I’m some kind of a nerd. But I know that I am on a two-year adventure. What will come of it is to be discovered. If you want more information, talk to Gene Shapiro, the creator of the program. He has a way of saying, "You’ll be all right" that makes you think you will be.

From Dr. Chuck Girardi, Dunedin, FL A student in the last year of the monthly program. Sent Jan. 13, 2003

I have been attending all classes since September of 2001 and I believe our last classes will be in May of 2003, then clinical internships at Nova's mental health center with psychiatrist. … Dr. Ken Gross, M.D., neurologist, was one of the most outstanding professors we have experienced...it was great to have a physician, who understands neurology and pharmacy and biochemistry teach us ...I think Nova's program is by far the very best and I am sure you do not need my input but if you need additional thoughts on how to classes...by the way, my library is falling over with the text books get more students from all over U.S.A., just ask me...people ought to be flying, and driving in, faster than lightening...this is hot stuff...most other programs that tried to contact me were over the internet and boy oh boy, I am sure they are missing a lot...you cannot compete with something live, as we experience in our since we started and the amount of learning is unbelievable...I understand things I have never understood before this program and it is helping daily with my patients who are on vast amounts of medications that multiple psychiatrist and medical doctors have prescribed for them and when I see what they are swallowing each day, my head spins because from what I have learned so far, they could never compete with getting an hour or two hours attention from a psychologist who understands their medications and may someday be able to help these people with writing a prescription and educating the patient on how these medications are helping them...most of these patients have never been told what these drugs are for and how they are affecting their mind and body...good grief, some of these patients do not need half or more than half of the medications they are taking...too many physicians wrote new scripts without deleting previous scripts...and that is because these patients go from doctor to doctor and pick up scripts that they want to heal themselves...thank God I took these courses at Nova and it was a personal education rather than dealing with courses over the computer...Chuck

From Dr. Craig Vander Maas, Grand Rapids, MI. A current FLY-IN student. , Sent Feb. 2003

"I feel that the Nova curriculum is preparing me well for the eventual change in Michigan law that will allow qualified psychologists to prescribe psychotropic medications. It also has been nice to leave the cold Michigan winter every other month for warm, sunny South Florida".