Jane Adams

Jane’s Story

After graduation from the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy, Jane accepted a position at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, and had the pleasure of working under both Harold Godwin and Sarah White. Jane then went back to college and earned her Master of Science Degree from the University of Houston, concurrent with a Pharmacy Practice Residency at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston. At M.D. Anderson and the University of Houston, Jane had the privilege of working with a number of notable ASHP members, including Roger Anderson, Toby Clark and William Puckett. While in the Master Program, she attended classes with Diane Ginsburg and obtained some of her management education from Chris Jolowsky. Jane feels that ASHP has been very influential in both her career path and those with whom she was privileged to study and work. Jane has been a member of the Section Advisory Group on Medication Safety since 2011, and is currently serving as the Chair.

Facility

BSLMC is the primary admitting hospital for adults treated by Baylor College of Medicine and also serves patients admitted by private practice physicians and physician groups. BSLMC is also the home of the Texas Heart Institute (THI), founded by notable cardiovascular surgeon Denton Cooley, and so is an integral part of the training programs conducted at THI in cardiovascular surgery, cardiology, cardiovascular anesthesia, and perfusion technology. As part of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) St. Luke’s Health System starting in 2013, BSLMC is now expanding beyond the seven hospitals in the immediate Houston area to other communities in eastern and central Texas.

Significant Projects

Most recently in the area of quality improvement, Jane has been involved in updating the policies and procedures to comply with the requirements set forth in USP 797 and the Texas State Board of Pharmacy on the preparation of sterile products. Jane has also been actively involved in analyzing issues in the electronic health records system to identify sources of medication errors or contributing factors and work toward reducing them; assisting in development of system-wide policies related to high alert medications and medication administration; developing a Pharmacy Peer Review program, and reducing acetaminophen intake in the inpatient setting through automated alerts to physicians and nursing caregivers.

Advice for Someone New to Your Specialty Area

“I would advise a new practitioner to consider an ASHP Accredited PGY2 Residency in Medication Use Safety or the ISMP fellowship. At the time I started on the medication safety career path, little formal training was available, and I learned a lot of what I know by reading articles and textbooks, going to seminars, and doing my own investigative analysis of events. A PGY2 Residency in Medication Use Safety would shorten the learning curve and you would learn from experts.”

ASHP’s Value to Members

“Among other benefits, ASHP is a great reservoir of information for its members, on all topics related to practice. Between the practice guidelines and statements, the incredible sharing available through the Connect Community, educational opportunities, and various resource pages, members have access to so much timely information that can assist them in improving their own practice.”

“Between ensuring that our post-graduate training programs are relevant and retain the quality demanded by our ever-changing healthcare system, keeping ASHP members current on issues in real time, advocating for the profession in legislative arenas, and providing multiple educational venues and opportunities for both new and more seasoned practitioners, it would be hard to overstate the value of ASHP for pharmacists. It is truly priceless!”