ALUMNI CORNER
Working Together as a Team PROBLEM-SOLVER ELISHEVA FRIEDMAN, PHARMD, BCGP, TOURO COLLEGE OF PHARMACY '17, PRACTICES INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION TO MEET CHALLENGES IN LONG-TERM CARE PHARMACY
TCOP Alum Elisheva Friedman is the A.M. lead pharmacist at Care One Pharmacy Services L.L.C., a long-term care pharmacy in the Chicago area servicing assisted living and skilled nursing facilities around the Midwest. No two days on the job are alike, as she directs a team of pharmacists navigating all operational and clinical pharmacy services for clients while collaborating with doctors, nurses and other professionals to get patients what they need. HOW DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED IN A CAREER IN PHARMACY? Since about tenth grade, I knew that I wanted a career in the healthcare field, but I wasn't sure what niche would be the best fit for me. While I was studying abroad in Michlalah Jerusalem College, via Touro's Lander College for Women (LCW) Israel option, Touro offered its matriculating undergraduates a career test to guide course selection. I was surprised to see "pharmacist" at the top of the list! Touro LCW's career counselor, Sarri Singer, advised me to spend time in a pharmacy to see if I liked it. I spent the summer following my sophomore undergraduate year volunteering at a hospital pharmacy—and I was sold. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TOURO? During my junior and senior undergraduate years, I had the privilege of conducting research in Dr. Zvi Loewy's lab. While doing research
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TOURO COLLEGE | DEAN’S UPDATE
at TCOP, I noticed that the professors took the time to know their students, and that the students would be there for each other when preparing for exams. I appreciated that TCOP was involved in giving back to the community, and encouraged the student pharmacists to use their knowledge and skills to benefit the lives of others beyond their formal jobs. And of course, as an Orthodox Jew, I greatly appreciated the fact that exam schedules took Shabbat and Jewish holidays into account, so that I never had to compromise my religious observance or academic passion. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT POSITION AND CAN YOU DESCRIBE A DAY IN YOUR LIFE ON THE JOB? I am the A.M. lead pharmacist at Care One Pharmacy Services LLC, a long-term care (LTC) pharmacy in the Chicago area, servicing about 60 assisted living facilities (ALFs) and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) around the Midwest. No two days on the job are alike! As a lead pharmacist, I direct a daily team of pharmacists who navigate all operational and clinical pharmacy services for our ALFs and SNFs. We check prescriptions, dose and monitor IV antibiotics, provide prescribers with therapy recommendations, assist SNF administrators in selecting appropriate lower-cost medications, compound IV and topical products and more. I also serve as a consultant pharmacist for Care
