Pharmacy in the future

[admin]

Hi Everyone

I thought it might be interesting to find out the general feel of people's thought's on the future of pharmacy.

With the introduction of Act's do we see ourselves sat at a computer screen, remotely supervising half a dozen shops?

Do we feel generally appreciated by other health care professionals?

Does the public recognise our role?

Are pharmacists really needed anymore?

What do YOU think?

[kemzero]

Remote supervison

come on folks, lets get our teeth in this one;if the new health bill is passed and the Medicines Act changed , we won't be chained to our dispensary benches anymore,accredited dispensers will do want we do now, whilst we go else where,prescribing etc. its good going,but the down side is Pharmacists will still be responsible for what ever goes on in the pharmacy,and our value will drop tremendously,as for locums ,forget it ,employers will be laughing all the way to the bank
but all in all remote supervison by a pharmacist or accredited staff is a good thing, skill mix is certainly the way forward,but we will all need defined roles

[admin]

kemzero

So do you think the shortage of pharmacists will be gone? I can't help but feel we are being done away with ! I am all for breaking free from the dispensary, but am not sure there will be enough work outside for us all to do.

[Zoggite]

the population is ageing, obesity is at an all-time high, and doctors seem less and less willing to take on the surplus of work that this brings with it, so I think there certainly will be enough "work" for us all to do, though it may not be work as we know it now...

[admin]

Zo

Do you really think so, honestly? I think all the possible jobs you mention will be filled by nurses. They are quicker to train, and cost a lot less then we do. I really hope I'm wrong, but I think we are in a dying trade.

In every society occupations come and go. Who would have ever thought say 15 years ago that you could earn a living by being a web designer. I think pharmacy has been hanging on by it's teeth for years, the only real reason to employ a pharmacist being to check prescriptions are made up correctly. And the having the need to blame someone if it goes wrong. With the introduction of ACT's, remote supervision etc eventually we won't be needed atall.

We know all the clinical interventions we make, and mistakes we correct, but are the staff running dispensaries in rural GP practices knocking down their patients like skittles? If they are it's kept very quiet.

I have done some good clinical work recently, and have made a valuable contribution to the care of a few patients. But the truth is really that the problems I solved for GP's just made my day harder. Yes I enjoyed using some knowledge, and talking to Dr's about clinical matters, but that just gave me a queue of angry people wanting to know where their scripts were. I don't know if it's this area, but I hear at least 50 times a day a person ask how long their script will be. When told about five minutes, at least 50% of these people say "oh, I'll come back then!". I once told some 2 minutes and they said the same thing! One day I am going to say 46 seconds and see if that makes then come back later.

Admin

[alex]

There better be a place for pharmacists in the workforce, or i'll of just wasted 4 years at uni!!

Obviously I won't be as much in the know as the rest of you working in pharmacy day to day, but like has been said, the population is getting ever older, and with that come health problems.

A lot stronger emphasis seems to have been put on our things like supplementary prescribing in our course than in previous years from what i see, and considering the NHS is currently hiring doctors from abroad to cover out of hours work, surely it would be more economical to get pharmacists filling this gap to an extent?

A big part of it will be convincing people just how much pharmacists know. It always surprises me, that such a large number of people who i tell i study pharmacy react by saying "why do you want to be a glorified shopkeeper". it stuns me!

Only a couple of months ago I was sitting round the dinner table at my girlfriend's, who was going away. She needed malaria tablets - i told her she could get them from the pharmacy. Her mum was adamant that she should go to the doctors instead because they would "know better".

Public educatin - its the way forward!! (Bit of a rant, but i don't want to be out of work and on the street!!!)

[admin]

Alex

You are so right, and we have all had the same kind of "put downs" like the one you describe. It's all about public perception, and representation. We need some new blood like you to shake things up!

[kemzero]

The future

Dear Admin,
you are spot on -all the so called "new work or opportunities" will be snapped up by nurses,they are a more cost-effective option and with practice based commissioning on its way,pharmacists can only hold their breath and hope for the best.

Hospital pharmacists will do very well though!

[Austin226]

i hope that pharmacits dont become unemployed, im going to uni to study pharmacy in september, and with tuition fees and living cost i'll run up a debt hopefully this is insignificant if i can find employment but from what you guys are saying im worried

[admin]

Austin

Don't worry too much. This type of chat is always going on. It's also always a "very exciting time to work in pharmacy" according to some people.

The reality is things probably won't change that much. They've been the same for the ten or more years I've been registered, even though it was supposed to be an exciting time then!

[Austin226]

I think from a student's point of view that pharmacy can open so many differnt career oportunities that its amazing, industry, pct, hospital & commercial, im realy intrested in hospital pharmacy and where that may take me, especially being able to specalise - can anyone give me a description of what a typical day is like??? what does a peadiactirc pharmacist do or an ornocologist pharmacist? Will pharmacy stand me in good sted to go on to do another degree such as medicine? any advice would be welcome

[admin]

Austin

I have worked in 2 hospitals. My average day was going to the wards, and supplying any medication that was needed. Answering any queries from other staff. Checking all the patients drug cards on my wards for problems, and talking to patients about their drugs.

Then it was back to the dispensary for general dispensing ward drugs, outpatient scripts, patients going home etc.

If you want to be a Dr then do it now - don't spend 5 years qualifying as a pharmacist and then start at the beginning of something else. Apart from all the wasted years it will also cost you a lot of cash!

If you have the A levels being a dentist is about the best I can think of!

[alchemist]

Pharmacy............

Go ahead,study Pharmacy, If I had my way again it would be pharmacy all over..It's what you make it
It can be a fulfilling career...things are changing and they are changing for the better.Frankly its a case of shape up or shipout for some pharmacists who don't want to change.Hospital pharmacy would be the best place to practice as I can see pharmacists prescribing independently without any worries but as for community ..um forget it I can't see PCTs commissioning prescribing for community pharmacists for starters why should they pay £60/hr to a pharmacist when nurses can do it for a lot less,recently the PCT where I work offered £30/hr to a pharmacist supplementary prescriber,it was a case of take it or leave it,unfortunately he left it,but no skin of the PCTs nose ,its all about cost-effectiveness,why pay more when you can get it for less and there are tons of nurses out there-they outstrip pharmacists by far...practice based commissining is also on its way GPs will employ those who can help manage their budget effectively and provide a good service preventing admissions into secondary care-who do you think their most cost-effective choice would be -the nurse of course not the pharmacist,so I am quite surprised when pharmacists keep saying relax the supervision law I want to leave my premises so I can prescribe in the community...we should be saying relax the law and let me prescribe on the premises for minor ailments and long term conditions; and get involved in clinical pharmacy checks for prescriptions ,using my new prescribing powers to amend scripts etc then delegate other areas of the dispensing process and the sale of some OTC and GSLs to trained staff(within robust protocols of course)

[admin]

Hi

If you're going to do Pharmacy then I agree with alchemist. My job in the hospital was a lot better then retail, I just got greedy and went for the cash. I also agree that nurses will be doing all these roles, I just can't see then paying enough pharmacists for us all to have jobs if they relax the supervision role.

I'd still recommend being a dentist, or I personally would have loved to have been a vet.

Think of the advantages a dentist has. Apart from the pay, most people are frightened of you, so treat you with the upmost respect. If they don't, you can actually hurt them! Just a quick slip with the drill, and a sorry about that..........

WOW