TRC Healthcare Bridges the Natural Medicines Knowledge Gap for Pharmacists

DENVER, April 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TRC® Healthcare (TRC) announces the release of RxAdvanced: Guide to Natural Medicines, a new online program that helps pharmacists acquire expertise in alternative, complementary, and integrative therapies.

In recent years, Americans have grown accustomed to natural medicines as alternatives or complements to prescription drugs and over-the-counter treatments. Over 75 percent of American adults take at least one dietary supplement or natural medicine daily to enhance health. Many clinicians and healthcare practitioners now recommend them to patients, hoping to counter the effects of prescription medications, or to improve health and/or quality of life.

"Widespread use and acceptance of non-traditional medicines puts pharmacists on the hotseat because consumers often consult them first for advice about alternative treatments," says TRC Healthcare Product Manager Pam Piotrowski, RPh, BSP, MBA. "Until now, pharmacists had few if any continuing education (CE) resources that could help them build true competency around helping patients make informed choices about natural medicines. We think pharmacists across the nation are going to regard this as a unique opportunity to improve patient care."

Despite their broad use, natural medicines can have adverse effects for patients with certain health conditions, according to Crews. Interactions between prescribed medications and natural remedies can cause harmful reactions, but many of these events can be prevented by pharmacists who study peer-reviewed, unbiased research about non-conventional treatments.

"We designed this training to share robust, scholarly research that gives pharmacists the necessary knowledge to guide patients toward better healthcare choices," says Wes Crews, Chief Executive Officer of TRC Healthcare. "Pharmacists walk away from the RxAdvanced: Guide to Natural Medicines program with the understanding they need to make unbiased recommendations that consider product quality, purity, dosage and potential side effects — all the things patients can't get on their own without the bias of advertising and hype."

RxAdvanced Guide to Natural Medicines is one of several continuing education programs TRC Healthcare offers to help pharmacists take accredited courses that count toward their CE licensing requirements. It draws upon 1,400 monographs and scholarly journals, indexed in TRC's searchable database of evidence-based research, Natural Medicines. The self-paced course is available online 24/7, and offers ACPE-accredited CE.

Pharmacists who take the course explore the safety and effectiveness of natural medicines, learn how dietary supplements can prevent and treat nutrient deficiencies, and acquire clinical knowledge about the effects of non-traditional treatments on specific health conditions and groups of people, including pregnant and lactating women, geriatric, and pediatric patients.

About TRC HealthcareTRC Healthcare is a premier source of lifelong learning solutions for healthcare professionals. The company curates peer-reviewed content and offers accredited, online programs that help healthcare professionals stay current with emerging healthcare trends and recommendations throughout their careers. TRC Healthcare is most recognized for their education and CE offerings within the highly-regarded Pharmacist's Letter, Prescriber's Letter, and Pharmacy Technician's Letter. TRC Healthcare also offers Pharmacy Technicians University, the leading online training program for pharmacy technicians. The company's Natural Medicines database makes it easy for subscribers to find unbiased, evidenced-based research about alternative drug therapies. TRC Healthcare is a preferred resource among clinicians who recognize its commitment to sharing knowledge that promotes better healthcare.

Through the acquisition of CriticalPoint and NetCE, TRC Healthcare recently expanded its offerings. CriticalPoint increases patient safety through a variety of educational compounding programs concentrating on USP 797, 800, and 795. NetCE is an industry-leading, continuing-education platform, specializing in continuing education across multiple professions including nurses, physicians, and mental health practitioners. These additions give TRC Healthcare one of the industry's largest catalog of continuing education and advisory services, with thousands of courses trusted by healthcare professionals to provide accredited training that meets continuing education and licensing requirements.

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SOURCE TRC Healthcare