What pharmacy care services are provided to patients now? What trends in practice or service provision are anticipated in the future? What are the critical needs for pharmacist education and training?
These three questions were posed to a focus group of practicing pharmacists and students at this year’s Northwest Pharmacy Convention. Several UWSOP faculty, Curricular Innovation Guidance Team members, and Dean Sean Sullivan facilitated the session.
Peggy Odegard and Steve Pickette from the UWSOP Curricular Innovation Guidance Team provided background information on where the team is in the process, and the motivating factors driving our effort. For example, the recent UWSOP strategic planning process provided feedback from current students, alumni, faculty, preceptors, and industry practitioners on the characteristics and skills seen in UWSOP students (actual, in chart above), and the characteristics and skills they believe are the most important to be a successful pharmacist in the industry today (expected). Comparing these responses highlights areas to explore when evaluating and planning our curriculum.
The energetic conversations among the focus groups provided additional foresight into the educational and training needs for pharmacists—identifying top priorities that pharmacists are expected to know how to do, either now and/or in the near future:
Patients & Population Health: Assessment & Advocacy
- triage/intake/screenings, vaccinations
- case-based ability to personalize medicine
- clinical decision making
- care continuity
- situational awareness
- clinical community pharmacists program
Theory & Synthesis: Diseases, Pharmacological Mechanisms & Advances
- foundational sciences
- new drugs
- complex therapies
- multiple disease states, real world, versus single illness approach to learning tx
- chronic disease management & complex therapies
- comprehensive medication management
Interpersonal Leadership, Communication, & Education
- patient interviewing, consultation, education
- interprofessional team dynamics, consultation, education, mentoring
- relationship development
- change management, ability to promote positive and effective changes
Systems Management
- business administration, liability
- insurance reimbursement
- technology & data analysis
- organizational/health system competence and savvy
- project/personnel management