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John Paul Nelson, Pharm.D. |
“It’s like working in an outpatient pharmacy except that the documentation is twice as much,” Dr. Nelson said. “There’s a lot of record-keeping, but because of my meticulous nature, I enjoy this kind of work.”
An investigational studies pharmacist, Dr. Nelson tracks more than 40 studies at any one time. Many of the trials are Phase III clinical trials, and Dr. Nelson must work with the research coordinators and physicians to ensure that specific patients are receiving the correct dosages of specific medications (or placebos). Many of the studies are related to diabetes or high blood pressure.
“I set up the mechanism that allows the physicians to order the medications that they need to order,” Dr. Nelson said. “The coordinators identify particular patients and they coordinate the ordering process via a template format. I try to set something up that’s a ‘fill-in-the-blank-type’ thing, because accuracy is so important in these trials.”
“I also have to keep careful track of the inventory, all of the time. It’s akin to working in a narcotic vault.”
A native of Loomis in south-central Nebraska, Dr. Nelson said a visit to his University of Nebraska-Lincoln dormitory from former Pharmacy Dean Robert Desmond “Des” Gibson, spurred his interest in pharmacy.
“I was actually thinking about dentistry, but the residence hall where I was, had people from different colleges come and speak,” Dr. Nelson said. “Dean Gibson told about the different things that pharmacy graduates could do. As result of that meeting, I pursued a career in pharmacy.”
Dr. Nelson received a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from UNMC in 1978, then received his Pharm.D., in 1981. He managed a Hinky Dinky pharmacy for a year before becoming a staff pharmacist at the Omaha VA in July 1982. From 1985 until 1991, he worked as a pharmacy in-patient supervisor, and then worked until 1994 as a clinical pharmacist.
In 1994, he became a clinical pharmacy program coordinator at the Hayden VA in Phoenix. A year later, he began in his role in the investigational studies program.
“The program was growing, and there really wasn’t anyone who was dedicated to it. I worked through a few problems, and after a few months, things were organized,” Dr. Nelson said. “Although I’m sometimes overwhelmed with the work, I have a lot of autonomy. As long as the program is running well, my boss is happy. He has no desire to be involved in this kind of work. I know what I have to do. I set it up and knock it out.”
In his free time, Dr. Nelson enjoys model railroading and scuba diving.