Clinical pharmacists should begin investing in strategies and relationships that lay the foundation for effective and influential leadership, said speakers at a Sunday session of the Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exhibition.
The stakes are high, given the projected shortage of pharmacy leaders over the next decade, Alexandria Stringberg, a clinical pharmacist in internal medicine at The University of Kansas Health System, said at the session, Bedside Rounds to Boardroom Meetings: How to Develop Into an Influential Pharmacy Leader.
But clinical pharmacists, she said, have a logical road map to leadership, gaining expertise through residency, practice, and involvement in multidisciplinary committees and pharmacy initiatives.
“We can help fill this pipeline to becoming future pharmacy leaders,” said Stringberg.
Many institutions require advanced degrees and certifications to gain leadership positions, she noted, but pharmacists must do additional legwork on their own, seeking out both mentors to help with long-term goals and sponsors to assist with organizational advancement.
Speaker Laura Butkievich, pharmacy manager for quality, regulatory, and research at University of Missouri Health Care, encouraged budding leaders to reflect on questions about preferred practice areas before deciding what type of leadership position to seek. So a clinical pharmacist practicing at the bedside, for example, could decide to become a clinical coordinator or make moves to lead in an operational role.
Butkievich also discussed challenges faced by new leaders, including overseeing former colleagues, and outlined strategies to handle evolving relationships. Importantly, she said, new leaders who have moved up the ladder in their organizations must remember to let go of the day-to-day details of their previous role.
“Sometimes it’s really hard for people to see outside of that role,” she said.
Speaker William Justin Moore, practice coordinator for the antimicrobial and diagnostic stewardship program at Northwestern Medicine, discussed ways new leaders can set themselves up for success, including understanding organization-wide goals and priorities. “If I’m making a request for additional resources, what’s the background, what does a budget look like for them," he said. "Knowing some of that can really help inform my approach in those situations.”
He encouraged participants to write down goals, take time for self-reflection, and expand knowledge of the business language that may not resonate with clinicians but is a mainstay of executive suites.
“I remember early in my career I’d panic and Google it in the hallway before a meeting,” he said to laughter. “But the more you can set yourself up for success by expanding your knowledge base, with key terms, I think it’ll make you more comfortable in the moment so you can address questions and respond appropriately.”
Learning to translate clinical success is also key, he said. Pharmacists can highlight how their teams shorted duration of therapies, for example, but that doesn’t register with executive leaders, who need to know more about readmissions or length of stay.
“We need to know the barometers of success and how we are going to get buy-in for more resources,” said Moore. “Is it a quality indicator, is it patient safety, is it financial? Start with the end goal in mind and work backwards.”
Organizations should also have a culture that values the additional work that pharmacists take on to become leaders.
“You feel like you’re doing more and more. You’re doing projects, you’re writing manuscripts, you’re involved in organizations. There’s always a breaking point. But really most professionals realize you have to take these opportunities to grow,” he said. “However it’s also crucial for executive leaders in these organizations to recognize the value of these contributions and support them.”
Additionally, pharmacists need to find out if there is a formal leadership development program in their institution and, if not, help advocate for one. Moore cited a 2021 survey published in AJHP showing 42 percent of respondents said their organizations didn’t have such programs and nearly a third didn’t know one way or the other.
“Go back to your institution and start poking around. If you don’t have these resources, start to build processes to make them happen,” Moore said. “This is something you can’t do alone. We need institutional and cultural promotion of leadership.”
