- 8/27/2024
Acute and chronic treatments go beyond health conditions. They also apply to many of the activities throughout life. People who bring an acute mentality to their physical fitness will likely not experience the same results as those who bring a chronic mindset to the same situation. How does this relate to pharmacy practice? A prime example is in the area of medication adherence.
- 8/20/2024
I was working at the pharmacy in Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania many years ago. We had a brand-new (remodelled) store, and we now had a drive-thru. As we adjusted to life with a drive-thru, I had one technician who struggled to use the comms system at the drive-thru and felt it was more appropriate (and convenient) to try to communicate with our patients and customers THROUGH the glass window. She would literally yell through the glass.
- 8/13/2024
We all want to get to better places, don’t we? What those better places look like will differ from one person to the next. Everyone has uphill dreams. Sadly, though, many have downhill habits that interfere with achieving those dreams. This is where good leadership becomes so valuable. The leader must define where the team is going and then help them get to that place.
- 8/6/2024
Pharmacies are MORE than a place where medications are dispensed. But far too many pharmacists are married to a definition like this. When I ask pharmacy students what pharmacists do, I get a response like: “Pharmacists are the medication experts.” That may very well be true. But pharmacists are so much more.
- 7/30/2024
Leadership skills can be learned. These are skills that anyone and everyone can learn and should learn! These are skills that can reduce or eliminate the problems we face every day in our pharmacy lives. But for the most part we are left to learn the lessons on our own. As a result, we find ourselves playing in a game where we do not know the rules, and we become frustrated.
- 7/23/2024
Over the last several months, I have observed so many leaders throughout the various areas of healthcare doing wonderful things. People on the cutting edge of care who are pushing for a brighter tomorrow for their patients, their colleagues and themselves. Yet, we still face major issues.
- 7/16/2024
Over the course of my career, I have become convinced that the lack of any formal, structured leadership training has been to the detriment of the profession of pharmacy. The lack of emphasis and equipping has produced far too many pharmacists who are risk averse and wait to see whether someone else has success before they will even consider trying something new. At the same time, the demand for care has never been greater or more complex.
- 7/9/2024
Whenever we face hardship and challenge, know that what comes along with it is an invitation to become better – to become more. From a pharmacist’s perspective, I can say honestly that the world needs more from us. The world needs us to continue to grow and improve and expand our skills.
- 7/2/2024
In recent weeks, I have come to realize that I have done a poor job as a historian to document certain events throughout my career. This fact has been emphasized by our smartphone-rich world where many people document numerous aspects of their lives with photographs. I am still learning that skill.
- 6/25/2024
There is a certain level of chaos that exists in any pharmacy. One of the ways I measure this is by prescription volume. My last assignment as a pharmacy manager was in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania – the home of the groundhog! This particular pharmacy was filling about 2,200 prescriptions a week at the time.
- 6/18/2024
The thing about a bigger and brighter future is that it is not easy to get to. We need leaders to get there. You, for example, may have a dream or an idea or a vision for a bigger and brighter future for yourself, and your family, and your team, and your patients. For that bigger and brighter future to get here, you will need to lead your people there.
- 6/10/2024
Just like your car. You need both the accelerator and the brakes. One without the other can lead to disaster. Someone with a different perspective or tactic is not your enemy. I am reasonably sure they are looking forward to a better tomorrow, just as you are.
