office, I should leave everything at the office and then go home.’ I don’t know that that always is fully achievable. You really have to know that at a certain time, you have to commit extra time at work and accept that those are the terms of engagement.” Nancy Lyons, McKesson’s vice president and Health Mart’s chief pharmacy officer, pointed out that being humble and asking for assistance are beneficial in attaining senior level roles. In her 28-year pharmacy career, Lyons’ roles have included overseeing clinical programs for a chain, working in specialty pharmacy, a stint at Roche Diabetes, and development of continuing education for Drug Store News. Her initial position at McKesson was in operational development, and she assumed her current role after two years at the company. Knowing when to seek out others as a resource was critical to her growth, she said. “I’m never the smartest person in the room, but I work hard to find the people and resources needed for a successful project,” Lyons said. “It’s not efficient or sometimes even possible to try to know everything or be able to do everything needed to bring the projects through. Being comfortable knowing your limits and asking for that help with confidence is key.” There also is a consensus among current pharmacy leaders that being passionate about what you are involved in is crucial for success. “Our pharmacy managers go out and figure out how they can make a difference in the community,” Hy-Vee’s Williams said. “The biggest skill you have to have now in any job or industry is passion to do it because if you don’t have that passion, it shines through in your performance. Your heart has to be into it.” Lyons agreed. “If a pharmacist can find their passion and get to the top of the game in that area, the opportunity to turn that into a career is a lot greater,” she said.
Mentorship Matters Pharmacy industry leaders also contend that finding a mentor at any stage of one’s career is helpful in navigating the way to the top. New leaders at Walgreens usually have a peer mentor throughout their career, and the company will encourage team members to
seek out members outside their teams. When Carter was a pharmacy intern, he met someone at the support center “to lean on. Through the years, he has mentored me in many ways and helped me navigate the corporate culture and pharmacy to be successful and be the leader I am today,” he said. Williams reflected on the impact of her mentor, when she began working at a Hy-Vee’s Drug Town when she was 15 years old: “Two awesome pharmacists showed me what patient interaction and community involvement was all about.” Having mentors also aided Lyons’ career. “I have worked with a handful of some of the most inspiring pharmacists and mentors in the profession, many of whom I still am in contact with today. I owe each of them so much for the time they took to include me on a project, or to point out something that I could have done better, or to give me an opportunity to go try something,” she said, noting that she is mentoring a young female pharmacist who she believes has great leadership potential. AmerisourceBergen has developed its women in pharmacy initiative to help women excel on their career path in pharmacy ownership. “We partner female owners in our network with other women pharmacists who aspire to own their own store. This helps up-andcomers see the challenges and opportunities in owning a community pharmacy,” Zilka said. “Our female owners help new owners get established with such things as the loan process and ensure they have all the advantages needed to be successful. That mentor is someone they can bounce ideas off of and talk to about work-life balance.” Albertsons offers formal and informal mentorship programs, such as the Pharmacist Opportunity Program that prepares hightalent pharmacists identified by their division pharmacy managers for future pharmacy manager positions. Managers selected for this program meet quarterly to focus on topics, which may include profit and loss statement review, inventory management, or coaching. Albertsons also offers Virtual Coaching, a training for pharmacy managers to increase their knowledge base by pairing them with an experienced pharmacy manager who serves
as an ongoing resource and mentor. This program spans a six-month time period with monthly sessions that offer an introduction to the role of the pharmacy manager, operations essentials, inventory and personnel management, physical inventory, patient care services, and customer service. Many of Albertsons’ corporate associates also have informal mentoring relationships, and some associates may have more than one mentor. “The responsibilities vary for each role. Some pharmacists might find they are more involved in financial planning or negotiations, while others start assuming compliance or project management responsibilities,” Salemi said. “Regardless of what the responsibilities are, we entrust mentors and established associates to help guide the pharmacists as they rise in the ranks. When they succeed, we succeed.”
Plenty of Options When it comes to the types of leadership opportunities available in retail pharmacy, there are many traditional roles available, as well as some exciting new areas pharmacists can pursue. Hy-Vee’s leadership positions include traditional and newly created roles. For example, there is a pharmacist overseeing specialty pharmacy operations in 22 locations, a pharmacist leading its retail pharmacy operations in 264 locations, a pharmacist leading central fill, pharmacy supervisors that lead training and education, and a pharmacist who oversees getting clinics in its stores. At Bartell Drugs, the company’s senior manager for technology and systems, who started as a pharmacy manager, was named call center manager, and recently was promoted to senior manager of pharmacy systems and the call center. Another pharmacist was recently promoted to director of procurement and third-party payers. Chow insisted that in the future, pharmacist leaders will need the ability to create strategies for pharmacy’s success. “That forces you to be more creative in how you develop or devise strategies for your business plan and for your organization,” he said. “Your success is going to be dependent on how well you can adapt to this new environment.” dsn
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