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Official Newsjournal of the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists

President's Message
New Year: New Action!

by Carrie Vogler, PharmD, BCPS, Clinical Associate Professor - SIUE School of Pharmacy

New Year’s resolutions come and go each year. Holding yourself accountable can be tough. Why? Because doing what is best can be an uphill battle and it is easier to follow the same routine. We procrastinate with phrases such as “I’ll go to the gym tomorrow”. We blame others by saying “that is NOT MY job”, or we take on a victim role saying “other people can carry the weight, I already do so much”. Keep reading to see how you can fix this and make better choices in your life!

In November, fifty of our ICHP leaders in pharmacy met in Champaign, Illinois for a two-day retreat to discuss how we can best serve pharmacists and technicians in Illinois. We identified items for action, and we had a fun time playing trivia- my team, named Amox-a-chillin, did not win, but we had fun trying. I wish all of our members could attend this retreat because we walked away feeling empowered, knowing that people care about the direction our profession is heading. We need to change our internal dialogue and questions. Change starts with me, the “I” or individual within our team. We discussed the book QBQ! The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability at Work and in Life by John G. Miller.

The book has a simple formula:

When you ask a question that starts with “why”, “when”, or “who”, change the question to start with “what” or “how”.
Insert “I” in your question.
Follow with action!

Here are some example of changing bad questions into good questions:

Why is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services considering pulling funding for pharmacy residency programs? Change to “How can I tell members of Congress to support funding for pharmacy residencies?" ICHP sends alerts in ICHP Pharmacy News Blast via email when legislative action is needed. Many times, it is as simple as plugging in your zip code, modifying a preformed letter, and hitting send. I had a letter sent in about 15 minutes to my legislators. Come to legislative day or set up a meeting to have a meaningful conversation with your legislator. ICHP will support you with talking points to set you up for success. Imagine the impact your message creates when each one of us does our part!
Why doesn’t every pharmacist and technician in Illinois join ICHP? Whoops! Let me rephrase this- What can I share that will allow you to see the value ICHP brings? This leadership retreat gave us the opportunity to share with others the issues pharmacy is facing. I’m hoping that each person at the retreat reaches out to you because we want your voice (yes, you reading this) at the table. Our team dove deep into the value ICHP brings by looking at the topic of engagement: We focused on engaging pharmacists and technicians, the public, and other healthcare professionals. We recognized that in order to work at the top of our abilities, everyone needs to know the value a health-system pharmacist and technician brings. I saw many of you at ASHP Midyear in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Illinois reception and I was so impressed with the things you have accomplished- we need to brag about you! ICHP is passionate about moving the profession of pharmacy forward and we hope you will take action and join us! This year we hope to put health-system pharmacists in the public eye- sharing what we do in our jobs, helping patients, and improving our own knowledge using the educational opportunities ICHP offers.

What action are you going to take for our team? Write it down, plan out steps to action, and GO!!