In this article five ways to celebrate Pharmacy Week are identified and discussed.
National Pharmacy Week falls on the 3rd full week of October. In 2021 it is October 17-23. Celebrating the good people of the pharmacy profession includes acknowledging the work of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and other members of the pharmacy staff.
As you peruse the following take note that various activities can be combined to level-up on the fun.
With the hopes that this may help inspire some memorable moments the following is provided. Here are five ways to celebrate Pharmacy Week!
1. Share Messages about Pharmacy Week
Awareness is a key element for celebration. Messages can be physical (e.g., hang a banner, decorate a door) or electronic (e.g., email all the staff, post something on the institutional website). Message can also be generic or specific. Pharmacy Week can be a great time to sit, reflect on the year, and send a heart-felt message to your colleagues.
Outside of your immediate group you can also share messages on social media, including content produced by pharmacy organizations such as APhA or ASHP.
In sharing messages about pharmacy, you might also consider a video competition to see who can produce the best pharm-tastic video!
2. Take a Group Photo
Time flies when we are busy and pharmacies are frequently bustling places. How many photos do you have with your colleagues yet how much time do you spend with them? Donning the same shirt or picking a theme for clothing and commemorating the week with a photo can be a great way to bring people together and create a lasting memory with your pharmily.
Don’t want to gather because of COVID? Have everyone take a photo and make a collage! There are all sorts of neat collage making tools online. I use www.canva.com for a lot of my images, but www.piktochart.com and www.thenounproject.com may also be good tools for getting creative with digital media.
3. Play Games and Give out Fun Pharmacy-Centric Gifts to the Winners
Guess the baby (after gathering baby photos of the staff), guess the number of pills in the jar, home-grown crossword puzzles, and the Drug Name Emoji Game are some fun ways to connect. A little healthy competition can inspire people to socialize in a new manner, which may strengthen bonds within the department.
To add to the fun, giving away pharmacy-centric gifts to the winners can be fun. We have some pharmacy pins that may be a nice fit for this! Memberships to www.LearnAntibiotics.com may also be nice gifts for the students in your department. You could also consider doing a white elephant pharmacy gift exchange.
4. Host A Potluck
Who doesn’t like discovering a new delicious dish? Many pharmacy departments have staff with diverse cultural backgrounds. Pharmacy Week may be just the time to try out some of those family recipes. It can also be an opportunity to do a cook-off.
If your colleagues aren’t into cooking or bringing in food, there is always the option to do a catered lunch. Just be warned that most staff are critical of pizza parties, so that’s probably not a great option. The internet is full of pizza party memes like this one from Reddit. Don’t fall victim to a well-intentioned yet unfortunate miss-step!
5. Do Team Building Exercises
There are tons of team building activities that can be done in person or by video conferencing. Trust falls (that hopefully do not turn into trust fails), building projects (e.g., fastest to build a puzzle), and team-based escape rooms are just a few examples. You can even use something like Kahoot! as part of your activities, as a way to keep score.
Personality tests can additionally be a neat way to learn more about each other. Here is a free one from 16personalities that doesn’t require an email or anything to get the results, I’ve done it and found it fun. I’m an INTJ!
BONUS IDEAS
- Organize a Parade, March, or Walk – Some hospitals actually do parades or marches regularly for various causes. You don’t have to go as far as the recent #VaxUpPhilly parade for example, but organizing an event like this can be a neat way to get folks together in a way that is not usual.
- Put on a Talent Show – Do you know how talented your people are? Use a talent show to find out! Nowadays these things can even be done via zoom to allow for social distancing. Adding zoom to the mix may even allow for a whole new element to be added to the talent show through using technology!
- Give Out Superlative Awards – Fans of the show The Office may be familiar with the Dundie Awards. In order maintain morale, everybody gets a Dundie. Create your own version of the Dundies to let your colleagues know why they are special and appreciated.
- Do a Podcast – There are tons of pharmacy podcasts out there these days. Connect with a host and see if you can get creative with some of your team members.
- Participate in a Community Service Event – It is better to given than to receive. Give back to your community and bring your pharmily together by engaging in community service!
- Organize a Blood Drive or Medication Give Back Event – Yes it’s community service, but these are more specific to our profession. Hit two birds with one stone by promoting Pharmacy Week while contributing to a great cause!
- Give Everyone a Bonus! – Are you the boss? Do you have some extra funds with the end of the fiscal year upon you? Share the love and give people a bonus!… okay this one is a stretch, but why not consider it?!?
Ways to Celebrate Antibiotic Awareness Week
Antibiotic Awareness Week starts on the third Thursday of November. In 2021 it is November 18-25. It’s a time to promote awareness about antibiotic resistance and also celebrate the miracle that is antimicrobial drugs.
If you are looking for ways to celebrate Antibiotic Awareness Week, many of the ideas above will also work well for that cause too!
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