Sometimes inspiration comes from the unlikeliest of places. A few of my teammates were holding an orientation for new pharmacists recently. The audience was a mix of those graduating that previous spring along with pharmacists with multiple years of experience. Some had been assistants, students and interns with us prior to their degree and were comfortable with much of the policy / procedure discussion foist upon them. Others were new to our organization and unfamiliar with the structure.

We took our turns hosting half-hour blocks in our office training room. This space has a quirk of sorts; there is a 2-foot square pillar not quite in the middle of the room, but close enough that when seating employees it needs to be taken into consideration. On quite a few occasions, we had to remind each other to ‘come out from behind the post’ because we could hear the message clear as day, but the view was obstructed to some members of our group. This was usually rectified with a comical slide-shuffle step about 3 feet to the left followed by a chuckle break.

It did get me thinking about pharmacy in a different way. For the longest time, pharmacists were known as being good soldiers, practicing patient-centered care and asserting themselves in their comfort zones. We were (and still are) among the most trusted health professionals but admittedly not very aggressive when creating awareness and parlaying our value into enhanced services. I do see a shift happening with every step into government relations and other benefit partners; the rhetoric is more disciplined, pharmacists across the country are more emboldened, and we are realizing that it’s okay to attach monetary value to the healthcare gaps we are more than capable to fill.

So now that our message is stronger, and it’s being heard in different forums. Under-serviced rural communities, affiliated walk-in clinics that are challenged due to physician staffing, and provincial government regulators are urging pharmacists to provide accessible and timely care to their residents. As the recent valsartan and ranitidine recalls can attest, the current system of contacting primary physicians for recommendations has become overwhelming and potentially leads to patient uncertainty and inevitable care gaps.

Pharmacists more than ever need to step out from behind our posts and put that face on those services we can provide. Provinces are expanding scope in the realm of prescribing, including more minor conditions to diagnose and treat, initiating therapies based on diagnostic criteria, and allowing better access to lab testing results. College programs are converting to entry-level PharmD programs which further remove the pharmacist training from the actual technical dispensing process.

We also can’t do this alone.

The role of the regulated technician is also expanding. They are now able to witness OAMT cases, and chatter about their capability to learn injection technique is growing louder. More and more dispensary operations are realizing the immense value of the role to proactively problem-solve. Their technical accuracy is on par (and in some cases may even be superior) to that of a pharmacist. Our assistants are owning dispensary processes like compounding and batching compliance packaging. They tend to be a main point of customer contact and are practicing patient-centered care like never before.

Helping people is why we do what we do. Being more visible will command the attention we deserve, but we may not even realize we’re being obstructed. Have a look around your practice environment; can your audience truly see you?

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.