A Consumer Advocate’s Perspective on Pharmacist Competencies and Pharmacy Education

Abstract

This is a transcription of an interview with Linda Golodner, President Emeritus of the National Consumers League (NCL), conducted for the purpose of bringing the views of a prominent consumer advocate to the attention of participants in the September 2012 conference by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. The interview was conducted on April 10, 2012, by William Zellmer, ACPE conference-planning consultant. The transcription has been edited for clarity. Linda Golodner served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of NCL from 1985 to 2007. She now consults with government, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations on consumer issues. She has focused her career on corporate social responsibility, fair labor standards, and ethical behavior in the marketplace. Her numerous awards and recognitions include the Hugo G. Schaefer Award of the American Pharmacists Association. Familiarity with Pharmacy-Related Issues William Zellmer (WZ): Linda, to what extent in your career as a consumer advocate have you been engaged with pharmacy-related issues? Linda Golodner (LG): When I became executive director of the National Consumers League (NCL) in 1985, the organization already had a history of advocating for patient package inserts for prescription medicines. Many consumers put high value on the accessibility of the pharmacist for health care questions. Pharmacists have a big role in advising consumers on the use of over-the-counter medicines. In many respects, pharmacists are closer to consumers than other health professionals. I often worked with pharmacists on consumer issues. Through my involvement with the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE), I had an opportunity to discuss with the leaders of pharmacy associations their interest in pharmaceutical care and their concerns about ensuring that consumers understand the medicines they are taking. I also worked with the Food and Drug Administration on these issues. During the health care reform initiative of the Clinton Administration, I represented the NCL on a coalition of organizations that advocated with Congress for coverage of pharmacist services. Standards for Health Professional Education WZ: Please describe your current involvement with issues related to standards for health professional education. LG: I serve on the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), which is the accrediting authority for medical education programs leading to the MD degree in the United States and Canada. I'm also a public member of the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), and I serve as a public member of the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB). For the latter two groups, which deal with credentialing practitioners rather than accrediting educational programs, I chair committees that review cases of apparent lapses in the quality of care provided by practitioners. I also chair the policy committee for DANB. WZ: Related to your work with LCME, do you have any thoughts about issues in accreditation that are relevant broadly throughout the health professions, or any that might be notably applicable to pharmacy education? LG: A couple of areas come to mind. One is diversity. The medical profession is looking at the diversity of students and of faculties based on concern that the profession does not reflect the diversity of the country's population. I suspect this might be an issue in pharmacy, too. Student indebtedness is an issue. It's important for students to understand the financial burden they will have upon graduation related to their student loans. They need counseling in this regard. And they need scholarship support--a portion of tuition revenue should be made available for scholarships. LCME is very interested in interdisciplinary learning--a team approach in the learning environment that carries over into team work in professional practice, doctors working with pharmacists, working with nurses, working with nutritionists. …