In this interview-panel of 4 student pharmacist leaders, we will discuss how they have promoted practice advancement within their schools of pharmacy, as well as the successes and room for improvement they have identified within their chapter for future implementation. We will dive deep into how other SSHP leaders can utilize these examples to successfully implement PAI 2030 initiatives at their chapter.
The information presented during the podcast reflects solely the opinions of the presenter. The information and materials are not, and are not intended as, a comprehensive source of drug information on this topic. The contents of the podcast have not been reviewed by ASHP, and should neither be interpreted as the official policies of ASHP, nor an endorsement of any product(s), nor should they be considered as a substitute for the professional judgment of the pharmacist or physician.
What happens at the biggest and best pharmacy event in the world? Join the best and brightest pharmacy professionals in New Orleans this December for an energizing and riching, enlightening experience like no other. Simply put, there is nothing like it. ASHP's mid-year clinical meeting offers everything you need for your career to blossom, including countless professional development and career advancement opportunities. Just imagine what you can accomplish at an event that brings together 20,000-plus pharmacy professionals from across the globe. Special rates are available when you register and book your hotel before September 27th. Learn more at midyear.ashp.org. That's M-I-D-Y-E-A-R.ASHP.org. Welcome to the ASHP official podcast, your guide to issues related to medication use, public health, and the profession of pharmacy. Thanks for joining us in this episode of Student Perspectives, the podcast where we talk with student pharmacists about their unique challenges and opportunities presented throughout their professional journey. My name is Heather Howell, fourth-year student at the University of Texas at El Paso School of Pharmacy. And today we will be chatting with Mina Diderman, Elisa Chang, and Lucy Che about implementing PAI at their chapters in ways we can promote practice advancement successfully in our own ASHP's. Thanks for joining us today, ladies. Let's go ahead and start off with some intros, a quick intro about who you are, what school you go to, and your involvement with an ASHP and SSHP. Today we'll start off with Mina. Hi everyone, so my name is Mina Diderman and I am a P3 student at Texas A&M University School of Pharmacy. And I currently serve as the Texas A&M SSHP chapter president. Perfect, thank you Mina and Elisa. Hi everyone, my name is Elisa. I'm a PY4 student at Washington State University. And I am currently a student member of the AASHP Council of Pharmacy Management and was formerly an AASHP SSHP president for the Yakima Washington Extension. Thank you, Elisa. And last but not least, we will move on to Lucy. Hey, my name is Jihan Che but I'm more known as Lucy. I'm at P3 at Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy in Alabama. This year I'll serve as the president of our SSHP or known as ASHP. Great, thank you all for being here today. So next we'll move into our next question. So just to give our listeners a brief overview of PAI 2030, it is comprised of 59 recommendations focused around five domains. Patient-centered care, the pharmacist role in education and data science, pharmacy technician role education and training, and leadership in medication use and safety. So starting off with Elisa, can you tell us a little bit more about how your SSHP is pushing the needle forward on patient-centered care and the pharmacist role? Yeah, so our SSHP, when I was the SSHP president last year, we actually focused on a combination of multiple PAI-focused themes, such as pharmacist role, education and training, especially patient-centered care. So one of the main projects we had was implementing health fairs, local long-term care facilities. And so what we did was provided med rec reviews, give blood pressure and blood glucose screenings for its residents, and also provide educational videos on iPads for them to watch. But there were so many parts to this project by recruiting students and pharmacists and pharmacy residents as preceptors. And so just overall, we interacted with more than 100 patients through these events. In addition to our health fairs, we hosted at least 10 to 15 professional events or general meetings each semester regarding residency preparation, residency panel discussions. And the one thing unique was having evening presentations with guest speakers, with pharmacists from all different backgrounds and oncology, ambulatory care, pharmacy management, and so on. So those were kind of the two main things we did with the health fairs and our professional events for PAI. Thank you, Elisa. So much for walking us through that. And now on Tamina, what role does your SSHP play in leadership and medication use and safety and patient-centered care? Hey Heather. So yeah, for the SSHP here at Texas A&M, the way we tried to promote medication safety is we actually were able to give a presentation over medication error prevention. And so just with this presentation, we included like a real-life case going over each aspect of what went wrong in the situation and how medication errors can be prevented. And we also sent out an infographic to all students regarding, you know, definitions used within medication errors, common medication errors, as well as the role of a pharmacist in order to correct and prevent them. And specifically for patient-centered care, our public relations officers also released an infographic over collaborative practice agreements and how pharmacists can bridge that gap and care for patients. Another thing with our SSHP chapter specifically is that we actually have a dedicated medication safety committee. And so basically with this committee, we have bi-monthly meetings where they promote this domain of PAI all year round. And so we really encourage students to leave thoughtful discussions within this topics. So some of the topics that we've actually tackled include medication safety and reproductive health, pain management, along with antibiotic usage as well. And so we also sent out bi-monthly infographics within this committee as well just to allow students to review the importance of it in a really easy to read format. Perfect. Thank you, Mina. Sounds like you have a lot going on. So that's great to hear. And last but not least, we'll turn it over to Lucy again. How was Auburn SSHP promoting pharmacy technicians and technology? Last year, ASSHP promoted the domain of pharmacy technician role education and training by conducting an educational session on crash cards. So as an intern working at local hospital, one of the important responsibilities of pharmacy technician in hospital is to organize and prepare for the crash cards. During this activity, our members learned about what crash card is and which medications are supposed to be included in the crash cards and step-by-step process of preparing for the crash cards. And also this year, ASSHP promoted the domain of technology and data science by organizing telehealth presentation from one of our esteemed faculty member, Dr. Spencer Durham. Dr. Durham shared his experience with VA telehealth system and inform all of our members about the recent changes and new technologies utilizing the telehealth. Great. Thank you so much, Lucy. Moving on to our next question, can you please describe how your SSHP promotes PAI 2030? And we're going to start off with Lucy again. Okay, so ASSHP is promoted in PAI 2030 through our PAI week. So we have created this environment where our students can easily learn about each domain of PAI 2030. So each day of the week represent different domains. So this year we had lunch with leader about for certification for the pharmacy role education and training domain and a vaccine education session for patient centered care domain. It telehealth presentation for the technology and data science domain. A thank you letter session for the pharmacy technician for pharmacy technician role and education and training domain. And lastly, the spot the life threatening mistake quiz for the leadership and medication use and safety domain. Thank you, Lucy. That sounds very comprehensive. Mina, what did you have to add? Yeah, so for our SSHP, I took CC&M or PAI 2030, we really like to send out a lot of infographics as well as really utilizing our social media platform. And then another thing that we actually started this year is just partnering with other organizations to promote it. So for example, our chairs invited the IPHO president just to share input on fellowships during our day dedicated to pharmacist role education and training while we covered more of the residency aspect. And just like what Lucy said, our chapter also dedicates each topic to the day of the week just to break it down for our members and for those students within our school just to really learn and engage with PAI 2030. Perfect. Thank you, Mina, and moving into our next question, we're going to start off with Alyssa for this one. What resources did you use when organizing your PAI events? So I actually use all ASHP SSHP resources on the ASHP website. I kind of went down a rabbit hole and googled SSHP programs and resources, and that's where I learned about all the events such as recognition program, clinical skills competition, and also looked into SSHP resources where I first learned about pharmacy advocacy. But I also attended ASHP mid-year. My first one was in 2022, where I actually attended the big pharmacy student forum events, and that's where they displayed all the awardees and different councils. And I took notes of all the PAI resources, and soon after it gave me a really good background on how to set up my ASHP role as president for the next year. And so in addition to that, I also applied to a bunch of awards competitions as well through ASHP. Thank you, Alyssa. I know the leadership that the pharmacy student forum puts on at mid-year is also a really great resource for learning how to implement PAI from other chapters. So thanks for mentioning that. And Mina, what about U-led resources do you use for organizing your PAI events? So similar to what Alyssa said, we use the ASHP website to guide us as well when organizing our PAI events just in order to stay true to the mission. And we also looked back at what we had done in previous years just to see how we could change things up and keep things fresh while still staying true to the mission and goals of PAI. Yes, but ASHP website has tons of resources for PAI. So those are great resources that you both are using. Next step, we're going to start with Lucy. What has been the biggest challenge in advocating for practice advancement as a student? As a student, the most significant challenge that I encountered while promoting practice advancement was like a familiarity that I had towards PAI. During our first PAI week celebration last year, everyone felt a little out of place since it was new, like PAI 2030 was new to us. But throughout preparing for a PAI week, we felt more comfortable and we felt more prepared throughout the journey. Do you feel like an expert now on PAI, Lucy? Not an expert, but I'm a two-step behind being expert. You're getting there. That's what matters. Perfect. Annalisa, what about you? I think it was just the limited resources we had during COVID-19. And so our ASHP just had to get really creative in our ideas. One example I could provide is during the health fairs, during the height of COVID. We couldn't have any in-person patient interactions. And so in the meantime, we made iPad videos on asthma, COPD, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. And so when the health fairs did open up, we were able to provide those iPad videos. And the residents just loved watching them with their headphones. It's an older population, so it was a huge success. But I think just overall, the limited resources we had in the beginning. Yeah, that's a good point. And Lisa, being that we started COVID right at the height of the pandemic, and there was not much we could do. So it's nice that your ASHP was still able to be innovative and provide some resources to patients and the ASHP members as well going forward. So thank you for sharing that. Next up, we're going to piggyback to Lisa again. How has involvement in PAI 2030 helped influence your desired career path in pharmacy? Well, initially, my main goal was during PI one year, I am going to do hospital and hospital only. But I think with all my PAI involvement, I really developed a passion for ambulatory care pharmacy. As much as I loved working in the inpatient setting as an intern, I really liked dedicating part of my time to the health fairs and working alongside the ambulatory care pharmacists who acted as preceptors. And so I realized I really enjoyed the variety of working both inpatient and ambulatory. But overall, it really helped shape my choices when I applied to residency programs. So I'm really glad with just how ASHP focuses on PAI initiatives. It's great to hear your growth pattern now that you're about to graduate as well. And Mina, what about how PAI influenced your desired career path? Yeah, so for me personally with PAI, I think really it expanded like the different possibilities of residency, fellowship, career paths in general. So like, for example, like to be very specific, our chapter last year tried to get in contact with an informatic pharmacist to speak on our technology and data science day. And this was, you know, informatics was something very new to me at the time. I didn't really know much about it. And so it just thought me thinking about, you know, the what if and what different career paths are that are out there that I never even thought about. And this also goes for medication safety and the many career paths within that section as well. I didn't really know that you could specialize just in medication safety. And so that was very neat for me to explore as well. And so it's just really made me open to new possibilities and future twists within my career. And it also made me realize that no matter what career path I do take, I think that these initiatives are something that I want to continue to emphasize and really advocate for throughout my future in the career of pharmacy for sure. Great. Thank you, Mina and Lucy. So my experience with PAI 2030 had exposed me to the latest advancements and future trends that we have in the field of pharmacy. This year, I had the opportunity to learn more about emerging technologies within pharmacies like telehealth, which is really big and important at this time of the year. This motivated me to look more in depth about the careers that leverages technologies to optimize patient care and to improve healthcare outcomes. So overall, PAI 2030 played an important role for me to shaping my career options. Great. Thank you, Lucy. It looks like all three of you have definitely had an open mind from participating in the PAI experiences. So that's great to see some advancement working at the SSHP level as well. So for our last question, what advice would you give to SSHP leaders wanting to implement PAI at their school of pharmacy? And we'll start off with Mina for this one. Yeah, so definitely the advice I would give. And this is something that I've talked with with my other team members as well, is definitely to start off by looking into the ASHP website, looking at all the resources provided over PAI. And another resource that I actually really recommend people to look into is participating or reading posts on ASHP Connect, just to get ideas from other school and see what works out. I've had the pleasure of going through ASHP Connect, not only posting things that my school has done on there, but also reading other people's work and what they've done. And so it's really neat seeing what other people do in their own respective chapters. And along with that, I also do recommend partnering with other organizations that may be interested in promoting it as well, especially if the help is needed and just not being afraid to try new things. Thanks for hitting on the ASHP Connect Mina. There are communities for both PAI and for the students. So it is a great resource if you're looking for ideas or want to form a communication between different leaders and ASHP that are working for the same goals and students. So thank you for sharing. And Lucy, what about you? One piece of advice I would like to share is not to hesitate when starting a new event. So when my chapter decided to implement PAI 2030, I wasn't sure where to begin. But after attending 2023 ASHP mid-year meeting in Anaheim, I met lots of SSHB leaders who shared their ideas at Student Society Showcase. So that is a great place also other than ASHP website that you can go and look for what other chapters have done in the past year to bring it to your chapters to start. So just don't feel hesitate to start a new meeting, new event, and just push through it. Thank you, Lucy. And Alisa, take us on home. So I think kind of just being resourceful, utilizing the resources both locally and nationally, I always encourage students from my SSHB to attend ASHP events as well, and then that way they could get new ideas. Just attending ASHP mid-year and ASHP policy week alone, I have just a notebook full of ideas that are really out of the box thinking for PAI ideas. And lastly, if you have a project you'd like to start as an SSHB leader, it's something to think about and you could really build on this idea with your SSHB faculty. As for me, it was really amazing to see from start to finish all the events we planned, the monthly health fairs all do really well. So that would be my answer. Thank you, Alisa. I think it's definitely important to stay resourceful and use your connections to better emphasize PAI within your ASHPs and schools of pharmacy. And that's all the time we have for today. I want to thank Alisa, Mina, and Lucy for joining us today to discuss the practice advancement initiative from a student perspective. If you haven't before, I encourage you all to check out ASHP student resources. You can find member exclusive offerings such as targeting materials on PAI 2030 and advocacy. Be sure to also check out the student connects community where you can exchange ideas with your peers. Thanks again for tuning in for this session of student perspectives. We hope you enjoyed today's conversation. We'll be sure to subscribe to ASHP podcast through your favorite podcast provider. Thank you for listening to ASHP official, the voice of pharmacists advancing health care. Be sure to visit ashp.org/podcast to discover more great episodes, access show notes and download the episode transcript. If you loved the episode and want to hear more, be sure to subscribe, rate, or leave a review. Join us next time on ASHP official. [Music] You
