Author Archives

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384,400 km

On a few occasions I’ve referenced my Sunday morning ritual of jumping on an elliptical machine at my local gym and distracting myself for an hour with whatever is playing on the bank of video monitors directly in front. There are newscasts, DIY style shows, music videos, and sports reports to bounce around, but on Sundays, I always seem to catch part of Joel Osteen’s sermon from Lakewood Church, in Houston, Texas. No, this is not an endorsement of him or his views, but he is a public figure and does do his best to focus on positives as far as I can tell.

On this particular day, it was one line that struck me. It spoke to the message of staying within yourself and setting goal expectations in a meaningful way:

‘Never promise the moon when you’re reaching for the clouds.’

In work and life, we set goals for ourselves regularly. New Year’s resolutions notwithstanding, we endeavour to exercise more, eat healthier, get back to reading, commit to a new hobby or learn a new skill. We reward ourselves along the way, and although everything may not work out exactly how it was imagined, the idea is to improve some aspect of performance. That brings us back to the quote. What expectation did we imagine at the outset?

If we’re using distance as a reference, expectations can range from surface-level to the moon and beyond. Surface-level expectations are ultra-conservative, highly visible, controllable, and readily attainable. A business example could be the threat of a new competitor in the market. We may want to hold the line, not make any waves, and quietly strengthen internal operations. In this case, expectations are modest and actions tend to be low-risk. Another example would be recovering from a severe knee injury. In the aftermath, range-of-motion exercises are low-impact, and gains are slow.

The further from the surface we go, the more aggressive the goals, the bolder the risks we may take. The number of variables increase exponentially and therefore, we have less practical control over the outcome. We often use the term ‘blue-sky’ when pitching ideal scenarios in meeting rooms. It’s FUN to explore all the possibilities. You often learn about the WHYs of a given project, and the strategies about which team members feel the most passionate. The sky extends quite a ways off the ground, but if all the random variables align just right, we may win a result akin to drawing the correct lottery numbers.

The clouds are low in the sky, and I like to refer to these as our stretch targets. If we reach for those, we are pushing ourselves a bit out of our comfort zones. It’s like climbing a mountain. Reaching the peak is impressive. The higher the peak, the more impressive the feat (and the view). Incidentally, many of the tallest peaks are above the mid-level cloud base of 6500 ft. When we stretch ourselves to those heights, it takes a strong foundation, a willing team, dedication, and tenacity to succeed. When you do, the feeling of accomplishment is amazing.

So when we look at the moon, reaching for the sky, or shooting for the stars, it’s not impossible, but extremely tough. There are so many variables, and putting that many jigsaw pieces together the correct way, in the right order, in the proper time frame is something very few can manage. I’ve never been much of a gambler, so admittedly I will carefully weigh risk/reward in anything I consider, usually opting to hold back. On occasions where I have the confidence to reach past the clouds, I commit to it, but stop short of promising that to others.

Knowing that I’m quite heavy with the metaphors, it’s essential to me that we bring things back to a healthcare, or better yet, a pharmacy perspective. Lets take the hot topic of the past year, medical cannabis and legalized marijuana. As pharmacists, we need to be on the cutting edge of emerging therapies that may impact patient health. Some effects are positive. There is some evidence that cannabis may increase quality of life from those suffering from chronic non-cancer pain. The negative side include clinical studies of potential interactions with other medications and adverse effects like psychosis or hyperemesis. Setting goals for education could have different levels: surface-level expectations may include reading a pamphlet, or taking a webinar. More ambitious could be developing an educational session and having it filmed, or traveling to host peer groups and providing interactive presentations. Finally, blue sky may be investing in certification or course work and become a collaborator with government stakeholders to help form public policy.

We can see the moon, and we can take aim, but progress is not defined my how many times we get there, it’s what we learn from the attempts. Summit the mountain enough times, the distance starts to add up.

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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$22 Leadership

This post will discuss leadership, but with a bit of a twist.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a leader, but from the perspective of a follower. One of the things that strikes me about who we consider to be great leaders, is that they are labeled as such by their loyal followers. People like Gloria Steinem, Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, and Maya Angelou inspire others to make life choices that align with shared values. You can’t be a leader unless someone chooses to follow you. A person can be in a position of leadership and not be perceived as a leader because of an inability to inspire people. History tells us that FDR was considered a great leader. He was a dominant political power who brought the US through the Great Depression and WWII, but he wasn’t MY leader. He didn’t engage ME in any meaningful way. I can admire his speeches, and his ability to bring people together. If I had been alive during the 30’s and 40’s, I believe that much of his messaging would have resonated with me.

So how would YOU describe how YOUR leaders make you feel? For me, it’s a basic emotion: excitement. Regardless of status, or position, or field, there are individuals who excite me. They challenge my thinking. They keep me in suspense about what they will do, say, or write next. They instill in me the belief that I will end up being a better version of myself if I follow, listen, and apply their messages.

I am fortunate enough to have befriended countless leaders in the pharmacy and business profession; each with their own style and passion for their families, their communities, their friends and their colleagues. Some are well-known and involved in advocacy, regulatory, and academia, others shun the spotlight. Some are positional leaders in my company, others are front-line staff on my own teams or with other operations entirely. Some are strong orators, training their peers through sharing real world experience with humour and authenticity. Others are hard-line, demanding disciplined excellence through written communication and a well-articulated, crystal clear vision.

This year, I decided to try something different at Christmas by purchasing copies of a popular leadership book for members of my management team. A colleague picked up a copy and immediately looked at the price of the paperback = $22. Immediately I wondered if we can truly put a monetary value on nurturing leaders. In this case, it was a conscious investment to share a message with them, and the cost of this method came to $22. Will it work as intended? Will it challenge their thinking? Will it prompt a change in how they approach their daily lives? THEY will be the ones who will decide, and it will resonate differently with each of them.

In 2019, it’s all about the why. Why do I write this blog for instance? The why is simple: it all began in 2013 as a way for me to rebuild some lost confidence and share some lessons with a larger audience. I was proud of my pharmacy career to that point, but was finding doubt around every corner that I wasn’t adapting quickly enough to a rapidly changing profession. That the ideas I had been the most proud of were sending me in the opposite direction. PharmAspire was and still is, the forum I use to take negative experiences or perceptions and inspect them for silver linings. It’s also a forum to take positive experiences in the profession, and amplify them in ways I hadn’t considered before.

These past 5 years (soon to be 6!) of writing has been so valuable to my personal growth. Sharing my train of thought isn’t the difficult part; for those who know me well, I talk a lot and often feel remorse afterwards for hogging conversations. However, this is different. Seeing ideas in writing forces more discipline, and more conviction. Words on a page don’t easily change, and may be read, and re-read, and re-read again. Impressions may be made, or opinions formed, and later changed. Speechwriters for famous people have tough jobs for that reason. They need to be conscious of misinterpretation and muddled messaging. Thankfully, editor Laura makes sure that my words truly reflect what I’m trying to say.

So for 2019, I want to get back to the ‘why’ basics. I want to get excited about new prescribing authority coming into effect across the country. I want to channel the energy of the student graduates asserting their independence this spring. I want to share management and leadership tips that others have helped ingrain over the years. I want to explore the psychology of behaviour change and traversing the highs and lows.

Finally, I want to continue this journey pondering this question:
What kind of PHARMacist do I ASPIRE to be?

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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Happy Holidays!

The Christmas season is a time for friends and family. As my kids get older, finding the magic of the holiday may take a little more effort, but it’s still very much there. People giving their time for charitable causes, friends and family all making a point of getting together to enjoy each other’s company. The child in all of us gets to be free for at least one morning of the year.

On behalf of Laura, myself, and our newest contributor Tammy, from the PharmAspire family to yours, have a very magical Christmas and safe holiday season! We’ll be back in the New Year with more thoughts and commentary on the profession we love, so stay tuned…




Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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Driving In The Rearview Mirror

Full disclosure: I am a NASCAR fan. Watching ‘stock’ cars from multiple manufacturers that are designed to look identical, driving counter-clockwise on an oval track for three hours has burned many a Sunday afternoon in the shed. My dad and uncle have been fans for decades, watching Dale Sr. go from a villain to the most beloved driver the sport had ever seen. When their father, my grandfather, passed in 2000, all we did to grieve was talk about racing. That connection has stayed to this day.

Among the jargon thrown about during a telecast about tire pressures, wedge, stagger, downforce, etc. there is a lot of attention paid to driver mentality. How fit they are to withstand the heat, and how level-headed they stay driving an ill-handling race car. Near the end of a race, when the stakes are high, drivers usually get more aggressive and bump into one another. The leader is taught to ‘hit their marks’ on the track, meaning they have reference points on the track to keep them in the right lane, or where to brake and speed up in and out of the turns. If the car had been fastest up to that point, it’s often due to some luck added to a whole lot of consistency in racing the track conditions versus the other competitors.

Of course, if you’re trying to go for a win and someone is making gains on you, that’s virtually impossible to ignore. The attention starts getting divided between those marks, and defending against the competitor behind you. The closer they are, the more attention is spent on the road in the rearview than up ahead. This is called ‘rattling the cage’ whereby the driver chasing is waiting for the leader to miss their mark and make a mistake. They may drive into a corner too quickly and lose control, or pick another lane that blocks the chaser even though their car doesn’t work as well.

We are not immune to this in the pharmacy world. When the pressure is on, we have the tendency to start looking over our shoulders at what others are doing and how they are reacting. Nobody wants to repeat mistakes and we take great pains to learn from the past experiences of ourselves and others. We need to be mindful that if we stop leading or innovating, and are consumed entirely with what others are doing, we risk losing the identity and the drive that put us out front in the first place. Healthcare is challenging across Canada. Every profession is expected to step up in ways that were not possible a decade ago: pharmacists gaining access to lab values and making prescribing decisions, Nurse Practitioners are sought after for under-serviced rural outposts, technicians are being recruited at unprecedented levels, and ancillary staff members are being recognized as the core of many medical and pharmacy operations.

I’m proud to be part of a profession that is so progressive, and willing to change to enhance patient care. The road ahead means more opportunity and better collaboration. We know that every mile traveled may be met with obstacles, or criticism, but we would rather hit our marks than be turned into the wall because we’re not paying enough attention to where we want to be.

 

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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Good Samaritans

There are some amazing people in this world, but they may not be famous or heralded in any way. Every day we wake up to our home and work routines, shuffle off to refill our coffees and catch up on the local morning news (or if you’re in the mood to get fired up, American morning news). There are life stresses to deal with: in naming a few, there may be kids getting bullied at school, finding ways to pay for home improvements, work deadlines that seem impossible to meet, and medical concerns to address. Our orbit often only extends as far as we can practically see, and we rely on others to keep us looped in when our lives may be impacted in some way.

I am certainly, and in some ways shamefully, guilty of taking things for granted and tunneling through life with a large set of blinders. After a surreal week, I am starting to notice little things a bit more. That lady that stops to help a senior pick up a bag of groceries that spilled all over the parking lot. A jogger that helps untangle a child that snagged themselves on a playground gate. A nurse that stops on the side of the road to offer support to an accident victim.

In pharmacy, our jobs are to help people when they’re frightened, or lost, or unaware of resources available. Most of us have a strong desire to apply our knowledge in ways that directly contribute to positive outcomes for our patients and their families. I’m comfortable in a pharmacy setting, and convicted in my approach to problems and their solutions. If you remove my lab coat and lead me out of the dispensary, I still want to help, but may be unsure how.  I would like to help that gentleman broken down in an intersection, but I know next to nothing about car mechanics. I want to aid a friend with financial hardships, but I have limited knowledge about debt consolidation. I want to be a shoulder for someone experiencing tragedy, but I’m not a trained counselor.

What I’ve learned that in the moment, a skill set doesn’t matter. Just knowing that someone is willing to give any part of themselves, even if it’s a reassuring word or simply making themselves available, is a huge help. Perhaps it’s the feeling that you’re not alone allows for a little extra boost of hope. A true empathetic response can really get someone through a dark time. To illustrate this, I’ve included below a brief talk from Dr. Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston.

 

I’d never really thought about the stark difference between the two terms, where one explains the acknowledgement of a hardship, and the other describes what it’s like to personally relate to another’s struggles. To be in the healthcare profession, it can be tricky to be empathetic and remain objective in your decision-making. I feel that balance is what makes pharmacists one of the most trusted professions in the world.

The genuine desire to help can not be faked. Even those days that we’re not feeling at our best, when confronted with a patient-care issue, we always stand up to meet the challenge. Good deeds often go uncelebrated but rest assured, the person needing assistance will remember. If you put the good out into the world, it will come back to you when you need it the most.

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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Choose Life

We bid farewell to a colleague the weekend before last. After a valiant fight against cancer that spanned the better part of 2 years, the body may have given all it could, but the spirit won the battle.

Kareen was our friend. She was a mom, a wife, and a child. She had an unbelievable love of life, with a smile that met everyone she encountered. Although the vast majority of our encounters were at the workplace, what always struck me was just how strong her family and friend support network is and has always been. They were one unit, sharing every adventure and life encounter as a group. Even during the darkest hours, she always chose life; to enjoy every moment, to never give up hope and planning for the future with uncertainty around every corner.

The last time I met her was a chance encounter at a retail store a few months back. Upon catching my attention, she looked vibrant with that huge disarming smile that revealed her delight. As she recounted her ordeal over the previous winter, her matter-of-fact delivery and realistic outlook on things was remarkable; I honestly felt that she could easily been talking about someone else. She was still planning to attend graduations, and visit another warm locale in the near future.  She was sincerely appreciative of all of her relationships, but during that 20 minute chat, she made sure that I knew she appreciated mine. All of her friends would say the same: when you were in Kareen’s presence, she was genuine and wanted you there with no pretense or expectation. Every day was a gift, and by choosing life, she shared those gifts with each of us.

 

May you rest in peace Kareen. You are beloved and we miss you.

http://www.capebretonpost.com/obituaries/jane-kareen-walker-5761/

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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Ascension

ascend

[uh–send]
verb (used without object)
  1. to move, climb, or go upward; mount; rise:The airplane ascended into the clouds.
  2. to slant upward.
  3. to rise to a higher point, rank, or degree; proceed from an inferior to a superior degree or level:to ascend to the presidency.
  1. to go toward the source or beginning; go back in time.
  2. Music. to rise in pitch; pass from any tone to a higher one.
verb (used with object)
  1. to go or move upward upon or along; climb; mount:to ascend a lookout tower; to ascend stairs.
  2. to gain or succeed to; acquire:to ascend the throne.

 

Death and taxes may be the two absolutes in life, but I’m going add a third: learning. Every day we spend on this Earth is another day of life experience. Some of it in the form of the international news, some of it a horrible emotional or physical trauma, and lots of it intentional self-improvement.

As I age, this body of mine doesn’t always seem to rebound as I remember. Mentally? Well some would tell me my brain also does not rebound as it should. In some ways that is true, but it makes for a rich experience and a good story. There have been personal interactions, both loving and in conflict, and professional situations that have played out in the hundreds. There has been travel to take in culture abroad, and DIY projects of which I could be proud (through trial and error and lots of YouTube videos). I do feel that I’ve grown an enormous amount, and happy to share what I’ve learned with anyone who seeks advice. I also crave advice from my own mentors.

In fact, one of my favourite parts of reaching middle age is enjoying the confidence and credibility to mentor others, but also recognizing how much I don’t have figured out. I find being both a mentor and mentee very rewarding. Every situation, every piece of knowledge, every resulting emotional reaction pushes me further up the mountain and is potentially useful to someone else.

A feeling of pride to discover a high-risk drug-related problem and potentially save a catastrophic health event? That lesson may be helpful for a colleague. Up we both go.

Warning signs that go unheeded in a broken relationship? That lesson may be helpful to a close friend or family member. Up we both go.

The anxiety of preparing for PEBCs and the expectations of your first day as a newly licensed pharmacist or technician? That lesson is certainly helpful for those experiencing for the first time. Once again, an opportunity for us both to improve ourselves.

Speaking of first times, those will continue to happen whether you like it or not.

As professionals, we experience many firsts in the course of our careers. Things like our first counsel, the first time a patient asks for us specifically to address their concerns, our first medication incident and how destroyed we all felt at the time.

Even after nearly 20 years in the profession, firsts are still happening every week. Recently, an individual arrived at the counter to request a naloxone kit. I was not dispensing, but was onsite for an unrelated administrative matter. I was asked to perform the counsel. Having undergone the training, I had not yet had the opportunity to put that knowledge in practice. A younger me may have hesitated, but the whole time I had Laura, PharmAspire editor, on my shoulder. She is very passionate about mental health issues and the ongoing opioid crisis. She would NOT let me have this individual walk away without a naloxone kit, so I needed to step up. I reviewed the material once more, took my time to slow a slightly elevated heart-rate, and proceeded to have a positive patient interaction. It brightened my day and boosted me just a little bit higher.

At the risk of sounding smarmy, every day can offer a gift if we choose to accept it. A good friend of mine close to retirement told me the other day that even after 41 years, he still loves pharmacy and is amazed at the constant change. Every day, he wakes up and finds some way to add on to the amazing career he has built. It may be a clinical nugget about NOACs, or a new way to phrase a difficult conversation about a cancer diagnosis. He will miss the chance to use those pearls in a structured setting, and the smiles of all of the people he has helped through the years. Many have become life-long friends.

That is a career I can only hope to emulate. As for now, I can’t quite see his current plateau just yet, but I’m making decent progress of my own.

Another foothold on the mountain.

 

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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Interactive Reflections

While packing for a holiday recently, I found myself debating two choices of reading material for the plane. One was a pseudo-textbook on sociology. I only say ‘pseudo’ because it essentially contains the highlights of influential works and events through recorded history without going into too much detail. Figuring a sociology book would be way too much science and philosophy to cope with on vacation, I opted for my second selection, Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life and Comedy (2015) . This was a book by Judd Apatow, esteemed writer/director of such memorable Hollywood films such as “The 40 Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up.”

At least, I thought it was a comedy book.

As it turns out, the actual content was a series of interviews Mr Apatow held with famous comedians dating to his high school days in radio prior to national acclaim. Some of these comedians were not house-hold names in the early ’80’s, and were just getting their start on the club circuit. As the interviewer progressed through the industry, he kept transcripts of these interactions in order to tell a fascinating story. Coming from a broken home, he decided at the age of 15 that he wanted a career in comedy, partly to escape the trauma of real life issues and partly to gain acceptance into the burgeoning comedy fraternity in Long Island.

The interviews have plenty of humorous parts depending on the interviewee. Be it Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, or Adam Sandler, their wry wit is unavoidable, as is their unique view of the world around them. However, the meat of the conversations is delving into the psyche of uber-successful talents. What got them started? What drives them? How do they produce material and be prolific? How do they deal with failure?

The last question there is telling, mainly because that theme is pervasive in almost every interview. The late-night bomb sessions. The hecklers. The sets that get no reaction one way or another. All could have given up at many points, but they managed to overcome to achieve commercial success. The really weird thing to me is how many of them still seek out dive bars with jaded audiences to perform unannounced. The point is to risk failing again whilst working out new material and just ‘playing’. They had reached a point of popularity where they weren’t sure if they were still actually funny, and needed a reality check every once and awhile.

Judd is extremely self-deprecating. He worked hard at his craft, but not with the thought of being the best; he never expected that he could hold a candle to the comics he interviewed, but wanted to feel like he wouldn’t be out of place in the same room with his heroes. In fact, the reason he interviewed Jerry Seinfeld in 1983 was the hope that Jerry would help teach him how to become a comedian.

SO…what does all of this have to do with a pharmacy blog?

Well, as I was reading these stories, it occurred to me that the pharmacy profession has blessed me in so many ways: the opportunities I’ve enjoyed, the projects to which I’ve contributed, and the challenges I’ve tackled have made for a satisfying career thus far. The root of my successes have always been, and will continue to be, my interactions with people. I learn so much about myself by living through others. Speaking with a mother who lost a son to an overdose before the age of 25. Hearing about the sheer joy from a pharmacist colleague when they resolved a life-altering drug-related problem. Having a mentor recount difficult business decisions they had to make early in their careers. A manager friend describes HR missteps and how they learned from them. The technician student describes being fearful of their entry to practice. In all cases, my life experiences are enhanced by those of the people in my life. There is a burning need to reflect and wonder how I would behave myself in similar situations. I often marvel at the behaviour of others and how their instincts seem much more appropriate and effective than mine. What would you do if a customer had a seizure in the front of the store? How would you react if someone falsely accused you of a breach of conduct? What changes would you make when work/life balance is taking a toll on your mental health? If it hasn’t happened yet, then the only way to prepare yourself is to rely on the experience of others.

Like reaching through a mirror, I grab that person in the reflection and put them in unfamiliar circumstances of joy, pain, pride, and failure. I can’t take for granted any of the meaningful interactions I have in my daily life. When someone asks me for advice, or simply wants to catch up, they may not realize they may be helping me a lot more than I am helping them.

 

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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Drive for 5

Where were you on Mar 28, 2013? It was a Thursday. Here on the Atlantic coast, it was overcast with a midday high of 5 degrees Celsius.

A quick skim of notable events occurring in March of 2013 from http://www.onthisday.com may help send you back in time to when we were still mourning the loss of Stompin’ Tom Connors at age 77, and Cyprus was the recipient of a 10 billion Euro bailout deal that allowed their banks to reopen. Mars rover Curiosity found more evidence of water-bearing minerals and tensions were mounting between North and South Korea.

As for me? I was wrapping up a term position in a busy retail pharmacy and unsure what the future may bring.

I also happened to be pushing the publish button in the upper right-hand corner of this page for the very first time.

Every year around this time, I grow nostalgic for the places I have traveled and the people I have met through writing on these pages. I’ve shared a lot of my history, and my thoughts on current events. I’ve tried to celebrate wins big and small, and share experiences that have had profound impacts on me personally and professionally. My passion is as strong now as it ever was- to see my colleagues thrive, and feel in control of their individual contributions to the massive evolution of pharmacy makes me proud.

It’s been quite the journey since the blueprint of pharmacy was developed by the CPhA way back in 2005. I was rereading the portion on ‘The Vision of Pharmacy,’  developed in June 2008, almost 10 years ago. On page 5/16, the first page of the document body features a quote:

The demands on the health care system and the changes in the delivery of health care require pharmacists to focus more attention on patient-centred, outcomes-focused care to optimize the safe and effective use of medications.

I would welcome all pharmacists to reacquaint themselves with the Blueprint. It really was ahead of it’s time in the sense that the pieces we need to succeed were already recognized and outlined then. The five key areas of focus were:

  1. Pharmacy Human Resources
  2. Education and Continuing Professional Development 
  3. Information and Communication Technology
  4. Financial Viability and Sustainability
  5. Legislation, Regulation and Liability

For proper execution, coordinating all of these elements is vital to success. Not all 5 are completely in our control, but I feel we have made significant gains in the first three through advocacy activities and continue to work to align the last two to the needs of the healthcare system. That said, having all of the legislation, education and IT tools in the world won’t have an impact if there are no avenues to pay for these enhancements or the pharmacy teams needed to deliver the new services. Having balanced teams in place without proper training or education programs may lead to unnecessary trial and error causing disruption and uncertainty. Lastly, having excellent, highly-skilled people with robust education can not be effective if government legislation does not allow expanded scope activities. Differences between provinces may cause confusion for practitioners and members of the public.

So on the 5th anniversary of PharmAspire, it’s back to the Blueprint for inspiration and the 5 key strategic actions. Rekindle the conversation with your peers, reflect on those blueprints and how far we’ve come and how the environment has changed. There is still plenty of work to do, but we’re ready.

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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That’s No Exaggeration

Every time. All the time. Never.

How often to we utter words like this in our everyday speech? Just how large was that fish you caught? How high were the snowbanks in your driveway after the storm? How long was the lineup at the theatre on opening night?

Although I’d be remiss to criticize our neighbours to the south, their choice of president certainly provides ample fodder for pointed criticism. According to Mr. Trump, everything he touches is the most successful, tremendous, the greatest, and the best. These are ambitious goals that we all wish for ourselves, however understanding our imperfections are the key to continuous improvement. Case in point, most folks would not dare make a quote such as this:

“My IQ is one of the highest — and you all know it! Please don’t feel so stupid or insecure; it’s not your fault.” – CBS News report

In pharmacy, we exaggerate quite a bit when blowing off steam or emphasizing a point. No, not EVERY patient on a benzodiazepine accidentally dumps their prescription down the sink and needs a fill seven days early.

Unfortunately, that kind of rhetoric in the dispensary, or business in general makes it difficult to make educated decisions. Defining the frequency and severity of an event (or competing events) will determine our priorities for quality improvement. If a change in process affects every single transaction at the cash register, it may carry more weight than a computer setting that only affects new prescription processing 50% of the time. The same logic applies to the prevention of errors; sometimes we introduce steps on all workflows in an attempt to prevent a very small overall incidence of error. The intentions are always towards enhancing safety, but occasionally, the extra steps and extra stress to complete the process actually leads to an increase in errors. Finding that balance is very difficult, as a 3-step process with gaps can become an 8-step process if different mistakes happen. Now there are 8 steps to remember and track, and training is somewhat more arduous. If the original 3 steps were considered major checkpoints, the chances that mistakes could be made on one of those goes up significantly with every added step.

Personally, I do try to stop myself before using language that overreaches the point I’m trying to make. In this regard, I fail regularly. My love for analytics makes it imperative that only the best data and evidence be used to identify and solve problems. If it takes a stopwatch to measure time, or an engineer to develop a model, or raw numbers on a spreadsheet crunched in myriad ways, we need to use any and all tools available to us. The best way to plan can’t rely on gut instinct alone.

So the next time it feels like you NEVER seem to catch that green light, or that a drug plan ALWAYS gives you billing issues, I challenge you to attempt a quick measure. It may really surprise you how much or how little an event actually occurs. Thankfully I’m surrounded by people who have the discipline to remain objective in every project they tackle. I’m always learning new techniques, and strategies to improve.

That’s no exaggeration.

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.