Emotional vs. Analytic Thinking in Pharmacy

What do I care about? I would ponder this question for hours. I would analyze and think and analyze more. I never was able to identify what my issues of interest were. Then I stopped analyzing and pondering. I found that the issues that evoked emotion in me were the issues I should pursue. Analytic thought still has a profound place. Analyze a dose calculation, an antimicrobial choice, or a TPN admixture. Analyze a plan of action - the steps, the people, the scenario, and the outcome. Use emotions as a guide to identify what is of interest to you. When you have your list of issues then analyze how you can achieve the outcome.

The topics, events, and issues that evoke a strong emotion (frustration, enthusiasm) are the ones that should be pursued. I believe these emotions are extremely resourceful at helping individuals identify what they are passionate about. The difficulty is being able to apply that strong emotion into a rationale and respectful plan of action. Too often people will ride off of emotion without analyzing the ramifications and their efforts will erode. Emotion should be a guide to identify, not the guide to decide.

This week I have become increasingly interested in political activism. Those close to me will naturally say, “Of course, that is because you like politics.” I agree, I follow politics. But the more accurate reason why this interest has grown is because I like pharmacy. If you are interested in pharmacy then by default you will be interested in a portion of political activism. The current talks and debates among state legislators do not allude to, hint at, or whisper about the profession of pharmacy - they speak directly about our profession, primarily how our role is evolving and how our profession can be optimized. As pharmacists we need to collectively promote our skills and our passions. Other health professionals have become very good at vocalizing what they can bring to the health care team. Now it is our turn.

I have had the privilege of attending some recent committee meetings at the Capitol dealing with health care and all the surrounding issues. The talks and ideas are diverse but the themes are consistent. The major themes are increasing patient care, ensuring every health practitioner practices to the full capability of their training, and guideline-based medicine delivered by a health care team. All of the underlying efforts of these committees parallel the efforts of MPhA.