Another Sunday Night...

There are Sunday nights where I really dread going to work on Monday morning. The reason is because of the great divide between what I believe pharmacy could be and what it actually is. I try very hard to have a positive attitude about our profession, and there are moments of hope, but then I return to work the past few years where dreams are crushed and change is regarded with disdain.

Pharmacists as Providers: This would be a huge step forward for our profession; however there are those who mistake provider status with wanting to be a physician. My mother, who is a licensed clinical social worker, has provider status! She cannot prescribe, but here unique skill-set is recognized by the Social Security Act and therefore can bill for services. The next pharmacist that tells me that they don't want to be a doctor may hear a speech from me! (just kidding)

Board Certification is Important: The debate continues in the workplace on this one. There are hospitals who recognize the value of having a benchmark of certification in any clinical work and others who do not. I give it five years and it will be mandatory by JCAHO. Just a prediction and an opinion, but I'm making it.

Pharmacy Technicians' roles are evolving: Like it or not, techs check techs in some states and their credentialing process is changing drastically in the next couple of years.Will the ratio continue to change so that hospitals and retail can hire more techs with less supervision?

I have a lot of hope for the profession of pharmacy and when I return to work in the morning will be back in the middle reminding me what we do not have in March 2015. We have more pharmacy students and graduates chomping at the bit for every single job (no matter how meaningless) out there. Because of this, pharmacists need to find a way to do the best job possible for their patients while we wait and see how things settle out for us.