A Minute With...
Elizabeth Yett, PharmD, BCACP, TTS,
clinical assistant professor, University of Texas at Tyler, and clinical pharmacist,
UT Health East Texas Tyler Cardiovascular Consultants, Tyler, TX
Member since 2024
Against almost everyone’s advice, I joined and was active in almost every student organization while in pharmacy school. I did not know yet what I wanted to do as a pharmacist, but I did know I did not feel like I fit in with my heavily inpatient-focused colleagues. When I decided to focus on community pharmacy as a PGY-1 and ambulatory care and academia as a PGY-2, I realized APhA was the right place for me all along!
As a new practitioner, I have been involved in the Preceptor Special Interest Group (SIG), am the co-advisor for our school’s APhA–ASP chapter, and attended my first APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition in Spring 2022. I now practice in a cardiology clinic and encourage any of my students with an interest in outpatient pharmacy to get involved and stay involved in APhA. I am proud to be a part of this group of pharmacists with a collective desire to optimize medication use and health for all.”
What excites you about the profession of pharmacy?
I spent a lot of time with the president of our student group over this past year. This student pharmacist displayed true joy and perseverance in organizing, planning, and hosting events to benefit her community, her classmates, and her patients.
That is what excites me about pharmacy—students who demonstrate an understanding of their professional identity as a pharmacist and recognize there is more to the profession than good grades and an interest in working in health care. Joining in their excitement and dedication to represent all of us for all of pharmacy is what encourages me in my own career.
How has APhA helped you establish meaningful connections?
My involvement in the Preceptor SIG was one of the first experiences I had as part of a national organization. It was the perfect group of passionate, engaged, and enthusiastic pharmacists and preceptors who helped me start building my network as a new practitioner.
We each had different practice sites and job responsibilities, but ultimately wanted to provide the best resources for other preceptors and to our students.
Can you share a meaningful story about a time you interacted with a patient?
I recently got back from a weeklong medical outreach trip to Guatemala. All the patients there speak Spanish or a local indigenous language and have a low health literacy. I got to be the “pharmacist in charge” of our makeshift pharmacy. I counseled each member of the family when they would come pick up their prescriptions.
I am not fluent in Spanish but quickly settled into my counseling routine with the help of the Guatemalan experts and my APhA book, Essential Spanish for Pharmacy. One family included many small children who each needed ibuprofen and antibiotics. When the last child came through, the mother handed me a beautiful drawing of a bird that the children had colored. They had written “gracias” and “tancks”—the best interpretation of “thanks” I’ve ever seen. The gratitude they showed is universal in any language, and truly made me appreciate the impact we can have as pharmacists, no matter the setting.
How does APhA help you thrive in your everyday practice?
It is a seemingly simple thing, but when the “APhA’s Pharmacy Today” email arrives in my inbox, it always makes me feel more prepared to take on the day.
Whether I need to catch up on CE hours, cannot remember the latest change in COVID-19 vaccine schedules, or seek guidance in implementing tobacco cessation services at my practice site – I’m confident that I have a great place to start at APhA. ■
Get involved in APhA
Compounding SIG
The mission of the APhA–APPM Compounding Special Interest Group (SIG) is to provide a professional network for compounding pharmacists and student pharmacists. The Compounding SIG focuses on education, communication, collaboration, advocacy, and sharing of ideas in compounding pharmacy practice. “I am immensely proud to be a part of the Compounding SIG, a group of dedicated experts at the forefront of a vital and historic pharmacy practice,” said Natalie Young, PharmD, FACVP, at Brava Care, in Raleigh, NC, and SIG Coordinator. “The intricacies involved in delivering personalized medication solutions tailored to individual patient needs are not challenges any professional should face alone. Our group provides a platform for members to share insights, refine practices, and collaborate with esteemed colleagues.”
Interested in getting involved in the Compounding SIG? Visit apha.us/CompoundingSIG to learn more. ■
Did you know?
PharmacotherapyFirst is a unique, digital-only, peer-reviewed resource focused on disease state management and patient care. Learning therapeutics is more than memorization and cramming for exams. This innovative tool is designed to teach therapeutics to the modern learner by incorporating concise evidence-based content, assessment tools, and instructor resources.
A complementary feature of Case-Based Learning contains
- Mini cases with questions
- Cases following steps of the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process
- Detailed patient case with expert SOAP note and justification for assessment and plan
The goal of PharmacotherapyFirst is to help learners—students and practitioners alike—expand their knowledge and to help instructors facilitate the process. Please see apha.us/PharmacotherapyFirstDyslipidemia to preview PharmacotherapyFirst. ■
Practice Resources
Pulse On Practice & Policy Open Forum
As the voice of pharmacy, APhA’s monthly Pulse on Practice and Policy Open Forum Series creates a platform where all of pharmacy can come together to share perspectives and be informed of key practices and policies impacting the profession. Please join us each month as we welcome pharmacy leaders who will cover the latest practice and policy topics and what they mean for you, your practice, and your patients.
This open forum series will be conducted the second Thursday of each month from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm ET.
Each open forum will be moderated by APhA President Valerie Prince. We welcome all of pharmacy to join us for the upcoming live webinars using the registration links at www.pharmacist.com/Practice/Practice-Resources/Pulse-On-Practice-Policy. ■