The visiting ASHP members and HMC staff

Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) corporate pharmacy department has started a collaborative partnership with the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) to develop an internationally accredited pharmacy residency programme.
The partnership is a key part of the Corporate Pharmacy Strategy 2015-2018 and supports HMC progression as an Academic Health System (AHS).
A team from ASHP visited HMC recently providing consultative advice and holding a workshop for all pharmacy leaders and hospital chief executive officers. ASHP represents pharmacists who serve as patient care providers in acute and ambulatory settings and has more than 40,000 members including pharmacists, student pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
The visit allowed ASHP to share insights into the residency programme, which started in August 2015, as well providing the opportunity to speak to pharmacy staff, technicians and nurses across all of HMC’s hospitals. “It was clear in our visit that the HMC Pharmacy staff is committed to providing safe and effective use of medications. The inclusion of an ASHP-accredited pharmacy residency programme will elevate pharmacy programmes and services to the highest level of excellence,” said Douglas Scheckelhoff, vice president of Practice Advancement at ASHP.
Dr Moza al-Hail, executive director of pharmacy at HMC, believes the residency programme will prepare pharmacists for clinical practice by providing intensive exposure to a wide range of patients during the 12-month residency period.