Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists
4055 North Perryville Road
Loves Park, IL 61111-8653
Phone: (815) 227-9292
Fax: (815) 227-9294
www.ichpnet.org

KeePosted
Official Newsjournal of the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists

EDITOR
Jacob Gettig

ASSISTANT EDITOR
Jennifer Phillips

MANAGING EDITOR
Scott Meyers

ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR
Trish Wegner

DESIGN EDITOR
Amanda Wolff

ICHP Staff
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Scott Meyers

VICE PRESIDENT - PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Trish Wegner

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Maggie Allen

INFORMATION SPECIALIST
Heidi Sunday

CUSTOMER SERVICE AND
PHARMACY TECH TOPICS™ SPECIALIST
Jo Ann Haley

ACCOUNTANT
Jan Mark

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Amanda Wolff

LEGISLATIVE CONSULTANT
Jim Owen

ICHP Mission Statement
Advancing Excellence in the Practice of Pharmacy

ICHP Vision Statement
ICHP dedicates itself to achieving a vision of pharmacy practice where:

Pharmacists are universally recognized as health care professionals and essential providers of health care services.
Patients are aware of the training, skills, and abilities of a pharmacist and the fundamental role that pharmacists play in optimizing medication therapy.
Formally educated, appropriately trained, and PTCB certified pharmacy technicians manage the medication distribution process with appropriate pharmacist oversight.
Pharmacists improve patient care and medication safety through the development of effective public policies by interacting and collaborating with patients, other health care professionals and their respective professional societies, government agencies, employers and other concerned parties.
Evidence-based practices are used to achieve safe and effective medication therapies.
There are an adequate number of qualified pharmacy leaders within the pharmacy profession.
Pharmacists take primary responsibility for educating pharmacy technicians, pharmacy students, pharmacist peers, other health professionals, and patients about appropriate medication use.

KeePosted Vision
As an integral publication of the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists, the KeePosted newsjournal will reflect its mission and goals. In conjunction with those goals, KeePosted will provide timely information that meets the changing professional and personal needs of Illinois pharmacists and technicians, and maintain high publication standards.

KeePosted is an official publication of, and is copyrighted by, the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists (ICHP). KeePosted is published 10 times a year. ICHP members received KeePosted as a member benefit. All articles published herein represent the opinions of the authors and do not reflect the policy of the ICHP or the authors’ institutions unless specified. Advertising inquiries can be directed to ICHP office at the address listed above. Image disclaimer: The image used in the Pharmacy Tech Topics™ advertisement is the property of © 2015 Thinkstock, a division of Getty Images.

Feature

Volunteers Needed!
NPN Feed My Starving Children

Please join the New Practitioners Network (NPN) as we volunteer for a food-packing session at Feed My Starving Children (FMSC). The event will take place in Schaumburg on Saturday, January 31st from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. For those of you not familiar with FMSC, during each volunteer session, volunteers work as a team to pack food blends, MannaPacks, designed to meet the dietary needs of severely malnourished children. Each volunteer will pack one box in the 2 hour shift that will provide 240 meals for malnourished children. We have 40 volunteer slots available for New Practitioners and students, and we hope to fill them all!

Prior to the event, we are striving for the NPN to collectively raise $2,000 for this worthy cause. Each MannaPack (which provides 216 meals) costs $50 so we are holding each of the 40 volunteers accountable for raising enough funds to create one MannaPack. Help us reach our goal!

Please use the following link for fundraising, or to make a donation:

http://www.youcaring.com/nonprofits/help-ichp-new-practitioners-network-fight-child-starvation/288398

Please visit http://www.fmsc.org/ to learn more about the program!

Turn hunger into hope with your own two hands.

For more information about this event, please contact:

Rebecca Castner at rcastner@csu.edu

Neha Kapur at kapur713@gmail.com

Milena McLaughlin at mmclau@midwestern.edu

Columns

President's Message
ASHP Midyear in Review – Collaborating With Your Peers

by Linda Fred, ICHP President

You never know who you will meet at an ASHP meeting! I sat down at my very first meeting on Sunday morning – and the gentleman next to me introduced himself as the Saudi Assistant General Secretary for Classification and Registration. Monday, I ran into a guy who used to work at the hospital a half mile down the street from me. I had a lovely dinner with the ASHP General Council. I saw a lot of old friends in California, and I made some new ones. I also came away with reinvigorated respect for and pride in our professional organizations – ICHP and ASHP – and the pharmacist and technician practitioners who populate them and keep them strong.

It was an excellent meeting. All of the programming I attended was first rate. Posters were excellent. Social events were fun. I loved the food truck lunch options (all about the food). I left the meeting with a nice list of “to dos” when I get back to the office…and sun and highs in the 70’s felt pretty good in December…coming from Illinois!

Last month, I wrote about collaboration at the national level. This month, I want to write a little about networking and collaborating with our peers. In my inaugural address, I alluded to ICHP as my “professional family.” Spending a week with the ASHP extended family this week completely reinforced for me the importance of networking. Networking offers some great benefits.

Networking helps you learn what you’re doing well, and it helps you identify ways to get better.

Sometimes, if you stay in a position or an organization for an extended tenure, you can lose track of what’s happening in the rest of the world. I am always proud and happy when I attend an educational program and the presentation promotes something I already have in place or at least have in the works. It tells me I’m on a good path. I’m equally happy, however, when the presenter has taken an idea I’ve implemented to a new level. Learning what I’m doing well, how I can improve on what I am already doing, and what brand new things I can investigate for my practice site are tremendous opportunities when networking with others in my profession.

Networking creates mentoring opportunities.

The learning opportunity is a two way street, though. We should all see these interactions not only as a means of learning new things to introduce into our own practices. We need to also see them as the opportunity to mentor a “fledgling” pharmacist. Everywhere I looked at the Anaheim Convention Center, I saw someone wearing a “Class of 2014” or “Class of 2015” ribbon. They are eager to learn and able to bring fresh ideas of their own. Mentoring is a collaboration of experience and engaged excitement.

Networking helps you make useful connections.

In any profession, the value of professional contacts is nearly immeasurable. It is incredibly important to be able to pick up the phone and call someone you met at a meeting and ask them about some project…or invite them to serve on a council…or solicit a reference. I can’t immediately appreciate how it might help me to know the Saudi Assistant General Secretary for Classification and Registration or the ASHP General Council – but they were extremely pleasant meeting companions…and, you never know. :)

Networking builds professional confidence.

All of the things I’ve listed: the learning opportunities, the teaching opportunities, and the professional connections – create a sense of confidence in yourself. Interacting with your peers helps build you into a better pharmacist and a better professional.

Directly Speaking
PTCB’s Tech of the Year: A Great Concept and Technician!

by Scott A. Meyers, Executive Vice President

As the Executive Vice President of ICHP, I have the privilege, pleasure and great responsibility to sit on the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, Inc.’s Board of Governors. In fact, as of January 1st, I completed my second 2-year term as Chairman of that Board. But one of the other privileges I enjoy is making personal appearances at PTCB functions from time to time.

The 2014 ASHP Midyear Meeting in Anaheim, California afforded me one of those opportunities at the PTCB Pharmacy Technician of the Year Reception on Tuesday evening. This was the second time PTCB bestowed this award and the first time to bring it to the Midyear Clinical Meeting. Judging from the overall excitement, attendance and support, the Midyear venue is here to stay. Besides a variety of PTCB Staff, other Illinois notables included Miriam Mobley-Smith and Jan Keresztes, both longtime PTCB and technician supporters.

But before I tell you just a little about this year’s award recipient, let me share a sneak peek of what may be coming for ICHP and Illinois technicians. The ICHP Division of Marketing Affairs is exploring development of an ICHP Technician of the Year Award for 2015. Discussions have just begun and work will need to be done quickly if we will present an award in 2015. The Division will review PTCB’s criteria and process for making the award, and if they choose to follow the PTCB lead, here’s what it might look like.

The PTCB Tech of the Year must be certified for at least two years and in good standing at the time of nomination.
The Certified Technician must reside in the United States or be on active military duty with the US armed forces.
The Certified Technician must be nominated by a colleague, supervisor, teacher, employer, or other person.
Name and contact information of the nominator must be provided at the time of nomination.
References provided must be either a current or former supervisor, instructor, or professor.
The person nominating the Certified Pharmacy Technician may serve as both nominator and reference if the requirements for being a reference are met.

The PTCB process is straightforward.

PTCB staff will review all submissions for completeness and conformity with criteria and forward those to the Finalist Selection Committee.
The Finalist Selection Committee will evaluate the nomination materials and select a small list of finalists for online voting. The Committee will request photo headshots from finalists and may request additional material.
PTCB will post an online ballot containing the names, photo and summary of the finalists’ submissions at www.ptcb.org, linking from email announcements and social media sites.
After voting is closed, the committee will prepare a list of nominees who received the most votes. These individuals will be the top contenders for the Award.
The list will be evaluated by the PTCB Executive Director and an advisory Honoree Selection Committee. Additional information, such as resumes, CVs, comments or opinions, may be requested from the finalists. The Executive Director will choose the single PTCB CPhT of the Year. Only one honoree will be selected; however, PTCB reserves the right to choose more than one honoree on a case by case basis.

The PTCB CPhT of the Year recipient receives a $500 honorarium and registration, travel, lodging and meals in accordance with its travel policies to the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, where the award is presented.

As you can see, this is not an easy or small award! But now let me tell you about Hannah Peabody, the 2014 PTCB CPhT of the Year. Hannah is employed at the Patient Rx Center of Hematology/Oncology Associates of Central New York (HOACNY), a private practice with more than 40 providers seeing 4,500 patients annually. She has helped secure more than $1,500,000 in financial support to assist patients filling their prescriptions at HOACNY’s center.

Hannah was hired to create an oncology physician dispensing platform and worked with her pharmacy manager, Michael Reff, RPh, MBA and an oncology nurse navigator, Deborah Walters, RN, OCN, to implement and execute new systems focused on accuracy, increased oral compliance, medication affordability, and patient convenience. Ms. Peabody’s personal priority is building close relationships with her patients. “Patients are as likely to want to tell me they have a new dog as they are to say they’re on a new treatment. Personal relationships translate into better compliance and better health. Patients call me about difficult medication side effects because they trust our team will help them feel better. We do, so they stick with their therapies.”

As you can see Hannah is a great example of what a Certified Pharmacy Technician can do and be! I’m sure we have some outstanding Certified Pharmacy Technicians in Illinois, and it would be great to see what they are up to and how they are making a difference in their patient’s lives! Watch for more details and get ready – you may be able to nominate your own CPhT of the Year candidate soon!

The Government Affairs Report
Out with the Old, In with the New!

by Jim Owen and Scott Meyers

It’s the New Year, and we want to start 2015 out on a new note. In the past, the GAS from Springfield was our Government Affairs Report. But because the “GAS” was often sarcastic and critical of our state government while reporting new developments in legislation and regulation, it didn’t accomplish all that was intended. Don’t get us wrong, we meant it to be sarcastic and critical in order to stir the passion within our members to do something about their profession. However, what we believe it really did was reduce the legitimacy of the facts we provided, and we felt that the hopelessness we sometimes conveyed with a failed legislative process diminished the real message that if you work hard and long, you can accomplish worthy goals in Illinois.

So beginning with this issue, the “GAS” is gone, and the very matter of fact “Government Affairs Report” is where you’ll need to look for your legislative and regulatory news. Regulating the pharmacy profession in Illinois and nationwide is an important and necessary function on which all pharmacists should be focused. Your profession can’t grow and expand unless you help it to do so. We will continue to provide the important updates on new legislation and regulation that are pending or have been approved, and we will provide solid direction for the steps each of you can take to help ICHP “Advance excellence in pharmacy”.

The spring legislative session begins on January 14th with the inauguration of new constitutional officers and legislators and on January 15th with the first day of session. We will see a flurry of bills introduced between those dates and almost the end of February. But the real work begins now, as we work on language to defeat some anticipated legislation and other language to help craft favorable laws.

We know that there will be a bill to fight the spread of heroin use, abuse and overdoses and much of that legislation could impact pharmacy. We also are prepared for another fight to prevent Illinois from implementing laws that are more stringent or precede the regulations coming from the FDA on biosimilars. We have a variety of other issues on our radar and will share those that appear. ICHP’s Government Affairs Division is active and ready for whatever will come our way with the 99th General Assembly.

We also know that there will be a renewed effort in Washington to bring provider-status to pharmacists in the Social Security Act this year. We will keep you informed of the latest developments, current co-sponsors, and potential target co-sponsors of whatever legislation is introduced in the new 114th Congress in 2015.

Please make “The Government Affairs Report” a regular read whenever KeePosted is published and be prepared to carry our message to your State Senator, State Representative, US Senators, or Congressman whenever we send the email call. We’re serious about the title, content and context of this column, so let’s all get serious about advocacy for the profession and not leave it for someone else to do!

ICHPeople

Congratulations to ICHP member, Carrie Vogler, who welcomed a son in November!

Carrie's Baby Story

"The day I left the ICHP leadership retreat on November 8th, 2014 I had no idea that I would actually be delivering my baby in less than 48 hours. I was having a relatively normal pregnancy and was 32 weeks gestation with a due date of December 31st. About an hour after returning home from the retreat in Springfield (luckily I had called in to the board meeting from the car) I started experiencing severe back pain and nausea. I went to the hospital, not expecting to deliver, and was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome which stands for Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes, and Low Platelets. HELLP Syndrome is a form of preeclampsia and the treatment is delivery. Delivery was delayed for 24 hours so that I could receive steroid injections to help develop the baby's lungs. I was put on a continuous magnesium drip to prevent seizures which can occur in mothers with HELLP Syndrome. On November 10th I delivered my son, Brayden Scot Vogler, 4 pounds 5.5 oz, 18 inches long. Both of us recovered quickly and Brayden was able to come home after 22 days in St. John's Hospital NICU. I am happy to report that Brayden is growing quickly and at his 2 month doctor appointment, he is already over 11 pounds! Big sister, Morgan (age 3), has been a great helper to me at home."

Congratulations again, Carrie, and we are so glad everyone is happy and healthy!

Leadership Profile
Megan Metzke, PharmD

What is your current leadership position in ICHP?

President of Sangamiss Society

Where did you go to pharmacy school?

Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy

Trace your professional history since graduation. Where have you trained and/or worked? Any special accomplishments?

I have worked in two hospital settings in central Illinois where I have been afforded a variety of opportunities. In addition to providing care to general medical patients, I have been able to gain experience in pediatrics and care transition, but I have spent much of the last six years as a clinical pharmacist in the ICU. I have had the opportunity to serve on several advisory and procedural committees and have been able to assist in the development of two PGY1 residency programs.

Describe your current area of practice and practice setting.

I work at Memorial Medical Center, a 500-bed hospital in Springfield, IL. Although I am a staff pharmacist, I have had the recent opportunity to develop an ICU program. Currently, much of my time is dedicated to interdisciplinary rounds.

What initially motivated you to get involved, and what benefits do you see in being active in a professional association such as ICHP?

Initially, I joined as a way to network. I continue to stay involved because I feel it keeps me “plugged in” to my profession. It allows me to stay up to date with current topics.

Is there an individual you admire or look up to, or a mentor that has influenced your career?

I haven’t had one single mentor but a combination of working with a variety of pharmacists with all sorts of backgrounds. Senior pharmacists have taught me a variety of tips and tricks you don’t learn in books. Colleagues within academia have encouraged my growth by offering guidance, suggestions, and often a different view point. Of course, I would never have been able to accomplish what I have without the encouragement and support of my husband, Brian.

What advice would you give to new pharmacists?

Keep an open mind. It is kind of funny how life works out. The areas of pharmacy that I was certain I would work in when I graduated, I didn’t find as fulfilling as I had hoped. On the other hand, I thought I had no interest in ICU and have ended up loving it.

Do you have any special interests or hobbies outside of work?

Currently, I have a 7 month old son, Drake, keeping me pretty busy, but I do pin a lot of crafts on Pinterest that I hope to get to someday. I also putter in the garden a little bit.

Do you have a favorite restaurant or food?

Anywhere that serves pasta with fresh baked bread.

What is your favorite place to vacation?

A Caribbean beach is my favorite place to vacation; however, weekend getaways to Galena, IL are much more frequent and still very fun and relaxing.

What is your favorite book?

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

What is the most interesting/unique fact about yourself that few people know?

I eloped. A little more than eight years ago my husband (then my fiancé) and I were married on a Caribbean beach. The only other people present were the preacher and a photographer.

What 3 adjectives would people use to best describe you?

Dedicated, calculated, and reserved.

New Practitioners Network
Remaining Fiscally Responsible in Times of Change

by Brandi Strader, PharmD, BCPS

As new practitioners, we are encouraged to stay attuned to the most up-to-date, evidence-based literature to support our therapeutic recommendations. However, the state of healthcare is constantly evolving, and now it is evolving at a rate faster than ever before. Healthcare reform and practice changes will continue to impact every recommendation we make as practitioners. Fiscal responsibility is often not discussed in the general pharmacy school curriculum, but the practice of fiscal stewardship in all aspects of pharmacy is expected once you begin your career in health-system pharmacy. There are a few ways to be proactive and ensure optimal patient care while remaining fiscally responsible.

Develop/expand antimicrobial stewardship efforts: The overall goal of antimicrobial stewardship committees is to minimize inappropriate utilization of antibiotics and optimize clinical outcomes while reducing unintended consequences, including the emergence of resistant organisms.¹ When executed at a quality level, the reduction in antimicrobial expenditures is evident. These results can help support pharmacy initiatives and maintain fiscal responsibility.

Engage physicians and other healthcare professionals in all stewardship efforts: As pharmacists, our role when interacting with the healthcare team has often focused on medication education and evidence-based recommendations. A new role for pharmacists that many institutions are finding successful is assistance with quality measures that affect hospital costs and reimbursement. In hospitals, pharmacists are uniquely positioned to communicate with physicians and educate them on quality measures and their effects on cost and reimbursement. For example, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) collect data on specific quality measures, which may include requirements about specific medications.² Compliance with these measures affects the hospital’s reimbursement rates and therefore, the overall bottom line of the institution. The pharmacist can help ensure fiscal responsibility and quality patient care by providing evidence-based recommendations and assessing the cost differences of various medication regimens. Once the clinical impact of various drug regimens has been discussed, the pharmacist addresses the issue of cost. Physicians typically appreciate the pharmacoeconomic comparison of each regimen and are sometimes surprised by the large cost differences between certain medications. Therefore, our impact on pharmacy costs can strongly affect the department of pharmacy fiscally in a time where positions are being denied, budgets are being cut, and medication costs are increasing.

Develop/expand therapeutic interchange policies and complete medication utilization reviews to assess implementation of new processes: The need for a well-controlled formulary is even more important now with the rapid expansion in the number of drugs in a given therapeutic class and the need to control drug and related health care costs while providing appropriate patient care. Therapeutic interchange policies and programs give pharmacists the authority to interchange medications with therapeutically equivalent medications without prior consent from the prescriber, if outlined in the institution’s policies and procedures.³ Tight control and detailed annual review of medication classes is key to driving down inventory costs and getting rid of unnecessary medication stock that may expire (remember, inventory equals dollars.)

Healthcare changes have caused many institutions to re-assess previous medications added to the formulary for their ability to increase patient turnaround time, decrease length of stay, or increase patient satisfaction. Institutions are now focusing on conducting more in-depth reviews based on more robust data when weighing the costs/potential benefits of a new medication. Newer marketing strategies for some medications might focus on a medication’s ability to reduce length of stay or increase patient satisfaction, both of which may drive reimbursement. However, it is our responsibility as the medication experts to review these materials in detail with our physicians and administration to ensure that these benefits are realizable at our institution.

Overall, there are several occasions for a new practitioner to help with fiscal stewardship at their institution and still provide a high level of quality patient care. Maintaining strong relationships with physician groups and other healthcare professionals is a key strategy when keeping pharmacoeconomic principles in mind.

References:

Dellit TH, Owens RC, McGowan JE Jr, et al. Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America guidelines for developing an institutional program to enhance antimicrobial stewardship. Clin Infect Dis. 2014; 44(2):159-177.
Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Fact sheet: eliminating serious, preventable, and costly medical errors—never events. http://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Fact-Sheets/2006-Fact-Sheets-Items/2006-05-18.html. (accessed 2014 Dec 23).
Gray T, Bertch K, Galt K, et al. Guidelines for therapeutic interchange – 2004. Pharmacotherapy. 2005;25(11):1666-80.

College Connections

Poster Presentation at Midyear

by Jessica Peng, P2, ICHP President-Elect, Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy

This year’s 49th American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition was held in Anaheim, California, right around the corner from Disneyland. With perfect weather and great food, it could not be a better time to take off to California from Illinois than during the winter month of December. Midyear is markedly the nation’s largest pharmacy meeting, with 20,292 people attending the meeting last year. However, the grandeur of the meeting is especially notable once you step foot into the convention center.

As I walked into the convention center, I saw hundreds and hundreds of students, faculty members, residents, residency program directors, and many others. I had excitement and nervousness as I looked around the building full of men with suits and women with blazers. This was an environment that expected one to uphold their professionalism at all times, as anyone in the crowd could be your future boss or colleague. Furthermore, there were so many programs offered at Midyear including educational sessions, receptions, competitions, poster presentations, residency showcases, exhibitions of the various companies within pharmacy, and even entertainment shows such as the one hosted by this year’s Keynote speaker, Jay Leno.

The primary purpose for my attendance at Midyear was to present my findings from my summer research project at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. My project titled, “Eight cases of vancomycin-associated acute kidney injury with contemporary dosing,” was in collaboration with Midwestern University students, Cecilia Pham and Tina Lertharakul, Northwestern Memorial Hospital fellow, John O’Donnell, and faculty advisors, Nathaniel Rhodes and Marc Scheetz. Even though I contributed extensive hours of research and preparation for this day, I felt a wave of nervousness as I entered the poster presentation center. But as a future pharmacist, I felt a sense of responsibility to discuss and answer questions on contemporary dosing of vancomycin in our patients. My hope was to raise awareness of how safe and effective vancomycin therapy can decrease health care costs due to preventable outcomes, such as re-hospitalization.

Several people had approached my poster, including fourth year students and hospital pharmacy directors. Some asked me for a general overview of the poster and my research findings. Others came by and took me by surprise, asking various questions that I have never thought to answer when preparing for my poster. As time went on and the amount of people who approached my poster grew larger, I became more excited to hear what people had to say. Each person came by and gave great insight on our topic. It was interesting to hear such different questions from so many different people and to find out what was important to them and the general population.

As a second year pharmacy student, the exposure I gained during Midyear was a great way to develop my presentation skills for upcoming events such as Midwestern University’s Kenneth Suarez Research Day. It allowed me to practice presenting in a professional setting and obtain tips, advice, and insight on my research topic. Moreover, attendance at this meeting granted me the opportunity to explore residency options by opening my network to pharmacy leaders and prospective pharmacists. I also had the chance to enhance my knowledge and expertise as a future pharmacist by engaging in several exhibitions and forums pertaining to current issues. Midyear is an event that can provide growth for anyone and I highly recommend that students attend and experience this first hand.

Getting Involved: Defining the Future Practice of Pharmacy

by Rubi Doctolero, PS2, ICHP-SSHP Treasurer, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science College of Pharmacy

I had the opportunity to attend the ICHP annual leadership retreat this fall, held at the Illinois Beach Resort. This was my first experience going to a retreat of this nature and I was a little nervous, but a night away from campus and a few free meals helped me to overcome my fear of experiencing something new. After arriving, I was impressed with the number of attendees who are prominent ICHP members and directors of pharmacies from hospitals in Illinois. I was intimidated, and at the same time, thrilled to be a part of this event.

The focus of the retreat was “Building the Future of ICHP” and the main discussion was how to increase ICHP’s presence and activities. Currently, 73.11% of ICHP members are pharmacists and 20.28% are students. Increasing membership is one of the challenges faced by ICHP as an organization. One of the suggestions was to increase advertising to highlight the benefits of being a member. ICHP provides students with a lot of information about residencies, holds a residency showcase, allows us to network at local programs, and provides opportunities for students to get involved at the school, regional and state level.

There were a lot of great ideas, but I couldn’t stop thinking, “Why do we only focus on what an organization like ICHP can do for our careers or for us personally?” This does not only apply to ICHP, but other organizations in school as well. Grades are important; however, as students we need to also focus on what we can do to advance the practice of pharmacy, and actively participating in an organization like ICHP can help us achieve this goal. For instance, we need to support the ongoing pursuits to be recognized as a healthcare provider by attending events like the Illinois Legislative Day, where we can represent our profession’s concerns to state legislators. We should be reaching out and asking what we can do to help an organization like ICHP. It can be surprising at what we can contribute and learn at the same time.

Being an advocate for the practice of pharmacy starts now, while we are in school. With the assistance of our professors, mentors and leaders in state and national organizations, we can make our voices heard and work together to shape our future profession as pharmacists.

I was appreciative to have had the opportunity to sit side by side and work with so many great and inspiring members. For the first time, I felt like my voice as a student was being heard. There were only a handful of students who attended, but we appreciated that we were encouraged to speak up and contribute to the discussions on opportunities for the growth of ICHP. No opinion was ignored and no concern was too small. This was a great networking opportunity. I learned more about my future profession, and most importantly, I feel like the students who attended made a difference. I am looking forward to attending more meetings and I hope I have encouraged more pharmacy students around the state to become actively involved in our state pharmacy organizations.

Mentorship Program: Establishing Professional Connections for Student Pharmacists

by Jessica DaPisa, P3, Vice President, UIC College of Pharmacy

Students, have you ever found yourself on the hunt for a pharmacist to answer your mental list—or extensively thought out and perfectly worded list which is typed up on your iPad—of pharmacy-related questions? Have you been seeking out a current practitioner to serve as a mentor and provide you with guidance and wisdom as you continue your journey through pharmacy school? Are you stumped in figuring out how to find this ideal pharmacist or how to appropriately initiate a connection with a potential mentor? Don’t worry; you’re not alone. Last year, UIC’s ICHP chapter recognized the high demand among students for pharmacy mentors and decided to do something about it.

With the gracious help of the ICHP Board of Directors, we were able to compound our ideas into one free-flowing solution: the Mentorship Program. Our student chapter, comprised of both Chicago and Rockford campuses, was determined to bridge the gap between our student members and our pharmacist network by means of implementing a program that matches students and health-system practitioners based on pharmacy interests. After promoting the program to pharmacists via e-mail, Facebook, KeePosted, ICHP-sponsored events, and the New Practitioner’s Network, we were astounded by the number of willing professionals who expressed both interest and excitement about this mentorship opportunity. We were able to successfully match 18 pharmacist mentor and student mentee pairs in the program’s first year! We provided each pair with a checklist of suggested activities such as an ice-breaker e-mail correspondence, CV and resume feedback, meeting up for coffee or at an ICHP-sponsored event, and shadowing opportunities at the pharmacist’s practice setting.

After the launch of this program, we received some great feedback from both mentees and mentors and implemented a few changes. While maintaining our focus on establishing professional connections throughout the field of health-system pharmacy, we felt the need to make the initial encounter between pairs a bit more interactive. We introduced a kick-off scavenger hunt event this fall in order to create a laid-back environment where professional relationships can form au naturel while performing engaging activities. Mentors and mentees were first presented with a set of riddles to complete as a pair. Afterward, they followed clues to 9 locations around the College of Pharmacy building, including the pharmaceutics lab, student lounge, and the Medicinal Plant Garden. Ice-breaker challenges, career-builder questions, and fun bonus tasks awaited them at each destination, such as pretending to compound a medication, taking a ‘selfie’ in front of the UIC emblem, and documenting their reaction to presenting in front of an audience of 200 students. We were thrilled with the encouraging responses we received regarding this kick-off event and how beneficial it was in facilitating both professional and personal conversations!

Through the introduction of this mentorship program, we have offered a means for students to receive support from enthusiastic pharmacists to help in achieving both their short-term and long-term pharmacy goals. We have matched more than 40 pharmacists with first, second, and third year pharmacy students and we continuously aim to improve our program based on suggestions from participants. At the end of our pilot year, we sent out an anonymous survey to evaluate the program in its entirety. One of our mentees remarked on his or her experience, “I thought it was extremely helpful to have a mentor assigned to me as a P1 because it was a good way to network as well as learn a lot about my mentor's background. He opened my eyes to many career opportunities I had never thought about or learned about in school.” This phenomenal opportunity would not be possible if it weren’t for the pharmacists generously donating their time and wisdom towards making a positive impact on the development and success of current students. A response from one of our mentors stated, “It is our duty as pharmacists to help students who will be walking in our footsteps.” Our dedicated mentors truly are making a difference!

Are you inspired to initiate a mentorship program within your ICHP chapter? Great! Email us at ichp.uic@gmail.com with questions and we would be glad to help you! Are you worried about missing out if your ICHP chapter does not currently offer this type of mentorship program? Our national health-system affiliate, ASHP, advertises their own mentorship program which is free for all ASHP members. You can find more information on this program at http://connect.ashp.org/mentoring1?ssopc=1.

Officers and Board of Directors

LINDA FRED

President

217-383-3253
linda.fred@carle.com

MIKE FOTIS
Immediate Past President
michael.fotis@northwestern.edu

JENNIFER PHILLIPS
President-Elect
630-515-7167
jphillips@midwestern.edu

GINGER ERTEL
Treasurer
660-342-5022
gertel@msn.com

CHARLENE HOPE

Secretary

773-292-8200 x4190

chope@nahospital.org

TRAVIS HUNERDOSSE
Director, Educational Affairs
thunerdo@nmh.org

CARRIE VOGLER

Director, Marketing Affairs

217-545-5394

cvogler@siue.edu

DESI KOTIS
Director, Professional Affairs

312-926-6961
dkotis@nmh.org

KATHY KOMPERDA
Director, Organizational Affairs
630-515-6168
kkompe@midwestern.edu

KATHRYN SCHULTZ

Director, Government Affairs

312-926-6961

kathryn_schultz@rush.edu

MIKE WEAVER
Chairman, House of Delegates
815-599-6113
mweaver@fhn.org

ANA FERNANDEZ

Technician Representative

312-926-6980

abfernan@nmh.org

DAVID TJHIO
Chairman, Committee on Technology
816-885-4649
david.tjhio@cerner.com

BRANDI STRADER

Chairman, New Practitioners Network

217-544-6464

brandi.strader@hshs.org

JACOB GETTIG
Editor & Chairman, KeePosted Committee
630-515-7324 fax: 630-515-6958
jgetti@midwestern.edu

JENNIFER PHILLIPS
Assistant Editor, KeePosted
630-515-7167
jphillips@midwestern.edu

SCOTT MEYERS
Executive Vice President, ICHP Office
815-227-9292
scottm@ichpnet.org

Regional Directors

NOELLE CHAPMAN
Regional Director North

312-926-2547

nchapman@nmh.org

JENNIFER ARNOLDI
Regional Director Central
jennifer.arnoldi@st-johns.org

LYNN FROMM
Co-Regional Director South

618-391-5539

frommL@andersonhospital.org

TARA VICKERY-GORDON
Co-Regional Director South

618-643-2361 x2330

tvgordon@hmhospital.org

Student Chapter Presidents

KEVIN CHANG
President, Student Chapter
University of IL C.O.P.
kchang29@uic.edu

JULIA SAPOZHNIKOV
Student Chapter Liaison
University of IL C.O.P.
sapozhn1@uic.edu

NEHA KAPUR
President, Rockford Student Chapter
University of IL C.O.P.
kapur4@uic.edu

CAROLYN TOY
President, Student Chapter

Midwestern University C.O.P.
ctoy59@midwestern.edu

MARIA LAURA ITUAH
President, Student Chapter
Chicago State University C.O.P.

mituah@csu.edu

KIMBERLEE KABBES
President, Student Chapter
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville S.O.P
kikabbe@siue.edu

COURTNEY MAKOWSKI
President, Student Chapter
Roosevelt University C.O.P.

cmakowski@mail.roosevelt.edu

AMANDA OUTINEN
President, Student Chapter
Rosalind Franklin University C.O.P.
Amanda.outinen@my.rfums.org

ICHP Affiliates

GARY PEKSA
President, Northern IL Society (NISHP)

gary_D_peksa@rush.edu

JULIA SCHIMMELPFENNIG
President, Metro East Society (MESHP)
jschimmelpfen@sebh.org

MEGAN METZKE
President, Sangamiss Society
memiller8@yahoo.com

ED RAINVILLE
President, West Central Society (WSHP)
309-655-7331x
ed.c.rainville@osfhealthcare.org

Vacant Roles at Affiliates —
President, Rock Valley Society; Southern IL Society; Sugar Creek Society

Welcome New Members!

New Member	*Recruiter*
Arthur Wainwright
Luke Hvass
Samantha Spencer
Shannon Rotolo
Sheam Bakri
Priscilla Lee	David Lamb
Brianne Pape	Greg Biedron
Kena Lanham	Nora Flint
Jamie Anasco	Antoinette Cintron
Gloria Mizer
Kevin Buehrle	Jennifer Austin
Lauren Kormelink
Whitney Dickson
Blaine Johnson
Nishan Sakadjian

ICHP Pharmacy Action Fund (PAC) Contributors

Names below reflect donations between January 1, 2014 and January 1, 2015. Giving categories reflect each person's cumulative donations since inception.

ADVOCACY ALLIANCE - $2500-$10000

Kevin Colgan

Edward Donnelly

Dave Hicks

Frank Kokaisl

Michael Novario

LINCOLN LEAGUE - $1000-$2499

Scott Bergman

Andrew Donnelly

Ginger Ertel

Linda Fred

James Owen Consulting Inc.

Jan Keresztes

Kathy Komperda

Despina Kotis

William McEvoy

Scott Meyers

Michael Rajski

Edward Rickert

Christina Rivers

Michael Short

Carrie Sincak

Miriam Mobley-Smith

Avery Spunt

Michael Weaver

Patricia Wegner

Thomas Westerkamp

CAPITOL CLUB - $500-$999

Sheila Allen

Margaret Allen

Rauf Dalal

Drury Lane Theater

Ann Jankiewicz

Leonard Kosiba

George MacKinnon

Janette Mark

Mary Lynn Moody

Edward Rainville

JoAnn Stubbings

UIC Student Chapter

Jill Warszalek

GENERAL ASSEMBLY GUILD - $250-$499

Tom Allen

Pete Antonopoulos

Peggy Bickham

Jaime Borkowski

Sandra Durley

Nancy Fjortoft

Michael Fotis

Travis Hunerdosse

Zahra Khudeira

Ann Kuchta

Mary Lee

Gloria Meredith

Jennifer Phillips

Justin Schneider

Kathryn Schultz

Heidi Sunday

Alan Weinstein

SPRINGFIELD SOCIETY - $100-$249

Jen Arnoldi

Jerry Bauman

Jill Borchert

Donna Clay

Mark Deaton

John Esterly

Gireesh Gupchup

Joann Haley

Joan Hardman

Charlene Hope

Diana Isaacs

Kim Janicek

Stan Kent

Kati Kwasiborski

Kristopher Leja

Ronald Miller

New Practitioners Network

Karen Nordstrom

Peggy Reed

Katie Ronald

Brandi Strader

Jennifer Tryon

Carrie Vogler

Marie Williams

William Wuller

Cindy Wuller

GRASSROOTS GANG - $50-$99

Brett Barker

Susan Berg

Jeanne Durley

Mary Eilers

Lara Ellinger

Clara Gary

Tory Gunderson

Carol Heunisch

Brian Hoff

Robert Hoy

Mike Koronkowski

Kim Lim

Mark Luer

Bella Maningat

Milena McLaughlin

Megan Metzke

Katherine Miller

Mark Ruscin

Stacy Schmittling

Evanna Shopoff

Lucas Stoller

Jerry Storm

Dave Willman

Janeen Winneke

Amanda Wolff

CONTRIBUTOR - $1-$49

Renee Advincula

Yinka Alaka

Lisa Ball

Roger Ball

Marci Batsakis

Greg Biedron

Amy Boblitt

John Chaney

Kathy Cimakasky

Mardhia Dayisi

Andreea Ducu

Veronica Flores

Deb Fox

Janice Frueh

Crystin Gloude

Linda Grider

Alisa Groesch

Rebekah Hanson

Margaret Heger

Ina Henderson

Julie Kasap

Dijana Keljalic

Nehrin Khamo

Josephine Kochou

Huda-Marie Kuttab

Irvin Laubscher

Chris Little

Kristopher Lozanovski

Laura Mazzone

Kit Moy

Syed Munawer

Whitney Palecek

Hina Patel

Abby Reeder

Cheryl Scantlen

Elba Sertuche

Hannah Sheley

Chris Shoemaker

Carrie Silverman

Theophilus Simon

Jennifer Splawski

Gloria Sporleder

David Tjhio

Zakarri Vinson

Michael Wilcox

Christina Yates

Thomas Yu

Click here to make a donation to the PAC.

Upcoming Events

Visit the ICHP Calendar for the most up-to-date events!

Tuesday, January 13

LIVE CPE Program! The Role of Dalbavancin and Oritavancin in the treatment of Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections (ABSSSI)

Pharmacist & Technician specific Sangamiss Program

Brickhouse Grill & Pub | Springfield, IL

Thursday, January 15 & Wednesday, January 28

LIVE Webinar! Incorporating Pediatric Medication Safety in your Health System

Pharmacist & Technician specific Champion Webinar

Wednesday, January 21

LIVE CPE Program! NISHP Double Feature

Part 1: Overview of Oritavancin (Orbactiv) (non-CPE program)

Part 2: Hypertension Guidelines Have Your Blood Pressure Up? (Pharmacist & Technician specific CPE Program)

Reel Club | Oakbrook, IL

Wednesday, January 28

Pharmacy Directors Network Dinner Meeting

Via Carducci | Chicago, IL

Tuesday, February 10

LIVE CPE Program! Off-Label Use of Prothrombin Complex Concentrate in the Emergency Department

Pharmacist specific Sangamiss Program

Mariah’s Restaurant | Springfield, IL

Tuesday, February 10 & Thursday, February 19

LIVE Webinar! Technicians – Keeping Pharmacy Safe

Technician specific Champion Webinar

Wednesday, March 11

9th Annual Under the Dome Pharmacy Legislative Day

Illinois State Capitol | Springfield, IL

Thursday, March 12 & Tuesday, March 24

LIVE Webinar! Intranasal Medication Delivery – Nothing to Sneeze At

Pharmacist & Technician specific Champion Webinar

Friday, March 20 & Saturday March 21

ICHP/MSHP 2015 Spring Meeting

Pharmacist & Technician specific CPE programming

St. Charles Convention Center | St. Charles, MO

Print Entire Issue

November 2021

KeePosted Info