It is well-known that all licensed pharmacists must complete thirty hours of continuing education every two years for renewal. These hours can consist of any of the following forms of education: on-line, journals or live programming. Currently, pharmacists can elect to earn all their credits in one venue and may never attend a single program; but, this may all change in the future. The Board of Pharmacy has proposed that at least ten of the thirty hours be obtained from live programs. This proposal is being considered, and if passed, may go into effect starting next year. The WMSHP Board is considering this proposal very carefully and working hard to ensure that most if not all of our programs will offer continuing education for all of its members. We want to offer programs that are informative and useful for daily practice. Please let me know what you would like to see in the programming.

Another opportunity to obtain live continuing education is the Michigan Society of Health-System Pharmacists annual meeting. This year, the conference will take place on November 12th at the Lansing Center from 9:00-4:30. The program includes a wide variety of topics for pharmacists, technicians and students. The opening session includes two presentations: one on Bioethics, followed by a discussion on Emergency Preparedness. The afternoon offers three concurrent sessions focusing on leadership, pharmacy technicians and a clinical session. Some topics of note include pharmacogenomics, pharmacoeconomics, pharmacy informatics and technology. For more information log on to the MPA website at www.michiganpharmacists.org.