In October (American Pharmacists Month, or “APhM”), we will release the results of a survey APhA commissioned to gain insight into consumers’ medication habits and the relationship they have with their pharmacist. Results suggest we have some work to do as a profession to ensure that our patients see us as a partner in their health care. APhM is a perfect vehicle to get out that message. We’ll do our part with the media. I hope you will help us by letting your patients know that you are eager to become more involved in their health and to help them use their medications correctly.
“Know Your Medicine, Know Your Pharmacist” will again be the theme and call to action for this year’s campaign. Our consumer outreach efforts will place a special emphasis on using a personal medication record (PMR) to help patients get to know their pharmacist. Survey results revealed that only 28% of consumers carry an up-to-date list of their medications. The most common reason, the survey showed, that patients did not use medication lists was, “I never thought about it (49%).” Encourage your patients to keep a list and share it with all of their health care providers to minimize the risk of improper dosing, duplicating medications, and harmful drug interactions and side effects. I challenge all APhA members to get involved this APhM to help carry out APhA’s mission of improving medication use and advancing patient care. I’d also like to give a special thanks to McNeil Consumer Healthcare for their continued support of American Pharmacists Month.
If a retail RPH does not want to be an immunizer, is it legal for their place of work to pressure them to become one?
Hi Farris,
I spoke with an attorney pharmacist colleague who shared these perspectives. I caution you that this is not legal advice. Any decisions you may make that may affect your own employment status should be made in consultation with an attorney who represents you. With that caveat, I can tell you that there are legitimate ethics issues here, as well as employment law issues. While it might be a stretch to apply APhA’s policies on conscience clause where pharmacists choose not to dispense a product due to their moral or religious, it is possible based on the reasons one might have for not wanting to become an immunizer.
Employment law is another matter. Generally speaking, if the scope of practice in your state includes pharmacist authority to immunize, then your employer is on fairly solid ground to ask that pharmacists employed by them in that state become certified and fill the needs of patients in their pharmacies.
Hi Tom & Farris!
From what I know, the states that allow their RPhs to be immunizer do not require that RPhs who are not certified immunizer to become certified. A RPh can retain and practice pharmacy without being an immunizer. I do no think an employer can force or softly pressure their RPhs to become immunizer. That would be illegal because it is not a state requirement to practice pharmacy. I hope that help.
Hello all!
Being an immunizer is a priviledge afforded to pharmacists by their respective states not a requirement to practice the profession of pharmacy. Therefore, it would be illegal for an employer to force a RPh to become an immunizer to remain employed.