JANUARY 2016 – Pharmacy Management in Canada is proving to be a useful resource for faculties of pharmacy across the country. Produced by the Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy, seven pharmacy schools have added the all-Canadian textbook to their curricula as required reading.
Roderick Slavcev, Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy, says there’s never been a more important time for the profession to learn leadership, management and business skills. “I believe that it is the responsibility of any educational program to properly equip its graduates with the necessary skills and capabilities to not just survive in their professional environment, but thrive and lead,” he says. “This [textbook] is a noble step in this direction and will serve as required text for the core strategic management course.”
“This textbook is an important addition to the portions of the curriculum that focus on practical ways to put the students’ new clinical skills into practice,” adds Kelly Grindrod, Assistant Professor at U of W’s School of Pharmacy. “These courses include the upper level pharmacy practice courses, the business course and communication course.”
It’s not just the school set that sees the merits of Pharmacy Management in Canada. Rita Winn, Chief Operating Officer at Lovell Drugs, has ordered a copy for each of the chain’s 12 stores. “This textbook has a little bit of everything and I thought it would be a great reference for all of the management team,” she says. “I got one for my right-hand person as well.”
Dayle Acorn, CFP’s Executive Director, says he is excited by the interest among educators and corporate pharmacy alike. “We’ve sold more than 600 copies since launching the textbook this past summer and I continue to get interest every week,” he says. “We’re very proud of this textbook and think it will serve as an important resource for pharmacists and students for years to come.”
Acorn also helped spread the word with an article in the January issue of Pharmacy Business magazine.