Pharmacy Corner
RESOURCES FOR PHARMACY

Managing business, and the business of life.

Pharmacy conferences traditionally concentrate on scientific updates, industry trends and clinical information. But one area of Pharmacy that is rarely touched on – and is seldom part of the Pharmacy academic curriculum – is business administration. A Pharmacy manager or director may be outstanding at the clinical aspects of pharmacy, but he or she is sometimes like a fish out of water when it comes to managing people and budgets. So a significant component of the BCHS Business Practices and Leadership Forum deals with the day-to-day realities of managing a business. This training helps to set the conference apart, and make it an invaluable continuing education resource.

Another indispensable aspect of the BCHS Business Practices and Leadership Forum is its emphasis on balancing work and home life, and building the “whole” employee. Too often, the lines between “working” and “living” become blurred, yet it’s never been more important for professionals to be able to separate the two. Some believe they can get more done and create more free time by “multi-tasking”, yet this mode of work only leads to a loss of efficiency and focus – literally doing a mediocre job at more than one thing at a time. Some of the most popular conference speakers are motivation and productivity experts who teach ways to achieve a more focused, dynamic work life, thus creating more time for family and personal endeavors. The “work/life balance” seminars represent one of the ways the BCHS conference evolves its content to benefit its audience.

There’s always time for fun.

All work and no play makes for a dull conference, so organizers ensure there’s plenty of fun built in. The entertainment aspect of the conference definitely helps Directors of Pharmacy attract their buyers and technicians to the event, to network and enhance their industry knowledge. At each conference, Thursday is the day for wine & cheese, plenty of networking and socializing, and even professional entertainment.

And as everyone knows, a good time starts with a great Master of Ceremonies. At one time, the Chair of the planning committee was always the emcee of the event, and one year the Chair happened to be Sam Louie, who was then the Associate Director of Pharmacy at Lions Gate Hospital. Sam did such an amazing job at making the conference entertaining as well as informative that he is now the perennial host.

The future of the BCHS conference looks bright.

The BCHS Business Practices and Leadership Forum is definitely getting better and better with each passing year. The organizing committee still listens carefully to comments from attendees, and works to make the conference relevant to as many people as possible.

Ingrid Kandal says they will continue to keep the Friday session more didactic, with guest speakers and educational content, while Thursday is for networking and fun. They would like to build in even more coaching and mentoring elements, and of course they want to keep growing their audience.

“The success of the show makes it easier to attract top sponsors, speakers and entertainers,” says Ingrid. “We’ve already booked many distinguished speakers for this coming June, and we’re very excited about the rest of the plans for 2010. It’s very satisfying when we hear comments like ‘This conference was even better than the last one!’ We know that when someone attends they’re sure to be back next year.”

It’s no wonder the BCHS Business Practices and Leadership Forum has become a “must attend” conference for so many Pharmacy professionals.

For more information about the 13th Annual BCHS Business Practices and Leadership Forum, scheduled for June 2010, please call:
Courtney Thur
Manager, Operations,BCHS
Suite 833 – 1508 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC V6J 1W8
Tel: 604.488.0600 ext 5324
Fax: 604.488.0665
Website: www.bchs.bc.ca

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