Majid-Theodore Raja Tanas, PharmD, MHA, MS

Ambulatory Pharmacy Operations Manager

Responsible for the operational management of the Center for Health and Healing, Pacific Oncology, and OR. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, employee supervision; education and training of staff; program development; management of business and professional activities of the pharmacies; quality assessment and process improvement; and maintenance of practice standards, customer service, compliance with accreditation standards and applicable laws and regulations; coordination of pharmacy services with other hospital departments, and teaching of pharmacy interns and residents.

How They Got There

I have arrived on this path by recognizing that the landscape of contemporary pharmacy was about to change as the current leaders of pharmacy were nearing retirement. Shortly before the end of pharmacy school, several of the managers left for other career opportunities. Soon thereafter the director of pharmacy suddenly died in a tragic accident. This left the department without any experienced leadership. It was then that I came across some articles describing the shortage in pharmacy leadership.

My experiences early on helped me recognize that pharmacists needed to become leaders in patient pharmaceutical care. I then became aware of the residency opportunity at UW Medicine and pursued a residency in Health-System Pharmacy Administration with a Masters of Health Administration. After completing the residency training, I began my career at Oregon Health & Science University. The greatest reward is being able to help our patients receive the best medical care.

Other Professional Activities

I have been involved with the ASHP New Practitioners Forum in the capacity of an advisory group member the past two years. This year, I am serving the New Practitioners Forum as a member of the Executive Committee. This has been of great value as I meet other new practitioners from the entire nation and begin to build a network of individuals with whom I can communicate and collaborate.

Advanced Training

I completed a residency in Health-System Pharmacy Administration and earned a Masters of Health Administration in preparation for this job.

Advice

The first thing that I would tell anybody is to find a good mentor or someone who can help you think through your career.

Some wisdom that was passed on to me is that, “Residency is a one year interview. It should be to your advantage that we know you.” Pharmacy IS a small world – and this should work to your advantage!

Credibility is your number one clinical and professional tool. Know what you know. Recognize what you don’t know.

A mentor taught me, “The decision is yours, but you have to decide whether you live your life to go work, or if you work to go live your life.” Work hard now, so you can enjoy your life later. You have the rest of your life to work. Get what you need to get done, but realize there will still be work tomorrow.