ICHP Leadership Profile - Ed Rainville
June 10, 2011
Ed Rainville, PharmMS
President of West Central Society
Where did you complete your pharmacy education?
I graduated from the University of Rhode Island, Kingston with a BS in Pharmacy in 1975 then completed an ASHP Hospital Residency at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. I completed my postgraduate pharmacy education at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy in Iowa City and earned a Master of Science in Hospital/Clinical Pharmacy in 1977. My Master’s Project was “Identification of Risk Factors Associated with Gentamicin-Induced Nephrotoxicity”.
Trace your professional history since graduation: where have you trained/worked, any special accomplishments?
After graduating from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, I have practiced full-time in a health-system pharmacy setting for 33 years. In 1977, at a 150-bed community hospital in Streator, Illinois, I developed and implemented a formal clinical pharmacy based practice with pharmacists actively participating in patient care plans. I also started a pharmacokinetic dosing program for aminoglycosides and vancomycin based on timed serum drug levels.
I then practiced in Vermont for 15 years where I feel I made four exceptional contributions to pharmacy practice. First, I was fortunate to work with two colleagues to successfully initiate and complete a statewide education program to standardize PK-based dosing of aminoglycosides and vancomycin to all hospital pharmacists in Vermont. Next, I participated on a project to reduce post-operative opioid analgesic use, which intended to reduce length of stay and drug therapy costs associated with cardiovascular surgery. This project was entered into a national competition with other healthcare projects and was awarded first place from the USA Today/Rochester Institute of Technology Quality Award in 1994. Third, as President of the Vermont Society of Health-System Pharmacists, I facilitated ad hoc meetings, which culminated in collaboration with ICHP and being the first in New England to initiate a validated process for certification of pharmacy technicians. Finally, I completed a pilot study that improved pharmacotherapy through pharmacist-mediated care of patients with heart failure. In 1990, I was awarded the Hospital Pharmacist of the Year Award in Vermont.
In 1998, my family and I moved to Peoria, IL and I took a position as a Clinical Staff Pharmacist at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center.
Considering you spent several years on the east coast, are you a Bears fan or a Patriots fan?
I am a Patriots fan, but Bears are my second pick. Let’s hope next season is better for one of these teams.
Describe your current area of practice and practice setting.
In my current position as Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, I introduced pharmacist certification for clinical services involving pain management, PK dosing, warfarin dosing and management of patients with heart failure. We have expanded our decentralized services from two to eleven patient care locations or medical specialties and designated Lead Pharmacists for each area to encourage creativity and to develop and implement service improvements at the patient care level. I helped implement a Clinical Ladder Program, which recognizes and rewards pharmacists for exceptional activities and services, and a peer-review workgroup of pharmacists and technicians to review medication errors and recommend improvements in current practices or procedures.
Is there an individual you admire or look up to, or a mentor that has influenced your career?
Paul Pierpaoli was a mentor to me when I was a resident at the University of Connecticut Health Center, and Paul was the Director. From the day I interviewed with him, I always looked up to him for his vision of what pharmacists should be….the patient advocate and the medication specialist, unique in our trade, but willing to work with others in providing excellent patient care.
What do you get from mentoring others?
I think of it more as ‘precepting’ rather than mentoring. I like to emulate Paul and be a good role model. I try to share my experiences in a way to show them that they can do the same or better.
Do you have any special interests or hobbies outside of pharmacy?
I like running and being outdoors. ΓΆβ€"Β
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