Blogs

Thoughts on use of RFID in Medication Management

By Dennis Tribble posted 14 days ago
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I have been working in automation for a little over 35 years now, and one thing I have long observed in our profession is a rapt interest in shiny new toys. Blockchain and RFID are two that come to mind. This is about RFID. I first considered some RFID applications years ago when Mark Neuenschwander was running the UnSummit and asked me to comment about potential uses of RFID as an alternative to bar codes in Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA). More on that in a moment, but in preparing for that presentation, I learned a few things about RFID: The Wikipedia article on RFID seems reasonably complete. If you are not familiar with it, it might ...
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Your Next Professional Act

By Sara White posted 12-12-2021
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FYI A new Letters Book was introduced at the recent meeting Letters for Your Next Act Navigating a Purposeful Retirement published by ASHP. It contains 31 letters from our colleagues who have either retired or are considering it. Lots of practical advice and things to consider no matter where you are in your career/life it is never too early to plan as time flies by. Check out the other Letters Books from Mid-Late Career Pharmacists, Young Leaders, Residents, Preceptors, and Women. SJW
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Welcome to December and the Midyear Clinical Meeting!

By Autumn Pinard posted 12-02-2021
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Greetings Student Pharmacists! December brings us the end of another year, the end of a semester, and to the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting ! For many fourth-year student pharmacists, December also brings the excitement and anxiety of what happens post-graduation. As I prepare for the Midyear Clinical Meeting and for meeting with residency programs, I find myself reflecting much more than I have in the past. Choosing which programs you intend to visit at the Residency Showcase and which programs you intend to apply to requires a lot of thought and consideration. It truly is an individualized experience, and you quickly figure out what is of the upmost importance ...
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Overview of Gravimetrics

By Dennis Tribble posted 12-01-2021
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I was reviewing some old documents and ran across a slide deck that I presented a few years ago at a USP Compounding Conference on Gravimetrics. Having recently attended the ISMP Conference on Sterile Compounding Safety, I was reminded that there may still be some confusion about what Gravimetrics does and does not bring to the compounding environment. You would also find some of this in another blog ( the illusion of accuracy ). I confess that I am employed by someone who sells a gravimetric solution, but this discussion is basically agnostic of that relationship. I hope you will agree when this is done. Gravimetrics is a process wherein a container ...
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Top 10 Tips for Optimizing Virtual Networking During Midyear and Interviews

By Lauren Stigers posted 11-05-2021
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This blog post was created by the Pharmacy Student Forum Career and Leadership Development Advisory Group  in order to give tips and tricks for succeeding in a virtual environment during showcases and interviews. With Midyear and interview season quickly approaching, there’s no better time to brush up on some business etiquette and what that looks like in a virtual setting. Many programs opted to remain virtual this year, so we gathered some tips on how to effectively navigate this environment. Test your technology before your virtual event.  A crucial step to a successful virtual interview is using the proper hardware and software. Make sure ...
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Thoughts on CVs and Resumes

By Dennis Tribble posted 11-04-2021
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One of the activities I really enjoy is working with students and recent graduates on their curriculum vitae (CV)/resume documents. A lot of the feedback I get is that what helps most is a “50,000 -foot view” of what these documents are intended to achieve, which seems to be a new concept. So, I thought I would put these thoughts together in a blog to try to be helpful to others. Thank you to those students and new graduates who have entrusted me with your career goals and resumes. I have learned much of what follows from working with you. It is of first importance to remember that the purpose of either of these documents is not to land an appointment or ...
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The four P’s for building successful interprofessional relationships (Part III)

By Ashley Smith posted 10-29-2021
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Over the last few blog posts, we have reviewed the benefits and best practices of building interprofessional relationships. Now we will explore a few practical steps you can take today to fuel your interprofessional relationship skills. Be passionate You need to enjoy what you are doing to bring expertise to the team. If you are disinterested in a certain sector of pharmacy, you might be less likely to have an adequate knowledge base. Additionally, your team may pick up on the cues that you are less than thrilled to be a wealth of knowledge for that particular area.  When you are passionate about what you are working on, you are more likely to do ...
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Best practices for creating interprofessional collaborations (Part II)

By Lindsay Davis posted 10-29-2021
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Begin with the end in mind. – Dr. Stephen R. Covey 1 Seek first to understand the needs and priorities of the team and its patients. 2,3,4,5 Begin the conversation by asking "What barriers do you face in providing the highest quality care possible, and how can I help you (re)solve them?" instead of “My area of expertise is [ xyz], therefore this is how I can help you.” Don’t assume that the team is well versed in how a pharmacist could complement their work in caring for patients at the point of therapeutic decision-making (i.e., don’t be surprised – or offended – that the concept of a pharmacist serving in a direct patient care role is unfamiliar ...
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What is Interprofessional collaboration? (Part I)

By Sonia Mathews posted 10-29-2021
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Per the World Health Organization “Collaborative practice happens when multiple health care workers from different professional backgrounds work together with patients, families, care givers and communities to deliver the highest quality of care across settings”. 5 For instance, the collaboration of the pharmacist as part of the interprofessional healthcare team to promote and optimize pharmaceutical care, can result in improvement of the quality of care for the patient. 3 Interprofessional collaboration can also help benefit educational objectives of healthcare professionals. The pharmacy curriculum prepares all pharmacy students to provide entry-level, patient ...
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Pharmacy and me: Thoughts from an international pharmacist – Part 3

By Sahid Sahid posted 10-29-2021
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My passion for retail pharmacy could be attributed to many things but most especially to all the training and experience I gained working in Sierra Leone, making the most out of limited available resources. Within the United States, there are many resources available to help streamline one’s practice and deliver superb pharmacy services. Working as a pharmacy manager in an underserved community in Dayton was my first posting. At first, I found this position really unnerving and intimidating because it was a pharmacy that was known to be very challenging. With my sense of adventure, humor and experience working in similar communities, I was able to excel and make ...
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Pharmacy and me: Thoughts from an international pharmacist – Part 2

By Sahid Sahid posted 10-27-2021
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The decision to leave Sierra Leone was a hard one no doubt, but aside from pharmacy, moving to the United States was greatly influenced by the Daily Show-Jon Stewart. He was a social justice warrior that was not afraid to speak up about issues and by God he was good at it. He helped unravel a side of the US that one does not get to see living outside the US. Logistically speaking, getting foreign education credentials and pharmacy licenses timely evaluated represents one of the major challenges of any foreign graduate pharmacist (FGP). License evaluation usually involves getting pharmacy school transcript, pharmacy license and registration from your home country ...
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Pharmacy and me: Thoughts from an international pharmacist – Part 1

By Sahid Sahid posted 10-25-2021
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Hello everyone, My name is Sahid Sahid and I am a non-traditional student completing my elective rotation at ASHP. Through this blog, I wanted to share with you some of my background as an international student and practicing pharmacist. I hope that this blog series will help international students that hope to pursue practice in the US, while for others, it might just satisfy their curiosity on a foreign path. My pharmacy journey started in a little country on the edge of the equator in West Africa called Sierra Leone (A Portuguese/Italian word meaning Lion Mountain). Little is known about Sierra Leone to the Western world besides what is shown in movies ...
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ASHP Celebrates Pharmacy Week

By Athena Triglia posted 10-18-2021
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The third week in October is National Pharmacy Week , and although our profession is known for being humble servants to patient care, this week is to recognize our perseverance throughout a year of unimaginable challenges. This week, the importance of appreciating our pharmacists and our profession has never been greater.  Although this year has been full of unknowns, our profession has advanced, challenged, and continues to put patient care at the center of our attention and objectives. This month, I challenge you to choose to acknowledge and appreciate how far you have come, what you have accomplished, and how you have grown as a future pharmacist. Whether ...
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Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t; Don’t you, forget about Aldosterone antagonists for HFrEF

By Kristin Watson posted 10-04-2021
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I am as big as a fan of anyone for use of angiotensin-receptor neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) and sodium glucose co-transporter (SGLT) 2 inhibitor for those with heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). 1–4 It is amazing to witness, first-hand, the improvement in functional status and quality of life that these therapies have for those with HFrEF. This is in addition to the impact that these therapies have on mortality and hospitalization in this population. 1–3 We are fortunate to now have a “4 pillar regimen” for those with HFrEF: 1) evidence based beta-blocker 2) angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, angiotensin II receptor blocker, or ARNI ...
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Virtual ASHP APPE - Week Three

By Rachel Crusius posted 09-21-2021
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Finishing up week three and I can’t believe how quickly time is passing! This week, I thought I would dive a bit deeper into the quality measure work I have been doing thus far while at ASHP and discuss what I have learned about the ASHP Pharmacy Advancement Initiative (PAI) 2030.   As you may have seen last week, I discussed submitting some comments in support of efforts from the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) in their development of a measure regarding simultaneo us benzodiazepine and opioid prescription/use (COB). That measure was being considered by the  National Quality Forum (NQF) Patient Safety Portfolio Standing Committee   for re-evaluation ...
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Virtual ASHP APPE - Week Two

By Rachel Crusius posted 09-15-2021
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Time is flying at this ASHP rotation! Even though this was a short week due to Labor Day, the amount of work and meetings still felt like a full week’s worth! Here is a little run down about my week.   This week included the closing of some projects and initiations of some new ones. We were able to submit some comments on the measure revisions regarding the simultaneous prescription of opioids and benzodiazepines being reviewed by the National Quality Forum. This was so rewarding to get to see the final submission of a project that I worked on from the start. My preceptor, Anna Dopp, works closely with organizations like the National Quality Forum (NQF) and ...
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Take Care of Yourself

By Autumn Pinard posted 09-10-2021
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It is crazy how time flies. As I reflect on the last few years, I realize how different time has felt. So much has happened and at the same time, so much hasn’t. The pandemic continues, and we’ve continued with it, but life is not the same as it used to be. I’ve seen the least of my family and friends than I think I ever have in almost two years - in person anyway. At the same time, I’ve continued with pharmacy school, and now I am on my fourth APPE rotation and am almost halfway done with my final year in pharmacy school. It feels like only a few months ago I was starting my final didactic year and then suddenly… it was time to start APPE rotations. I am incredibly ...
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Virtual ASHP APPE - Week One

By Rachel Crusius posted 09-10-2021
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Last September, I was so excited when I received my acceptance email to participate in the ASHP APPE! Since then, I have been imagining who I would meet, what I would to do, and all the things I’d learn while there. Even though this experience has been virtual, my preceptor and the staff of ASHP has excelled as making me feel welcomed and included in the various projects the organization takes on.     One of the things that I noticed first and foremost is how friendly everyone is here. I have scheduled many Meet and Greets and, even though these encounters only last half an hour, everyone I have met has left a positive impact. Several team members have ...
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COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates in Healthcare Settings

By Paul Abramowitz posted 08-03-2021
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Dear Colleagues, Pharmacists have been on the front lines of patient care throughout the pandemic, leading efforts to immunize millions of people across the nation and serving as medication use experts. Yet, in many communities, due to highly contagious variants, including the Delta variant, the number of cases of COVID-19, hospitalizations, and deaths are on the rise once again. ASHP, in collaboration with nearly 100 organizations and societies, including the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association, took an important step by calling for all healthcare and long-term care employers to require their workers to receive the COVID-19 ...
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Welcoming Wellbeing Into Your Daily Routine

By Kendall Wick posted 07-12-2021
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I am a student pharmacist, and recently I have learned the importance of mental health and personal wellbeing. In fact, the importance of maintaining my mental health and wellbeing has been reinforced throughout my summer internship with ASHP. ASHPs mission statement on wellbeing and resilience is; “ ASHP is committed to fostering and sustaining the well-being, resilience, and professional engagement of pharmacists, pharmacy residents, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians .” I believe in this mission whole heartedly.    There is a lot of stress that can naturally come with a job in the health care field. As pharmacists, this stress can be due ...
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