Pharmacy Owners Research Articles

Pharmacist work stress and learning from quality related events.

Among the many stresses faced by pharmacy staff, quality related event (QRE) learning can be among the most significant. In the absence of a supportive organizational culture, the potential for blaming individuals, versus identifying key process flaws, is significant and can be very intimidating to those involved in such discussions and may increase an already stressful work environment. This research develops and tests a model of the relationship between the work stress faced by pharmacists and the extent of QRE learning in community pharmacies. Building upon recent research models that explore job characteristics and safety climate, the model proposes that work stress captured by the effort that the pharmacist invests into job performance, the extent to which the pharmacist is rewarded for such efforts, and the extent of pharmacist work-related commitment to their job, influence pharmacist assessment of the working conditions within their community pharmacy. It is further proposed that working conditions influence the extent of a blame culture and safety focus in the pharmacy, which, in turn, influences organizational learning from QREs. This research formed part of a larger study focused on QRE reporting in community pharmacies. As part of the larger study, a total of 1035 questionnaires were mailed to community pharmacists, pharmacy managers, and pharmacy owners in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan during the fall of 2013 and winter and spring of 2014. Partial least squares (PLS) using SmartPLS was selected to test and further develop the proposed model. An examination of the statistical significance of latent variable paths, convergent validity, construct reliability, discriminant validity, and variance explained was used to assess the overall quality of the model. Of the 1035 questionnaire sent, a total of 432 questionnaires were returned for an initial response rate of approximately 42%. However, for this research, only questionnaires from staff pharmacists were used thereby reducing the number of usable questionnaires to 265. The final model highlights that pharmacist work stress greatly influences perceptions of the working conditions in the pharmacy (R(2)=0.52), which, in turn, influence assessments of the safety focus (R(2)=0.27) and blame culture (R(2)=0.14) in the pharmacy. The model also found that the extent of a safety focus and blame culture within the pharmacy both influence the extent of organizational learning from QREs (R(2)=0.44) within the pharmacy. In an environment where financial rewards are not always possible, ensuring that pharmacy staff feel respected and encouraged in providing safe care may help enhance QRE learning. Given the importance placed on organizational reporting of, and learning from, QREs in many jurisdictions in North America, the findings from this study suggest that a number of working conditions and perceptions of blame culture and organizational safety need to be explored before such processes can become entrenched in work flow.

Challenges in the management of chronic noncommunicable diseases by Indonesian community pharmacists.

Objectives:We explored factors influencing Indonesian primary care pharmacists’ practice in chronic noncommunicable disease management and proposed a model illustrating relationships among factors.Methods:We conducted in-depth, semistructured interviews with pharmacists working in community health centers (Puskesmas, n=5) and community pharmacies (apotek, n=15) in East Java Province. We interviewed participating pharmacists using Bahasa Indonesia to explore facilitators and barriers to their practice in chronic disease management. We audiorecorded all interviews, transcribed ad verbatim, translated into English and analyzed the data using an approach informed by “grounded-theory”.Results:We extracted five emergent themes/factors: pharmacists’ attitudes, Puskesmas/apotek environment, pharmacy education, pharmacy professional associations, and the government. Respondents believed that primary care pharmacists have limited roles in chronic disease management. An unfavourable working environment and perceptions of pharmacists’ inadequate knowledge and skills were reported by many as barriers to pharmacy practice. Limited professional standards, guidelines, leadership and government regulations coupled with low expectations of pharmacists among patients and doctors also contributed to their lack of involvement in chronic disease management. We present the interplay of these factors in our model.Conclusion:Pharmacists’ attitudes, knowledge, skills and their working environment appeared to influence pharmacists’ contribution in chronic disease management. To develop pharmacists’ involvement in chronic disease management, support from pharmacy educators, pharmacy owners, professional associations, the government and other stakeholders is required. Our findings highlight a need for systematic coordination between pharmacists and stakeholders to improve primary care pharmacists’ practice in Indonesia to achieve continuity of care.

Describing interruptions, multi-tasking and task-switching in community pharmacy: a qualitative study in England.

There is growing evidence around interruptions, multi-tasking and task-switching in the community pharmacy setting. There is also evidence to suggest some of these practices may be associated with dispensing errors. Up to date, qualitative research on this subject is limited. To explore interruptions, multi-tasking and task-switching in the community setting; utilising an ethnographic approach to provide a detailed description of the circumstances surrounding such practices.Setting Community pharmacies in England, July-October 2011. An ethnographic approach was taken. Non participant, unstructured observations were utilised to make records of pharmacists' every activity. Case studies were formed by combining field notes with detailed information on pharmacists and their respective pharmacy businesses. Content analysis was undertaken both manually and electronically, using NVivo 10. Main outcome measure To determine the factors influencing interruptions, multitasking and task-switching in the community pharmacy setting. Response rate was 12 % (n = 11). Over fifteen days, a total of 123 h and 58 min of observations were recorded in 11 separate pharmacies of 11 individual pharmacists. The sample was evenly split by gender (female n = 6; male n = 5) and pharmacy ownership (independent n = 5; multiple n = 6). Employment statuses included employee pharmacists (n = 6), owners (n = 4) and a locum (n = 1). Average period of registration as a pharmacist was 19 years (range 5-39 years). Average prescription busyness of pharmacies ranged from 2600 to 24,000 items dispensed per month. All observed pharmacists' work was dominated by interruptions, task-switches, distractions and multi-tasking, often to manage a barrage of conflicting demands. These practices were observed to be part of a deep-rooted culture in the community setting. In particular, support staff regularly contributed to interruptions and distractions for pharmacists; pharmacists in turn continued to permit these. Novel directional work maps illustrated the extent and direction of task-switching and multi-tasking employed by pharmacists. In this study pharmacists' working practices were permeated by interruptions, distractions and multi-tasking. Task-switching was also frequently employed by pharmacists. Changes to working practices by both pharmacists and support staff would help to minimise these which in turn has the potential to lead to safer and more efficient methods of working.

Track and trace: Is your pharmacy in compliance with the new law?

Is your pharmacy ready for the new track-and-trace law? Under the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), January 1 and July 1 are the key dates in 2015 for new requirements for pharmacies.

Pharmaceuticals, pharmacists and profits.

I am writing in response to the editorials on Pharmaceuticals, pharmacists and profits (Aust Prescr 2014;37:146-7 and 148-9). I enjoyed reading the Pharmacy Guild’s perspective on troubles facing the industry. However, the editorial failed to mention the financial troubles facing community pharmacists who are not pharmacy owners. Few people, including those studying to become pharmacists, are aware that the award rate for a full-time pharmacist in charge is $27.16/hour (equivalent to $53 674 annual salary).1 Note that pharmacist interns, pharmacists and experienced pharmacists are all paid less than this. To compare, an unqualified experienced retail employee may earn up to $44 787.2 Pharmacists’ wages are significantly below the average Australian wage of $76 804 before tax.3 From this wage, a pharmacist must pay to be registered for insurance and course fees for 40 hours of continuing professional development per year. Debt from university fees must also be paid. There is a current oversupply of pharmacists, and jobs for salaried pharmacists are not easy to obtain. I understand that some pharmacies are currently experiencing a period of hardship. But should salaried pharmacists be the ones to subsidise the industry by being forced to accept these low rates of pay?

The Preparedness of Pharmacist in Community Setting to Cope with Globalization Impact

A descriptive study to identify the preparedness of pharmacist in community pharmacies to cope with globalization impact was conducted in 2009. This cross-sectional study was done in DKI Jakarta, Bali and Maluku. Informants were purposively determined involving pharmacists from schools of pharmacy, Indonesian Pharmacist Association (IAI), community pharmacies, Provincial and District Health Offices, as well as comunity pharmacy owners. Primary data were collected through in-depth interviews and observation using check-list in community pharmacy. Data were analyzed descriptively and qualitatively using triangulation method. Results of the study show that according to Health Offices and the Indonesian Pharmacist Association, pharmacists were not adequately prepared and pharmacists in stand alone community pharmacy are less prepared than those in a network or franchise pharmacy. Licensed pharmacists of network community pharmacy in the metropolis are going to prepare themselves to face the new patient-oriented paradigm and to meet the standard of pharmacy service, whereas stand-alone community pharmacy still prioritized fast service and lower drug price.

BC Medication Management Project: Perspectives of pharmacists, patients and physicians.

The BC Medication Management Project (BCMMP) was developed by the BC Ministry of Health and the BC Pharmacy Association. This pilot project ran from September 2010 to January 2012. Pharmacists reviewed patients' medication histories, discussed best use of medications, provided education and monitored for adverse effects, developed a plan to deal with medication issues and created a best possible medication history. To evaluate the experience of participating in the BCMMP, challenges and strengths of the project and the alignment of these experiences with the overarching goals, focus groups and interviews were conducted with 6 stakeholder groups. Themes were compared within and across stakeholder type and descriptively analyzed. A total of 88 people participated in the focus groups/interviews. Pharmacists stated that providing BCMMP services was professionally satisfying and concurred with patients that the service did benefit them. However, participating in the BCMMP was not seen as financially sustainable by pharmacy owners, and there were concerns about patient selection. Physicians expressed concerns about increased workload associated with the BCMMP, for which they were not compensated. The computer system and burden of documentation were identified as the greatest problems. The BCMMP pilot project was enthusiastically received by pharmacists and patients who felt that it benefited patients and moved the pharmacy profession in a positive direction. It was widely felt that the BCMMP could be successful and sustainable if the identified challenges are addressed.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Pharmacists regarding Dietary Supplements : A Community Pharmacy- based survey in Tehran.

The present study aimed to evaluate pharmacy practice regarding dietary supplements in Tehran (I.R. Iran). So, the factors affecting on pharmacists' practice including their knowledge, attitude, and some underlying factors were evaluated. This is an observational knowledge; attitude and practice (KAP) study. The unit of analysis include pharmacies practice located in Tehran. The data was collected in 2013 via an anonymous, self-administered; postal questionnaire consisted of demographic information, knowledge (subjective and objective questions), attitude, and practice evaluation part. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed using SPSS. This study showed that although the knowledge has a significant effect on attitude and practice, the attention should be paid on other underlying factors such as experience, pharmacy ownership situation and academic degree which might have positive impact on pharmacists' practice. According to this study, although many underlying factors such as experience, university and pharmacy ownership have impact on pharmacy practice regarding dietary supplements, the most attention should paid to knowledge as the main factor and more attention should be paid to training on dietary supplement could be recommended.

Use of chronic disease management algorithms in Australian community pharmacies.

In Australia, standardized chronic disease management algorithms are available for medical practitioners, nursing practitioners and nurses through a range of sources including prescribing software, manuals and through government and not-for-profit non-government organizations. There is currently no standardized algorithm for pharmacist intervention in the management of chronic diseases.. To investigate if a collaborative community pharmacists and doctors' model of care in chronic disease management could improve patients' outcomes through ongoing monitoring of disease biochemical markers, robust self-management skills and better medication adherence. This project was a pilot pragmatic study, measuring the effect of the intervention by comparing the baseline and the end of the study patient health outcomes, to support future definitive studies. Algorithms for selected chronic conditions were designed, based on the World Health Organisation STEPS™ process and Central Australia Rural Practitioners' Association Standard Treatment Manual. They were evaluated in community pharmacies in 8 inland Australian small towns, mostly having only one pharmacy in order to avoid competition issues. The algorithms were reviewed by Murrumbidgee Medicare Local Ltd, New South Wales, Australia, Quality use of Medicines committee. They constitute a pharmacist-driven, doctor/pharmacist collaboration primary care model. The Pharmacy owners volunteered to take part in the study and patients were purposefully recruited by in-store invitation. Six out of 9 sites' pharmacists (67%) were fully capable of delivering the algorithm (each site had 3 pharmacists), one site (11%) with 2 pharmacists, found it too difficult and withdrew from the study, and 2 sites (22%, with one pharmacist at each site) stated that they were personally capable of delivering the algorithm but unable to do so due to workflow demands. This primary care model can form the basis of workable collaboration between doctors and pharmacists ensuring continuity of care for patients. It has potential for rural and remote areas of Australia where this continuity of care may be problematic.

Pharmacies and the European economic crisis: A case study

This paper outlines some of the reasons that led to the current economically embarrassing situation of pharmacies in Portugal. The purpose of the paper is to understand if the inability of the pharmacy owner contributed to the degradation of the economic sector. To meet the goal defined, this paper went through an analysis of the performance management of pharmacies based on a comparative methodology between those classified as small and medium enterprises (SME) Excellence (a status assigned to SME by a commission belonging to an official entity) that potentially have more solid indicators, and most of the pharmacies that are geographically distributed by districts and the most populated regions of the Portuguese territory. The paper concludes that pharmacies registered a decrease in business results, and pharmacies that hold the status of SME Excellence, registered better management indicators as well as an increase in the reactive capacity against a set of factors that affect the economic performance. There is also evidence of the considerable uneven regional distribution of pharmacies, with more serious and committing results in more populated regions and districts of the country, despite the greater purchasing power that exists in these.

Związek Zawodowy Farmaceutów Pracowników Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na terenie województwa pomorskiego (1919–1939)

Union of the Pharmacists Employees of the Republic of Poland in the Pomeranian Voivodeship (1919–1939) The Union of Pharmacists Employees of the Polish Republic (1919–1939) was a nationwide organization representing pharmaceutical staff employed primarily in private pharmacies. Its statutory objectives were: defense of material, moral and low interests of pharmacists working in pharmacies, laboratories, chemical and pharmaceutical factories, and institutions of a similar type, striving to achieve better working conditions, and improving the whole affairs of the pharmaceutical profession. In the interwar period, in Pomorskie voivodship existed local branches of this organization: Branch of Wloclawek, Branch of Pomerania, Branch of Bydgoszcz and Branch of Gdynia. Forms of their activities were: lectures and discussions about labor rights and of scientific issues, financial support for the poor people (mainly for pharmacists), and other social affairs, assistance in finding employment for pharmacists, and also striving for respected and improvement of working conditions in pharmacies. These branches, despite the limited funds, exerted constant pressure on the owners of pharmacies, react in cases of violations of labor rights. The Union of Pharmacists Employees of the Polish Republic in autumn 1939 was liquidated by the German authorities.

Assessing equity in the geographical distribution of community pharmacies in South Africa in preparation for a national health insurance scheme.

To investigate equity in the geographical distribution of community pharmacies in South Africa and assess whether regulatory reforms have furthered such equity. Data on community pharmacies from the national department of health and the South African pharmacy council were used to analyse the change in community pharmacy ownership and density (number per 10,000 residents) between 1994 and 2012 in all nine provinces and 15 selected districts. In addition, the density of public clinics, alone and with community pharmacies, was calculated and compared with a national benchmark of one clinic per 10,000 residents. Interviews were conducted with nine national experts from the pharmacy sector. Community pharmacies increased in number by 13% between 1994 and 2012--less than the 25% population growth. In 2012, community pharmacy density was higher in urban provinces and was eight times higher in the least deprived districts than in the most deprived ones. Maldistribution persisted despite the growth of corporate community pharmacies. In 2012, only two provinces met the 1 per 10,000 benchmark, although all provinces achieved it when community pharmacies and clinics were combined. Experts expressed concerns that a lack of rural incentives, inappropriate licensing criteria and a shortage of pharmacy workers could undermine access to pharmaceutical services, especially in rural areas. To reduce inequity in the distribution of pharmaceutical services, new policies and legislation are needed to increase the staffing and presence of pharmacies.

Pharmacists’ training, perceived roles, and actions associated with dispensing controlled substance prescriptions

ObjectivesTo examine situations that prompt pharmacists to access a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) database and management of opioid abuse/addiction; assess pharmacists’ actions when abuse is suspected; describe pharmacists’ tasks when dispensing controlled substance prescriptions (CSPs); and their continuing pharmacy education (CPE). DesignCross-sectional mail survey of 1,000 randomly selected pharmacists. SettingTexas from February 2012 to April 2012. Participants1,000 Texas community pharmacists. InterventionMail survey instrument. Main outcome measuresPrompts to use a PDMP and pharmacists' views actions, and related CPE programs. ResultsThe usable response rate was 26.2%. Pharmacists were more supportive of mandated PDMP use by physicians than by pharmacists (mean ± SD 4.1± versus 3.2 ± 1.5; P <0.001), based on a 5-point Likert scale (1, strongly disagree, to 5, strongly agree). Most pharmacists would be prompted to use a PDMP if the prescription contains mistakes (68.1%) or the patient requests an early refill (66.3%). Bivariate statistics showed that men pharmacists, those with BSPharm degrees, and pharmacists ≥50 years of age reported a greater number of CPE hours related to prescription opioid abuse and pain management. An analysis of variance showed that pharmacy owners reported significantly more (P <0.05) CPE compared with manager and staff pharmacists. ConclusionOlder pharmacists with a BSPharm degree may be more willing to provide counseling to patients with opioid addiction based on their work experience and additional CPE related to controlled substances. As PDMP use becomes more prevalent, pharmacists should be prepared to interact and counsel patients identified with aberrant controlled prescription drug use and properly deliver pain management care. Additionally, schools of pharmacy curricula must prepare new pharmacists to prevent abuse and diversion, as well as intervene when aberrant use is identified.

Issues around household pharmaceutical waste disposal through community pharmacies in Croatia

Croatian regulations mandate pharmacies to receive unused medicines from households. Pharmacies are considered as producers and holders of pharmaceutical waste and are obliged to finance this service. Model where pharmacies are responsible for financing disposal of unused medicines without reimbursement is not common in Europe. Present service was not tested before implementation. To investigate the elements of the pharmaceutical waste disposal service provided by pharmacies, and to gain insight into the factors that might influence the effectiveness of the service. Setting All pharmacies in the city of Zagreb. Each pharmacy was asked to weigh the collected waste from the public during a period of 30 days, between June 1st and July 10th of 2011, absent from any media advertisement and answer a specifically designed questionnaire that was exploring possible connections between the amount of collected waste, type of pharmacy ownership, discretion while disposing, location of the container, appropriate labeling and to compare the amount of collected waste between neighborhoods. Quantity of collected unused medicines from the public. Of 210 pharmacies, 91 participated completing the questionnaire (43 % response rate). The total amount of collected waste was 505 kg. Pharmacies owned by the city of Zagreb had higher response rate (74 %) than privately owned pharmacies (36 %), and collected significantly higher amount of waste. Anonymity when disposing influenced collected quantity, while labelling and location of the container did not. There were differences in the amount of collected waste between neighborhoods due to the demographic characteristics and number of pharmacies per capita. The effectiveness of the pharmacy service of collecting unused medicines in Croatia shows a number of weaknesses. The amount of collected medicines is below the European average. Functioning of the service seems to be negatively influenced by the type of pharmacy ownership, distribution of pharmacies and lack of anonymity when disposing unused medicines. Additionally, type of ownership is connected with financial burden for pharmacies. Governmental bodies should examine current legislation regulating pharmaceutical waste disposal, particularly financial responsibility for providing the service, in order to increase pharmacies' compliance. Advertising of the service may increase awareness of the importance of proper disposal of unused medicines.

APhA honors outstanding achievements at Annual Meeting

Each year, APhA recognizes exceptional contributors to the profession at the Annual Meeting. The following award winners will be honored at APhA2014 in Orlando.

Analysis of costs to dispense prescriptions in independently owned, closed-door long-term care pharmacies.

The need for accurate calculation of long-term care (LTC) pharmacies' costs to dispense (CTD) has become more important as payers have moved toward reimbursement models based on pharmacies' actual acquisition cost for drug products and the Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services (CMS) has implemented requirements that LTC pharmacies must dispense prescriptions for certain branded drugs in 14-day-or-less quantities. To (a) calculate the average cost that the typical independently owned, closed-door LTC pharmacy currently incurs to dispense and deliver a prescription to the resident of a client LTC facility and (b) estimate how CMS-mandated changes to a 14-day-or-less dispensing cycle would affect the typical LTC pharmacy's average CTD. The data requirements and measurement model were developed by academic researchers in consultation with an industry advisory committee of independent LTC pharmacy owners. A survey instrument was constructed to collect financial and operating data required to calculate the CTD. Surveys were distributed via 3 dissemination channels to approximately 1,000 independently owned, closed-door LTC pharmacies. The National Community Pharmacists Association mailed surveys to their LTC members; 3 major national wholesalers distributed surveys to their LTC customers through their newsletters; and 3 LTC group purchasing organizations distributed the surveys to their members through emails, newsletters, mailings, and/or regional meetings. Each pharmacy's CTD was calculated by dividing total LTC dispensing-related costs by the total number of prescriptions dispensed. Dispensing-related costs included costs incurred to physically dispense and deliver prescriptions (e.g., dispensing pharmacists' and technicians' salaries and costs of medication containers) and costs incurred to support the dispensing function (e.g., salaries of delivery and medical records personnel). A model based on dispensing-related fixed, variable, and semivariable costs was developed to examine the impact of shorter dispensing cycles on LTC pharmacies' CTD. A prescription volume increase of 19% was assumed based on converting only solid oral branded drugs to short-cycle dispensing. A diverse sample of 64 closed-door LTC pharmacies returned usable surveys. Sales from dispensing to LTC facilities accounted for more than 98% of total sales. Respondents indicated that they currently dispensed 23% of total doses in 14-day-or-less cycles and 76% in 28-31 day cycles. Most pharmacies used automated medication packaging technology, heat and cold package sealers, bar code systems, sterile compounding hoods, LTC printers or labelers, and electronic prescribing. The median CTD was $13.54 with an interquartile range (25th to 75th percentiles) of $10.51 to $17.66. More than half of dispensing-related costs were from personnel expense, of which pharmacists and managers accounted for more than 40%. The results of the fixed and variable cost modeling suggested that converting solid oral brand-name drugs from 30-day to 14-day dispensing cycles would lower the median per prescription CTD to between $11.63 and $12.54, depending on the assumptions made about the effects of semivariable costs. However, this decrease in per prescription dispensing cost is dwarfed by an increase in total dispensing cost incurred by pharmacies that results from doubling the monthly volume of short-cycle prescriptions that must be dispensed. The result is that the typical LTC pharmacy in our sample incurred a CTD of $13.54 if the medication is dispensed in a 30-day cycle or $23.26 if the medication is dispensed in two 14-day cycles (at a cost of $11.63 for each cycle dispensed). Our results indicated a median CTD of $13.54 for the typical independently owned, closed-door LTC pharmacy. Moving to a shorter cycle would reduce pharmacies' average per-prescription CTD but would increase the number of prescriptions dispensed per month. Our results indicated that transitioning solid oral branded products to 14-day cycles would reduce the median CTD to a minimum of $11.63 but would increase total dispensing costs because each sold oral branded prescription would require twice the number of monthly dispensing events.

Elements Of Pharmacy Service And Satisfaction: Patient Versus Consumer?

The objective of this paper is to identify the characteristics of what makes retail pharmacies able to guarantee and ensure better customer satisfaction. We have identified the core attributes of retail pharmacies as well as the factors that can contribute to better customer satisfaction in a regulated economic context (pharmacies being in a monopolistic situation regarding the sales of medicines). The aim of this analysis is to check if pharmacies customers behave as patients or consumers. If the factors linked to the consumption of pharmaceutical products have similar contributions to those noticed for traditional consumer goods (food, clothes and so on), pharmacists will be able to regard their customers as consumers. If it is not the case, the customers will be assimilated to patients, regarding pharmaceutical products as non-traditional consumer goods. The tetra-class model (Llosa, 1997) of factors contributing to satisfaction during a pharmacy service experience will serve as the tool for apprehending the role of different pharmacy characteristics in the satisfaction process. We found that French customers seem to behave more as patients than customers in pharmacies. Managerial implications can be deduced. In front of the counter, this research shows that merchandizing at the sales outlet has no effect on the patients satisfaction. However, it is worth noticing that the self-service area does contribute to consumer satisfaction. Behind the counter, pharmacies customers behave as patients when purchasing drugs; medecines still remaining a nontraditional product. French customers do not seem ready to purchase medecines from a self-service area. As a result, pharmacy owners can adjust pharmacy service elements to increase the satisfaction level of their customers.

Health plan starts P4P program for community pharmacies

Health plan starts P4P program for community pharmacies

Student pharmacists' and recent graduates' perception of and interest in independent pharmacy ownership

Objectives: To assess student pharmacists' and recent graduates' interest in independent community pharmacy ownership and compare perceptions of pharmacy ownership among students and recent graduates.&#x0D; Methods: An anonymous online survey was administered to student pharmacists currently licensed as interns and pharmacists licensed by examination from January 2010 to October 2012 within the state of Ohio.&#x0D; Results: 355 surveys were completed during the study period, with 200 (56.3%) completed by student pharmacists. Student pharmacists were significantly more interested in pharmacy ownership (p &lt; 0.001) and had significantly higher self-reported likelihood of ownership (p = 0.03) compared to recent graduates. Top ranked advantages to ownership for both groups included professional autonomy, development of innovative services, and amount of time spent in patient care activities. The majority of respondents had been exposed to pharmacy ownership within a course, student organization, or experiential rotation, but felt they needed more training in financial, legal, and regulatory issues.&#x0D; Conclusion: Many student pharmacists and recent graduates are interested in pharmacy ownership. However, the majority of respondents feel it is unlikely they will own a pharmacy in the future. Resources need to be expanded for those interested in this career path.&#x0D; &#x0D; Type: Original Research

How I came to be a pharmacy owner

How I came to be a pharmacy owner