Observations on the management of a clinical department

Successful management of a contemporary pharmacy department requires a unique blend of skills. Perhaps one way to concisely describe the principal role of a manager of a clinical department is as one of advocacy. The manager must be an advocate for the patient, as a member of a clinical profession. The manager must be an advocate for the profession, in the belief that the profession has a unique contribution to make to patient care. The manager must be an advocate for the department in a hospital or institutional organization that is administratively compartmentalized and in which limited resources are available. Finally, the manager must be an advocate for the institution, having accepted the role of employee. Advocacy requires understanding the divergent points of view held by managers and professionals; the acceptably selfish interests of sick patients who are unconcerned with issues of autonomy, cost, and efficiency; and the ultimate goal of health care institutions. This is not an impossible challenge to achieve, but it calls forth the best in people who are to be successful.