Let's talk about . . . the future

Reading feedback from an earlier post, I got thinking about the constantly changing nature of pharmacy and the importance of recognizing where it is headed. Some people are true visionaries. The former head of our company, an industrious character with a multitude of interests, is such a person. I used to ravish the wealth of knowledge he could bestow over a simple phone conversation. Growing into the profession when I was hardly born, he saw a model for pharmacy that is unlike anything I have witnessed anywhere else. His ideas, wild and unprecedented, advanced his career while also welcoming others like me into it. Mike always looked so far ahead that he could see the direction pharmacy should take, allowing him to align his business model to meet emerging needs. A year ago, he was granted the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the BC Pharmacy Association. While I sadly do not get to enjoy those diverse discussions anymore, they should suffice to paint a completely feasible picture of the future we are headed for. Let us consider today’s realities. Healthcare is experiencing a resource shortfall. This is not a surprise; after all, we have been hearing about the impact of Baby Boomers through the decades. It’s just that we have now reached the point where much of our population is retired, challenging our ability to meet its needs. To address the situation, all health professions are encouraged to perform to their newly expended scopes. Pharmacists now complete their education with more credentials than ever before, with new pharmacy grads being doctors in their own right. Their training provides them with the skills to perform minor ailment assessments, as well as prescribe accordingly, interpret lab work, adapt prescriptions, perform comprehensive medication reviews, and various inoculations. In other words, they are gradually transitioning away from their traditional dispensary pharmacist roles. Given another decade or two, where will that lead them? Furthermore, as a consequence, what will the world of pharmacy morph into? It is not hard to envision a future where the role of the pharmacist is strictly clinical while dispensing activities are handled by an independent team of competent assistants and technicians. Considering that satellite and central fill pharmacies already operate fully or mostly without onsite pharmacists, we are already well on our way there. Furthermore, the widespread application of AI as well as the development of novel technologies give every hint that the practice of pharmacy will not remain unchanged. The first to apply those tools to their practice will gain an edge, increasing their competitiveness and pressuring others to meet similar cost efficiencies. In an environment such as this, an onsite pharmacist might be perceived as a luxury, as dispensing activities hardly generate the necessary revenue. Rather, pharmacists will need to be bold at marketing their services, charging for their time and expertise directly to clients, and eliminating their reliance on third parties. To do all this, they might well prefer the tranquility of a private clinic setting.Since client safety cannot be jeopardized, checks and balances will become integral to this emerging structure. Towards this goal, the role of the pharmacy technician will further expand and might even separate into specialties. In addition, since every individual of an independent team must be accountable, a new career is likely to emerge between today’s assistant and tomorrow’s technician. If so, the elevated position might steal the title of “Assistant,” the way “Pharmacy Technician” became a restricted title some 15 years ago. Finally, in time, I expect mandatory training requirements will dictate who can work in a pharmacy environment. It is hard to know the exact shape it will take over time, but just like everything else, pharmacy will evolve. Beyond our day-to-day experience, the future is teaming with opportunities. Building systems to increase team independence within our current models will get us ready for the upcoming revolution. This is our field, we must be our own visionaries in this, and pave the way to our own future!

Let's talk about . . . the future

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Selena Despres

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