Viana Salinas, PharmD
PGY2 Psychiatric Pharmacy Resident
Central Texas Veterans Affairs Health Care System
As a current trainee, both personal and professional growth are key to avoid undermining my potential and success. Attaining growth in both simply cannot be taught, but must be achieved through learning experiences that an individual is presented with. An opportunity for a trainee to be a part of an interdisciplinary team not only allows for trainees to come into their own but showcases the importance of their role in contributing to the delivery of quality patient care. Although my interdisciplinary team experience has stemmed from being in an acute inpatient psychiatry setting, I am confident that I as well as other trainees, can apply interdisciplinary skills to any practice setting.
Each individual in an interdisciplinary team has a distinct role. It is important that trainees put in the effort to understand why each role is present in a team and how these roles contribute to optimizing patient care. Having background knowledge about individual roles introduces different resources to the trainee. When deciding between certain treatment options, I often found myself consulting with other disciplinaries on the team which drive my recommendation to providers. It can be an action as simple as confirming a patient’s living and transportation situation with a social worker that allows me to select an appropriate psychotropic that does not require maintenance monitoring once the patient is discharged.
As a trainee, it has been easy to catch “imposter syndrome,” which may prevent an individual from recognizing their own capabilities. When working in a team, I encourage trainees to present recommendations to providers and talk with patients with confidence. If you see something, do not be afraid to say something. I recall an instance when an antidepressant was recommended to a patient by the treatment team, though I noticed the patient experienced a serious adverse event when previously taken. Was that the time to have confidence and speak up? Absolutely! I was able to provide insight to the team about the event that occurred and recommend an effective and safe alternative.
Being a part of an interdisciplinary team will create situations where a trainee may not agree or understand why a certain treatment was chosen. As a trainee and aspiring clinical pharmacist practitioner, I am aware that this is part of lifelong learning. Lifelong learning does not always need to be limited to a primary literature search but can be acquired through gaining the different perspectives from the team you are on. Discuss with providers the “why” behind their decisions. I have learned that these discussions not only enhance my knowledge but strengthen my relationship with providers.
It is important for trainees to remember that their role on a team matters. Patients appreciate the care and support that is provided by pharmacists. It has been rewarding to serve as the team member who provides thorough medication education to patients. Ultimately, a trainee may be that one person who can help a patient feel more comfortable about taking their medications.