Lakeland Regional Health
Kayla Wilson, PharmD, MS, BCPS, BCEMP
The student had this to say about Dr. Wilson:
“As a student that has studied extremely hard during my time in pharmacy school, I can confidently say that my rotation at Lakeland Regional Medical Center (LRMC) under the guidance of Kayla Wilson, MS, PharmD, BCPS, BCEMP was an experience that not only allowed me to truly feel like a pharmacist but prepared me to face a plethora of acute emergencies in the ED. On day one, Kayla immediately involved me in the patient care process. As clinical specialists at LRMC, pharmacists attend and are involved in almost every aspect of patient care. I never thought that I would be actively participating in a cardiac arrest code, rapid sequence intubation, calling the blood bank to activate a mass transfusion protocol in the trauma bay alongside trauma residents and surgeons or making drips and drawing up medication on the spot during an emergency. I truly felt for the first time that all my years of hard work were paying off during this rotation. Kayla would ask me questions to test my knowledge from inside the CT room during an ischemic stroke evaluation for tenecteplase, to the dosing of sedatives and paralytics during a rapid sequence intubation of a COPD exacerbation. After working and doing rotations at multiple hospitals over the years I have never seen a facility that included students into their patient process in the way that LRMC does and that is thanks to pharmacists like Kayla. Kayla ensured that I gained invaluable knowledge about topics I did not learn in pharmacy school. As she touts a masters degree in toxicology, she taught me a great deal about various types of toxicities, overdoses and antidotes, including APAP, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, salicylates and even differentiating between different classes by interpreting laboratory values and EKGs. I have never seen a pharmacist with so much knowledge on reading EKGs, CT scans or dosing knowledge. These are not skills that I believe many pharmacists have. I have never seen a facility regard the pharmacist so highly as I did at LRMC. During any acute patient care situation, pharmacists here are expected to attend as they are vital. Doctors, trauma surgeons and residents all turn to Kayla and me for recommendations on what to do. Kayla has stood at the head of the bed directing adenosine dosing during an SVT that occurred in a man that weighed over 600 pounds. After three rounds of dosing to no avail, Kayla quickly referenced an article on the spot and used this knowledge to direct the MD to administer a particular dose, which broke his SVT. At LRMC I stood right next to the pharmacist in the trauma bay seeing some of the most horrific scenes: gunshot wounds to the face, car ejections, broken limbs, arterial bleeds. In these situations, the pharmacist provides real time medications recommendations, draws up the medications and hands it to the doctor to administer. The physicians truly listen and trust the pharmacist’s word. Helping the pharmacist quickly draw of fentanyl, propofol, zofran, or any other medication needed during a resuscitation was indescribable. Being responsible for saving a patient’s life at LRMC under the supervision of Kayla was truly an indescribable feeling. I was able to develop relationships with the nursing staff, EMTs/paramedics, ED physicians and pharmacy residents and RPD. This rotation truly has pushed me to become a board certified emergency medicine pharmacist and I can thank both my preceptor and site for that. My preceptor and this site truly deserve this award, they are producing highly trained and skilled pharmacists.”
Brief bio or Site description
The Lakeland Regional Health Emergency Department is the second busiest single site emergency department (ED) in the nation with over 200,000 patient visits annually. LRH is home to a Joint Commission accredited Chest Pain Center, Comprehensive Stroke Center, Level II Trauma Center, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Center, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and the only dedicated Pediatric Emergency Department (ED) in the county. The LRH ED has 165 total beds including 16 critical resuscitation beds. The Pediatric ED houses 33 beds including three critical resuscitation beds. Clinical pharmacy specialists in emergency medicine are well-integrated members of the interdisciplinary emergency department (ED) care team. The pharmacists in this area are responsible for the pharmacotherapeutic care of all ED patients. These pharmacists also respond to all adult and pediatric cardiac arrests, stroke alerts, trauma alerts, and STEMI alerts within the department. The pharmacist is responsible for reviewing pharmacotherapeutic regimens and care plans while providing evidence-based recommendations to physicians and nursing staff. The pharmacist responds to all drug information requests and triages patient care needs by level of acuity and resources required. The pharmacist is available for order verification, if not actively participating in bedside resuscitation. The ED pharmacist also procures and prepares medications in a timely and safe manner, in accordance with USP immediate use standards if required. APPE students in the emergency department will work alongside EM pharmacists and the healthcare team. A typical day will include participation in bedside resuscitation, in depth topic discussions on a variety of EM/toxicology topics, answering clinical pharmacy drug information questions, and preparing medications in the ED.
What is your or your sites philosophy on educating students and/or providing pharmacy services?
We prioritize a collaborative, hands-on approach to patient care. Students are engaged in face-to-face interactions with members of the ED team. Students are expected to formulate an evidence-based patient-centered care plan, which includes timely medication delivery and safe preparation of medications at the bedside. We include pharmacy students in all aspects of patient care, beginning each rotation by modeling our practice during resuscitations and encouraging student growth throughout the six weeks. We offer in-depth topic discussions on a variety of emergency medicine issues, focusing on a comprehensive approach to patient care. With our volume and patient load, students have many unique opportunities for learning in a fun, fast-paced environment.
What is a fun fact about you or the site?
I was born and raised in Florida, and am a proud UF grad. Go Gators!