Interview with Nancy Globus, PharmD; Medication Safety Expert
Today\u2019s episode is an interview with Nancy Globus, a pharmacist who uses her voice to advocate for medication safety.\xa0 I really enjoyed this interview because two of Nancy\u2019s passions overlap with mine:\xa0 medication safety and poisoning prevention. \xa0
Nancy Globus started in the pharmacy business at a young age.\xa0 Her father opened his community pharmacy the year before she was born.\xa0 Nancy began \u201ccounting pills\u201d at her father\u2019s side and eventually earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy from Rutgers College of Pharmacy.\xa0 Then, she earned her PharmD from Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science and completed a one-year residency in a unique hospital, where most of the drugs were ordered and monitored by clinical pharmacists. \xa0
Nancy has worked in a number of practice settings.\xa0 She honed her clinical skills in hospital practice, served roles in medical affairs, and eventually worked a number of years in the Med-ERRS subsidiary of ISMP (the Institute for Safe Medication Practices).\xa0 There, she became proficient in all areas of medication safety, especially as error prevention applies to assisting the pharmaceutical and biotech industries in trademark safety testing, package label assessments, and other risk-management and regulatory issues. \xa0
When she is not saving humanity from confusing drug names and hard-to-read product labels, Nancy can be found translating \u201cmedicalese\u201d for family members and friends and obsessing over her nail polish and cosmetics collection.\xa0 She remains passionate about community pharmacy and has a strong interest in patient advocacy.
Highlights from the interview
Nancy has a passion for medication safety and poisoning prevention.\xa0 She feels pharmacists are well-positioned to communicate important safety messages. \xa0
Drug names are unique for safety reasons.
Medication safety officers are important.\xa0 They can prevent safety issues.
Nancy talked about the confusion between Losec and Lasix and how Losec became Prilosec. \xa0
There is not a clearly-defined path for a pharmacist to do what Nancy does.\xa0 It\u2019s a very niche job.\xa0 All her professional experiences led her to medication safety roles. \xa0
\u201cWe don\u2019t lose.\xa0 We win, or we learn.\u201d\xa0 Good advice from Nancy for new grads or pharmacists early in their careers. \xa0
Nancy\u2019s dream job would be naming nail polish colors for OPI or being a medical reporter on the TV news.\xa0
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