Voices for the Future

All great pharmacists begin their journey in pharmacy school, but with today’s students already taking the lead as tomorrow’s health care providers, it is important to recognize the significant role that they can play in shaping the profession.

According to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, 63,464 students were enrolled in US-based schools of pharmacy in the fall of 2016. It is inspiring to see so many individuals pursuing a career in such an essential field, and indeed, what student pharmacists may lack in experience they make up for in passion for advancing pharmacy and improving health. Not only are they working hard in the classroom to acquire the knowledge and skills that they will need to succeed, they are also advocating for provider status on Capitol Hill, assisting pharmacists during rotations, coauthoring research papers, and volunteering at health clinics in underprivileged communities at home and abroad. Just as importantly, students have been preparing themselves for a profession that they know is rapidly changing, giving them a crucial perspective that can help others navigate the shifting pharmacy landscape.

In an effort to empower student pharmacists, Pharmacy Times^® has launched Student Voices, a series of articles and videos that brings student insights to the forefront of the conversation. Students who wish to participate should reach out to our editorial staff with their ideas for articles, which could be published online or in our student publication, Pharmacy Careers^®. We also encourage all pharmacy students to share their thoughts on social media using #PharmacyStudentVoices. Ultimately, students are the future of pharmacy, and we are confident that both patients and the profession are safe.

To help both current and future pharmacists better understand skin and eye conditions that patients frequently experience, this issue of Pharmacy Times^® contains practical information on acne, conjunctivitis, dry eye, rosacea, sunburn, and more, as well as a free continuing-education activity on proper contact lens use. Additionally, consider celebrating the pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy students who exceed expectations in promoting patient health through our Next-Generation Pharmacist^® Awards. If you know of exceptional individuals worthy of recognition, head to nextgenerationpharmacist.com before May 31 and submit a nomination.

Thank you for reading!

Reference

• American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Academic pharmacy’s vital statistics. aacp.org/article/academic-pharmacys-vital-statistics. Accessed April 24, 2018.