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Practitioner Profile - NPX Newsletter Fall 2022
New Practitioner Profile
Jace Swingle, R.Ph., PharmD
What is your current position and where do you work?
Currently, I am a Clinical Packaging and Supplies Specialist at Medpace in Cincinnati, as well as a part-time Community Pharmacist at Ruwe Family Pharmacy in Northern Kentucky.
In my position at Medpace, I work with a team of pharmacists and colleagues from other various backgrounds to manage the investigational drug supply chain. My team works globally with clinical supply vendors on almost all steps to get investigational drugs from the manufacturer to clinical study sites. The main goal of our team is to prevent clinical supply chain and patient dosing interruptions, leading to continuity of care and a seamless clinical trial.
Ruwe Family Pharmacy is a small family owned community pharmacy consisting of three locations in Northern Kentucky. Our focus is complex community pharmacy, providing patient adherence packaging and services for assisted living and group home patients.
Describe your career path.
I started working at Shrivers Pharmacy in Zanesville as a cashier in high school. At the time, I had no interest in any healthcare field and thought I wanted to be an engineer. Throughout my time as a cashier, I started to see the impact that our pharmacists had on the community and gained an interest in becoming a pharmacist. I graduated high school and attended The University of Findlay College of Pharmacy and continued to work for Shrivers on my holiday breaks. I spent a total of 8 years at Shrivers before deciding I wanted to try something else after an APPE rotation at Medpace. I graduated in May 2022, and decided to move to Cincinnati and begin my career in the pharmaceutical industry. I knew I still wanted to practice part time, as I loved my time interning in the community pharmacy and seeing the impact I could make on patients. I was lucky enough to find a part-time position in a small community, in which I love serving!
What is the best advice you received as a new practitioner?
The best advice I received was to work at your own pace. As a new practitioner, especially in the community setting, we are often thrown into the pharmacist role very quickly. As with doing anything for the first time, it takes time to adjust and get into your groove. It was emphasized to me that patient safety is of the utmost importance and to take your time as you adjust to the new role. Do not feel pressured to work too quickly and risk making mistakes, putting patients at risk.
Describe your involvement with NPX and OPA as a new practitioner.
In school, I participated in student legislative days and many advocacy events including letter writing campaigns. As a new practitioner, I am excited to be a part of the NPX experience to network and get to know other new practitioners to share our vast wealth of knowledge and hopefully make some new friends along the way!
What would you like to share about your life outside of pharmacy?
My fiance Jared and I will be getting married in June 2023, so the wedding planning craziness is in full swing! After the wedding, we are hoping to expand our family, by getting our Dalmatian Izzy a sibling from the local animal shelter.
