I took the HHP course to learn more about content our pharmacy schools did not provide. After taking this course, it only ignited more of a passion for this information and the value it has as part of patient care. I don’t have it all memorized but I feel confident in researching herbals to incorporate into my clinical practice.Although I had extensive education/training in providing direct patient care in my 20+ years of experience, I felt a gap in providing holistic recommendations involving herbals. The HHP course allowed me to gain confidence to incorporate herbals into my practice recommendations. Even more importantly to me as a homesteader, I gained knowledge to expand my preparation skills of the herbals I grow myself. I now have an excitement (for clinical application) when I see plants growing in nature that I know I can use for medicinal benefits!I love to cook and never realized that herbal preparations would be so fun. I also live on a large property with mostly nature. I now recognize plants, often considered weeds, all over my property which have health benefits. I’m excited to learn more about foraging in my area. I know find myself staring at nature when I travel or taking pictures to identify what I see. Incorporating into clinical practice is now a natural part of patient care with the familiarity and recognition of these herbs and their value. Maybe I can even take this content back to my local college of pharmacy to teach others when they should be learning it?!
As a clinical pharmacist practitioner, I’ve devoted my career to expertise in taking care of patients and the pharmacy community. With 20 years as a pharmacist, I have diverse experience within inpatient, ICU/Critical Care, outpatient, ambulatory/direct patient care, and operational medicine settings.
Focused on being the most well-rounded provider, I have earned (and re-certified) as a board certified nutrition support pharmacist (BCNSP) and earned my post-doctorate masters degree with a concentration in Medication Therapy Management. Always desiring to work at the top of my license, I certified in the Clinical Application of Pharmacogenomics. This led to being the first and only clinical pharmacist on the Defense Health Agency’s Precision Care Advisory Panel and leading all efforts to implement pharmacogenetic testing across 448 military medical treatment facilities. I also certified to provide battlefield acupuncture. I was blessed to serve in the U.S. Navy for over 20 years and have been given many opportunities. As a subject matter expert in pharmacy operations, I was selected to be the first Pharmacy Market Consultant at the Defense Health Agency during the Military Health System’s greatest transition period in history. This position allowed me to serve the pharmacy staff across 700 military pharmacies. I excel in challenging positions and have strong organizational and communication skills for success in major transition periods. Now I add herbalism to my toolkit of patient care resources.
