PRESIDENT’S PAGE
A SEASON FOR RENEWAL AND INVIGORATION Rick Knudson, PharmD, MS, MBA, BCPS Clear Lake, Iowa IPA President
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pring is beginning to show itself across Iowa. The robins have returned and the grass is beginning to show signs of life once again. The season of renewal is upon us. I like to think about spring as a time to tackle new projects and challenges both personal and professional. This year is no different as the Knudson clan is living through a major remodel at our house (you haven’t lived until you’ve been through eating frozen pizzas three times a week because you have no kitchen!). At the same time, I find myself thinking about my personal and professional future but also the future of pharmacy practice. I started out this year as president talking with all of you and trying to inspire each of you in your own endeavors. That has been a rewarding experience and I thank all of you for sharing your stories, both successes and sometimes failures, with me. It gives me great confidence in our profession here in Iowa when I hear the passion and see the talent that is apparent in each of you. I recently was able to attend the APhA Annual Meeting as an Iowa delegate
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| The Journal of the Iowa Pharmacy Association
to the APhA House of Delegates. The APhA House functions much as IPA’s House does as the policymaking body for their organization. It was a lively session with much to discuss. Policy was discussed on many subjects such as: • Patient access to pharmacistprescribed medications • Pharmacists’ role in value-based payment models • Performance networks • Equal employment opportunities • Enhanced drug disposal • On-label indication and med safety • Work schedules • Clinically-validated blood pressure devices • Pharmacy technician education, training, and development If you are saying to yourselves “those all sound familiar” you would be right! Virtually all of the items debated at the national level were areas that IPA had addressed in one way or another, and in most cases we already had policy on the books. In fact, in several instances the Iowa delegation introduced language from our own policy statements that enhanced the items up for debate. This is what Iowa pharmacy is all about - innovation, trail blazing, risk taking. Working to enhance pharmacy practice so as to better
care for our patients and at the same time advancing our profession. Kudos to all of you for that level of dedication and keep up the good work! I’ll be cheering for you every step of the way!
“I can tell you that it will always be one of the experiences in my life that I treasure and will look back on fondly.” The saying goes “time flies when you are having fun” and that could not be truer for me over this last year as your president! It has been a wonderful experience to work with a talented team of professionals, both the IPA staff and the elected officers. I can tell you that it will always be one of the experiences in my life that I treasure and will look back on fondly. I encourage all of you who haven’t been as involved as maybe you think you should to make that leap. The energy and resources that you dedicate to IPA will truly be returned a hundred times over! With that I will say “thank you” for the opportunity to serve you and our association as president, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for pharmacy practice in Iowa!
Thank you,