Optimizing the Pharmacy Workforce to
Promote Patient Care
Promote Patient Care
Since my clinical pharmacy training and internship, I have been interested in the efficient use of the pharmacy workforce—helping pharmacists, student pharmacists, and technicians to practice at the top of their capabilities. As demands for pharmacy practice increase, there is a need to optimize role distribution among pharmacy team members. My various projects have investigated numerous initiatives to redistribute roles within the pharmacy: supporting pharmacists in the completion of clinical services, finding novel uses for student pharmacists in the patient care process, and delegating technical dispensing tasks to certified pharmacy technicians. I am able to view these problems through a Health Systems Engineering lens to apply a human factors approach to pharmacy team and job design. As the profession of pharmacy continues to evolve, this research will be crucial to ensure that the pharmacy workforce is sustainable and promotes quality patient care.
Tech-Check-Tech Initiatives
Officially my first foray in community "research!" During my second year of pharmacy school (2015) a colleague and I created a poster describing what tech-check-tech initiatives would look like in community pharmacies in Pennsylvania.
Coincidentally, we cited initiatives underway in Wisconsin through the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW). Little did I know I would be working with those same folks in just a few years!
I contracted with PSW in 2018 to assess the impact of a tailored focus groups and facilitated tech-check-tech ("delegate-check-delegate") implementation on pharmacist completion of Comprehensive Medication Reviews. This aligns with my personal vision to promote individuals working at the top of their capacities!
The Role of Student Pharmacists and Interns
In addition to technicians, there is also a unique role for student pharmacists! This presentation describes my first encounter with official research (and my first IRB submission) in 2016.
I was working with Rite Aid, where they had a district wide initiative to use their student interns to help implement the chain-wide medication synchronization ("med-sync") program. I interviewed my colleagues to establish best practices to not only med-sync acceptance but also the use of this unique workforce.
I was presenting these findings at a Midwest conference when I first met my eventual PhD advisor, Michelle Chui and the folks at UW-Madison!
Selected Publications and Presentations
Watterson TL, Martin E, Pearson C, Psyck R, Grant M, Trapskin K. Using CFIR to Assess Pharmacist Perceptions of Barriers to Providing Comprehensive Medication Reviews. Academy Health Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation. 2019 December; Washington, DC, United States.
Watterson TL, Abraham O, McGivney MS. Implementing Medication Synchronization in a Chain Pharmacy: The Role of Pharmacy Interns. American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting. 2016 March; Baltimore, MD, United States.
Watterson TL, Zeis KR, Antinopoulous B, McGivney MS. Optimizing Patient Care: Tech-Check-Tech Initiative. Pennsylvania Pharmacist Association Mid-Year Meeting. 2015 February; Harrisburg, PA, United States.