(Management Case Study) Managing a New Leadership Crisis — Helping Technicians and Pharmacists Lead and Succeed

Purpose: To describe the creation of a statewide leadership certificate program to address the need for leadership trained pharmacy technicians and pharmacists in a variety of settings. . The two overarching goals were to (1) enable learners to develop foundational leadership skills that could be used at their place of work or enable them to take on a new or advanced role, and (2) to help foster sustainability within our state pharmacy society through incorporation of the learners within committees and projects, bringing awareness to board member roles and functions.

Methods: First proposed in 2017, the Idaho Pharmacy Leadership, Education, Advocacy and Development program (I-LEAD) was created as a way to provide low-cost leadership training to practicing pharmacists and pharmacy technicians across the state of Idaho. The program was designed to start and end with the Idaho Society of Health Systems (ISHP) Fall Conference, providing monthly topic discussions mixed with required teaching and committee work that allowed the learners to practice and develop new leadership skills. Partnering with ISHP and Idaho State University College of Pharmacy, the goal was to help practicing technicians and pharmacists to step into new leadership roles, feeling more prepared and confident to take on these new roles. Additionally, the hope was that the I-LEAD experience would allow the learner to gain new interest and confidence in volunteering for board positions within ISHP, helping to foster sustainability within the organization.

Results: We are now finishing up our fifth year of I-LEAD with over 15 graduates of the program that included a mix of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from across Idaho. Of those that have completed the program, 65% have taken on new leadership positions. Within our state society, ISHP, 35% of I-LEAD graduates have been elected to board positions. Additionally, just this past year, both the Idaho Pharmacist and Technician of the year were past graduates.

Conclusion: The creation of a local, statewide, leadership certificate program in partnership with the state pharmacy society and college of pharmacy, has succeeded in developing new pharmacist and pharmacy technician leaders to fill open positions at their workplace and within the state pharmacy society.