December 2021
Happy December New Practitioners!
As we enter the final month of 2021, I hope you’re all ready for the colder weather, holiday time with family, and of course, another pharmacy recruitment season. The next few months are a particularly stressful time of the year, both personally and professionally for new practitioners. If you are looking for some resources to help reduce your stress levels this winter be sure to check out the ASHP Wellbeing Resource Center, listen to a Wellbeing Wednesday podcast, or download your free subscription to the Headspace app. And don’t forget the support and advice offered by your mentors, colleagues, and fellow NPF members as you navigate this busy month.
For those of you joining us at Midyear, be sure to mark your calendars for the New Practitioner programming. We are very excited to be offering our New Practitioners Networking Session again this year on Sunday, December 5 from 1-2 pm EST. We had a blast learning from our NPF colleagues last year and cannot wait to see you all again this year! If you are participating in PPS, check out the NPF Guide for Virtual PPS Interviews. For updates on the session and to keep track of what your colleagues are up to during Midyear be sure to follow the NPF Twitter account.
If you are preparing to apply for a transition in your career in the next couple of months, be sure to check out the Career Transitions toolkit that applies to you – the resident transition toolkit from PGY1 to PGY2 or the new practitioner transition toolkit from PGY2 to job. I know the CV Development Toolkit is one resource that I found extremely helpful during my own career transitions in the last few years. I highly recommend you mark it as a must-use resource for yourself!
Finally, if you are settling into your new practice this year, remember that registration for the Spring 2022 Board of Pharmacy Specialties exams opens in January. If you need to sit down and figure out a study plan after the new year, be sure to utilize the ASHP board certification resources. I enrolled in the Review and Recertification Reward Program when preparing for my pediatric board exam and encourage you to consider it if you are looking for a way to effectively study for your exam without the high up-front cost.
We’ve covered ground on a lot of the resources that ASHP offers new practitioner members to help them prepare for this busy time of year. If you have comments or suggestions for the ASHP NPF Executive Committee on what other resources you would like to see us offer, please send us an email at [email protected]. We wish you the best this holiday season and look forward to “seeing” you at Midyear this week!
Emily (Belarski) Sheskey, Pharm.D., BCPPS
Member, New Practitioners Forum Executive Committee
Clinical Pharmacist Specialist – Pediatric Ambulatory Care, University of Chicago Medicine
