#215: Blair Thielemier: Helping Pharmacists Become Entrepreneurial Consultants

<p><strong>OVERVIEW:</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jason A. Duprat, Entrepreneur, Healthcare Practitioner, and Host of the</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Healthcare Entrepreneur Academy</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">podcast talks with Blair Thielemier, PharmD, and founder of Pharmapreneur Academy and the Elevate Pharmacy Virtual Summit. Blair talks about the ups and downs of her transition from employee to entrepreneur, highlighting the importance of working with a mentor. She also discusses the challenges of starting a consulting business and a virtual summit, offering advice for people who want to venture into these startup areas. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:</strong></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Blair knew early on she wanted to work in healthcare, and it was her love for biochemistry and physiology that led her to become a pharmacist.   </span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">After pharmacy school, she worked for a small independently-owned community pharmacy. Eventually, she wanted to do something more challenging so she switched to a clinical hospital role.</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">When she lost her job in 2014, Blair found support from a network of independent community pharmacies. She was six months pregnant and picked up PRN shifts. As a result, this is the community she now serves and helps through her online academy and virtual summit.  </span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Medication Therapy Management (MTM) is an umbrella term for the variety of services pharmacists offer. Pharmacists conduct a comprehensive review and suggest interventions for patients. Ultimately, MTM is what reignited Blair’s passion. </span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">She’s an advocate for pharmacists because, at the federal level, they’re not recognized as healthcare providers. </span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">After giving up a director position to launch her pharmacy consul