Pharmacists And Technicians Can Enhance Patient Care Even More Once National Policies, Practices, And Priorities Are Aligned

Abstract

In the past thirty to forty years, new clinically oriented roles have emerged for pharmacists, commensurate with their training and consistent with national goals to improve the safety of, access to, and cost of health care. Pharmacists in all settings spend an increasing portion of their time filling these roles, as evidenced more recently in the community pharmacy sector by the success of pharmacy-based immunization programs and such new venues as retail pharmacy clinics. Pharmacy technicians are also assuming new roles and responsibilities, providing services previously delivered only by pharmacists. However, both trends are hindered by current policy. Of particular concern are inconsistent state-level scope-of-practice laws, the lack of mechanisms to reimburse pharmacists for services provided, the need to recognize pharmacists as health care providers, and the need to establish national standards for the preparation of pharmacy technicians. The optimal deployment of the pharmacy workforce will require the closer alignment of pharmacy practice and policy with each other and with the nation's health care priorities.

Examining Pharmacy Workforce Issues in the United States and the United Kingdom

“…Instrumental to this planning is a better strategic alignment of individual governmental health care policy to the pharmacy profession. 44 Despite different health care delivery models, pharmacists in the United States and United Kingdom are facing similar rapid expansions within the profession. In American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 2015; 79 (2) Article 17.…”

Bullying in the Clinical Training of Pharmacy Students

“…We could not exclude the possibility that the paucity of evidence of bullying toward pharmacy students is simply a reflection of there being more nurses and physicians than pharmacists. 24 Another explanation is that the assessment tools used in pharmacy education were not intended to identify bullying behaviors. The positively framed ACPE Standards, AACP survey items, and in-house evaluations could be providing subtle cues to respondents about response expectation.…”

Report of the 2013-2014 Professional Affairs Standing Committee: Advancing the Pharmacy Profession Together through Pharmacy Technician and Pharmacy Education Partnerships

“…The recent upward trend in the number of pharmacists and the expansion of the certified pharmacy technician workforce provide assurance about the capacity of this medication-oriented workforce to take on new roles. 28 The pharmacy academy may need to have a better recognition of the value that pharmacy technicians bring to the profession. It can no longer continue to sit on the "sidelines" but should make it a priority to become involved in national, state, and local discussions and endeavors focused on formalized education, training, and certification of all pharmacy technicians.…”

“…There is a need to establish national standards for the education, training and certification of pharmacy technicians to provide the optimal deployment of the pharmacy workforce to meet the health care demands and delivery of quality health care services to the public. 28 The pharmacy profession has an obligation to ensure that pharmacy technicians are subject to rigorous standards-standards that are required of pharmacists and other health care professionals in order to provide the highest quality health care to improve patient outcomes and protect the public's health.…”