Yesterday evening I was awarded CSHP's New Hospital Practitioner Award. The person who introduced me, Donna (the coordinator of my hospital pharmacy residency), made it quite short and sweet. Essentially, "you can read about her in her modest bio but what you would read is the importance of faith in her practice." Fortunately, my acceptance speech [see continue reading] highlighted that point nicely. Afterwards, one individual commented that it was nice to see that I wore my faith on my sleeve and on the fact that I chose to include faith at all.
Later in the evening, I uncovered a suspected but unwanted fact about an old acquaintance ... in a relationship in which I'd worn my feelings on my sleeve. I affected me to the point where I walked back to my hotel. Thirty odd blocks. In the big city. On slush covered sidewalks. At 10:30 at night. In my boots with the pretty heels. I made it back safe and sound ... albeit my feet were rather sore and my mood not really that improved. Time to let go once again.
Thank you Donna for the kind introduction.
I would like to begin by thanking CSHP and Sandoz for their support of this new hospital practitioner award. I am extremely honoured to have been chosen as one of this year’s recipients.
Also, thank you is due to my colleagues for their support and faith in my abilities.
Other than an initial thought of the logistics of changing my scheduled shifts for this weekend, my response to this award presentation has been fairly consistent: I simply have not been announcing this honour to my colleagues and friends. It is mind-boggling to be singled out for a job I love. I am able to practice in a unique setting, with a wonderful interdisciplinary team and for patients I now call my own. I have also had countless ways to give back to my profession through CSHP involvement.
God has given me the gift and passion to serve others—and that is the basis for my daily activities. As a resident, I was asked to develop a mission statement. While I did complete that assignment, I have since adopted that of a fellow resident and close friend. I trust it provides further insight into my practice as a pharmacist.
I will saturate my day in prayer. My success will not so much depend on the things I have done, the people I have impressed, the money I have made, or the honours I have obtained but on my ability to imitate Christ.This past November, I was privileged to travel to The Gambia, West Africa, where I worked alongside two other Canadian pharmacists in the country’s sole teaching hospital. Unfortunately, I do not have time to share my tales of adventure with you presently. However, I would like to mention that the monetary component of this award will be given towards continued assistance for the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital.I will seek to love and serve beyond the call of duty. I will endeavour to become humble, patient, selfless, joyful, grateful, kind, honest, and merciful. I will practice with self-control, empathy, commitment and persistence.
The patient’s well-being and personal goals for health will be my utmost priority. Whenever possible, I will seek to assist and empower them in self-care. Together, we will be proactive in obtaining their optimal health.
I will seek to fulfill the most urgent needs of society for the distribution, education, consultation, selection, monitoring, and evaluation of pharmacotherapy. I will try to balance the individual’s health with the interests of society.
I will become a team player by building collaborative relationships with the patient and other health care providers. I will respect other health care professionals and honour their expertise; whenever necessary, I will seek their guidance or refer my patient to them.
I will be open to change; I will be an instrument for change. I will become an autonomous thinker, using critical and creative thinking skills. I will endeavour to stay current with advances in the practice of pharmacy.
I will take care of myself so that I can take care of others.
Again, I would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to CSHP, Sandoz and my many mentors and colleagues for making this possible this evening. Thank you.
WOW! can i use your mission statement? ---that is, paste it on my computer and let it remind me why i do what i do...some long days i do need reminding. Good job!