In honor of National Pharmacist Day, on Jan. 12, we’re highlighting the vital role pharmacists play in keeping communities healthy – often as the most accessible and trusted healthcare professionals patients encounter. From managing chronic conditions and delivering lifesaving vaccinations to closing gaps in care for underserved populations, pharmacists are doing far more than filling prescriptions.
To explore how the profession is evolving and how future pharmacists are being prepared to lead, we spoke with two representatives of UC Irvine’s School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Sarah McBane, Pharm.D. is a health sciences clinical professor and associate dean of pharmacy education.
Q: From your perspective, why are pharmacists so essential to their communities today, and how does their accessibility – often seeing patients more frequently than physicians do – translate into better day-to-day care and support?
A: Pharmacists are generally considered the most accessible healthcare professionals; almost 90 percent of the U.S. population lives within 5 miles of a pharmacy. This means that many people see a pharmacist much more often than they see a physician, and people also trust their pharmacists. The frequent visits along with a trusting relationship mean that pharmacists are in a great position to help out with a variety of concerns, including things like advice on an over-the-counter medication for an upset stomach, questions about a new diagnosis of diabetes, or help understanding how to use an inhaler for asthma. Most of the time, someone can speak with a pharmacist without making an appointment, and many pharmacies are open for longer hours than some medical clinics. These things make it a bit more convenient to connect with a pharmacist. Health concerns aren’t limited to a 9-to-5 schedule, and pharmacists’ hours and accessibility can be especially helpful for those with inflexible work schedules.
Q: You’ve focused much of your work on collaborative practice models and comprehensive medication management. How do these approaches directly benefit patients in local communities?
A: Collaborative practice and comprehensive medication management enable pharmacists to take an even greater role in patients’ health by working with the healthcare team to optimize someone’s medication regimen. UCI Health is a premier healthcare institution that values and prioritizes care of the local population; I’m currently providing care through collaborative practice at UCI Health — Irvine’s Joe C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care, where many of the clinic providers have an extremely busy schedule. My services expand access to care for chronic concerns, including hypertension management.
Q: Can you share an example of how pharmacists help bridge gaps in care, especially for underserved or vulnerable populations?
A: This is related to my previous comments about pharmacists as the most accessible healthcare professionals. There are many regions within the U.S. where the pharmacist is the only health professional, making the pharmacist’s role even more vital within that community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these pharmacies were the sole source of COVID tests for the local people.
Unfortunately, some economic drivers are making it more difficult for local pharmacies to remain open. There are some areas within the U.S. that do not have a pharmacy. These “pharmacy deserts” are often in the same regions where marginalized groups live, which can have a further negative impact on those individuals’ care.
Q: How does the UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences prepare future pharmacists to serve, lead and advocate for their communities beyond dispensing medications – both through the curriculum and hands-on student experiences?
A: All pharmacy curricula are required to include content on advocacy, communication, and population health and wellness. These concepts, both separately and in combination, all help instill the importance of community connection into future pharmacists. They learn to advocate for their communities’ needs, how to communicate across a variety of audiences, and how to consider the overall health concerns of the local population.
At the School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, our students are prepared to engage with local communities from the very beginning of their time with us. During fall quarter of their first year, they complete the American Pharmacists Association Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery certificate, which teaches how to evaluate what vaccines are needed and how to properly administer them. The students put their knowledge and skills into practice during vaccine clinics in the surrounding areas. In addition, they participate in such community support events as drug take-back days and health fairs, many of which offer needed care to underserved areas of Orange County.
Q: Community pharmacists do a lot more than fill prescriptions; they deliver counseling, chronic disease support, vaccinations and more. What part of this broader role do you see as most impactful?
A: From a public health perspective, vaccinations are an essential service provided by pharmacists. During the 2023-24 cold and flu season, pharmacies were the most frequent suppliers of influenza, COVID-19 or respiratory syncytial virus vaccines.
However, the most impactful service is what that person needs at that point in time. This could be a vaccine, but it could also be help with learning to inject their insulin.
Q: As someone who’s been recognized with awards like Pharmacist of the Year – from the California Pharmacists Association in 2019 – and leadership honors, how have you seen the profession evolve in terms of community engagement and patient care?
A: The earlier cited statistics about pharmacy access and trust in pharmacists are updated data, but the information is not new. Pharmacists have long been known as trusted, accessible healthcare professionals. I have been practicing pharmacy for over two decades and have seen several exciting and impactful changes in the profession. When I first became a pharmacist, not many were providing immunizations, but now that service is available from nearly all community pharmacies. Pharmacists are now recognized as healthcare providers in California and several other states, which can support insurance company recognition of pharmacists’ services. In the past 10 to 15 years, more and more states have allowed pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraceptives to patients. Finally, all states allow pharmacists to provide care for patients through collaborative practice agreements, which expands access to care for multiple different health concerns. As more pharmacists provide these services, increasing numbers of people will have access to needed healthcare.
Q: What are some challenges pharmacists face when trying to expand their role in community health, and how can education and policy help overcome them?
A: Some of the biggest challenges include regulatory barriers, such as what is allowed by the state board of pharmacy, and payment barriers, such as what an insurer will cover/pay for. Pharmacists – and student pharmacists – can advocate for policy changes around state pharmacy practice as well as policies and regulations that govern insurers to make it easier and more sustainable for pharmacists to continue providing care for their local communities. In addition, it would be immensely impactful if individual patients who value their pharmacist would contact their local legislators and tell their stories. These tales of improved health and better lives can promote policy and regulatory changes that will better position pharmacists to keep caring for their communities.
Q: On National Pharmacist Day, what message would you like to share with student pharmacists everywhere – and with the communities they serve?
A: We spend a short period of time with each patient and their health; however, the patient has to go home and live with their health and their medications. That means that the patient’s perspective in their care matters most.
Tanya Nguyen
Pharm.D. student Tanya Nguyen is the community outreach chair for the campus’s American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists chapter.
“The field of pharmacy is changing rapidly with the evolution of more direct patient care roles, such as point-of-care testing,” says Tanya Nguyen, second-year Pharm.D. student. “With this, pharmacists are not only dispensing medications but also able to help patients clinically.” Christopher Todd Studios
Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in pharmacy, and how has your experience at UC Irvine shaped your understanding of a pharmacist’s role in the community?
A: I grew up in predominantly Vietnamese communities, and language often posed a barrier for my family in the healthcare setting. This experience fueled my desire to become somebody who can advocate for her patients and ensure that they are heard and welcomed. At UC Irvine, I have learned that pharmacists play a significant role as healthcare professionals, as they are not only accessible but also part of a profession that is constantly adapting and changing. Through my involvement in UCI’s American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists chapter, I have come to an understanding that the role of a pharmacist goes far beyond medication dispensing and verification. It’s about being a patient care advocate, whether through healthcare or legislation policies.
Q: Through your coursework, clinical experiences or community outreach, how have you seen pharmacists make a direct impact on patients’ everyday lives?
A: As a second-year pharmacy student, through my coursework, introductory clinical experiences and community outreach events, I have seen firsthand the impact pharmacists have. From an outpatient perspective, pharmacists can help patients understand their medications and side effects and help them get back on their feet quickly. But from an inpatient setting, pharmacists are responsible for adjusting medication orders, monitoring lab results and preventing drug interactions.
I also currently serve as the community outreach chair at UCI’s APhA-ASP chapter. Through health screenings (body mass index, blood pressure and cholesterol), vaccination clinics and educational sessions, I have witnessed how meaningful these interactions are and how they impact patients’ everyday lives.
Q: As a student pharmacist, how are you being trained to build trust and communicate effectively with patients from diverse backgrounds?
A: At UC Irvine, students take various interprofessional courses to help us understand how to communicate effectively with our patients and foster a safe, welcoming environment. These courses also teach us how to tailor responses to diverse patient populations, ensuring that everyone is accepted. Additionally, my background as a Vietnamese speaker plays a significant role in building trust with my Vietnamese patients, highlighting the importance of language barriers and cultural understanding.
Q: Pharmacists are often a first point of contact for health questions. How does that responsibility influence how you approach patient care as a student and future pharmacist?
A: It pushes me to become a future pharmacist who will advocate for her patients, ensuring that they are heard, valued and acknowledged throughout their healthcare journey. It forces me to do tasks intentionally and with great care, because patients should be able to see their pharmacist and leave the conversation feeling heard and reassured.
Q: On National Pharmacist Day, what would you like the community to know about the future of pharmacy and the role you hope to play in improving community health?
A: The field of pharmacy is changing rapidly with the evolution of more direct patient care roles, such as point-of-care testing. With this, pharmacists are not only dispensing medications but also able to help patients clinically. In the future, I want to be a pharmacist who helps bridge gaps in patient and medication misunderstanding, as well as an advocate who listens to and empowers her patients to improve their health.
