Leadership skills for a high-performance pharmacy practice

Abstract

A s current and former directors of pharmacy with a combined total of over 140 years of experience in key pharmacy administrative roles, we have over the years shared many hours of informal discussions about the pharmacy profession. We have networked and traded stories about our hospital pharmacy departments, celebrating large and small initiatives that succeeded and learning from those that failed or fell short of our goals. We have shared our visions for hospital pharmacy practice and brainstormed pathways for getting there. We have evaluated trends, dreamed about the future, and philosophized about the leadership necessary for success. This article attempts to capture the essence of those discussions-the practical tips and nuances learned over the years as hospital pharmacy directors-about what it takes to develop and be part of the leadership team in a high-performance hospital pharmacy department. This article covers what we see as the critical components of leadership and provides a framework for ensuring consistency and credibility, setting a plan of action, using the budgetary process as a communication tool, being an opportunist, and maintaining excellence through continual improvement. This article should be of interest not only to aspiring and experienced pharmacy leaders who

Strategic approach for improving the medication-use process in health systems: The high-performance pharmacy practice framework

“…3 While there are scores of articles, standards, and regulations related to different aspects of practice with accompanying tools for assessing a pharmacy department's practices compared with bestpractice benchmarks, 4-6 the sheer volume of information in such resources can be overwhelming. Therefore, the EA attempted to compile this information, not into an operational benchmark against which pharmacy departments can be compared, but rather, into a tool that pharmacy departments can use to assess current performance, make plans for improvement, and identify relevant references and standards.…”

“…3 Leadership within the pharmacy department is necessary to create and sustain the vision and impetus for meaningful changes in the department. It starts with the pharmacy director and management team, and, through them, all members of the department are empowered to serve a leadership role in their respective practice areas.…”

“…Since the leadership dimension was previously addressed, 3 it was not included in the framework. In addition, while elements of structure and process required by regulatory agencies and statutes are minimal standards for the legal operation of a healthsystem pharmacy, they were identified but not included in the framework because they are updated on an ongoing basis, vary by jurisdiction, and are not optional.…”

Pilot evaluation of a continuing professional development tool for developing leadership skills

“…11,12 Competent leaders in pharmacy can fuel clinical service delivery in a multitude of settings through initiation and efforts to sustain practice change. [13][14][15] Some aspects of leadership are thought to be skill-based and can be developed over time. [16][17][18] The University of Minnesota has reported success in developing pharmacy leadership skills through student pharmacists' participation in retreats and a multiyear elective sequence in addition to pharmacists' participation in a residency focused on creating change in the profession.…”

Searching for excellence in leadership transformation

“…Four of my colleagues, Rita Shane, Bruce Scott, Billy Woodward, and David Zilz, and I wrote a commentary for the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy (AJHP) that brought together a combined total of 140 years of pharmacy leadership experience. 2 We had a great time reflecting on individual leadership journeys and some of the keys to success. That experience was a great precursor to this Whitney address, since it forced me to reflect on what I had learned about leadership along my journey.…”