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BCPS Ambassador :: Recertification Journey :: Welcome!

By Emily Ratcliff posted 03-22-2015 22:16

  

Hi everyone!

Welcome and thank you for visiting my blog. I have been given the honor of becoming a BCPS Ambassador for ASHP, tasked with promoting the growth and distinction of our profession through Pharmacotherapy certification and recertification. Over the next year, I will be documenting my BCPS recertification journey, and I am so glad you will be joining me. I’m fairly green in the blogging world, so bear with me!

I thought since we have a whole year together, I would start with introducing myself. My name is Emily Bullington. I am a die-hard Auburn fan, avid traveler, and huge James Taylor fanatic. I dabble in tennis and cooking, and I am borderline obsessed with my 4 year-old Boston Terrier, Bob.  

I graduated from Auburn University’s Harrison School of Pharmacy in 2012 (War Eagle), completed my PGY1 Residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and am now working as a clinical pharmacist in the CICU and SICU at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Hospital.

Although my pharmacy career is, in many ways, just getting started, I have had the chance to learn from and work with some amazing people. They have taken the time to teach, mold, and encourage me. They have given me the skills and tools I need to be a great practitioner and a lifelong learner. And as I sit and think of this long list of people who have so greatly influenced me and my career, I can’t help but notice that the majority of them possess a common title. A distinction of our trade, if you will. They have taken the time and the effort to become Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialists.

I remember being in school and even residency, thinking how great it must feel to have those four little letters with so much meaning tacked behind your name—BCPS.  “Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist.” What an honor it must be. What a milestone in your career it symbolizes. It shows the world that you are dedicated to your field. You have taken the time to master your trade and hone your skills as an integral part of the healthcare team.

Now I am by no means belittling the careers or the success of pharmacists who have not been BCPS certified. You do not need this certification to prove your worth. Your hours poured into your patients, research, rounding, precepting, and building relationships with your colleagues are more than sufficient proof of your hard work and dedication. But becoming BCPS certified is just another piece of the picture. An outward symbol of your inner drive and commitment.

So that is why I’m here. Because I made the decision to become BCPS certified and now I must work to maintain that honor, that distinction. And I want you to join me! I will share with you my progress as I make my way through the learning modules and give you encouragement (and hopefully some entertainment) along the way.

 

So, until next time…

Thanks for reading!

 

Emily

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