Valerie Poppert

Her Story
Dr. Poppert received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 1994. She is the Director of Pharmacy & Clinical Services at Fillmore County Hospital and precepts APPE students from the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Describe the facility where you work (eg. Is it a teaching hospital? Health Center?)
Fillmore County Hospital is an independent 25 bed Critical Access Hospital in Southeast Nebraska. FCH has a robust specialty clinic, with over 25 visiting providers seeing patients in 17 different specialties. FCH has their own Orthopedic program with 2 surgeons and 2 PA's, one specializing in upper extremities and 1 specializing total knee/total hips with the Mako robot. FCH also has a large Behavioral Health program for outpatients and has therapists contracting with 7 local school districts.

Recent Significant Projects
Dr. Poppert is on the leadership team of the hospital, supervising Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy and Respiratory Therapy. She oversees all projects in these departments including strategic planning, the addition of new service lines, Pyxis, Sentri 7, RX Transparent, and most recently the construction of a new pharmacy area and USP <797> and USP <800> Segregated Compounding Areas.

Initial Involvement in ASHP
Dr. Poppert is a member of ASHP's Section of Inpatient Care Practitioners. She was a presenter in the Small and Rural Healthcare tract at the December 2022 ASHP Midyear Meeting and she was an inaugural member of the ASHP's Well-Being and Resilience Ambassador program. She holds certificates from ASHP in Revenue Cycle Management and Well-Being and Resilience.

Why did you become involved in ASHP?
I became a member of ASHP when I started in Hospital Pharmacy management in 2003 as a way to learn more about pharmacy management and to network.

Advice for Someone New to Specialty Area
Get involved in your hospital and its initiatives and programs. There is so much opportunity in a small hospital to infuse pharmacy presence into other departments and in the care of our patients. Think outside of the box for ways to help your co-workers, patients, and the hospital, whether they are pharmacy-related or not. Don't ever be afraid to ask for help. Don't ask anyone to do something you are not willing to do yourself. There will be challenges and changes every day, so take the opportunity to learn, grow, be positive, and give grace.

How would you explain the value of ASHP to a friend or colleague?
Being involved in ASHP has been one of the best professional decisions of my career. The information housed on the website, the networking (in-person and online), and the community and professional support are invaluable. ASHP also provides so many good CE opportunities including certificate programs.

What is the value of ASHP for the profession?
ASHP is definitely the top information source for "all things" pharmacy. ASHP has all of the up-to-date regulations, standards, and recommendations readily available for us to find when we need them to supplement our practice. The networking in the different communities is also extremely helpful when researching topics or needing help making decisions.