Every pharmacist must be a leader on their shift or in
their clinical practice because our service evolution, such as, clinical
services has resulted from not just the formal leaders but from the efforts of
individual practitioners. The
recent ASHP House of delegates approved as official policy the ASHP Statement on Leadership as a Professional Obligation. It will be
published (AJHP) in a couple of months as part of the proceeding of the House
of Delegates but you can locate it now at (Council of Pharmacy Management
report). http://www.ashp.org/DocLibrary/Policy/HOD/CouncilReports.aspx
From the ASHP website, the professional policies
of ASHP represent a consensus of professional judgment, expert opinion, and
documented evidence. They provide guidance and direction to ASHP members,
pharmacy practitioners, and other audiences who affect pharmacy practice. Their
use by members and other practitioners is strictly voluntary, and their content
should be assessed and adapted to meet the needs of specific health-system
settings.
ASHP professional policies contain varying
levels of detail. Policy positions are short pronouncements on one aspect of
practice. Statements express basic
philosophy, and guidelines (including
what were formerly called "technical assistance bulletins") offer
programmatic advice. Therapeutic
position statements are concise responses to specific therapeutic issues,
and therapeutic guidelines are thorough, evidence-based recommendations on drug
use.
To give you a flavor of this new statement let
me quote from the Council on Pharmacy Management report. “ASHP Statement on Leadership as a
Professional Obligation. Background. In
2009, the Council recommended revising ASHP policy 9901, Fostering Pharmacy
Leadership, to address the need for ASHP policy on leadership that is distinct
from its many policies dealing with management. The Council believed that
leadership is not the sole responsibility of pharmacy managers and noted that
much of the profession’s progress toward achieving the vision of pharmacy as a
clinical profession can be attributed to the leadership of strong clinical
leaders who did not hold formal management titles. The Council supported the
concept that leadership is a professional obligation of all pharmacists and
believed ASHP policy should clearly articulate this concept. The Board was
supportive of the intent of the changes but requested the Council to consider
the development of a formal ASHP statement, given the broad nature of the
topic. The Council agreed with the Board’s suggestion and drafted a statement
to reflect the Council discussion, the Board’s recommendations, and the
comments of more than 20 ASHP member reviewers.”
“The
Leadership in Practice section of the Statement goes on to say.
The ASHP Statement on Professionalism includes leadership as one of ten characteristics of a
professional, and the ASHP Statement on
the Roles and Responsibilities of the Pharmacy Executive explains the formal leadership roles of the pharmacy
executive. But neither of these
documents describes the
professional obligation every pharmacist has to serve as a leader in the safe
and effective use of medications.
Definitions of leadership
commonly focus on working toward goals and exerting influence. For example, Nahata states that “leadership is about a
vision, direction, strategies, motivating, and inspiring.” The focus on goals and influence guides understanding of
the inherent requirement for leadership in pharmacy. The success of current
pharmacy practice models, and of achieving the goal of implementing future
models that may emerge, rests on the ability of members of the profession to
successfully influence others. In the complex and evolving
health care environment, leadership from pharmacists is required to promote and
advance the profession and our care for patients. Thus, leadership is not an
option, it is a professional obligation.”
Check
out the complete Statement and think about how to help your pharmacists become
better leaders. Comments?
#EveryPharmacist #PharmacyLeadership