A pharmacy director is in charge of a pharmacy’s entire drug dispensing operation. Hospitals and medical clinics are common places to find these positions. Personnel administration, adherence to policies and procedures, and customer service may all fall under the purview of a pharmacy director. The director is also in charge of budget planning and administration, as well as initiating and participating in interdepartmental communications.
In a hospital, the pharmacy is frequently considered a department; it is frequently viewed as a revenue-generating entity rather than a division of hospital services. The pharmacy director is expected to have the knowledge and experience necessary to implement strategic planning and keep the pharmacy profitable. It is expected to be fiercely competitive with the community’s independent pharmacies.
One of the pharmacy director’s responsibilities is to hire and train personnel. She is expected to have a staff that is knowledgeable about drug dispensing as well as procedures and protocols. In a health-care setting, where many customers are recently released patients, good customer service skills are especially important.
The ever-changing nature of the health-care industry necessitates that a pharmacy director be aware of new industry trends in order to properly prioritize budget and administrative goals and meet the clinic or hospital’s needs. Patients’ and the community’s needs must also be taken into account.
The pharmacy director, as a department head, usually has a say in proposing and developing goals and directions aimed at improving departmental performance across the hospital or clinic. She must also keep up to date on community concerns and issues in order to incorporate them into her ideas and presentations. In her general communications, she frequently emphasizes the pharmacy’s financial and public relations contributions.
Her personality should be outgoing and friendly, while inspiring respect and confidence, because the pharmacy director’s job requires excellent communication skills as well as administrative excellence. The position also necessitates excellent organizational and human resource skills. It is preferable if you have prior experience with systems and project management. In order to be considered for this position, you should have a background in personnel administration or extensive experience dealing with physicians and other health-care professionals.
Background as an administrative director or leader of a hospital-based committee or board is strongly preferred, as is solid experience in a health or hospital system environment. A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy and hospital administration is usually required, as well as the appropriate pharmacy license for your region. A master’s or doctorate degree in a relevant field may be preferred.