Q: As the new CEO of ASCP, what is your No. 1 goal?
A: I have a responsibility to our consultant pharmacist members to foster opportunities for them. With the aging population growing, and knowing they consume most of the medications in this country, it’s a very big opportunity for pharmacists who are skilled at taking care of people in that age group.
Q: Why is communication so key?
A: In the past, pharmacists represented by ASCP worked in long-term care or assisted living facilities. But as the senior population grows, we’re seeing pharmacists pulled into physicians’ offices; you see them having their own ambulatory care clinics, designed to look at medication management. Medications are very complex and sophisticated and require a good deal of education for the person administering them. Pharmacists are involved in all aspects of senior care, and that’s an opportunity for us to shine a light on those pharmacists and make sure that others see the opportunities.
Q: Why did you take this position?
A: It’s a calling. I feel like I can bring a different perspective to finding opportunities and engaging and empowering pharmacists to practice at the height of their professional licenses. I think of it as an extension of what I was doing in private practice.
From the April 01, 2018 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
