AUGUST, Edition # 31, 2001

Newsletter Reader's Forum Click on the above link to access the newsletter reader's forum to express your comment or viewpoint for each of the articles presented. The authors value your input so please take the time to register your details and participate in the only free debate on the future of pharmacy. Registration is free and required once only for permanent access. You do not need to register if you only wish to view comments.

THE JOB OF A PHARMACIST...AN EVOLVING MODEL The model represented below is the graphical continuation of reviewing the job of what a pharmacist ought to be, with the interaction of all the variables such as functions, legals, education, money etc. Rollo Manning has recruited a panel of pharmacists, some of who are writers for the newsletter, to help him in this project. A Reader's Forum has been constructed to maintain the ideas in an orderly flow. Some ideas have already been presented in previous editions of the newsletter, and a consensus is evolving. The model will be revisited with each edition, added to and filled out, linked and interwoven, with information and creative ideas. The eventual result will be a graphic representation as to what could be, if we "think out of the square". The Wilkinson Review into pharmacy has opened the opportunity to reinvent ourselves and become more relevant in health issues. We should seize the chance. If you have any ideas you wish to contribute, then please do, by e-mailing Rollo Manning direct at rollo@austarnet.com.au or to the editor's address noted below, or by posting a note on the reader's forum.

EDITOR'S UPDATE NOTES:

One new panel has been added for this edition, and it relates to the Professional Image of a pharmacist.
This aspect really concerns the way we, as pharmacists, view ourselves and measure self esteem. Professional image is the very essence of what we are, and what we would like to aspire to.
This requires a vision of who we are, where we are going and what we are going to do when we get there.
Professional image also gives us the inner strength to maintain focus and achieve goals.
The continuing maintenance of our professional image means that community perceptions of a pharmacist will be enhanced, and this will generate more offers to participate in health initiatives, in alliance with other health professionals, community groups and government.
In the past, we have continually felt that we have been underutilised and left out of many health programs and initiatives. We have felt that others should really have known what we had to offer.
Certainly we sit on the world's best kept secret, and it is time to parade our skills in the most forceful way possible.
This will only be achieved if our professional image is deemed to be exceptional.
It is time to produce our personal best.

Follow this link to Rollo Manning's new panel for the Job of a Pharmacist, or simply scroll down to refresh your memory of previous postings.

ROLLO MANNING'S MODEL FOR THE FUTURE JOB OF A PHARMACIST

"The time has come when a comprehensive review has to be undertaken of the job being asked of pharmacists in community practice."

What will be the job of a pharmacist in the future?
Money How much is needed? Where will it come from? Who will manage it? Consider: *Remuneration rate for pharmacists should be reviewed when their contribution to health gains could be established. *financial planning, *asset acquisition *systems development.		Functions * Professionally based tasks * Medication reviews *Patient counselling *Case conferencing with other health professionals *Training other professional in drug developments *Community development aspects of substance/drug misadventures
Legal Framework The Pharmacy Technician will be legally responsible for "dispensing" through amendments to the Poisons Act in all States/Territories. All Scheduled poisons (S2, S3) medicines must be sold in premises where a Pharmacist is available for consultation and counselling.		Education Universities will give students an option of the following electives to choose from in Year 3 for further study: · Medication reviews · hospital · research · manufacturing · retail operations · e-commerce and pharmacy software development · pharmacy governing law
Input is needed on the above as it is believed the present forward planning opportunities are a bit like…. Absolutely Nothing....next 22 miles... and also some starters on the following....
Place Where will the "pharmacy" be? The pharmacy will be divided into two operations: 1) The Government dispensary - which may be owned by a consortium of pharmacists who have tendered to supply PBS to a large geographical population. The partners will be the owners of surrounding "boutique" style pharmacies. The PBS needs to be done as cheaply as possible, and economies of scale must be used to supply prescriptions through an efficient system. 2) Boutique style pharmacies - trading in the OTC medications, private prescriptions, and providing a consulting service to other private operating health practitioners.		Support What support will be available to the Pharmacists at their place of practice? 1) Enormous potential for high tech systems capable of automated dispensing, video surveillance of operations, and electronic transmission of prescribing and dispensing data. 2) Online purchasing of prescription and other medicines as the Internet takes over the supply of goods. 3) Direct billing of HIC for cost at time of dispensing. 4) Online communication with patients for conducting medication reviews. 5) Detailed data base for immediate reporting of clinical responses from patients in monitoring effectiveness of medication treatment. 6) Immediate drug usage statistics for local, regional and State health board areas.
The Public Image The way the public views a pharmacist will be as a health professional, as opposed to a retail shopkeeper. The pharmacist will be called upon by the media to comment on any issue that may arise concerning drugs, medicines and inhaled substances. "Official bodies" (Guild/Society) will not have to seek out publicity, or shy away from it, as the spokespeople will be acknowledged as the "authority" on all matters therapeutic. Pharmacy "trade" publications will disappear from the list of essential reading, to be replaced by properly structured professional magazines and journals. The image of a pharmacist will be as a health professional working in a team approach with doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals. The role will be projected as an authority on therapeutic matters. The "dispensary" or "pharmacy technician" will be the public face of the "dispensing" side of the business.
The Professional Image The professional pharmacist will be the person who holds the premium "body of knowledge" on therapeutics, and is able to pass this knowledge on to others in the primary health care team. The pharmacist will be a member of all consultations that require a specialist understanding of pharmacology and pharmacokinetics, together with specialist streams of diagnostic medicine. The pharmacist will be called on to plan and implement all materials used in the training on subjects relating to drug and substance abuse to the wider community. The patient is placed first in all deliberations, including the manner in which the professional pharmacist's time is to be remunerated. The professional pharmacist will operate under a recognised code of ethics which will be personally expanded to the level of professionalism aspired to. Partnerships will be developed between the pharmacist and other health professionals, especially medical practitioners. The time of a professional pharmacist will be managed in a way to receive information and disseminate information. Tasks performed on a routine basis will be minimised to allow conferencing time with others. The marketing of professional services will involve a clear vision and an efficient communication of this vision. The target audience must be primarily other health professionals. The general public will have little contact with the professional pharmacist.
HELP US TACKLE THE DIFFICULT ISSUES FOR YOUR BENEFIT, AND THE FUTURE OF THE PHARMACY PROFESSION We want to build a better future for Pharmacy, so we don't end up like this man…….

Newsletter Reader's Forum Click on the above link to access the newsletter reader's forum to express your comment or viewpoint for each of the articles presented. The authors value your input so please take the time to register your details and participate in the only free debate on the future of pharmacy. Registration is free and required once only for permanent access.You do not need to register if you only wish to view comments.

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The comments and views expressed in the above article are those of the author and no other. The author welcomes any comment and interaction that may result from this and future articles. The editor would be pleased to publish any responses. You can now visit Rollo Manning's website at http://www.rollomanning.com

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