There is a leadership crisis brewing in hospital pharmacy. It is predicted that 80% of pharmacy directors and 77% of middle
managers plan to resign over the next 10 years, which will leave a leadership crunch. "We are paying the price for this today,"
said Mark Woods, Pharm.D., FASHP, clinical coordinator and residency program director in the pharmacy department at Saint
Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, Mo.
Compounding the matter, there is a growing demand for pharmacy services and pharmacists across all practice settings due to
numerous factors. It is estimated that more than 7.2 billion prescriptions will be filled by 2020, and by 2030, 70 million
Americans will be over 65 years old, using three times more prescription medications than younger patients. To complicate
matters, the Pharmacy Manpower Project predicts that there will be a shortage of 160,000 pharmacists by 2020.
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Then, too, many Gen X pharmacists are opting out of the workforce in increasing numbers and working part-time at a higher
rate than older workers. Similarly, many women pharmacists are choosing to work part-time. "In 2004, two-thirds of pharmacy
degrees were earned by women. However, 26% of women work part-time, and they choose hospitals as their preferred setting.
With all these changes in the workforce, employers recognize the need to retain their employees," stated Jill True Robke,
Pharm.D., clinical specialist at Saint Luke's.
"Within the next year, it is predicted that 25% of pharmacists will be looking to change jobs. We need to ask ourselves why
that is," said Robke. "If they work at your institution, you want to ask yourself how you can improve retention. If positions
open at your institution, you want to know how you can recruit them." Competitive salaries are important for recruiting, but research has shown that there are other job factors, such as positive
relationships with supervisors and co-workers and having interesting work and opportunities for learning, that many men and
women value more.
"Compensation tends to be less important on the list of incentives in today's work environment," said Woods. "Compensation
can't be ignored, but people want to know that they're getting better at their jobs and they want to feel a sense of community
in the workplace. Given the workforce shortage, diversity, and workforce demand, pharmacy leaders must meet these requirements.
They have to meet the organization's objectives as well as be sensitive to the staff, which is our most valuable resource.
We need to develop a wide array of leadership skills and techniques to build successful departments."
Wanted: Leadership skills
Essential leadership toolbox items
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There are numerous tools leaders can utilize from their "leadership toolbox" to retain and keep their employees satisfied
in the workplace (see box). Two of the most important tools available to pharmacy leaders are coaching and mentoring. Young
pharmacists have high expectations for coaching. "One thing we have to keep in mind is that we have to tailor our coaching to the individual's unique needs," said Woods. "It
is not one-size-fits-all." Mentoring is a bidirectional process in which the leader must be willing to share what he or she
knows as well as be able to listen to the employee. "People are looking for more than just a job," he added. "They have to
believe that the work they are doing is meaningful and feel that they are getting better. Coaching and mentoring make people
feel that they are continuing to improve and upgrade their skill levels."
Leaders must strive to make the workplace a community, understand their workplace, and decrease the social distance between
themselves and the staff. Research has shown that high-involvement companies improve long-term productivity and profitability
through the concept of community.
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