This week (January 22nd through 27th) is National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week, a health observance week that aims to shatter the myths about drug and alcohol use.
Click here to learn more!
If you find yourself curled up in front of the fireplace in a desperate attempt to avoid the snow like me, you might want to consider picking up a good book. Here are a few health-care related reads that I think are definitely worthy of checking out!
In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope by Rana Awdish
This book is the captivating first-hand account of a local critical care physician who spent months hospitalized fighting for her life from hemorrhagic shock and loss of her first unborn child. Dr. Awdish provides personal accounts of care that lacked compassion throughout her recovery process, some of which in retrospect she was guilty of herself. As a result, she vowed to change the culture and improve the patient experience. This book is a welcome reminder that situations which are “the norm” in our workplace are often the worst days for our patients and their families. I thoroughly enjoyed this plea to medical professionals to provide more compassionate care.
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande
In the multifaceted world we live in today, this book reveals the surprising power of a simple checklist to prevent catastrophic errors or “just get things right.” Checklists are boring…I get it, you are skeptical. Trust me that this book is an easy and enjoyable read, filled with lots of personal accounts from airplanes to operating theaters that support the advice it provides. The book is well written, interesting, and thought provoking for anyone with an interest in process improvement – whether it be in a hospital or our increasingly complex daily lives.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Fair warning…this book might make you cry. On the verge of completing training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. This memoir is a beautifully written account of a man who lived life filled with passion and hope despite his unfortunate circumstances. Published posthumously with the final chapters written by his wife, this book takes you through his journey treating patients to treating people in his final months of life.
Looking forward to seeing everyone at our next meeting…stay warm!
Stephanie Edwin, PharmD, BCPS-AQ Cardiology Clinical Pharmacy Specialist – Cardiac ICU St. John Hospital and Medical Center
Start with Why
On a daily basis we all work hard to provide something, whether it is a medication to a patient in critical need, patient counseling, preparation of intravenous medications or development of a new pharmacy protocol to ensure we are providing cutting edge care. However, have you ever stopped to think more closely about why you are doing what you are doing?
When we first take a position at a company, we are taught what we need to do and how we need to do it, but the WHY sometimes get lost in the mix.
I am here to challenge you to think about WHY you, your department, your hospital and even healthcare professionals in general do what we do. I believe if we know WHY we are doing something, it motivates us to take responsibility for what we are doing and how we are doing it.
When I reflect on my own professional career, I think back to when I decided to be a pharmacist. I didn’t know exactly WHAT I would be doing or HOW I would be doing it; but I knew WHY – I wanted to help people improve their health so they could lead happier lives. It was my “something to work towards”. Once I embraced that as my goal, the WHAT and the HOW was an extension of my WHY. My intrinsic WHY provides the tools to help me make sensible and reasoned decisions on a daily basis. Therefore, I challenge you to take some time and think about your WHY and then take action through your WHAT and your HOW to bring that WHY to life.
Inspiration for me has been “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek. I hope you will consider picking up a copy the next time you are at the bookstore or library.
Joanne MacDonald
As spring approaches and brings with it warmer weather (hopefully, we live in Michigan so it is never a guarantee), I am looking forward to all SMSHP has to offer in the coming months. The ASHP-president elect, Paul Bush PharmD, MBA, FASHP, will be speaking to our membership at the April meeting about current issues and opportunities in pharmacy practice. Dr. Bush has many ties to Southeastern Michigan as a graduate of both The University of Michigan and Wayne State University, a former faculty member at Wayne State University, and as a former president of SMSHP. We are very excited to have him join us for the evening so please give him a warm welcome when he is here!
Would you like to present a continuing education (CE) program at one of our meetings? Have you presented a CE program at another local, regional, or national meeting that you would like to present to SMSHP? If so, we would love to hear your ideas! We aim to recruit distinguished speakers from across the region and really appreciate it when our own members can share their knowledge, skills, and expertise with the rest of SMSHP. Feel free to contact me or the Programming Committee if you are interested.
As a first year board member, I have truly enjoyed working to serve SMSHP these past few months, and I am looking forward to the months to come. I am always interested to hear your ideas on how we can improve to meet the needs of our members, so please feel free to reach out and contact me with any ideas or suggestions!
I look forward to seeing you at the April meeting.
Carrie Nemerovski, PharmD, BCPS AQ-Cardiology Senior Clinical Content Specialist Wolters Kluwer Clinical Drug Information: Facts & Comparisons|Lexicomp|Medi-Span
Our new President is off to a great start leading our executive board, committees and members through many activities. Thank you Lynette Moser for your excellent leadership! Welcome to our new board members beginning their term in 2017. Our new board members are Gladys Dabaja (president elect), Stephanie Edwin (secretary), Carrie Nemerovski and Joanne MacDonald. We look forward to receiving renewed energy and new ideas from our new board members and officers.
Many thanks to our outgoing board members and officers that have served our society with extreme dedication to enhance the profession of pharmacy in Southeastern Michigan. Nadia Haque, Tom Smoot, Libby Carrier and Jessica Jones have served the society faithfully and their presence on the board will be missed.
We are receiving an increased amount of membership applications from technician members. Pharmacy technicians are a vital part of the pharmacy team and we welcome their participation in our professional society. SMSHP is committed to providing resources to both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to allow all of our members to be the most competent, highly skilled professionals providing pharmaceutical care in our region.
One of the current hot topics for health-system pharmacy relates to sterile compounding certification. Pharmacies that compound sterile products within the State of Michigan are required to receive a certification from a recognized accrediting organization. Many of our pharmacies have been surveyed for this certification within the past few weeks while others are expected to have their survey in the very near future. Chatter among pharmacy leaders in our region has indicated that most surveys are going very well. Southeastern Michigan has a long history of being a leader in health-system pharmacy, so it comes as no surprise that our pharmacy teams are on top of this demanding requirement for compounding certification. Job well done!
See you at the next continuing education dinner program.
Marc Guzzardo R.Ph., MBA Director of Support Services | Director of Pharmacy Ascension | Genesys Health System
Southeastern Michigan Society of Health Systems Pharmacists. 1946-.