medication therapy management |

Many of us desire to use our top-notch expertise as a medication expert to help others in a way that is profitable and flexible. The world outside of work continues to demand more and more of us. There’s a big buzz about creating work/life balance. Work/life balance is having equilibrium where an individual feels they are equally prioritizing the demands of their career responsibilities and of their personal life. More and more companies are in the news offering flexible work hours, the ability to telecommute or work from home, unlimited PTO, paid maternity and paternity leave, in addition to other millennial worker requests such as competitive compensation, comfortable offices, opportunities for growth and advancement and social connections. Pharmacy doesn’t seem to be as progressive in these enhancements or modifications as other industries.

However, there are pharmacy career options that offer remote work, part-time work and/or flexible scheduling. Adding more time into the day by eliminating a commute to and from work can be life-changing. Being able to reduce hours or set your own hours can allow time for personal activities and responsibilities. These careers can be difficult to find and it can be hard to get an initial interview when an opening is available. Some may require brave steps of making your own company or creating your own career. Others may require you to continue your primary job while you begin your own side hustle start-up with hopes of it generating enough income that you can then cut back from your primary job.

Medication Therapy Management

Prescription Approval and/or Remote Order Entry

Prior Authorization Review

Drug Information

Quality Improvement

Medical writing and/or Reviewing Medical Literature

Create your own – Consulting, Pharmacogenetics, Coaching, Entrepreneurship

How do I find one of these positions?

Check out job board websites like Indeed, LinkedIn, SimplyHired and LinkUp. Download their apps and then create alerts to notify you when there is a posting that may match your ideal position. Find out what companies are hiring for positions of interest and create alerts to notify you when those companies post a new position. Review the qualifications, requirements, licenses, certifications and skills the employer is looking for and gain experience and skills in those areas.

Hire a professional to review your resume and cover letter. A candidate with experience and skills but a poor resume may not even be asked to interview. An impressive resume and cover letter are essential! There are individuals and companies that specialize in resume templates, reviews and custom writing for pharmacists. If you think yours could use some improvement check out these services. A simple google search of pharmacist resume service will bring up options. I would recommend using a service dedicated to pharmacists or healthcare professionals.

Network. Network. Network. Network virtually and in person. Places to consider are LinkedIn, local, state and national pharmacist organizations and Facebook groups of interest. A resume and profile can be created and kept up to date on LinkedIn listing experience, education, licenses, certificates, skills and accomplishments. State pharmacist organizations can be a great way to get to know other pharmacists and companies in your region. Many niche pharmacy groups have larger national organizations with committees, meetings, continuing education programs and more opportunities to get involved with pharmacists working in your area of interest all over the country. If you can, volunteer to service on a committee or help with a project. There are Facebook groups for several pharmacist and pharmacy areas of interest. Try searching a topic of interest such as MTM, consulting, etc. and pharmacist. Join any groups that seem interesting or relevant to your pursuits. There is much that can be learned from these groups and it creates a community for discussion, posting jobs, and collaboration.

Be brave, be vulnerable. Try new things, meet new people and put yourself out there.

Check out our self-guided course and instant download study guides. on Teachable for Texas MPJE, Iowa MPJE, Maryland MPJE and Federal Law Review!

Link to Teachable

So, I had something else planned for the blog today. With the recent coverage, I thought this would be an excellent time to bring up our profession.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/overworked-understaffed-pharmacists-say-industry-crisis-puts-patient-safety-risk-n1261151

As a whole.

Where we are.

Where we are headed.

How we can fix our profession to best serve our patients and use our skills to the highest of our abilities.

I have been in pharmacy for 10+ years and it has changed SIGNIFICANTLY during that period, not necessarily for the good of our profession or our patients.

Some of us may work in areas that don’t feel impacted and I would encourage us to link together and support our colleagues who are struggling to take care of the patients they are devoted to in the way they wish they could. I would encourage us to stand with our colleagues who can’t get away for a bathroom break, who don’t get a meal break, who aren’t allowed a stool to sit on, who aren’t able to take the time to counsel a patient who could benefit, who aren’t able to have a simple conversation with a recent widower who feels lonely to make them feel connected for the day, who are struggling to meet metrics that aren’t designed to serve our patients or other healthcare providers, who see the local Chik-Fil-A staffed better than their pharmacy, who feel like they are doing 5+ things at a time and struggling to do them well because of the constant interruptions. We see you.

How can we improve this? How can we put healthcare and patients first again? How can we better support other healthcare providers and the healthcare system as a whole? I don’t have the answers, but I think it’s time we start the discussion and continue it until we have some resolution.

Thoughts.

Obtain provider status to be able to give patients access to and to allow us to bill for the valuable, expert care we are able to provide.

Provide medication therapy management through primary care, specialty services and/or local pharmacies.

Get involved in collaborative practice agreements in states that allow and work to expand in other states. Some ideas for collaborative practices:

Anticoagulation

Diabetes

Hypertension

Hyperlipidemia

Pain Management

Heart Failure

Asthma/COPD

Smoking Cessation

Travel Vaccinations

Improved billing and financial margins for filling prescriptions. Profit to pharmacies.

Adequate staffing to allow time for MTM, collaborative practice, vaccine clinics, and counseling.

Adequate staffing to handle the volume of incoming phone calls.

Adequate staffing to run a drive thru lane.

Adequate staffing or dedicated pharmacy hours that allow for meal breaks and bathroom breaks.

Time to connect to patients.

Time to follow up on patient specific inquiries and insurance issues to reduce or prevent escalations BEFORE they happen.

Fair wages for support staff, technicians and pharmacists.

Incentives for continuing education, certifications, and participation in local, state and national pharmacy organizations to keep staff engaged and knowledgeable.

Recruit, train and hire leaders in pharmacy that are PHARMACISTS.

Patient safety support and action from the state Boards of Pharmacy and pharmacy organizations.

Bye bye metrics. Remove metrics. They don’t belong in healthcare.

“At the end of the day, at the end of the week, at the end of my life, I want to be able to say that I contributed more than I criticized.”
-Brene Brown

Tag: medication therapy management

Pharmacy – How Do We Fix Our Profession?