September 2024

Welcome to the ASHP Section of Inpatient Care Practitioners!

I'm Lucas Schulz, and I am honored to serve as your section chair this year. As a member of the section for my entire 15-year professional career, I am excited that the membership elected me as chair. My goal for this year is to highlight the importance and breadth of activities of inpatient care pharmacists, in line with ASHP's public awareness campaign, We're Your Pharmacist.

Our professional community represents the pharmacy workforce across diverse acute care practice settings. Membership in our section opens doors to a wealth of networking opportunities and resources tailored specifically for those dedicated to providing both direct and indirect patient care. Our mission is to support the personal and professional development of our members while promoting optimal patient outcomes. We envision pharmacy teams advancing safe, integrated clinical and operational activities to enhance patient care across the continuum.

As a member, you will automatically receive timely and important news, as well as access to our vibrant online community. We believe that together, we form the essential community for acute care pharmacy practice. I encourage you to get involved with ASHP Connect and be active in the online community.

This section is led by its members, and this year we have an increasingly active membership. Applications for participation in section leadership through section advisory groups (SAGs) and the educational steering committee (ESC) continue to increase. Please consider applying next year; more information will be provided in future letters from me. Our SAG and ESC groups drive our section accomplishments. I encourage you to follow the work of the SAGs on medication management, medication safety, compounding practice, small and rural hospitals, and the educational steering committee. It's important that all inpatient care practitioner voices are heard, so make sure you are representing your practice by participating in these groups.

This year we continue to focus on highlighting the work of members whose dedication and expertise exemplify the high standards of our profession and our section. I encourage you to check out our new SICP website (coming soon!) and look through the Member Spotlight Gallery; I think you'll find that we really are the "In" section!

Welcome aboard! We look forward to your active participation and contributions to our shared goals. Please don't hesitate to connect with your SAG, ESC, or executive committee leaders to share your thoughts, ideas, and expectations of our section!