NewsDetail
Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Corporate Pharmacy Department has started a collaborative partnership with the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) to develop an internationally accredited pharmacy residency program. The partnership is a key part of the Corporate Pharmacy Strategy 2015-2018 and supports HMC progression as an Academic Health System (AHS).
A team from ASHP visited HMC recently providing consultative advice and holding a workshop for all pharmacy leaders and hospital chief executive officers. ASHP represents pharmacists who serve as patient care providers in acute and ambulatory settings and has more than 40,000 members including pharmacists, student pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
The visit allowed ASHP to share insights into the residency program, which started in August 2015, as well providing the opportunity to speak to pharmacy staff, technicians and nurses across all of HMC’s hospitals. “It was clear in our visit that the HMC Pharmacy staff is committed to providing safe and effective use of medications. The inclusion of an ASHP-accredited pharmacy residency program will elevate pharmacy programs and services to the highest level of excellence. This will be a significant accomplishment for HMC,” said Douglas Scheckelhoff, Vice President of Practice Advancement at ASHP and a member of the team visiting HMC.
Dr. Moza Al Hail, Executive Director of Pharmacy at HMC believes the residency program will prepare pharmacists for clinical practice by providing intensive exposure to a wide range of patients during the 12-month residency period. “Pharmacy residency training has long been recognized as the premier mechanism for the clinical and administrative training of pharmacists. A central theme of any pharmacy residency program in an AHS is the improvement of clinical services. We believe that together, we will provide an excellent, patient-focused, safe and effective evidence-based pharmacy service to each and every one of our patients,” says Dr. Al Hail.
The Pharmacy Strategy 2015-2018 is closely linked to the HMC corporate strategy with one of the key objectives being that patients and their families are supported in their use of medicine. The new residency program is another way to help achieve these strategic objectives.
