After completing an intensive leadership training program offered by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ (ASHP), pharmacist Kim Abbass is putting what she learned into real-life practice.
Abbass says this graduate program, funded in part by a grant from the Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy’s Wellspring Pharmacy Leadership Awards program, gave her the skills and confidence she needed to serve as Nova Scotia Health’s Clinical Pharmacy Manager for the Eastern Zone, a position she assumed on an interim basis this summer for 3 months.
“The program was worth the commitment, effort, and time,” she says of ASHP’s Pharmacy Leadership Academy, which occupied many of her weekends and evenings for 12 months. She graduated in July this year. “This program gave me the skills to empower staff,” she says. “It’s about setting up colleagues for success with the ultimate goal of ensuring safe, effective and quality care for the patients we serve.”
With seven required courses, the online program started with “Leadership Influence” and concluded with “Leading for Sustained Organizational and Individual Success.” Self-reflection and case-based interactive components were also core elements.
As the only Canadian in her class, Abbass discovered leadership and healthcare have a shared foundation across borders. “I quickly realized we have common issues and concerns even with different healthcare systems,” she says. “Having built relationships with program participants provides an opportunity to connect and discuss complex problems and potential solutions via a broader lens.”
Participants were required to define their leadership goals and prepare a development plan, which included writing a personal leadership vision. “Aligned with my dedication to lifelong learning and passion for healthcare excellence, my greatest aspiration is to empower dynamic collaboration, fostering unparalleled and accessible care for our families and our community,” says Abbass.
To achieve her vision, she says she will focus on team building and mentorship skills refined throughout the program. “Staff today have different goals. I want to help them grow personally and professionally.”
Winning the Wellspring Pharmacy Leadership Award had special meaning for Abbass because she knew Barbara Wells, for whom the award is named. “I experienced first-hand her leadership qualities and commitment to the pharmacy profession.” Now the ASHP Pharmacy Leadership Academy has enhanced her ability to help future practitioners. “I am poised to advance my career and profession to the next level, helping colleagues and emerging pharmacy leaders attain their goals, paying it forward for future trailblazers,” she says.