Carolyn Oxencis

Carolyn’s Story

Carolyn Oxencis, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCOP is a Hematology/Oncology Clinical Pharmacist at the Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dr. Oxencis received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Iowa in May 2005, and completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin in June 2006. She spent the first 8 years of her career practicing critical care in the neurology/surgical intensive care unit, and transitioned into the field of oncology in 2012. Dr. Oxencis became a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist in 2010 and a Board Certified Oncology Pharmacist in 2015.

Dr. Oxencis is a member of the ASHP SAG on Emerging Sciences. She has presented several education sessions at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting in New Orleans in 2015, including a clinical pearl and a platform presentation on the management of the cardiotoxicities of anticancer treatment. Dr. Oxencis and her colleagues were awarded an ASHP Best Practice Award for implementing pharmacist-conducted admission medication histories and discharge counseling at Froedtert Hospital in 2007. She has been a peer reviewer for the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy (AJHP) for the past 9 years.

Facility

Froedtert Hospital is a 500 bed tertiary academic medical center and adult Level I trauma center in Milwaukee. The Froedtert Hospital Pharmacy Department is nationally recognized and has been awarded four Best Practice Awards in Health System Pharmacy by ASHP. Pharmacists are integral members of the academic medical team providing comprehensive clinical services and patient education. Acute care pharmacists participate in multidisciplinary rounds, provide therapeutic drug monitoring, conduct patient medication histories and reconciliation, and provide discharge counseling. Ambulatory care pharmacists evaluate patient medication regimens, operate under collaborative practice agreements, and provide medication education in the Infectious Disease, Anticoagulation, Endocrine, Metabolic Syndrome, Transplant, Pulmonary, GI, Anemia, Internal medicine, Primary Care, Cardiology, Rheumatology Clinics, and Hematology/Oncology clinics.

Significant Projects

Dr. Oxencis serves as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist for the Oncology service line, staffing both the ambulatory oncology clinics well as the acute care BMT, malignant hematology, and solid tumor oncology units. Dr. Oxencis also serves as the pharmacist for the Hereditary Cancer Management Clinic. She is the co-founder of the Froedtert Health System Oncology Pharmacy-Nursing Committee, a group charged with establishing guidelines, tools, policies and recommendations supporting safe and effective medication use between each discipline. Dr. Oxencis also serves as a project leader in the development of multiple institutional clinical practice guidelines, as well as serving as co-investigator for several IRB approved research projects involving PGY1 and PGY2 pharmacy residents.

Dr. Oxencis is currently working to develop a Pharmacogenomics webinar series in conjunction with the ASHP SAG on Emerging Sciences. She also serves on the Hematology Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) Needs Assessment Committee. Additionally, Dr. Oxencis is leading an interdisciplinary team working to develop a Neutropenic Clinical Pathway for the Emergency Department at Froedtert Hospital. She provides an annual Advanced Cardiopulmonary Life Support review for the ambulatory Oncology Service Line pharmacists, who respond to cardiopulmonary arrests and infusion reactions in the Clinical Cancer Center.

Advice for Someone New to Your Specialty Area

“Oncology is a rapidly growing field, with new treatment approvals and updates to guidelines occurring on an almost daily basis. Devising a method to keep up with new and emerging therapy is critical for the oncology pharmacist practicing at the top of their license. I also strongly recommend finding a mentor early on in your career. I cannot stress the value of having a mentor to act as a sounding board to bounce ideas off of, provide professional advice, and counsel on how to navigate both career and clinical practice decisions. Often times our careers lead us down paths we never imagined, and mentors can be a wonderful support system.”

Involvement in ASHP

“I originally became involved in ASHP as a student pharmacist, utilizing the Midyear meeting to network and interview for my postgraduate residency training. I stay involved in ASHP due to the practice elevating opportunities which have been provided to me - the opportunity to participate in reviewing timely and cutting edge manuscripts for publication, the opportunity to participate in progressive advisory groups and anticipate the educational needs of ASHP members, and the opportunity to present at the national level. I also enjoy stopping back in at PPS or the residency showcase and interviewing prospective candidates for the numerous pharmacy residency programs offered at Froedtert.”

ASHP’s Value to Members

“The educational sessions at live conferences, online resources, and board certification programming opportunities ASHP offers are top notch. For comprehensive, high quality continuing education which encompasses a large breadth of practice areas, ASHP truly is a ‘one stop shop.’”

“If you are able to attend a conference on site, take advantage of the networking opportunities provided – networking will help you to share ideas, advance your clinical practice, as well as provide you with multiple opportunities to connect with a mentor.”

“It is important for pharmacists to not only have a voice on a national level, but also at a global level. ASHP is making great strides reaching across borders and including our colleagues from international locations in key clinical practice and policy discussions.”