Road to PharmD

Great conference and again, an event like this reminds me of why I am in healthcare. Key take-aways - Healthcare as a service , meaning there is a relationship aspect to the care you provide - Some times our activities are defense, ie. fear of loss of license, and leads to waste Using a systems approach  to improving efficiency while maintaining safety - changing conditions given human limitations - designing something that decreases the need for training is key - 3 paradoxes to keep in mind: 1. Paradox of Expertise - one knows too much, but often do not spell out the details they know about 2. Paradox of Preference vs Performance - focus on performance, the actual actions, rather than the objective experiences provided by users 3. Paradox of Choice - too much leads to little to no choice made Final Keynote by Stephen Lewis - "No brainer" should really be brainers in that opportunities for change is obvious but making them a reality is much harder - How...

MTM has been fun and contains very applicable learning. Just wanted to make a note of the things to keep in mind when building and visualizing your framework before a counselling session. Develop a framework of how to approach counselling: Tailor each session to suit the patient's needs and ensure other pertinent information is covered (storage, side effects etc.) ASK QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU TAILOR THE SESSION. Know stuff + Being empathetic ; Being sensitive comes first! - Introduce self - Use of neutral tone (give facts about medication, give reasons/provide the benefits when asking questions that are personal) - Be assertive - Be empathetic (acknowledging patient and their concerns [what are they experiencing as a result of their diagnosis/condition/symptoms or how they are feeling about their current situation] + how you can help to support their goals - Find out their concerns - Grave illnesses (ie. cancer) -> patients don't need you to feel sorry for them bu...

Know what you want out of residency set learning goals learn about what you can learn there Think about American and out-of-province residencies  be flexible, open mind, open to different areas of care Be a well-balanced candidate understand that residency is demanding and really requires a high level Have sustained activities, quality over quantity Demonstrate an attitude toward the profession That you are an advocate of pharmacy services and excellent care Get to know hospital pharmacists at local hospitals Arrange an informational interview Residency projects come in a large range Develop the skills necessary for doing such projects Residency will give you exceptional transferable skills, no matter the area of care Develop a learning process as a resident Knowledge base changes, so you have to learn to keep on top of it to maintain first-world practice Show you are excited to do the work as a resident, demonstrate an interest and that you are up ...

Learning does not stop upon graduation. Here are a few ways that can be used to keep on top of you'll need to learn in the rest of your career. 1. Set Goals - Be specific, reasonable, etc. 2. Actively Engage - active learning improves retention of material 3. Interact with Content - debate with others, make connections, analyze the information 4. Reflect and Plan - Consider what you've learned and how you will put the new knowledge into practice. Again, be specific about what you will do and when you will do it. Your practice will get busy and time-constraints often limit continuing education. Make time throughout the year to learn what you want. Make an annual plan. Telling others about your goals increases the likelihood of you completing them.

An interesting snippet from an article I ran into. The author boils down the last step of the patient care process in order to simplify the decision that has to be made: The three critical things you must know are embodied by the simple question: Is what I am about to do going to make the situation? Better:  If so, do it. Worse:  If so, don't do it. Have no impact:  If so, let the patient decide. Source: http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/the-only-3-things-you-need-to-know-to-be-a-good-pharmacist/pharmaceutical

It's obvious how this topic might apply in pharmacy. Health care is forever changing as new policies arrive, new research arrives in the market and when cultures change. It's important to be able to adapt to these changes and consider what the best approach to your practice may be. Critical thinking can be defined as: The disciplined mental activity of evaluating arguments or propositions [or situations] and making judgement  that can guide the development of beliefs and taking action. At the end of the day, pharmacists are medication therapy experts. Expertise consists of at least these things: Confidence, Rapidity, Efficiency, Accuracy, Recalibration (when to slow down) Everyone starts as a novice and can become an expert. This transition is done through experience and using judgement to make decisions. It may be helpful to have a way to measure your learning process. through SMART learning objectives. Some overlap with aim statements. Specific - precise about ...

This session was quite intriguing and again was able to break many of the misconceptions about end-of-life care and dying. It's important to keep in mind that during these times as a healthcare professional, you connect with families and patients to find out what's important to them. It's about sitting with them (literally) and being there as a human being. It's almost as the importance of considering their perspective is as important as the care you want to provide. Pain and grief can come from many sources: social, spiritual and psychological to name a few. People often want hope and meaning upon their death. Although some times a cure is not possible, they would like their last days to be of quality to them. Double awareness: seeing death as good and bad. This enables you to find better responses of what you have found to be important to people in end-of-life care. Be aware of your own attitudes and how they might fit into the team (including patients, fami...