“It is an honor to be recognized by both pharmacy students and the Washington State University College of Pharmacy,” said Grooms. “This is my third nomination since 2019 and it is amazing to win the award for the 2021 – 2022 school year.”

“It is well deserved,” said Keith Fongemie, Regional Director of Pharmacy at Skagit Regional Health. “Will is an excellent Clinical Coordinator, who openly shares his knowledge with students.”

Precepting means a lot to Grooms. It is how he grew his interest in pharmacy. He remembers excellent preceptors who helped him decide to pursue pharmacy as a career and complete his pharmacy practice residency. Now, things have come full circle and he is able to help his students in a similar fashion.

His heart behind precepting is to truly help the future generation reach their full potential as they pursue their career in pharmacy. And, in turn, Grooms sharpens his skillset along the way. “I hope that the students who I precept see that there are multiple career paths in pharmacy,” said Grooms. “Precepting is also a way for me to stay current with my knowledge and skills. In order to provide the best education I can to my students, I have to stay up to date on guidelines and recommendations for therapy.”

Grooms said he wants the best for his students, the most current instruction, to launch their careers well and to realize the heart and purpose behind what it means to be a pharmacist, especially in the hospital setting.

“Seeing students realize that pharmacists can have a positive impact as proactive members of the patient’s healthcare team in the hospital is an amazing feeling,” said Grooms. “It is even better to watch them take proactive roles in patient care while they are in our hospital and become better clinicians themselves. It is amazing to see their growth and their skills improve from their first rotation with us to their last rotation with us.”

Precepting is a huge benefit to students seeking a career in pharmacy. In addition, the benefit to Skagit Regional Health is multiplied.

“One of the other joys in precepting is seeing students becoming pharmacists at Skagit Regional Health,” said Grooms. “We have hired several pharmacists at Skagit Regional Health who came through initially as pharmacy students. It is great knowing the positive influence that we had on these students has led them back to work at Skagit Regional Health.”

Congratulations, Will! We celebrate not only your great work with these students and the part you play in shaping the next generation of pharmacists, but also your heart behind it and your desire to give back. We are proud to have you on the SRH team!