Albert Einstein is credited as having said, I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious. If indeed he said these words, it is perhaps absurdly trivializing, but remarkably self-aware. He is also credited with having said: The only source of knowledge is experience. In combining these two concepts, it is clear that the curiosity of pharmacy’s future leaders must be stoked by the experience and knowledge of pharmacy’s established leaders. Ongoing professional education helps keep the day-to-day activities of hospital pharmacy fresh as new information and technology motivate staff to constantly strive for improvement.

The primary goal of Pharmacy Purchasing & Products is to benefit the overall practice of hospital pharmacy, and thus, we are proud to present this month’s Cleanrooms & Compounding supplement featuring the 2017 results of CriticalPoint’s annual, national survey on compounding practices. This valuable benchmarking data can help educate you and your staff on the strengths and weaknesses of your compounding practices through the lens of analyzed data.

In addition, PP&P continues to provide resources on USP <800> education, including methods for addressing the current gap between actual practice and the requirements of <800>, which will become effective in just 9 months. July 1, 2018 is no longer that far off. To help you evaluate your USP <800> preparation, we are proud to present a series of 20-minute webinars on USP<800> Strategies for Success. Previous webinars can be downloaded and listened to at your leisure, or you can host an education session for your whole staff. See page 37 of this issue for more information.

As leaders in your field, we hope you remain passionately curious about expanding your professional outlook. At PP&P, we look forward to helping frame your view.

All the best,

R. Mitchell Halvorsen
Publisher

P.S. PP&P would like to congratulate the grand prize winner of our Generic Drugs survey sweepstakes. Christine Clarke of Cottage Hospital in Woodsville, New Hampshire, received a Fit Bit Alta HR! Thank you, Christine, and all the other survey participants.