Revisiting "The strengths of pharmacy": the 1953 Remington Medal address

Five reasons for the continued strength of the pharmacy profession, each of which was originally proposed in 1953 by Hugh Muldoon, are explored in this address by 1990 Remington Medalist Joseph A. Oddis. The strengths of pharmacy in the 1990s are based on the same factors that served the profession well in the 1950s. As outlined in Muldoon's 1953 Remington Medal address, these factors are (1) pharmacists' character and motivation, (2) the profession's public trust, (3) the profession's respect for education, (4) pharmacy's willingness to confront its problems, and (5) pharmacy's concern for the future. Today's pharmacists are strongly motivated; they continue to strive to raise the level of services provided in all practice settings and to maximize their value to patients. Pharmacists retain a high degree of public trust; they should take advantage of this position to expand their scope of services in areas such as managed care. During the 1990s pharmacy's concern for education is focused on pharmacy work force needs as a whole, including issues related to technical personnel and specialization as well as the role of the Pharm.D. degree in the overall education program. Pharmacy's willingness to resolve its problems is evident in the growth of such organizations as the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners, which has allowed the profession to achieve strength through unity. Pharmacy's concern for the future is reflected in the deliberations at recent conferences on Pharmacy in the 21st Century, where participants concurred that pharmacy's highest priority is to demonstrate and communicate to others its value in health care.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)