January, 2023
Dear Colleagues,
Another year is in the books! It is difficult to describe both the achievements of the last year while acknowledging the significant challenges we continue to face. I hope this is a time of renewal for many of you as we embark upon a new year. Additionally, as a collective, I believe we have built a firmer foundation allowing us all to feel a bit more grounded as we face continued health care challenges.
A major bright spot this year was our second, in person ASHP conference! ASHP’s Midyear Clinical Meeting (MCM) in Las Vegas did not disappoint and was very well attended. It was almost like the last few years never happened, but we of course know they did. Fortunately, it seems we were all able to get right back into the swing of “conference life.” However, I did forget how to strategically plan snacks and meals throughout the day! (Note to self: make sure protein bars are always on hand).
In addition to excellent educational programming, I hope many of you were able to participate in the multiple networking round table discussions. These sessions are very practical and are expertly facilitated by the Chairs of our Section Advisory Groups. I always leave a roundtable discussion with a new insight or idea to take back to my own institution. If nothing else, I know that challenges I am trying to solve are not mine alone.
I would also like to congratulate the Section of Inpatient Care Practitioner’s (SICP) Distinguished Service Award winner, Dan Degnan. This annual award recognizes a member from our Section whose volunteer activities have supported the mission of our Section and have helped advance the profession. Thank you, Dan, for all you have contributed to patient care, SICP, and the profession throughout your distinguished career.
ASHP continues to support the pharmacy workforce and SICP’s advisory groups and educational steering committee are currently hard at work preparing additional tools, resources, and educational sessions for ASHP membership. The following list is a sampling of timely and relevant resources you can look forward to in the upcoming year:
- USP <795>/<797> programing, education, and tips
- Compounding dashboard metrics webinar
- Compounding conundrums podcast
- Assisting nursing with key concepts for medication safety
- Pediatric medication safety issues within the adult hospital
- IV pumps and how to get all the fluid/drug out of the bag
- Medication stewardship: focus on glycemic stewardship with new CMS guidance and development of a general stewardship template
- Regulatory standards resource center development
- Drug shortage management and sharing of resources
- Small/rural hospital virtual networking event on challenges faced with staff retention
I will end this message with a heartfelt thank you to the SICP Executive Committee. Thank you for your time each month, support of our teams, and additional effort to evaluate and update our strategic plan. We truly are a great team! Thank you to Delia Carias, Allison King, Lucas Schulz, Indrani Kar, and Kathy Ghomeshi.
Sarah Stephens, PharmD, CPPS
Chair, Section of Inpatient Care Practitioners
[email protected]