I am not a New Years Resolution person, but for the last few years I have taken this time to reflect on the previous year, and then set intentions for the New Year. Reflection is a really important skill to foster as a Health Professional, and one that both the New Zealand Council of Homeopaths and the Pharmacy Council require annually, although the focus is slightly different.
This year my goals are similar to last year:
- To write one post every week – this is my commitment to this page and you, that I continue to have useful information on Homeopathy that you can apply in your own life.
- To do some form of Continuing Education every month – again this is a commitment to stay up to date and maintain my competence as a Homeopath.
- To complete my research project – last year I undertook a survey of Homeopaths in New Zealand, looking at demographics, and including some information about practice and challenges. We intend to publish this year, and also present at the New Zealand Homeopathic Conference in September. I have more research planned – so far mostly in my head – but I will certainly be sharing my ideas and plans here.
My other goal last year was working on my work life balance – and it is still important to me, but a new juggle is going to be required, for some of the reasons set out below.
I have another Homeopathy goal – together with Cat Simpson we will be starting the Materia Medica Aotearoa Project. This is intended to make links with Rongoa Maori practitioners, and set up a framework for the respectful provings of New Zealand plants in accordance with tikanga, and with blessings from local iwi and hapu. There will be space for other Homeopaths in New Zealand to be involved – the more the merrier – with all of us working together in this purpose. Watch this space for more information and how you can be involved.
It has been over two years since I stopped working as a Pharmacist. Pharmacy is a place I love – Health Professionals accessible to people who walk in, the ability to talk to a wide range of people, and build relationships with Doctors and Nurses. I liked being able to give people options, pharmaceutical or supplements, discussing lifestyle and medicine. This year I will be returning to Pharmacy in April, and I am really looking forward to it. I will still be a Homeopath primarily, still seeing clients, still teaching for CNHH, still working on my research. So it will mean I need to work on that new balance and how that will work for me and my family.
I am also going to be doing some study at the beginning of this year – learning more about Pharmacogenomics as a founding student for the Australasian Precision Medicine Academy. Pharmacogenomics is the study of genes and the interaction with medicines – this means we have the technology to choose the pharmaceutical that will be most effective based on your personal genetic profile. It also means that those who need to, or choose to take medicines don’t need to follow an empirical “try this” testing of different drugs.
This is what medicine of the future should be – individualised, as we are all unique.
It’s going to be a busy year, but I can’t wait!