Sarah Westberg

Practicing At An Advanced Level

While practicing at the Women’s Health Specialists Clinic, Associate Professor Sarah Westberg is able to practice at an advanced level: she fully manages medication use by initiating, modifying and discontinuing drug therapy under collaborative practice agreements with physicians and nurse practitioners.

"I really believe I am able to work at the ‘top of my license’ by making clinical decisions for the treatment and management of conditions with my patients”

We work as a team, but in many cases, I am fully responsible for the medication management decisions.”

The clinic where Westberg practices provides integrative care for women and has an interprofessional team that includes Westberg, multi-specialty physicians, advanced practice nurses, a psychologist, and nursing staff.

In her role, Westberg provides comprehensive medication therapy management for women with typical chronic conditions, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. She also sees women for postmenopausal hormone therapy, osteoporosis management, and appropriate medication use in pregnancy.  

“The goal of our clinic is to provide comprehensive holistic care for women, which includes medication therapy management,” Westberg said. “The patients and health care team benefit from the expertise I can
bring as a pharmacist to optimize medication use. For example, in areas such as postmenopausal hormone therapy and osteoporosis, women are hungry for accurate information to make wise decisions on drug
therapy after weighing risks and benefits. I’m able to fulfill this need and help patients make well-educated decisions regarding their health.”

Westberg has provided medication therapy management services in the clinic environment for nearly 20 years.

“I thoroughly enjoy both the patient interactions and the excellent teamwork with the other health care providers,” she said. “I’ve always found the lifetime of women to be fascinating, from child-bearing to
post-menopausal years. Women’s health care and medication-related needs change over these life phases, and it is rewarding for me to contribute to the improved health of our female patients of all ages.”