Tuesday, September 21, 2010

New Experiences

It has been another busy week with MPhA! On Monday, the MPhA board held their board retreat meeting which was at Upsher-Smith Laboratories in Maple Grove. I had never been to Upsher-Smith before and was impressed with their facility. We were offered a tour of the building, giving us the chance to see their labs, shipping facility, conference rooms and offices. They also gave us an update on the future of their company. While their vision of providing affordable, high quality products remains the same, they are evolving the types of medications that they produce to reflect the shift in the economic climate. I was also able to meet members of the MPhA board while I was there. Each member shared what they would like from the board, indicating that they are all driven to advance the profession of pharmacy.

This week I was also able to attend my first Board of Pharmacy meeting. There were many interesting topics that were brought up while I was there. There was a long debate about pharmacy automation for vending-machine like pharmacies with audio-visual connections for pharmacist consult. The board expressed interest in limiting the locations where these machines could be used. The machines have a great potential to help deliver medications to patients in rural areas who do not have a nearby pharmacy. However, there was concern that allowing these machines in urban settings could discourage patients from visiting traditional pharmacies, which were argued to be safer and have more opportunity for quality counseling. This argument was countered by the fact that mail-order prescriptions do not have any counseling involved. This issue was unresolved at the meeting as people needed more time to work on fair rules for everyone involved. There were many other items of debate during the meeting, including variances for individual pharmacies and a new technology called Zipnosis. I would encourage everyone to go to a Board of Pharmacy meeting to learn more about what the board does and current issues in pharmacy.

I also attended a few policy meetings this week. I attended a hearing at the senate office building to discuss the proposed legislative changes to complaint, investigation and hearing procedures for licensed health professionals. This meeting looked at a balance between controlling board costs and protecting health professional through due process of law. The legislation is aiming to create more unification among the various health professional boards. I was also able to attend the public affairs meeting at the MPhA office. Members were able to discuss many areas of concern, including prescription reimbursement and PBM audits.

I have spent the rest of my week working on the DEA Take-Back Event that is happening on September 25th. I have been contacting volunteers to help and have been happy with the responses I have gotten. Everyone I have spoken with is excited that we are getting this opportunity to help the community. We are still looking for more volunteers and could use your help. If you would like to volunteer, please call the MPhA office at 651-697-1771 for more information.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Introducing Angie Streckert

Hello MPhA members! My name is Angie Streckert and I am a fourth year pharmacy student at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. I am currently fortunate enough to be doing an APPE rotation at MPhA and will be spending 5 weeks here. I grew up in Minnesota and am still able to visit my parents frequently in Ham Lake. I attended the University of MN-Duluth for undergrad where I earned my bachelor’s degree with a major in biology and minors in chemistry and psychology. Unsure of which area of health care I wanted to enter, I worked for a year at R&D Systems in Minneapolis, MN before starting pharmacy school. This was a great opportunity to explore the research and industrial side of pharmaceuticals.  Since starting pharmacy school, I have been able to explore huge number of various pharmacy practice settings. Still unsure of where I want to practice when I complete school, I am considering community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, MTM and pharmaceutical industry.

Starting this rotation, I had no idea what I would be doing or what to expect from my time at MPhA.  Although I was familiar with what MPhA provided to pharmacists, I didn’t know what they did on a daily basis. I have learned that the people who work here are busy! I have only been here 4 days and have already experienced a vast amount of unique opportunities.

On my second day here, I was honored to meet the CEO of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), Roger Williams. We were able to eat lunch with him and then attend a seminar he gave on the university campus. It was great to meet in a small group for lunch because this gave the opportunity to really learn more about Roger and his mission for the company. Before this meeting, I only thought of USP when considering guidelines 795 and 797. I didn’t comprehend how huge USP is and how they have such a large impact on all of healthcare and science. I also learned that USP is expanding globally, helping to improve standards in other countries as well.

I was also given the opportunity to visit the state’s capital this week. Although I had visited the capital once before, I hadn’t been there since grade school. While there, I was able to enter the MN Supreme court, House and Senate rooms. I was also able to see the chandler that normally hangs in the rotunda, but was taken down for the first time in 30 years for maintenance. It was fascinating to learn how technologically advanced the capital was when it was built in 1905, already being wired with electricity.

Since the legislature is not currently in session, I needed a different focus for my time here. Today, we decided that I will focus on the National DEA Drug Take Back event which is happening on September 25th from 10am to 2pm. This event is taking place in 11 Minnesota locations. We will be helping to collect any unused, unwanted or expired medications from the public with no cost to the public and no questions asked. I will be helping to get volunteers for the project and to let others know about the event. More information should be sent to pharmacists this week as we get more details. If you would like to volunteer for the event, please let us know! I look forward to working with everyone to make this event a success.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Final Blog

It is my fifth and final week on rotation with Minnesota Pharmacists Association. Although my rotation is complete there are several things I will carry forward. I will be attending all future Health Care Access Committee meetings throughout the remainder of the year. These are housed at the State Capitol approximately every three to four weeks. Attending these meetings has given me exposure to the deficits in health care and has helped me identify the areas in which pharmacy can contribute. MPhA has given me the opportunity to have a glimpse into the legislative process. I plan to use this glimpse to immerse myself in the discussions this legislative season. I am excited to see how the health care discussions evolve as we near the upcoming year.

My time at MPhA has inspired me to be a voice for my profession. In my future rotations I will apply the potential health care changes to that setting. I will be an advocate for the profession as I migrate from rotation to rotation. Policy involvement will be the continuity between the diverse rotations I have throughout the year. While each practice site will inevitably differ, they will collectively be affected by potential legislation in the spring.

With that being said, my rotation with MPhA is rather longitudinal and will continue throughout my career. I view my time at MPhA merely as a great introduction to a career of professional involvement. I have had a great experience with Julie Johnson, the staff at MPhA, the members, and all the groups affiliated with the organization that I was able to work with. Thanks MPhA!

-Chris