Blog Viewer

During the month of August, I had the pleasure of completing a unique, off-site rotation with Apexus. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the leadership and team at Apexus and gained an appreciation for the 340B program and supply chain management. While I can talk about all of the amazing things I learned and how I believe I’ve grown as a professional and individual as a result of this experience, the most significant take away point was the importance of taking advantage of opportunities placed in our path. Pursuing breakout opportunities allows you to learn and grow in diverse and novel areas, creating avenues for innovation and opening doors in your career. Here are some tips I’ve learned on how to reveal the possibilities around you:

1. Take a Look Around – Whether it is at your own institution or within the profession, take a step back, look around, and ask questions. I think we often forget or get too busy to take that moment to ask why or examine a current process to determine if it is the best way to be done. If you find the answer is “because this is how we’ve always done it”, it may be time to reassess and then lead the initiative, improve the process and impact patient care/outcomes.
2. Tap into Your Network –Involvement in national, regional, state, and local organizations can tap you into networks where breakout opportunities flourish. A discussion in a session at a national meeting or during a committee conference call can lead to new ideas or sharing of information steering you to a breakout opportunity. As a Health-System Pharmacy Administration resident, I became involved with the Pharmacy Administrative Residents Collaboration (PARC).  It was through a meeting with PARC that I learned about the rotation with Apexus.
3. Keep Your Innovative Juices Flowing – “As healthcare changes faster than ever, innovation will play an even more important role for individual pharmacists, departments, and our profession,” states Kayley Lyons in her blog “Thinking inside the Box – How to be Innovative.” Learning how to keep your innovative juices flowing will not only help identify breakout opportunities, but can aid in the formulation of your own. See Kayley’s blog for learning how to start developing creative teams and leading healthcare innovation.

Eleanor Roosevelt said “The purpose to life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” I challenge everyone to keep your eyes and ears open for those unique opportunities, whether it is a rotation with Apexus, ASHP, ISMP, etc. or a chance to go out on a ledge and develop a new service. So, look around, ask questions, tap into your networks, and don’t be afraid to take that leap into uncharted waters! Good luck on the journey ahead of you!