Terri Jorgenson

Her Story

Terri Jorgenson received her BS Pharmacy from the Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy in 1994. She is a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist.

Terri Jorgenson currently works at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Her current employment, practice and academic, teaching or precepting responsibilities are with the PBM Clinical Pharmacy Practice Office as a National Program Manager.

Facility

The VHA is a government-based integrated health care system comprised of 1,298 health care facilities including 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatient clinics, providing care for 9 million enrolled Veterans. Many VHA facilities maintain academic affiliations with VHA serving as the largest provider of health professions education and training in the US.

Recent Significant Projects

I am the VHA PBM lead for the rollout of the Medication Management in Pain Management Teams initiative and collaborate with the VHA Pain Management, Opioid Safety and PDMP (PMOP) Office to support implementation across 75 VA facilities. This project provides funding for Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner (CPP) and a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant to form a collaborative practice model for comprehensive medication management integrated as part of the pain management team. I have also been co-lead for the last 5 years on a VA clinical pharmacy practice initiative, leveraging CPPs to improve access to care for Veterans living in rural areas with a focus on pain management, opioid safety, and substance use disorder. As part of my work, I strongly support and advocate for advancement of CPPs with DEA registration, particularly in areas where controlled substance prescribing is common, like pain management, mental health and substance use disorder treatment.

Involvement in ASHP

I am currently serving ASHP as a member of the Council on Pharmacy Practice and the Educational Steering Committee for the Section on Pharmacy Practice Leaders. I have been program faculty for the ASHP Conference for Pharmacy Leaders in 2018 and 2022, ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting each year from 2019 - 2022, and ASHP Summer Meeting in 2019 as well as presenting multiple posters. I was a member of the ASHP Commission on Goals: Focus on Opioids in 2018 and ASHP Opioid Task Force in 2019. I am also faculty for the ASHP Opioid Stewardship Certificate Program.

Why did you become involved in ASHP? 

When I was hired into a VHA national program manager role in 2017, the opioid crisis was a tipping point for me to think about what more can be done. I had an "aha" moment and was struck by the importance of active ASHP participation and servant leadership. I truly believe pharmacists are the key to the opioid crisis solution and overdose prevention and I have always had a passion for clinical pharmacy practice. The ASHP platform and vision was very much aligned and goes well beyond the opioid crisis. There is power in numbers and collaboration. The ASHP community gives our profession and our patients a stronger and more comprehensive platform where we can work together, meshing different experiences, geography, culture and community, to flex our potential and pave the way to keep moving practice forward and innovate in new ways to help patients.

Advice for Someone New to Specialty Area 

Pharmacists are the most accessible health care provider and highly trusted. The clinical pharmacist practitioner is critical to improving access to comprehensive medication management services as the medication expert and a key member of the collaborative care team. Be proud of your very important role in patient care, advocate for working to the top of licensure as part of the team, push the boundaries of pharmacy practice (legally of course!), work to eliminate stigma, be a servant leader, and take time to celebrate and share success stories.

How would you explain the value of ASHP to a friend or colleague?

The value of ASHP resides in the vision to advance pharmacy practice through supporting members and the pharmacy workforce to provide the best care for patients and the community. The ASHP leadership team ensures that all ASHP staff are committed to serving, are very knowledgeable, and deliver high-quality, effective work. And over time of being involved, ASHP becomes a well-connected and empowered pharmacy family.

What is the value of ASHP for the profession?

The value of ASHP for the profession of pharmacy is the advocacy to push the profession forward through policy, legislative advocacy, partnerships, collaboration, innovation, education and member support. ASHP offers cutting edge training and programming, strong voices through active membership and advocacy direction, and demands accountability and respect in support of the pharmacy profession.