Melanie Carter
Melanie Carter
Clinical Practice Leader
Submitted by: Richard Slavik
Brief description of role or responsibilities
Melanie joined Interior Health (IH) in 2014 as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) in Cardiology, and became the Clinical Practice Leader (CPL) at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) in 2021. She provides patient care in cardiology, teaches our IH residents and students, leads quality improvement and research projects, and leads our KGH pharmacist team.
Describe how the individual or team made a positive contribution to patient care or their pharmacy department:
Melanie exemplifies the the WHO 8-star pharmacist in her role as CPL at KGH. She is a consummate caregiver for patients on the cardiology ward, and an integral member of the interprofessional team ensuring patients receive evidence-based, person-centred care throughout their stay and transitioning back into the community. She is a life-long learner committed to her continuous professional development within our profession. Melanie is a skilled teacher incorporating instruction, facilitation, role modelling, coaching, and mentorship across didactic academic half day sessions, clinical coffees, and in her experiential rotation. Melanie leads and supports key quality improvement and research projects that help us to understand and improve patient care to advance our practice. She is a well-respected leader and manager who works with her staff and other invested partners to make key decisions to improve system and clinical processes to support her staff and patient care. Melanie takes the time to communicate with others to promote patient equity, improves patient outcomes, patient satisfaction, provider satisfaction, and value in our healthcare system. Most importantly, she leaves a lasting impression on her colleagues, interprofessional team, learners, and patients and families in her role. We are very lucky to have Melanie on our team!
