Conferences & Meetings - Iowa Pharmacy Association Annual Meeting 2013

Iowa Pharmacy Association – Annual Meeting 2013

This weekend I attended the Iowa Pharmacy Association Annual Meeting in Coralville, IA.  The meeting began with a House of Delegates session which allowed me to observe pharmacists from across the state debate various IPA policies such as preferred pharmacy networks, regulation of compounding practices, and regulation of medications with abuse potential. Following the House of Delegates we heard from celebrity speaker Aaron Thomas.  This was my first time hearing Aaron’s story and it was quite moving to hear about how his family responded to adversity.  Next there was a poster and exhibit session which gave me an opportunity to learn about the various research and innovative pharmacy projects such as the Tech-Check-Tech program.  The day ended with the annual awards banquet which recognized many pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and students in the state of Iowa.  The banquet and the overall meeting helped me realize the level of commitment that the so many people have for the profession of pharmacy and also gave me inspiration and motivation to continue in their footsteps. 

Rotation - IPPE2 Community Rotation Reflection

IPPE2 Community Rotation Reflection

For the last three weeks I have been working full-time at NuCara Pharmacy in a small town in Iowa.  NuCara is an independent chain of 23 stores in the Midwest and one store in Texas.  Having worked at Hy-Vee Pharmacy previously, NuCara gave me the opportunity to see a small town pharmacy in action. I especially liked this rotation because it gave me the opportunity to work at different stores. I mainly spent my time at the Nevada store and I also spent a day at the Story City, IA location, a telepharmacy in Zearing, IA, a compounding pharmacy in Ames, IA, a new acquisition in Paynesville, MN, and did a site visit in Carroll, IA. Most of my time at NuCara involved dispensing, though I also did some counseling, wrote a blog post for NuCara’s blog (link below), participated in journal club, and attended a meeting at OutcomesMTM office.  It was interesting to fly to Paynesville on the company plane to see the new pharmacy that NuCara was acquiring and while I was there I also helped with inventory.  When I was visiting the Carroll pharmacy with the vice-president of operations for a site visit, I had the opportunity to see more of the business matters as the financial aspects of the pharmacy were discussed. At the compounding pharmacy I saw the pharmacist making progesterone troches and also saw a pharmacy drive-thru in use. Overall it turned out to be a wonderful experience and I had the opportunity to work with great pharmacists and technicians!

http://yournucara.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/being-healthy-this-summer/