Credentials: PharmD, MS
Position/Title: Inpatient Day Shift Pharmacy Coordinator
Organization: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Primary Specialty: Health-System Pharmacy Administration
Education/Advanced Training
Rutgers University, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy
Degree obtained: Doctor of Pharmacy, Completed: 2007
The Ohio State University, College of Pharmacy
Degree obtained: Masters in Health System Pharmacy Administration, Completed: 2009
The Ohio State University Medical Center
Health System Pharmacy Practice Administration/M.S. residency, Completed: 2009
Type of Patient Population Served
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) is a 700+ bed quaternary care university teaching and research institution located in Philadelphia, PA. HUP serves as a major center for transplantations, dialysis, trauma, and medical research, and is a NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center. The pharmacy department provides 24-hour service through both centralized and decentralized programs. Computerized patient profiles and physician order entry are utilized house-wide. Our decentralized pharmacists work in teams to provide specialized care through review of admission medications, discharge counseling, target drug program, pharmacist intervention program, pharmacokinetic monitoring, and provision of drug information. As a pharmacist in an administrative leadership role, I am able to work on projects and initiatives for the institution and pharmacy department that impact patients throughout HUP.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Oversight of the operating room and oncology pharmacy satellites at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine- this includes visiting these areas daily, checking on operational and personnel issues, handling staff meetings, and doing evaluations
- Supervision of inpatient pharmacists and operations
- Provides assistance to other health care professionals as needed
- Responds to customer complaints
- Routinely circulates through pharmacy areas to assess work flow and address issues
- Coordinates call outs and schedule changes on a routine basis.
- Participates in enforcing drug treatment guidelines and policies
- Outlines new policies and procedures to staff through appropriate communication
- Follows up with staff to make sure policies and procedures are being followed
- Completes staff performance evaluations on a regular basis in a timely fashion
- Leading departmental projects
How I Got Where I am Today
I became interested in exploring a career path in pharmacy management after receiving more exposure to this field during my hospital pharmacy internship. I noticed early on that the work of a pharmacy director impacted the lives of many patients and it is often because of his or her leadership that the department is able to provide pharmacy services in such a way that patients can be better served. The Director of pharmacy I had worked for coincidentally was the President of the New Jersey State Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and at that time I noticed that many of the leaders in the state that I had admired appeared to be Directors of Pharmacy who were involved in the state and local chapter levels. My curiosity to explore this interest led me to pursue the Dean of my pharmacy school to find someone to teach a hospital management elective, establish my own hospital management elective with a professor, and to seek a mentor. After searching the ASHP website for post-graduate training opportunities, I learned about the Health-System Pharmacy Practice Administration/M.S. residency- a two year residency that allows the candidate to obtain a Masters in Health-System Pharmacy while they also complete the PGY-1 and PGY-2 residency requirements. I was not sure at the time if pursuing this type of training was the right decision for me. So my mentor put me in contact with pharmacy leaders from around the country who could provide some input about that type of training. I spoke to several individuals who pursued this type of training from different programs to get their opinion if the training was worthwhile or not. Everyone I spoke to believed in the training program. After talking to all of those individuals and taking the time to get educated on the hospital pharmacy management field, I decided that a two year Health System Pharmacy Practice Administrative Residency was the right decision for me. Once I knew that is what I wanted to do, I researched the residency programs, went to Midyear to meet individuals from those programs at the booths, applied and consequently matched with The Ohio State University Medical Center. My two years at The Ohio State University Medical Center allowed me to learn from top administrative and clinical preceptors in the field, grow as a pharmacist and a leader, and enabled me to discover my strengths and specific management interests. Upon completion of my Masters and residency program, I worked both as a clinical pharmacist and manager in San Diego. Then a great leadership opportunity came up and I decided to accept a position as Inpatient Day Shift Pharmacy Coordinator at HUP.
I would not have gotten to where I am today without faith and the continued support of my peers, faculty members, mentors, and family members. The consistent encouragement I have received and satisfaction from helping patients continues to fuel my passion for this field of pharmacy.
Advice for Students Pursuing this Career Path
- Get involved in your school, local, state, and national societies
- Search for pharmacy internship job opportunities at your local hospital
- Consider the various post-graduate residency options available in this field of pharmacy
- Find a mentor
- Work on continued self-development
- Remember that you can do anything that you put your mind to
- ASHP Section Advisory Group on Leadership Development- member and presenter since 2007
- San Diego Society of Health System Pharmacists- Secretary and Delegate 2009-2010
- University HealthSystem Consortium Performance Improvement & Compliance Committee- member since 2007
Contact Information
You can reach me by e-mail at [email protected]
