BLOG 4: My PLN & What is Inclusion?

How diverse is your PLN?

I plan that my PLN includes information related to the field of pharmacy and information about policy changes, clinical updates, drug safety, and the role of pharmacists in health care. I want my PLN to focus mainly on the pharmaceutical industry in Canada. The information is diverse from each other in terms of ideas but is related to one another as they are all related to the pharmacy profession.

Being a student in medical school back home and coming here and studying Chemistry for Medical Science, I developed a passion for knowledge about drugs and medication. This passion guided me to apply to pharmacy school. Thus, My PLN is for people who are interested in health care and mainly in the pharmaceutical industry. I plan that my network includes people from around the world and not only in Canada as this will help introduce new ideas and learn about other techniques used in different countries that can be beneficial to pharmacists in Canada.

Are you learning from a variety of diverse voices and are you expanding your understanding of the views of others?

For my PLN, the information is mainly from the Canadian Pharmacists Association, BC Pharmacy Association and Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists as these websites represent healthcare authorities and the pharmaceutical industry in specific where they share recent drug approval, expert advice on ethical or legal issues and the latest update about drug prescription. The websites I am using are very helpful to talk about different topics that are all related to the pharmacy industry, however, maybe reviewing websites from other countries such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can also expand my understanding of the pharmacy industry.

What is the learning outcome of your PLN and how are you ensuring your exposure to diversity and inclusion?

From the previous blogs that I wrote, I developed skills on how to develop my PLN where I learned that a network of people and resources can support my learning, thus, can help me in my professional development.

The outcome of my PLN is to share information, resources, and policies about the pharmaceutical industry where I am specific in terms of the main topic I plan that my PLN includes information related to the field of pharmacy and information about policy changes, clinical updates, drug safety, and the role of pharmacists in health care. I want my PLN to focus mainly on the pharmaceutical industry in Canada. The information is diverse from each other in terms of ideas but different topics that are related to one another as they are all related to the pharmacy profession.

The article ‘One without the Other,’ by Shelly Moore shares the issue of how inclusive are we. Shelly shares that ” Inclusion is not just about students with special needs; inclusion means everyone – but actually everyone.” (2017)This sentence summarizes how narrow we look at some issues. Although I am from a minority group in Canada, the first thing that comes to my mind when we talk about inclusion are people with special needs. Although it is more than that. Inclusion is creating an environment that embraces the diversity of individuals where these individuals have equal opportunities. Since I am interested in the pharmaceutical industry, inclusion there include equal employment opportunities; this includes a workplace that fosters different cultures and promotes respect. Diversity and inclusion go beyond only hiring people from different backgrounds, it also includes establishing policies that prevent discrimination. Moreover, inclusion includes adopting a patient-centric approach where patient support programs consider the diverse needs of patients that come from different backgrounds.

How likely individuals are going to continue with their created content and their network?

Hermida, in “Tell Everyone: why we share and why it matters” shares that people’s choices to share content are influenced by others (2014). Some people share because they want to share knowledge like a person they saw on the internet. Others like to share gossip because when they share that they feel they have present in this world. However, creating content requires many factors including and not limited to: passion and a supporting network. For individuals to continue creating content, they need to be passionate about what they do for it to continue. Usually, people who share content for financial benefits solely, do not pursue creating content for long because it takes time to build a network and their main motive is not the knowledge but rather, the financial benefits. Moreover, supporting networks motivate individuals to continue sharing their content. If no supporting network is available it would be difficult to continue sharing because there is no purpose!

Reference

Moore, S. (2017). One Without the Other: Stories of Unity Through Diversity and Inclusion. Portage & Main Press. 

Hermida, A. (2014). #Telleveryone : why we share & why it matters. Doubleday Canada.

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