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Being open to missed opportunities
VIEWPOINT
Being open to missed opportunities Spencer E. Harpe
Many would agree that this is an exciting time to be a pharmacist. With the passage of legislation in Maine just over 5 years ago, pharmacists in all states are now eligible to be immunizers.1 We continue to see progress in provider status recognition, which Giberson et al. promoted as a way to expand pharmacy practice to improve patient outcomes.2 Despite this air of excitement, all pharmacists may not be excited. There are pharmacists who are reluctant to offer more advanced services or say they feel “pushed” into practicing in a certain way. While this reluctance may reflect a fear of change or a hesitation to leave the dispensing aspect of our training (“If we don’t tend to dispensing, who will?”), it certainly represents various underlying issues and deserves some discussion. At the professional level, most would agree that focusing our efforts on a few selected areas maximizes our chances in effecting change. At the same time, one could ask whether our focus has resulted in an inability to be flexible and think “outside the box.” Some questions I received from student pharmacists this fall made me think. In my pharmacy management course, students worked in groups to develop business plans. I received questions, such as, “Are there really any new services we can develop?” or “Don’t we already know what to focus on in practice? We’re just supposed to do MTM, right?” My general response to students was, “Don’t limit yourself to what we are currently doing in practice. If you see a missed opportunity, develop something to take advantage of it. Think big! Be creative! Have fun!” Many groups developed creative ideas of how they might take advantage of missed opportunities to improve health in both individuals and populations. Their ideas left me wondering why we aren’t doing that.
The current issue of JAPhA provides several examples of pharmacists taking advantage of missed opportunities. Darin et al. show high consumer interest in community pharmacy–based human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening services, particularly among groups disproportionately affected by HIV, representing an important missed opportunity from a population health standpoint.3 In a separate article, the authors describe their experience in implementing rapid HIV testing in two community pharmacies.4 Kibicho et al.5 highlight missed opportunities in community pharmacy settings by describing expanded roles for pharmacists in caring for individuals living with HIV. Fahey et al.6 discuss their experience with a charitable pharmacy clinic serving a local indigent population. The authors report a decrease in hospital utilization, an increase in the ability to access medications, and an improvement in overall health status among clinic users. It is important for us to remember to look for missed opportunities. This is not to say that we should abandon concerted efforts for professional advancement or that the core of what defines pharmacy practice should be ignored. We must, however, maintain some flexibility and be supportive of efforts to take advantage of new, exciting opportunities that require us to stretch professionally so that we can serve the needs of society and fulfill the obligations of our oath.7 To me, it is unfortunate that some student pharmacists—and some pharmacists—seem to feel they must focus only on certain areas or activities that have been pre-identified, prescribed even, by the profession at large. In terms of professional generativity, developing an environment that is supportive of individuals seeking to identify these missed
Journal of the American Pharmacists Association
j apha.org
opportunities and develop services and/or practices to address them is of vital importance. This will ensure that our profession can provide a place for future pharmacists to have fulfilling and successful careers. My previous recommendation to my students applies here: We need to avoid limiting ourselves to what we see in current practice. If we see a missed opportunity, take advantage of it. Think big! Be creative! Have fun! Spencer E. Harpe, PharmD, PhD, MPH Associate Editor, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, and Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice Chicago College of Pharmacy Midwestern University Downers Grove, IL [email protected] doi: 10.1331/JAPhA.2015.15507
References 1. Traynor K. With Maine on board, pharmacists in all 50 states can vaccinate. Am J Health-Syst Pharm. 2009;66:1892–1894. 2. Giberson S, Yoder S, Lee MP. Improving patient and health-system outcomes through advanced pharmacy practice. A report to the US Surgeon General. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief Pharmacist, US Public Health Service. 2011(Dec). 3. Darin K, Scarsi K, Klepser D, et al. Consumer interest in community pharmacy HIV screening services. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2015;55:67–72. 4. Darin K, Klepser M, Klepser D, et al. Pharmacist-provided rapid HIV testing in two community pharmacies. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2015;55:81–88. 5. Kibicho J, Pinkerton S, Owczarzak J, et al. Are community-based pharmacists underused in the care of persons living with HIV: a need for structural and policy changes. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2015;55:19–30. 6. Fahey Babeaux H, Hall L, Seifert J. Charitable pharmacy services: impact on patient-reported hospital use, medication access, and health status. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2015;55:59–66. 7. American Pharmacists Association. Oath of a pharmacist. http://www. pharmacist.com/oath-pharmacist. Accessed December 10, 2014.
JA N /FEB 2015 | 55:1 |
JAPhA 17
Being open to missed opportunities Spencer E. Harpe
Many would agree that this is an exciting time to be a pharmacist. With the passage of legislation in Maine just over 5 years ago, pharmacists in all states are now eligible to be immunizers.1 We continue to see progress in provider status recognition, which Giberson et al. promoted as a way to expand pharmacy practice to improve patient outcomes.2 Despite this air of excitement, all pharmacists may not be excited. There are pharmacists who are reluctant to offer more advanced services or say they feel “pushed” into practicing in a certain way. While this reluctance may reflect a fear of change or a hesitation to leave the dispensing aspect of our training (“If we don’t tend to dispensing, who will?”), it certainly represents various underlying issues and deserves some discussion. At the professional level, most would agree that focusing our efforts on a few selected areas maximizes our chances in effecting change. At the same time, one could ask whether our focus has resulted in an inability to be flexible and think “outside the box.” Some questions I received from student pharmacists this fall made me think. In my pharmacy management course, students worked in groups to develop business plans. I received questions, such as, “Are there really any new services we can develop?” or “Don’t we already know what to focus on in practice? We’re just supposed to do MTM, right?” My general response to students was, “Don’t limit yourself to what we are currently doing in practice. If you see a missed opportunity, develop something to take advantage of it. Think big! Be creative! Have fun!” Many groups developed creative ideas of how they might take advantage of missed opportunities to improve health in both individuals and populations. Their ideas left me wondering why we aren’t doing that.
The current issue of JAPhA provides several examples of pharmacists taking advantage of missed opportunities. Darin et al. show high consumer interest in community pharmacy–based human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening services, particularly among groups disproportionately affected by HIV, representing an important missed opportunity from a population health standpoint.3 In a separate article, the authors describe their experience in implementing rapid HIV testing in two community pharmacies.4 Kibicho et al.5 highlight missed opportunities in community pharmacy settings by describing expanded roles for pharmacists in caring for individuals living with HIV. Fahey et al.6 discuss their experience with a charitable pharmacy clinic serving a local indigent population. The authors report a decrease in hospital utilization, an increase in the ability to access medications, and an improvement in overall health status among clinic users. It is important for us to remember to look for missed opportunities. This is not to say that we should abandon concerted efforts for professional advancement or that the core of what defines pharmacy practice should be ignored. We must, however, maintain some flexibility and be supportive of efforts to take advantage of new, exciting opportunities that require us to stretch professionally so that we can serve the needs of society and fulfill the obligations of our oath.7 To me, it is unfortunate that some student pharmacists—and some pharmacists—seem to feel they must focus only on certain areas or activities that have been pre-identified, prescribed even, by the profession at large. In terms of professional generativity, developing an environment that is supportive of individuals seeking to identify these missed
Journal of the American Pharmacists Association
j apha.org
opportunities and develop services and/or practices to address them is of vital importance. This will ensure that our profession can provide a place for future pharmacists to have fulfilling and successful careers. My previous recommendation to my students applies here: We need to avoid limiting ourselves to what we see in current practice. If we see a missed opportunity, take advantage of it. Think big! Be creative! Have fun! Spencer E. Harpe, PharmD, PhD, MPH Associate Editor, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, and Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice Chicago College of Pharmacy Midwestern University Downers Grove, IL [email protected] doi: 10.1331/JAPhA.2015.15507
References 1. Traynor K. With Maine on board, pharmacists in all 50 states can vaccinate. Am J Health-Syst Pharm. 2009;66:1892–1894. 2. Giberson S, Yoder S, Lee MP. Improving patient and health-system outcomes through advanced pharmacy practice. A report to the US Surgeon General. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief Pharmacist, US Public Health Service. 2011(Dec). 3. Darin K, Scarsi K, Klepser D, et al. Consumer interest in community pharmacy HIV screening services. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2015;55:67–72. 4. Darin K, Klepser M, Klepser D, et al. Pharmacist-provided rapid HIV testing in two community pharmacies. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2015;55:81–88. 5. Kibicho J, Pinkerton S, Owczarzak J, et al. Are community-based pharmacists underused in the care of persons living with HIV: a need for structural and policy changes. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2015;55:19–30. 6. Fahey Babeaux H, Hall L, Seifert J. Charitable pharmacy services: impact on patient-reported hospital use, medication access, and health status. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2015;55:59–66. 7. American Pharmacists Association. Oath of a pharmacist. http://www. pharmacist.com/oath-pharmacist. Accessed December 10, 2014.
JA N /FEB 2015 | 55:1 |
JAPhA 17