Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1508822
19 NURSING SPOTLIGHT The crossover potential of nursing and pharmacy work By Paige Twenter W hen Gina Batterman, RN, was pursuing her nursing degree with the goal of working in pharmacy, her professors thought she was crazy. "You can't go into pharmacy as a nurse," she remembers being told. Ms. Batterman began her healthcare career as a pharmacy technician and considered going to pharmacy school but did not have the grades needed for the competitive field. After pivoting and earning an RN degree, she was a part- time urgent care nurse on weekends and nights while also working in prior authorization pharmaceutical services at Madison, Wis.-based UW Health. Ms. Batterman now serves as the supervisor of pharmacy reimbursement at UW Health, where she handles the idiosyncrasies of reimbursement and high-cost, clinic- administered infusion medications. "I find it really interesting. I love it — we're on the cutting edge," she told Becker's. Her career path is not common: Some nursing students and recent nurse graduates work as hospital pharmacy technicians before landing a nursing job. But most do not return to pharmaceutical work, Cecilia Costello, PharmD, medication systems and operations manager for inpatient pharmacy at Lebanon, N.H.-based Dartmouth Health, told Becker's. Although the career move is rare, some programs have sprung up. In Erie, Pa., the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine offers an RN to PharmD Bridge program, and in late June, the Accreditation Council for Medical Affairs launched the nation's first and only certification for nurses looking to jump into the biopharmaceutical industry. "Having someone having one mindset, then going in and learning how to apply a new lens, I think that would be really beneficial," Joe Burczynski, PharmD, executive director of pharmacy services at Syracuse, N.Y.-based SUNY Upstate Medical Center, told Becker's. "I wouldn't want to be promoting somebody leaving such a needed profession," he said. "But I think it could make for a really well-rounded and effective pharmacist, too." There are a few reasons why a nurse might want to become a pharmacist, including a work schedule free of night and weekend shifts, according to a March LinkedIn article about the nursing-to-pharmacy transition. Another incentive is the $40,000 difference in pay — the average nurse's salary is $89,010 and the average pharmacist earns $129,410 per year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. "There's always this typical stigma that you're gonna go work on a unit or work in a clinic or inpatient or whatever as a nurse," Ms. Batterman said. "But there's so many opportunities for nursing out there." n to food and nutrition. Most people think of healthcare as front-line caregivers, and we try to show them all aspects of the field. Q: What new technology, innovation or research are you most excited about? MK: I am most excited about all the newer technology, such as artificial intelligence, and how that can be used to support nursing and nursing care. Part of nursing is the people aspect of care connection and I think we have to be careful about the use of technology and how it can help nurses focus on the relationships with patients to enhance outcomes. We've started doing virtual nursing in the inpatient units and have had great feedback from patients. Our nurses also like virtual nurses because it allows them to connect and interact more with the patients and reduces the administrative work so in-person nurses can focus on care. Q: What's something your hospital is doing that you're most proud of? MK: We're really taking a deep dive into healthcare disparities. For example, our patients have good blood pressure control, but some people are doing really well, and others not that well. How do we diminish the gap to ensure everyone is managing their blood pressure? We're looking into those disparities across multiple factors like sex and race to ensure that all in our community are healthy. at process is made easier by the electronic health record where we can collect and analyze demographic information and determine what processes may need to be implemented. Without the EHR, it would be very challenging to connect the huge volume of data to the different pieces that contribute to care. Q: What's the best leadership advice you've received? MK: Don't expect your team to do something that you wouldn't do yourself. I think part of being a good leader is setting a good example and staying connected with your team. So whether that's being visible or jumping in to help, I think that says a lot about a leader. n "e greatest challenge is the pace of changes happening. ere's a lot of changes in how we deliver healthcare. I think people are finally paying attention to prevention instead of just treating disease, so we have a focus on that prevention while also providing care within the hospitals." — Melissa Kline, DNP, RN