Jessica Zebracki

Her Story

Jessica Zebracki, PharmD, earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from University of Cincinnati on May 2021. She then went on to complete a PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency at University of Wisconsin (UW) Health located in Madison, WI. Currently, Jessica is continuing her training at UW Health as a PGY-2 Pharmacy Informatics Resident. She is also a member of ASHP’s Section of Pharmacy Informatics and Technology’s Clinical Applications section advisory group.

She currently works at University of Wisconsin (UW) Health Hospitals and Clinics and is PGY2 pharmacy informatics resident responsible for informatics project management, independent clinical staffing, precepting pharmacy students, and teaching informatics classes at the UW Madison School of Pharmacy

Overview of Facility/Health System

UW Health is an integrated health system comprised of 8 hospitals across Wisconsin and Illinois and 90 primary and specialty outpatient locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan. The pharmacy department at the University of Wisconsin Hospital utilizes a decentralized clinical pharmacy practice model. The University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison, WI is a 648-bed regional referral center which includes tertiary care teaching University Hospital and level 1 trauma center. The health system also includes a level IV neonatal intensive care unit located at the American Family Children’s Hospital. UW Health has several joint ventures and affiliations with cancer centers, surgery centers, dialysis programs, home health, infusions, and many others.

Significant Projects

During her PGY1, Jessica worked on two longitudinal resident projects: ambulatory geriatric clinical decision support (CDS) implementation, and optimization of clinical alerts. There were few clinical tools available in our electronic medical record that are geared towards geriatric patient care. Jessica’s work involved creating such a tool in her PGY1 year utilizing the Beers Criteria. She also worked on a review of all pharmacist-facing clinical alerts and minimizing alert fatigue through removal or modifications as appropriate. The project included creation of a process for future alert requests and maintenance through annual review.

As a PGY2, her geriatric CDS project expanded its scope to include inpatient services and usability for physicians/advanced practitioner providers. Jessica’s primary PGY2 resident project evaluates the utility of prospective renal dosing clinical decision support at UW Health. The tool will guide clinicians for appropriate dosing upon ordering.

Initial Involvement in ASHP

Jessica is a member of the Section of Pharmacy Informatics and Technology’s Clinical Applications Committee. Within her Section Advisory Group, she is working on creating web content to discuss improved documentation systems capturing pharmacist impact and value of pharmacy services.

Why did you become involved in ASHP?

I initially joined ASHP for their educational resources and guidance as a pharmacy student. During my residency, I wanted to learn about the world of informatics through the perspective of current pharmacy informaticists. ASHP was the ideal venue to engage with this community.

Advice for Someone New to Your Specialty Area

 Pharmacy informatics is a steep learning curve. Healthcare in the United States today looks drastically different than it did 10 years ago will look equally different, if not more so, in the next 10. While it’s important to be well versed in your current operational workflows, it’s equally important to be aware of changes within the profession and understand how they impact your organization. Resistance to change is what halts innovation.

How would you explain the value of ASHP to a friend or colleague?

ASHP advocates for the profession of pharmacy to advance practice. They encourage collaboration among its members through networking opportunities and have numerous resources available for professional growth. Lastly, by bringing members from across the country together, ASHP cultivates discussions that foster new ideas to improve patient care for all.

What is the value of ASHP for the profession?

ASHP provides a voice for all those in the field of pharmacy to be heard. They are actively involved in promoting legislation that sees pharmacy as a valuable asset to improve patient outcomes and safety.