Janice Munroe
The title of this article echoes a Bob Dylan song that was released back in 1964, and these words have never been more true. In the world of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (CSHP), several changes occurred at the 2012 Summer Educational Sessions (SES) held in August:
Our newest CSHP branch, Prince Edward Island, hosted this event for the first time.
Doug Sellinger became our new President, and I transitioned into my new role as Past President.
Changes to format shortened the business meeting to just 1 hour!
CSHP itself has recently experienced changes on a number of fronts. To manage these changes, it will be important for the Society to keep 4 main principles in mind: maintaining connections with members, who are the foundation of the Society; identifying and mitigating potential risks; developing succession plans for Executive officers; and supporting a financially viable organization. I would like to summarize the steps and actions that CSHP is taking in these 4 key areas.
Connection: The Membership Committee regularly surveys members regarding important issues. The insight gained from these surveys is frequently referenced at the Council table and shapes decisions about future direction. In other words, your feedback has an impact on decisions that can affect you. So please continue to respond to these survey opportunities!
Risks: A Risk Management Task Force has been established. The task force is responsible for identifying and prioritizing potential risks to CSHP, and then developing solutions or appropriate actions to mitigate the risks or prevent them from being realized. The task force has already identified a comprehensive list of potential risks and assigned priorities to these items.
Succession: The new CSHP Executive mentee program is under way, with the goal of introducing the mentee to the inner operations of CSHP and its Executive and allowing the mentee to witness the impact of CSHP’s involvement on the direction of hospital pharmacy practice. Mits Miyata has been selected as the inaugural CSHP Executive mentee, and he actively participated in the Executive and Council meetings that took place during the 2012 SES.
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Finances: Another new task force has been struck to evaluate the potential impact of the “changing landscape” of Canadian health care on the success of the SES, a key member benefit and source of revenue for the Society. The ongoing success and growth of this event are pivotal to the future strength of CSHP. In formulating its recommendations, this task force will be considering a variety of factors, such as mergers in the pharmaceutical industry, industry models of financial support, alternative modes of delivering education, hospital funding for staff attendance at educational events, and the needs of the membership.
I feel confident in asserting that CSHP is a strong organization, and I hope you will agree with this assessment. Maintaining and increasing the strength of the Society in these times of change is a key area of focus for me, in the Internal Liaison portfolio. I look forward to the outcomes and recommendations of the task forces in the upcoming months. CSHP is as strong as it has been in the past, and we can expect it to continue with strength into the future . . . even as “the times they are a-changin’”!
Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy , VOLUME 65 , NUMBER 6 , November-December 2012