Survey of health-system pharmacy leadership pathways.
OBJECTIVE
The results of a survey comparing the similarities and differences in health-system pharmacy leadership pathways are reported.


METHODS
The link to an online questionnaire was e-mailed to pharmacy leaders subscribing to ASHP's Pharmacy Practice Manager listserver. All respondents were asked to provide their career pathway, their thoughts on the most valued skill sets to a health-system pharmacy leader, and the influence that their leadership pathway had on these skill sets. Pharmacy middle managers were asked if they desired to become a health-system pharmacy director, and pharmacy directors were asked to provide their hiring preferences for new health-system pharmacy leaders.


RESULTS
Two-hundred-five individuals responded to the survey. On-the-job experience (40%) was identified as the most common leadership pathway of current health-system pharmacy leaders. Respondents classified medication-use policy (26%), human resource management (20%), and interpersonal skills (18%) as the most valued skill sets to a health-system pharmacy leader. Residency and degree programs were most thought to prepare future health-system pharmacy leaders for interpersonal relations, ethical decision-making, and finance and budget management. Sixty percent of eligible respondents stated that they were interested in seeking health-system pharmacy director positions. The majority of director of pharmacy respondents stated that they preferred to hire leaders with previous on-the-job experience.


CONCLUSIONS
On-the-job-experience was identified as the most common leadership pathway by survey respondents. Medication-use policy, human resource management, and interpersonal skills were identified by respondents as the most valued skill sets to a health-system pharmacy leader.
Pollard
Sacha R
SR
Department of Pharmacy Services, University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. sachap@med.umich.edu
Clark
John S
JS
D004650:Employee Performance Appraisal; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D007857:Leadership; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010595:Pharmacists; D010605:Pharmacy Administration; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011361:Professional Competence; D012957:Societies, Pharmaceutical; D013192:Staff Development; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires