Pharmacists provide care services and must be comfortable interacting with individuals and communities. They must also be ready to share the possessed expert knowledge with patients and other healthcare professionals.
In 1997, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the seven-star pharmacist concept covering the different roles that each pharmacist must perform – Caregiver, Decision-maker, Communicator, Manager, Lifelong learner, Teacher, and Leader.
Caregiver
According to Fladger Associates, pharmacists are responsible for providing the public with quality healthcare and pharmaceutical care. They use their clinical, formulation, quality control, and practical knowledge to assure the safety of medications/medicines in compliance with government policies/regulations. They also provide patient pharmaceutical education and counseling.
This role involves the pharmacist’s ability to identify a patient’s needs, assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of drugs/medicines, and determine whether a new or existing drug/medicine is safe and appropriate for use. This requires strong interpersonal skills and an understanding of the patient’s situation. The pharmacist is also a link between physicians and patients and should be knowledgeable about the latest pharmaceuticals with confident communication abilities.
Pharmacists are often required to assume leadership roles in multidisciplinary care situations or areas where other healthcare providers are not readily available. Consequently, they must be comfortable with their role as a leader and should be able to develop and implement effective leadership strategies.
Pharmacists must also be able to lead teams of other healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, dentists, and technicians. In addition, they must be able to effectively manage natural and commercial resources, establish departmental policies and procedures, and manage projects and quality assurance programs.
Decision-maker
Pharmacists must be able to make decisions that affect the health and safety of patients. They must be able to use their knowledge and expertise to make decisions about patient care, pharmacy operations, drug development, and quality assurance. They must also be able to make effective decisions in emergency situations.
They must be able to communicate with physicians, other healthcare professionals, and the public. This includes verbal and non-verbal communication, listening skills, and written communication. They must be able to communicate complex information clearly and concisely. They must also be able to provide pharmaceutical education to patients.
Pharmacists are responsible for ensuring that their products meet strict standards for quality and safety. They must be able to manage natural and commercial resources and develop policies and procedures that support their work. They must also be able to plan and evaluate their work. They must be able to identify opportunities for improvement and take action to ensure the best outcomes for patients. In addition, pharmacists must be able to supervise other pharmacists. This includes overseeing the quality and safety of drugs, developing training programs, and implementing new technologies.
Communicator
The pharmacist is an important link in the chain of healthcare, providing the public with accurate information on medicines. They are also responsible for ensuring the safe supply of drugs/medicines and patient pharmaceutical education. They must be able to communicate effectively with other health professionals and patients to provide the best care possible.
In this context, pharmacists need to have good communication skills to be able to relay complex and sensitive information in a clear way. This can be done by utilizing verbal and non-verbal communication. It is also crucial for pharmacists to have excellent customer service skills, which will help them build rapport with patients and other healthcare professionals.
Pharmacists must be able to use evidence-based databases to make decisions and counsel patients about their medications. They should also be able to interact with interprofessional teams and participate in community services. In addition, they must be able to identify and manage medical therapy problems. Moreover, they must have good research and leadership skills to be able to advance in the profession. These skills are important because they will enable pharmacists to work more closely with physicians and provide quality care to the public.
Manager
A pharmacist is a member of the health care team. He/she is responsible for providing pharmaceutical care services to individuals and the community. These services include drug formulation/quality control, pharmacy administration, patient pharmaceutical education and counseling, patient pharmaceutical care, and hospital/pharmacy management.
He/she must also communicate effectively with patients and other health care professionals. This involves verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
In addition, pharmacists must be able to manage natural and commercial resources such as manpower, physical resources, financial resources, and pharmaceutical materials. This requires developing and maintaining department policies, goals, objectives, quality assurance programs, safety, and environmental and infection control standards.
Pharmacists must also be lifelong learners and engage in research within their professional practice. They must be able to apply theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and clinical expertise to improve patient outcomes and promote the public’s well-being. In short, a seven-star pharmacist is someone who meets the highest professional and ethical standards. He/she is a caregiver, a decision-maker, a communicator, a manager, and a lifelong learner.
Lifelong learner
A lifelong learner is someone who is always seeking to gain new skills and knowledge. Whether it is a new hobby or an online course that will help them become more efficient at work, there are no limits to what a lifelong learner can achieve. This kind of learning often leads to career advancement, a greater sense of personal fulfillment, and even increased employability.
To be a lifelong learner, it is important to have the right mindset. This means that you have to be self-motivated and eager to learn new things. You need to be able to identify which topics interest you and make time in your day for them. This may involve taking a break from your phone or spending less time watching TV and more time reading a book or trying a new recipe in the kitchen.
A lifelong learner is also willing to share her expert knowledge with others. This can include providing advice to patients, contributing to the development of evidence-based medicine and pharmacy practice, or participating in clinical research. By doing so, she can contribute to the health improvement of the public and improve patient care.
Teacher
Pharmacists must be comfortable interacting with individuals and groups and view their work as integrated and continuous with the health care system and other health professionals. Whether their services are clinical, analytical, technological, or regulatory, they must be able to provide them efficiently and cost-effectively. They must also be comfortable managing resources (human, physical, and financial) as well as information.
Pharmacists are often the liaison between physicians and patients. They need to be knowledgeable about all drugs and confident when speaking with other health professionals and the general public. Effective communication skills allow pharmacists to gather the appropriate patient information, explain drug-related information in a way that is understandable and accessible, and deliver pharmaceutical education to the community.
These skills must be developed and nurtured throughout a pharmacist’s career. A strong foundation should be laid in pharmacy school and reinforced through continuing education opportunities, research projects, and participation as a teacher. In addition, pharmacists should be encouraged to collaborate with other healthcare team members and take on leadership roles. These leaders must be willing to help other practitioners and the public and serve as role models for future generations of pharmacists.
Leader
Pharmacists are responsible for educating and dispensing medications to patients. They also provide information and recommendations on the use of medications to ensure their appropriate and safe use. They work in collaboration with other healthcare professionals to provide high-quality patient medical care. They also develop and maintain department policies, goals, objectives, quality assurance programs, and safety, environmental, and infection control standards.
The seven-star pharmacist concept was introduced by the World Health Organization in 1997 and covers the various roles that each pharmacist must perform: caregiver, decision-maker, communicator, manager, life-long learner, teacher, and leader. Two additional roles – researcher and entrepreneur – were added later to become the nine-star pharmacist concept.
To fulfill these roles, pharmacists must be equipped with the right skills and qualities, such as a strong professional background, good communication, teamwork, and critical thinking. These traits will help them to improve the quality of medication, patient pharmaceutical education, and counseling, as well as to increase the public’s confidence in their profession. In addition, they must be able to handle various types of natural and commercial resources, especially human resources.
