Report of the 2020-2021 Strategic Engagement Standing Committee

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice and Education
• Public Health
• Interprofessional Education

Background:

• Strategic engagement is vital for pharmacy schools to expand practice and fulfill missions.
• The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily expanded pharmacist practice authority across various states.
• Previous committee work and presidential charges informed the current committee's focus.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify strategies to sustain pandemic-driven expansions in pharmacist practice.
• Develop a collaborative plan with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to advance interprofessional practice.
• Build upon temporary practice expansions to achieve permanent changes.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature and previous committee reports.
• Analysis of state-specific expansions in pharmacist scope of practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Exploration of potential collaborative models with medical education counterparts.

Main Results:

• Several temporary expansions in pharmacist scope of practice were observed during the pandemic.
• The need for sustained practice advancements and interprofessional collaboration was highlighted.
• Opportunities exist to build upon temporary expansions for long-term policy changes.

Conclusions:

• Sustaining expanded pharmacist practice requires strategic planning and policy advocacy.
• Interprofessional collaboration with organizations like the AAMC is crucial for advancing healthcare.
• Leveraging pandemic-induced changes can lead to lasting improvements in pharmacy's role in public health.