Are you staying up-to-date with the pharmacy profession?
While you may be done with pharmacy school, learning and growing as a pharmacist never ends.
Keeping up with industry guidelines, continuing education (CE), and legislation is vital to advancing your career and being the best pharmacist you can be.
Stay up-to-date with these seven ideas, adapted from these tips from the American Pharmacists Association (APhA).
1. Join a pharmacy organization
Joining a pharmacy organization, such as the APhA or the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), allows you to network with other industry professionals, develop your leadership skills and help advance the pharmacy profession and patient care.
But don’t just join an organization. Challenge yourself to become involved in it. The more you put into the organization, the more you’ll get out of it.
Ways you can become more involved include:
- Precepting students
- Donating to scholarships
- Participating in mentoring and networking events
- Volunteering on a committee
- Advocating for your profession
2. Attend conferences
One of the best ways to keep up with the pharmacy profession is to attend conferences. They provide the opportunity to attend CE sessions, meet industry thought leaders, establish relationships with other pharmacy professionals and catch up with industry trends.
And, whether you’re a pharmacy owner, manager, or staff pharmacist, conferences can teach you new strategies and ideas to apply to your pharmacy.
3. Take relevant CE courses
Continuing education courses aren’t just a requirement. They’re an opportunity to improve your standard of care and prove that pharmacists are increasingly valuable members of the health care team.
Choose relevant CE courses that are meaningful to you and that are applicable to your specific role as an independent community pharmacist.
4. Subscribe to pharmacy magazines
Pharmacy magazines provide an easy way to read about what’s happening in the pharmacy industry on a regular basis.
Sign up for a few different subscriptions that cover various topics and areas of pharmacy. Take note of when the magazines are published so you can set aside time to read each issue.
5. Become board-certified
Is there an area of pharmacy you’re most interested in?
Becoming board-certified in a pharmacy specialty provides extended knowledge, an added sense of accomplishment, and a higher potential for financial rewards and career advancement.
You can obtain board certification through the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS).
BPS Specialties include:
- Ambulatory care pharmacy
- Critical care pharmacy
- Geriatric pharmacy
- Nuclear pharmacy
- Nutrition support pharmacy
- Oncology pharmacy
- Pediatric pharmacy
- Pharmacotherapy
- Psychiatric pharmacy
6. Keep up with industry legislation and advocacy efforts
If you truly want to advance your career and be a better pharmacist, you have to know what’s going on in your industry.
Stay informed about issues and important initiatives affecting the pharmacy profession by following your state board of pharmacy, state organizations, and national pharmacy organizations.
And, do your part to advocate for your profession by joining advocacy groups and contacting your state’s representatives.
7. Work with pharmacy students
Working with students is a great way to keep up with new information. Students will challenge you as they ask questions and seek to learn more.
Become a preceptor or join a mentoring program where you can not only teach but also learn from pharmacy students.
Stay committed to learning and growing as a pharmacist to make the most of your career.
A Member-Owned Company Serving Independent Pharmacies
PBA Health is dedicated to helping independent pharmacies reach their full potential on the buy-side of their business. Founded and owned by pharmacists, PBA Health serves independent pharmacies with group purchasing services, wholesaler contract negotiations, proprietary purchasing tools, and more.
An HDA member, PBA Health operates its own NABP-accredited secondary wholesaler with more than 6,000 SKUs, including brands, generics, narcotics CII-CV, cold-storage products, and over-the-counter (OTC) products — offering the lowest prices in the secondary market.
