|
Home
> CSHP Network
> PSNs
Pharmacy Specialty Networks
A Pharmacy Specialty Network (PSN) is a group of members with similar specialty interest, who wish to have a national forum for networking. A PSN may also be a national network of already established provincial specialty groups.
The purpose of the PSN is to promote practice excellence and the enhancement of patient-centred pharmacy practice through information sharing, educational events and the facilitation of research.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Where can I find a list of the current PSNs and their email addresses?
What are the key benefits of joining a PSN?
- Communication and networking among members within each specialty group via an electronic email list;
- Opportunities to develop educational session(s) pertaining to the specialty at the CSHP Professional Practice Conference (PPC) or Summer Educational Sessions (SES); and
- PSN members can serve as opinion leaders by being a key resource for CSHP Council on professional specialty issues, including development of relevant position or information papers.
How do I join a PSN?
- Applications can be made by:
- Completing the online application; or
- Completing the PSN application form included with your membership renewal package; or
- Contacting the CSHP PSN Administrator by email or phone.
- The PSN membership year runs from July 1st to June 30th. Your membership in a PSN continues as long as you are a current individual member of CSHP, or you choose to end your participation with a PSN.
back to top
Is there a fee to join a PSN?
- No. The PSNs are free of charge, and any individual CSHP member may join.
Can I belong to more than one (1) PSN during a membership year?
- Yes. You may belong to more than one (1) PSN during a membership year.
- Please restrict your membership to the PSNs that are directly related to your area of practice, unless you are prepared to handle a high-volume of email traffic.
back to top
What is the process to form a new PSN?
- Any CSHP member can submit an application to form a new PSN.
- The PSN Coordinating Committee reviews the application and communicates the decision to the member who submitted the application.
- The CSHP Office promotes the new PSN in the CSHP eBulletin once approved.
back to top
What are my responsibilities as a member of a PSN?
- As a member of PSN, it is your responsibility to:
- Be committed to CSHP’s mission and vision.
- Be familiar with the most current copy of the PSN policies and procedures and the PSN Guide; these are kept on CSHP’s website.
- Keep your CSHP membership current. The membership year ends June 30th of each year. If you choose not to renew your membership, your participation in the PSN will end when your CSHP membership ends.
- Keep your PSN active. PSNs can be dissolved for various reasons, including low email traffic.
- Ensure that your emails comply with the etiquette outlined in the PSN Guide. (Posted emails are monitored by the discussion forum moderator; members who repeatedly offend will be removed from the PSN.)
- Inform the PSN Administrator if your email address changes.
- Make arrangements to suspend your PSN email during vacation and other extended absences. Refer to the PSN Member Handbook for more information.
back to top
What are responsibilities of the PSN Chair and Executive Team?
back to top
What is an electronic email list?
- An electronic email list is a distinct eForum Group with its own electronic mailing list and Internet/web features (online discussion forum). Members can subscribe and unsubscribe to the PSN(s) of their choice by visiting MY.CSHP.ca (see PSN section on the left navigation). Internet/web features include the ability to manage your user profile as well as access to message archives, membership lists and data files. Data files may be uploaded directly to the group by contacting the Conference & PSN Administrator.
- Please ensure that your email settings are configured to allow these mailing list emails. You may need to contact your institution’s system administrator to “allow” the email through firewalls or spam filters. You may wish to check with them first if you have not been receiving the email messages.
back to top
How do I log into the online aspect of the electronic email list?
- eForums is located directly the CSHP website. See the Pharmacy Specialty Networks section/eForums.
- You will be prompted to enter your CSHP username and password as eForums is within the members’ area of the CSHP website.
back to top
How do I send an email to the PSN electronic email list?
There are two ways to send an email to the PSN:
- Copy and paste the email address for the PSN, provided below, into your email program and compose your message.
- Send an email directly from the eForums webpage to the PSN electronic email list.
|
If you attempt to post a message to the electronic email list from an email address other than the one you registered/subscribed with, your message will be blocked.
Whenever a member of a PSN group poses a question or announcement, all registered members will automatically receive the question or announcement. Likewise, all will receive responses.
|
*Joint PSN with CPhA.
back to top
What are my email delivery options?
Remember! You can change your email address within the CSHP online portal, MY.CSHP.ca. The PSN groups utilize your CSHP preferred email address (located on the Personal Information Page of MY.CSHP.ca). If you wish to use an alternative email address, overriding your preferred email, please write it in the ‘PSN Email’ box found on the PSN page of MY.CSHP.ca Otherwise, please leave this box blank and your preferred email will be utilized for PSN correspondence.
In order to continue to receive listserv correspondence, your email address will need to be kept current. |
For each electronic email list you belong to, you can select one of these message receipt options:
If you belong to anelectronic email list PSN:
- Mail
Messages are delivered one at a time to your email inbox. This is the best option if you want to keep up on the latest posts immediately. Email attachments, if included in a message, will be sent directly to your inbox, as well as placed within the online.
- Digest
Messages are delivered in batches of 25 or daily, whichever comes sooner. This is the best option if you want to receive fewer mail messages and don't need up-to-the minute posts in your inbox.
- No Mail/Web Only
This delivery method is the best option to choose if you prefer to read messages only on the web, and not through email. It is also useful if you need to temporarily put message delivery on hold, for example, while you’re on vacation.
If you belong to the Primary Care PSN:
- All members of the Primary Care PSN can manage their e-mail by sending an e-mail with a blank subject line with the appropriate command line entered in the body of the email, with no other content or signature, to listserv@listserv.pharmacists.ca.
- Refer to this URL for a complete list of basic commands for the electronic email list (such as those to change email address, suspend email delivery during vacation, set-up delivery method as individual or batched/daily digests): http://psnextranet.pharmacists.ca/content/community/pdfs/Basic%20Commands.pdf.
- Alternately, to get a list of all the electronic email list commands, send an email to: listserv@listserv.pharmacists.ca with INFO REFCARD in the body of the email.
back to top
How do I change my message receipt options?
If you belong to an electronic email list PSN:
- To change your message receipt options, login to the eForums page, which is located on the CSHP website (under the PSN section). Click on My Settings where you will see the options for each PSN group you belong to.
If you belong to the Primary Care PSN:
- All members of the Primary Care PSN can manage their email by sending an email with a blank subject line with the appropriate command line entered in the body of the email, with no other content or signature, to listserv@listserv.pharmacists.ca.
- Please refer to this URL for a complete list of basic commands for the electronic email list (such as those to change email address, suspend email delivery during vacation, set-up delivery method as individual or batched/daily digests): http://psnextranet.pharmacists.ca/content/community/pdfs/Basic%20Commands.pdf.
- Alternately, to get a list of all the electronic email list commands, send an email to: listserv@listserv.pharmacists.ca with INFO REFCARD in the body of the email.
back to top
What about extended absences (such as vacation)?
If you belong to an electronic email list PSN:
- Do not use “auto-reply” when on extended absences or vacation.
- Electronic email list members are encouraged to make arrangements to suspend their email from the electronic email list during vacation and other extended absences. This can be done by:
- Changing your Email Settings withing eForums to "No Mail" OR
- Requesting that the CSHP PSN Administrator put a HOLD on your electronic email list emails while on vacation or out of the office and restart your email at a pre-specified date. The PSN Administrator may suspend your electronic email list email account during that time if necessary to avoid clogging of other members’ inboxes.
If you belong to the Primary Care PSN:
Members of the Primary Care PSN should manage their email by sending an email with a blank subject line to listserv@listserv.pharmacists.ca.
- Delivery of emails can be temporarily suspended then re-activated by sending the appropriate commands below.
- The command should be entered in the body of the email with no other content or signature.
| PURPOSE - DESCRIPTION |
COMMAND |
| To temporarily suspend receiving email from the list (e.g., when on vacation) |
SET PHC-L NOMAIL |
| To re-establish receiving mail from the list (e.g., back from vacation) |
SET PHC-L MAIL |
back to top How do I access archived email?
If you belong to an electronic email list PSN:
- All electronic email list messages are archived.
- To access archived messages, simply log onto CSHP’s website and click on the PSN you are looking to retrieve the archived messages from.Messages are sorted by date (from newest to oldest).
If you belong to the Primary Care PSN:
- Contributions sent to this list are automatically archived. You can get a list of the available archive files by sending an “INDEX PHC-L" command to listserv@listserv.pharmacists.ca. You can then order these files with a "GET PHC-L LOGxxxx” command, or using LISTSERV’s database search facilities. Send an “INFO DATABASE" command for more information on the latter. This list is available in digest form. If you wish to receive the digested version of the postings, just issue a SET PHC-L DIGEST command.
back to top Is there any email etiquette that I should be aware of?
Yes. When posting email, all PSN members are asked to comply with following:
- Subject Heading: When creating messages, always include a subject line. Do not leave your subject line blank or use non-descript titles such as, “A Quick Question”.
Remember!
From the title, a reader should be able to discern whether a message is of interest to him/her. A descriptive title helps a subscriber to decide whether to read the message immediately, save it for later or quickly delete it. It is invaluable for searching through archives of previous topics.
|
- Some email systems are set up to block any emails without a title line and treat it as spam.
- Be clear and concise. State your question early in the message.
- Participants (not the PSN) are responsible for any breaches of privacy or confidentiality laws that may arise. Remember to respect both the federal and provincial laws of confidentiality in all messages.
- Remember that long paragraphs (>2-3 sentences) are very difficult to read. Where possible, use bullet points to ease reading.
- Be mindful and respectful of others. Do not request information that would be unduly taxing on others.
- Do not use the electronic email list for personal messages
- When responding to a message, please carefully consider in advance whether a personal response to the message originator or the entire group is most appropriate.
- Refrain from including personal “chat” or jokes in a REPLY ALL to the listserv.
- If the message originator receives several responses directly, it is helpful to compile a summary of responses that is then sent out to the listserv so everyone can benefit.
- All messages should be signed with the member’s full name. Practice site information is preferred but not mandatory.
- There are potential copyright issues with emailing PDF articles. Also, many email servers automatically classify any emails with attachments as spam.
- The electronic email list must not be used to advertise employment opportunities or recruit membership in other associations.
- If you receive several responses to your query, summarize the findings and report back to the group.
- Please refrain from sending messages that do not contain relevant information (such as a thank you); you may change the subject line and reply directly to the sender/poster.
- Do your own homework first. The electronic email list is a resource to use after you have done your literature search. Do not abuse the electronic email list. An occasional request for help with presentations, protocols or teaching materials is permitted, but do not use the electronic email list as your first or sole source for planning.
- When you provide information to the electronic email list, ensure that you properly reference and acknowledge sources of materials (including listserv members). Add links in your messages to websites or journals wherever possible; this will save time for those that are interested in learning more.
- Remember that your response will be posted to all members of the electronic email list.
- Use caution when questions about formulary policy decisions are being discussed.
- To avoid potential concerns regarding fixing fees for services, please refrain from discussions that include specific fees or reimbursement.
- If mentioning a journal article not previously discussed, a concise summary is helpful.
- Be cognizant that it is difficult to interpret tone through email. Always reread your message before posting to minimize misunderstood intent by others.
- If you plan to share information from the electronic email list messages, you should ask permission in advance.
- All listserv messages must follow the CSHP Conflict of Interest Policy. No messages may be sent for personal financial gain. When in doubt, consult the CSHP Operations Manager.
back to top
Can I post an advertisement for employment?
In most cases, the posting of advertisements for employment is not permitted via the PSN; this includes the postings of student jobs, residency programs, and fellowships. The one exception to this practice is the ‘recruitment for volunteers or international aid’. If you would like to post such a recruitment advertisement, please contact the PSN Administrator to request approval of the posting. There are no guarantees that the request will be approved.
back to top
What information about the PSN group members is available?
- To protect your privacy, eForums records only your email address. You are not obliged to provide any other identifying information. Any information that you provide is displayed on the group website and can be accessed by other members of the PSN.
- CSHP National Office records all membership and PSN subscription information in its member database. A complete list of PSN members, with their contact information, is available upon request to the chair of that PSN, or their designate; this information is to be used for CSHP business only and will not be shared with members who are not part of the PSN Executive.
- All emails and any attachment(s) transmitted via the listserv are directed in confidence solely to the addressee(s) and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. The information may not otherwise be distributed, copied, or disclosed.
back to top How does my PSN create and maintain a web-page on the CSHP website?
What is a Joint PSN?
Where do I find more information about PSNs?
back to top
|
