February 22, 2007
Making managers — for pharmacies
The UW School of Pharmacy has created a new joint Pharmacy Management/Master’s in Health Administration (MHA) residency program to help address the acute need for management-trained pharmacists in hospitals and other patient care institutions.
Starting this summer, the School will welcome at least one new resident a year to the two-year program. Participants will complete one year of pharmacy residency practice, then one year of a specialty residency in pharmacy management at UWMC, Harborview or the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA.) During this time they will also be taking MHA classes. This dual program is the ideal way to prepare participants for work on interdisciplinary teams, where pharmacy managers collaborate with physicians, hospital administrators and nurses to provide complete, high-value, cost-effective patient care, organizers said. Graduates of the program will have the experience and skills needed to become successful managers in both in-patient and ambulatory settings.
UWMC Pharmacy Director Shabir Somani is very excited about the new program. “We are going to be playing an important role in developing future pharmacy management leaders,” says Somani, “and helping to eliminate the shortage of pharmacy managers in the institutional setting.”
Pharmacy management is a demanding, but fulfilling career that unites both the business and clinical aspects of patient care. Institutional pharmacy managers play a strategic role in creating health care practices to meet patient and institutional needs, today and in the future. Unfortunately, our nation has a shortage of management trained pharmacists. Yet, less than half of the country’s Schools of Pharmacy currently offer any type of dual pharmacy/management program. As our health care system continues to adapt to society’s needs, the UW School of Pharmacy is proud to offer a comprehensive education for individuals wishing to become leaders in the influential area of institutional pharmacy management, organizers said.
Pharmacists who have a strong interest in pharmacy management and are interested in advancing their career in institutional pharmacy management should contact Janet Kelly, outcomes and cost management pharmacist, UWMC Pharmacy Services, at rxpress@u.washington.edu or Cindy Wilson, supervisor, inpatient pharmacy, HMC Pharmacy Services at cinwil@u.washington.edu to learn more about the joint Pharmacy Management/MHA program.
