Training Future Pharmacists to Optimize the Healthcare Workforce

Many efforts are taking place to improve the quality of healthcare and reduce healthcare cost. Pharmacists play a key role in optimizing the healthcare workforce, and colleges of pharmacy are adapting to this need by emphasizing skills needed to improve quality health measures, interprofessional collaboration and communication, and supplying quality drug information. The University of Hawai'i at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy has incorporated additional pharmacy practice experience electives to teach pharmacy students to analyze and optimize workflow, identify high-risk patients in need of intervention, and work collaboratively with providers to decrease patient burden. The pharmacy curriculum has also increased the number of interprofessional educational events for enhancing interprofessional collaboration and communication, including in a telehealth setting. Furthermore, the college of pharmacy has increased the number of drug information assignments and practical exams to increase competency and the speed of providing quality, evidence-based drug information to providers. This article presents on overview of the health care workforce needs and examples of the increased efforts to train future pharmacists in Hawai'i to improve healthcare access and quality of patient care, as well as decrease healthcare costs.