New Position

I'm off to a new hospital as part of a start-up team to prepare for opening day in November. This is a big change for me, I've been at my last position for over 25 years, the last 15-20 in the NICU. It was an extremely difficult decision to leave. In my opinion, this is one of the very best pharmacist positions in all of Southern Cal. I loved it. The people there are wonderful and as a team we delivered excellent care to our patients. Our role was integral  to care of the patients. However, what I am most proud of is the part my predecessor and mentor, Bob, and I had in the design and implementation of our pharmaceutical care system in the unit. A computer program system that made care safer, better and more efficient for the nurses, physicians and pharmacist.

So, then, why did I leave? First of all, I didn't know I was sick when I decided. The other reasons are complicated but, simply put, I felt the culture within the organization and management that would make staying on top very difficult. Unless I was willing to invest a lot of hours at home, staying on top would not happen. I didn't want to be a part of the decline. On the other side, I was also enticed at the opportunity to be involved in the start of a new hospital. To take a bare pharmacy to a fully functioning department would be challenging and fun. Also, the new director and the other transferring pharmacists and technicians were people that I have worked well with and respected. I was excited at the opportunity to work with these people. At the possibilities to create something special at Ontario.

We are now planning the start-up and this diagnosis is sitting in my mind like a big goose egg. For me, it puts a crimp on a lot of the planning now, because I no longer know what I'll be able to do in the future nor how long I'll be able to do it. This sucks, I was so looking forward to this. There was so much I wanted to accomplish......