By Faizan Baig

Congratulations

You’ve made it through pharmacy school and now you’re ready to work. You were on the Dean’s Honour roll, part of extra-curriculars throughout your years and even managed to create a club or two. Your resume is set and ready to impress, but that doesn’t really matter since you’ve already networked, met potential employers and have something lined up.

Oh, and that OPA/CPHA/CPA stuff, yeah that’s cool, but they aren’t going to be paying your bills, so lets leave it to the side. Now you’re probably in a residency position where you’ve got to impress your boss for the next 2-3 years to guarantee your hospital/industry position. Or maybe you were set on owning a pharmacy, which isn’t cheap. At the end of the day, whatever route you choose, you’ve got to succeed as a professional now, and make sure that 80-100k investment (or more) was worth it. Oh yeah, and that advocacy stuff? Maybe later, not right now. As you start to practice, automation and diversion of scope becomes more and more apparent as the value of pharmacists begins to decline.

But that’s okay

The wage freezes in community don’t really affect you in hospital or residency, and it doesn’t really matter that hours are being cut. Salaried positions are cushy, or you’ve already gotten comfortable where you are, or maybe both. Or you’re in the community and yes, wage freezes suck, but it’s better than what new grads are getting now. Tuition is higher than what you paid, but I mean, you went through it all and still made it right? More pressure is being applied top down, from generic prices changing, to organizational movement from other healthcare provider associations, and there’s even less money in pharmacy than there ever was. But that’s okay right? Our association hasn’t ever done anything for us, and you’ve stopped supporting them, choosing to opt for your own personal private insurance brokers. Conferences and other opportunities don’t really matter either because let’s face it, you’re comfortable, and sure you’ve been meaning to see what others are doing nowadays, but reaching out is really hard, and you’re busy with your own work.

In all of these cases, I see examples of selfishness. Now I am not saying that you shouldn’t be career driven and focused on becoming successful. But I have experienced many pharmacists that could have been students just like I was with their sights set on a better world for pharmacy... our profession is going to fail, and it's your fault. But a world that they never took part in.

See the thing with our profession, is that it stops becoming OUR profession when you decide to ignore it.

When we choose to focus on the negativity of our practice, of our associations and our experience instead of where and how we can add value. I wish that pharmacists in the past had tried harder to prevent wage freezes, that we had united earlier to ensure the success and image of our profession. I wish for a lot of things, but at least what I can do, and what we all can do, is create a future for incoming pharmacists and pharmacy students where we can tell them things used to be worse, and the future is looking a lot better. The business and practice of pharmacy is not going anywhere, and someone, somewhere will always be profiting from it. Pharmacists are obsolete, and we will be, because of you. Or maybe, we have a future where you can specialize in a certain field and become recognized for it. Nuclear pharmacy, cardiovascular pharmacy, how about calling your friend that is a PharmD with specialization in psychiatry to help with a Mental Health focused medication review that you’ve done. A medication review that was done separated from a dispensing pharmacy, one that the patient actually paid out of pocket for, because they valued your service. Something that the government has been looking to fund due to the mental health struggles our society as a whole is dealing with. Maybe we have a future where doctors diagnose and prescribe a class of medication and we counsel and choose the right medication for the patient. We can help to order lab tests for patients so they do not have to wait in the doctor’s office for hours, or wait weeks to get a requisition.

A future where pharmacists are first line and last line

Triaging patients and doing monitoring/follow-up to ensure that our healthcare system is efficient and effective. Maybe you have an idea that revolutionizes our practice, and can implement it because our voices are united enough to make a difference. Our profession can succeed, and will succeed, and it will be because of you, if you care. If you become involved with the association that represents us. If you engage with your patients on a day to day basis and show your value. If you give back to the school that you went to and help nurture the new generation of pharmacists, giving them positive experiences and outlooks. Ask. Care. Get involved. Try and go to at least one conference per year. Feel free to contact me, ask questions or even argue why I am wrong. Conversations are the beginnings of action.