As a pharmacist and HIT entrepreneur, RxEconsult has provided me with a
forum to place my writings in front of other health care professionals. I
have found that the exposure my articles get when posted at RxEconsult is
nearly ten times that of my own blog. I have written nearly 20 articles
for RxEconsult over the past year. Of those, all have been viewed at least
2000 times, four have been seen over 3000 times, and two have been viewed
over 4000 and 5000 times respectively. This exposure is far greater than I
could have ever expected with my own blog!
RxEconsult has an interesting model for business. If I understand, the
idea is to continue growing the health care social network by providing
both a forum for article publication while also a stage for meeting other
“like-minded†health professionals. This is definitely a situation where
the more individuals who join and get involved, the more everyone’s work
will be seen.
Through the social network of RxEconsult I have connected personally with
other health care professionals on three different occasions. These
interactions have involved being a guest blogger on a colleague’s blog on
two different occasions and also discussions of potential business
partnerships. I have found that the health care professionals I come into
contact with on RxEconsult are patient-education-focused, open-minded, and
willing to engage in educated discussions about current and alternative
health care concepts and ideas.
I began blogging about pharmacy topics in July of 2011. When I first
started, I would be excited when I saw that any particular blog post was
viewed over 50 times. I began to post to common social networks such as
LinkedIn and Twitter on a daily basis in order to increase exposure. At
some point during the beginning of 2013 I received a tweet from Dr. Ogbru
at RxEconsult asking if I would like to join his new health care social
network and “Share my Knowledgeâ€.
I was hesitant, concerned that my style of blog writing would not be taken
well on a site dedicated to articles and discussions from health care
providers. This thought process was healthy for me. I took some time and
carefully edited my first article. Previously, I had written only posts
for my own blog. Now, as I was about to publish my first article at
RxEconsult, I reminded myself to take extra effort, assuring that sentence
structure and content were appropriate for such an audience.
Over the past year, since I posted my first article at RxEconsult, I have
gained a level of confidence in my writing. When I see that over 2,000 to
5,000 individuals may view a single article, I know that any post I make at
RxEconsult will make an impact. This knowledge that my work will be seen
has forced me to take my time, pick a topic I am passionate about, cite
appropriate references, and speak appropriately. Thanks RxEconsult for the
opportunity.
Steve LeuckPharm.D