AH040 - Celebrating Women Pharmacist Day 2024

Transcript

Lightly edited for clarity.

[00:27] Justin Venneri: Hello and thank you for listening to this episode of the Astonishing Healthcare podcast. This is Justin Venneri, your host and Director of Communications at Capital Rx. And today in the studio, I have four women pharmacists on our Capital Rx team across departments. This should be a fun discussion. We're going to be celebrating Women's Pharmacist Day, October 12. So first off, we have Amy Stockton, who's returning to the podcast. We have Lauren Carroll, Symara Schmidt, and Marissa Miller. I'm gonna let them introduce themselves and their roles and then we'll get into the questions. Amy, would you like to go first?

[00:59] Amy Stockton, PharmD: Sure. Hello again, Justin. Thanks for having me today. I'm a pharmacist with Capital Rx. I've been here about four years and started with the team as a Clinical Care Pharmacist during the evening shift and then eventually led that team. And now I work as a customer success manager and my main focus with Capital Rx is PAT, which is our prior authorization tool.

[01:24] Justin Venneri: Amazing. Lauren, how about you?

[01:25] Lauren Carroll, PharmD, BCACP: Hi, my name is Lauren Carroll. I have been a pharmacist for about seven years and with Capital Rx for just over one year. And I am a Clinical Program Manager here at Capital Rx.

[01:37] Justin Venneri: Excellent. Welcome to the show, Symara.

[01:40] Symara Schmidt, PharmD, BCGP: Hey, Justin. Thanks for having me on. My name is Symara, and I am the Director of Compliance Programs here at Capital Rx. While I've only been here for about two months now, I have been a pharmacist for eleven years, so had the opportunity to be in different areas of the industry.

[01:56] Justin Venneri: Welcome. And you may be the newest Capital Rx employee to be on the podcast. Welcome.

[02:02] Symara Schmidt, PharmD, BCGP: The rite of passage at this point.

[02:04] Justin Venneri: Yes, it's becoming that. It's great. And last but not least, Marissa.

[02:08] Marissa Miller, PharmD: Good morning. My name is Marissa. I am a Clinical Account Manager here at Capital Rx. I've been with the team for about six months, but I have been a pharmacist for six years.

[02:19] Justin Venneri: All right, I think we'll start off with what does Women Pharmacist Day mean to you? Lauren, you want to kick us off?

[02:25] Lauren Carroll, PharmD, BCACP: Sure. So, Women Pharmacist Day to me is about honoring all of the female pharmacists that came before me and created the opportunity for me to even be a pharmacist. Today, it's also honoring all the females currently practicing in the field of pharmacy who are paving the way for the next generation of women pharmacists to practice at the top of their license.

[02:46] Justin Venneri: Amy, do you have anything you'd like to add to that?

[02:49] Amy Stockton, PharmD: Sure. For me, it's a celebration of the strides that women have made in the profession of pharmacy. And when I graduated pharmacy school, which was approaching 20 years ago now, it was mostly male dominated field. So over the course of my career, it's been pretty neat to see that shift happen. And for me, it's also about supporting other women in the field and celebrating those individual successes as well.

[03:12] Justin Venneri: Okay, second question, and I'm going to come to you, Symara. How do you celebrate Women Pharmacist Day?

[03:18] Symara Schmidt, PharmD, BCGP: Yeah. Since Women Pharmacist Day falls on a Saturday, this year, I'm actually going to celebrate by not working, and I think it's really important. Like Amy and Lauren talked about, maybe I don't recognize the struggles that women have been through in pharmacy. Before me, when I graduated, most of my class was women pharmacists. So, it's kind of neat to acknowledge the history and where we came from and celebrate where we are today.

[03:43] Justin Venneri: That makes sense. Lauren, anything you'd like to add?

[03:46] Lauren Carroll, PharmD, BCACP: No. I think Symara, you know, hit the nail on the head. Pharmacists have come a long way. When you speak to older generations of pharmacists who were primarily dispensing medications in a retail setting. I think they are amazed at all of the different roles that pharmacists fill today in hospitals, clinical settings, in our field of managed care. So it's really neat to see how far we've come.

[04:09] Justin Venneri: All right, next question. Marissa, what would you tell your younger pharmacist self if you could go back in time?

[04:15] Marissa Miller, PharmD: So if I could go back, I would definitely try to explain to myself that not everything is so black and white, and most people and scenarios really exist in that gray area. Coming out of school, we feel like everything's straight out of the textbook, and we think we know everything about the rules of leadership and medication. And then you meet and you work with real people, and you realize that that's not the case, especially for me. Once I had a family of my own, I realized there's a lot more that contributes to what something's presenting, what someone's presenting with. So if they show up at your pharmacy or if it's your staff coming into work or here in the managed care setting, I work directly with clients and brokers, and we're coming into these HR meetings. There's so much more to the story and what we can see at surface level. So trying to keep that in mind is something I didn't have fresh out of school.

[05:05] Justin Venneri: A good one. You're right. Depending on what your kid gets into, I've got three. You never know what they have.

[05:13] Marissa Miller, PharmD: I've got a three year old and a ten month old right now. So I'm in the thick of every day is a new adventure.

[05:18] Justin Venneri: Ah, congrats. That's awesome. Thank you. Symara, anything you'd add to that one?

[05:22] Symara Schmidt, PharmD, BCGP: Yeah. So I really had to think about this question, but what I really wanted to tell myself, thinking back to college days, would be, there is so much opportunity. There will be so much opportunity. And by that I mean I would tell myself to dream big and stay nimble about how I plan to achieve my goals. And kind of building on what Marissa said, I think coming out of school, you have this black and white plan of, by three years, I'm going to be here. By five years, I'm going to be here. And here's how I achieved that, right? But even just thinking back, like when I graduated, really, you'd stand up in the room and say, yep, I'm going to retail, or, yep, I'm going to hospital. And that seemed like kind of the end of your choices. But now we have telehealth, we have remote work, we have virtual networking via LinkedIn. So I think that's really just exploded the opportunities for pharmacists. And I think that's really neat.

[06:15] Justin Venneri: It definitely is. I mean, that was kind of the point of our episode with you, Amy, earlier this year, you know, highlighting the unique role that you and your team play in the managed care setting, in supporting the customer contact center and the other groups on the clinical side as needed. So I'll come to you, Amy, with the next question. It's Women Pharmacist Day within Pharmacy Month. What do you think pharmacists do that is underappreciated and worth celebrating? Can you give me an example or two?

Related Content

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[06:40] Amy Stockton, PharmD: You bet. There are so many things that pharmacists do. Most pharmacists I know started in this profession because they wanted to help people. I think if you ask any of us, most of us will give that response. Pharmacists are often the most accessible healthcare professionals, at least in the traditional settings. I think that's a really big responsibility, and it can make such a difference in a patient, in a managed care setting, as we all are. I think we're also still very member focused, and there are so many things that we do that no one will ever really see. But to ensure that our members are taken care of, a lot of behind the scenes stuff to make sure that members get what they need. I think we're all still very member focused here.

[07:21] Justin Venneri: Marissa, would you like to chime in on that one?

[07:24] Marissa Miller, PharmD: Yeah. I mean, related to what Amy said, I think pharmacists really have a knack for relationship building. No matter what industry you're working in, you can tie it back to the root of building relationships with others and really looking out for each other.

[07:37] Justin Venneri: That makes sense. And working with so many of you across the team, I think that's very true. Next question. How have women pharmacists made a difference in the pharmacy field and the lives of patients, and how have you contributed to this mission? Lauren, you wanna take that?

[07:52] Lauren Carroll, PharmD, BCACP: Yeah. So at this point in time, women make up about 60% of pharmacists. So, without women, this field would simply not thrive. So great job, all you women pharmacists out there. Personally, I've worked in multiple different roles throughout my career. I've made impacts to individual patients by educating them about their medications and recommending therapy changes to their doctors. I've also impacted large populations of patients by implementing clinical programs to help ensure medications are prescribed and dispensed safely and effectively. I think one of the biggest reasons women excel in this field is, like we talked about earlier, we truly care about our patients and their clinical outcomes, and we're gonna go the extra mile to make sure they're taken care of, no matter what role we're playing in the industry.

[08:37] Justin Venneri: Got it. Amy, anything you'd add to that one?

[08:39] Amy Stockton, PharmD: Yeah, I have some thoughts there, too. I think women are often natural caretakers, whether you have children or not. I mean, even with parents or other family members. So I think that really naturally transitions to pharmacy. I'd like to think that I've contributed to other women in the profession, maybe not even pharmacists, but technicians or interns, residents. I really enjoy watching others succeed, and hopefully I've been able to help other women on their pharmacy journey through mentoring.

[09:10] Justin Venneri: I really like that. That's great. Next question. As a woman pharmacist, what do you think your biggest obstacles have been and how have you overcome them? I know we've discussed some good stats already and seen the transition in the pharmacist workforce from male dominated to now majority women. But are there any other obstacles? Symara?

[09:29] Symara Schmidt, PharmD, BCGP: Sure. So I'm going to go back to early in my career when I was a developing professional, one of the challenges that I faced was navigating the balance between being assertive while maintaining a positive perception as a female manager. When I noticed that men exhibited this directness and firmness in kind of their day to day, it was often well received, but I sometimes struggled being perceived the same way. So that experience really taught me the importance of developing kind of my own leadership style that emphasized clear communication, confidence, while also being mindful about how that comes across. So overall, it was just a valuable lesson in finding my voice and navigating being a woman. How does that come off? How can I have both qualities that can coexist and still be approachable?

[10:15] Justin Venneri: I think that's super helpful in compliance, right?

[10:17] Symara Schmidt, PharmD, BCGP: Absolutely.

[10:18] Justin Venneri: Marissa, anything you'd add on that question?

[10:20] Marissa Miller, PharmD: Yeah, I think the biggest obstacle for me has definitely been balancing motherhood and a pharmacy career at the same time. That comes with every day is a new challenge. But thankfully, there are companies like Capital Rx that really value the flexibility and the culture that it takes to support women who want to raise a family but be passionate about their career at the same time.

[10:42] Justin Venneri: Agreed. That is definitely one of the biggest struggles I hear from colleagues and just in general. My wife's a nurse, and there's a high degree of understanding. And then all of a sudden, here we are. Last question. We had prepared for this Women Pharmacist Day celebration. What are your hopes for the future of pharmacy and women's role in it? Lauren, wanna kick us off on this last question?

[11:04] Lauren Carroll, PharmD, BCACP: Sure. So, my hope is that pharmacists will get the recognition and support we deserve and continue to advance our scope and practice. You know, pharmacy schools have expanded the type of training pharmacists are provided, ensuring that we have a wide range of skills that go beyond the more traditional roles. And so I just hope that we continue to keep advancing our scope of practice. And as women pharmacists, we can ensure that happens by proving day in and day out that we are a value add.

[11:32] Justin Venneri: I love that. Amy, over to you.

[11:35] Amy Stockton, PharmD: Thanks. Yeah. I hope pharmacists just continue to work together to really better the profession, because when we're better as a group, our members and patients are better taken care of. I would say we haven't historically been very good at working together as a group to make positive changes, but I really think that we're seeing a lot of progress being made there. And I'm also just really excited to continue to see more women become leaders. There are so many women pharmacists now for me to look up to, especially within Capital Rx, and I really do love that.

[12:05] Justin Venneri: Symara, anything you'd add?

[12:06] Symara Schmidt, PharmD, BCGP: Well, everyone else answered so amazingly. I think I'll just recap it for us. So, go for it. It would be great to see increased representation, like a few of us touched on, to seeing more people like yourself in leadership roles. I think really does a lot. I think that inspires the future generations. And me, myself, as a female leader, I hope to be that for others and really just building that supportive community. So, more women pharmacists coming together, being open about their challenges, being open about their experiences and lifting each other up and then pushing the boundaries of innovation and our impact. I think a lot of us have started off in retail and know what that face-to-face interaction looks like. So, I would like to see us push the boundaries even more and work those nontraditional roles, work in tech, and really push that clinical impact out from different points of view.

[12:58] Justin Venneri: That's a really good one. Marissa, round us out here.

[13:01] Marissa Miller, PharmD: Yeah, I agree with Symara. I'd like to see all of the paths and opportunities in pharmacy be available from the beginning of your pharmacy career. I think a lot of pharmacy schools are still pushing, you know, two channels, but there's so much out there and there's so much opportunity to evolve your career into really what works for you and your life and your personality. And so having options to get directly into these kinds of roles, like managed care, like the industry, is really going to allow women to excel in leadership right from the beginning versus having to go a certain route first and put in all those extra years at the beginning in a field that really isn't the best fit for them.

[13:37] Symara Schmidt, PharmD, BCGP: So, yeah, I kind of had a thought about that as well. Like when we're talking about how pharmacists are underappreciated. And I really thought back to the folks in retail again, I came from there. I know what that looks like. 57% of pharmacists work in retail today. So that's a whole lot of us. But yeah, like providing this valuable clinical advice, clinical opinions, and we are free and accessible. No other clinician do I know just doles out information without getting reimbursed for it. Like, you go to a doctor, you have to pay them, pay a copay, even telehealth, you pay for a visit fee, right? And I'm not saying that we should charge every customer that walks up $10 to look at their rashy child, but I think with some legislation and pushing for fair compensation, we deserve to be compensated for the valuable advice that we get and I’m excited to see that happening at the state level.

[14:30] Justin Venneri: Okay, I love that and I completely agree. I think everybody in the field, as you know, the scope of practice expands up to the top of the license and you spend more time doing more value added things that reimbursement should follow. So I thank you all for joining me today for this celebration episode of the Astonishing Healthcare podcast, and I look forward to staying in touch and hopefully having some of you back on.

[14:51] Marissa Miller, PharmD: Thank you for having us.

[14:53] Symara Schmidt, PharmD, BCGP: Great discussion. Justin, thank you for having us all on.

[14:56] Amy Stockton, PharmD: Yes, really enjoyed that today. Thank you, Justin.

[14:58] Justin Venneri: My pleasure. Have a great weekend.

[15:00] Symara Schmidt, PharmD, BCGP: Have a great Woman Pharmacist Day!

[15:02] Lauren Carroll, PharmD, BCACP: Happy Women's Pharmacist Day!

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