Heather Stanley

Heather (Ellis) Stanley received her PharmD from St. Louis College of Pharmacy in 2012. She worked as a clinical pharmacist for six years before transitioning into a medication safety pharmacist role in 2018. She completed the ISMP Medication Safety Intensive program and the ASHP ISMP Medication Safety Certificate. In January 2021, she joined AdventHealth Orlando as the Medication Safety Coordinator. In her current role, she is the Central Florida Division Medication Safety Manager for AdventHealth. She enjoys working as a collaborative team with hospital operations, clinical, and informatics to implement best practices.

Current Responsibilities:
As the medication safety manager for the central Florida division of AdventHealth, I oversee medication safety at nine hospitals. Process improvement is how I like to summarize the work I do! I have been the residency program director for the Medication-Use Safety and Policy residency at AdventHealth Orlando since 2023. Prior to that I was the residency coordinator for this program from 2022-2023.

Facility:
AdventHealth Orlando is the flagship of the division. It is an acute care medical facility with about 2,247 licensed beds across the Orlando campus group under one license. It provides a broad range of medical specialties, including nationally or internationally recognized programs in transplant, cancer care, pediatrics, and advanced specialized services.

Recent Significant Projects:
I have been able to work with others at my organization to standardize our process for medications with required Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) programs. This includes all aspects of the medication use process, supporting the provider, the pharmacist and the nurse. It has been rewarding to see how a potentially difficult process that could easily be missed is built out to ensure success. I have the opportunity to update these procedures quarterly, as needed, as the programs may adjust.

Advice for Someone New to a Specialty Area:
Make connections with people, but also with why you do the work you do. I feel fulfilled in my career in medication safety, and I think that is a positive to both my work and home life. In making connections with people - an organization like ASHP is a great way to start - aside from the networking there is a wealth of information.

Involvement with ASHP:
I am active in the Section of Pharmacy Informatics and Technology with the Section Advisory Group on Operations and Automation. I have been involved with this section since 2021 and have enjoyed being a part of many webinars and creating relationships across the country related to work I am passionate about. I am also active in our recruitment for the PGY 1/2 Medication-Use Safety and Policy residency.

Reason for ASHP Involvement:
I have a wonderful mentor in medication safety who encourages me to constantly do more to better myself in our line of work. Truly, she inspires me to do more through her continued commitment to our profession.

Value of ASHP for Peers or Colleagues:
I feel the levels to which you can be involved with ASHP are unmatched for those working in a health system setting. Not only have I gained lifelong connections and been involved in sharing important information and processes, but I can also use ASHP as a resource in my everyday work. This includes best practices shared, list servs, AJHP, and concise messaging on topics impacting pharmacy. Even outside of my everyday job, I find my ASHP daily email highlights important topics across pharmacy in our country, so I stay up to date. All of this can be customized within ASHP. In addition, I have completed and am working on more certificates through ASHP, which add value at different career stages.

Value of ASHP for the Profession:
Having the ability to have this type of large-scale organization — a network of practitioners — in all different settings of health-care pharmacy is great. There are different meetings for different specialties or interests. I consider myself active and engaged with ASHP in my everyday work and still feel there are aspects of ASHP I will continue to discover!