American Society Of Health-System Pharmacists Task Force Recommends Strategies For Managing Diverse Workforce
The Task Force was composed of a diverse group that included health-system pharmacists, a nurse, a physician as well as a futurist and a sociologist. The group explored the implications of recent trends in the pharmacy workforce, including generational differences, a changing gender mix, and ethnic and racial diversity.
The Task Force report offers recommendations that will help health system practice accommodate the differing needs of its workforce. The report suggests that:
-- ASHP should development a comprehensive plan to assist pharmacy practice managers in setting up plans for staffing and delivery of patient care services that take into account the current and projected demographics of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians;
-- Practice managers should create opportunities that will develop leadership skills in all pharmacy staff members , including combining clinical and management functions into the responsibilities of specific functions and creating a formal succession plan; and
-- Practitioners should propose flexible scheduling solutions that help achieve work-personal life balance and meet the needs of their institutions.
The modern workforce places a greater emphasis than previous generations on achieving an optimal work- life balance as evidenced by a growing interest in career paths that allow for flexible work schedules. This emphasis along with the aging of the pharmacy workforce has also contributed to a shortage of pharmacy managers and leaders.
Addressing the issue is important for the profession because the increase in demand for pharmacy services can exacerbate the current shortage of pharmacists said ASHP President Cynthia Brennan, Pharm.D. "The diversity of today's workforce certainly enriches our profession. We hope that this report will stimulate the development of innovative strategies that will capitalize on the strengths that diversity affords us."
ASHP will incorporate the recommendations directed at the Society into its policy-development process this fall. The Society also is planning educational programming at its Summer and Midyear Clinical meetings and is launching an online Work Force Resource Center.
The full report is available online here. Enter "ashppr" when prompted for a username and password.
For more than 60 years, ASHP has helped pharmacists who practice in hospitals and health systems improve medication use and enhance patient safety. The Society's 30,000 members include pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who practice in inpatient, outpatient, home-care, and long-term-care settings, as well as pharmacy students. For more information about the wide array of ASHP activities and the many ways in which pharmacists help people make the best use of medicines, visit ASHP's Web site, http://www.ashp.org, or its consumer Web site, http://www.SafeMedication.com.
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
Societãþii americane de sãnãtate-sistem de farmaciºti Grupul de lucru recomandã diverse strategii de gestionare a forþei de muncã - American Society Of Health-System Pharmacists Task Force Recommends Strategies For Managing Diverse Workforce - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate