Amber Fisher

Amber’s Story

Amber graduated from Idaho State University College of Pharmacy in Pocatello, Idaho in 1995. She completed a one year ambulatory care residency and a one year drug utilization fellowship at Idaho State University. She started working at the Boise VA Medical Center in 1998 as the pharmacy discharge coordinator. Amber became the program director of the new PGY2 ambulatory care residency program in 2009. She served as the inpatient pharmacy supervisor for 18 months then transitioned to her new role as co-director of the Boise VA Center of Excellence in Primary Care Education. Amber is a member of the Section of Ambulatory Care Practitioners’ Educational Steering Committee.

Facility

The Boise VA is a small hospital that serves a large geographic area of veterans in Idaho, Oregon, and Montana. It is a teaching hospital with robust health profession training programs in pharmacy (PGY1 and PGY2 ambulatory care), internal medicine, nurse practitioner, nursing, psychology, social work, and more.

Significant Projects

Amber is a new co-director for an interprofessional, grant-funded, post-graduate training program called the Centers of Excellence in Primary Care Education. Her responsibilities include maintaining a budget, a staff of 14, and providing integrated interprofessional training and workplace learning opportunities for post-graduate trainees from pharmacy, nurse practitioner, psychology, and internal medicine programs.

Amber also enjoys her involvement in several teaching and learning endeavors, from the ASHP SACP Educational Steering Committee, to her State Affiliate (ISHP) education committee, to programs at her institution that support high levels of teaching competency.

Amber’s favorite project is completing a Leadership and Management curriculum for her pharmacy residents, which helps them understand more about themselves as current and future leaders and managers in the profession.

Advice for Someone New to Your Specialty Area

“Get involved! Ambulatory care is still a relatively small specialty, but is growing fast. Be part of the energy, excitement and opportunities!”

Involvement in ASHP

“It was a natural fit because I believe that ASHP offers the best opportunity to recruit the best residency candidates.”

ASHP’s Value to Members

“If you want to be part of an organization that hits every area of practice, this is the organization for you.”

Amber describes the value of ASHP for the profession as “comprehensive- clinically, educationally, and politically active and savvy.”