Ochsner Children’s is launching a new yearly pharmacy fellowship in partnership with the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, with an aim at training a new generation of pharmacists focused on medication safety and quality improvement.
The yearlong fellowship, set to start in the summer, will create an immersive experience for one pharmacist each year, combining on-the-ground learning in New Orleans with virtual access working in partnership with ISMP.
Becker’s spoke with Dana Bledsoe, CEO at Ochsner Children’s and Diego Lara, MD, chief quality and safety officer at Ochsner Children’s about what makes this fellowship program a unique and promising opportunity for pharmacists.
Dr. Lara said the fellowship comes at a pivotal time in Ochsner’s trajectory as the health system prepares to break ground on a new standalone Children’s Hospital. He explained the expansion is a part of a broader effort to build a nationally recognized pediatric quality and safety program from the inside out.
“A big part of that is medication safety and the international group of experts for that is ISMP. So when they wanted to create their first fellowship that was embedded in an organization, they said, ‘You know who’s doing a lot of work and is getting ready to flourish is Ochsner Children’s,’ and that was the impetus for the partnership,” said Dr. Lara.
The one fellow will split their time between learning from ISMP experts remotely and working hands-on with Ochsner Children’s teams to help develop medication safety protocols and explore tools such as AI models and gravimetric software, technologies already used systemwide at Ochsner Health.
Gravimetric analysis uses software to verify a medication’s specific gravity and provides a mechanical safeguard to catch formulation errors before drugs reach patients.
“This is somebody who really is going to have the opportunity to work with the leading experts in medication safety through ISMP and at the same time be able to work with a leading health care system and sub-specialize in pediatrics,” he said. “And so when you think about really that triad experience that is unique and special.”
Ms. Bledsoe echoed this sentiment, saying the triad experience the health system is offering will be extraordinary in that the opportunity will give the fellow “access to the best in every part of the field.”
The fellowship also serves a strategic purpose which is to conduct a system-wide gap analysis of medication safety across Ochsner Children’s pediatric footprint which crosses over two states. The fellow will help to assess some of the health systems existing practices, identify areas for improvement.
“My plan is to have this person kind of by my side for a year, and really, you know, with Dana’s support and with my friends in pharmacy, have them be a partner in building this out and learning together,” Dr. Lara said.
Ochsner plans to host one fellow each year, with hope to grow the program more over time.
“We’re a continuous improvement organization, and so we’re going to continue to learn from each year,” said Ms. Bledsoe. “The field will grow, the opportunities will grow and the experiences will evolve.”
