President's Report

MSHP Members,

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the Mississippi Society of Health-System Pharmacists (MSHP) as the president for the 2020-2021 term. I have had the pleasure of serving within this organization since 2012 when I moved here after completing residency training. I am thankful for Laurie Fleming, who appointed me to my first committee within MSHP so early in my career. I would like to acknowledge the service and mentorship of our immediate past-president, Anees Kanorwala, and I look forward to his continued support in the coming year.

This year has dealt all of us challenges in our personal and professional lives that have made even our simple, mundane tasks like going to the grocery store more difficult. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our members have remained on the front lines caring for patients in hospitals, clinics, community pharmacies, and other settings. I am extraordinarily proud of the work that you have accomplished during days that were long and when the outlook was bleak. Through all of this, you, our members, continued to serve the organization. I would like to specifically recognize the service of Lea Eiland and the education committee, who within a matter of weeks, transitioned the MSHP Annual Meeting to a virtual format with the assistance of the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy Division of Professional Development.

In the coming year, the organization will continue to support our membership as we continue navigating through uncertain territory. The Board and I have met to set strategic goals for the organization. Many of the plans discussed center around ways to support our membership via online educational offerings and continuing to support technician membership growth. We are additionally kicking off our New Practitioners Forum to engage our student and resident members.

In closing, I encourage you to find ways to engage with MHSP through renewing membership, joining a committee, donating to the PAC, attending a meeting, or encouraging the technicians that you work with to join the organization. Together we will continue to advance our profession in Mississippi.

Thank you again for all that you do every day! If I can be of service to you, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely,

Joshua W. Fleming, PharmD, BCACP

President, Mississippi Society of Health-System Pharmacists

Clinical Associate Professor

PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency Program Director

University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy

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Calendar of Events

October 18 - 24

National Pharmacy Week

December 6 - 10

Virtual Midyear

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Pharmacy Week 2020

For more information on events, follow MSHP on social media

@MSHPharm @MSSHP1

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Midyear Clinical Meeting

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Students Section of MSHP

University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy fourth year student Erin Pounds was asked how the pandemic has affected her school year and learning thus far.

From the abrupt end to our in-person traditional way of learning to the new days full of online Zoom classes and meetings, the pandemic caused many changes. Looking back to one of our last days of in-person class when COVID-19 was relatively new, I remember discussing the outlook with one of our case facilitators. None of us truly believed that schools would close their doors, so I was shocked to hear the facilitator’s outlook that the schools would be the first to shut down. I vividly remember sitting in the front row of the auditorium as Dr. Ross announced that we would no longer see our classmates and faculty in person for the remainder of our didactic training. Virtual learning entered in with challenges of slow internet speed to the awkwardness of accidently talking over each other. The change to virtual learning did provide a positive aspect – cutting out travel time to class created extra study time. Traditionally, moving from the third year of pharmacy school into the fourth year of pharmacy school is full of excitement with growing anticipation of a year packed with Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotations; however, when faced with the pandemic, there were only questions. Will I graduate on time? Will I be able to gain true hands-on experience that would prepare me to practice as a pharmacist?

During the height of COVID-19, the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy developed a solution to these weighing questions by creating an online-based drug information rotation course. In a time where no students were allowed on many rotation sites, this course would allow our class to graduate on time as planned. While this course was unable to truly replace my previously scheduled May patient-care rotation of infectious disease, the drug information course provided an introduction to common elements of APPE rotations such as formulary assessment, guideline analysis, and protocol development which prepared me for many projects in following rotations. The move to in-person on-site rotations beginning in June provided the patient-care experience that I desired to learn. Of course, there are contact and testing precautions that every facility has implemented, but my preceptors’ workplaces have been able to allow students to see patients and participate in the care team to the full extent. Whether that be on the phone, through video, or in person, being able to care for patients again makes me hopeful for the future.

Erin Pounds

4^thYear Pharmacy Student

University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy

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