NCPA's Jumpstart for Pharmacy Owners

The National Community Pharmacists’ Association, known for its continuing education programs in pharmacy ownership, recently initiated a new program designed especially to help current pharmacy owners make the most of their business.

The National Community Pharmacists’ Association (NCPA) announced Monday that it will offer a new continuing education workshop to help independent pharmacy owners take their business to the next level. Designed to complement and expand on NCPA’s current suite of professional assistance programs, the seminar is scheduled for July 17-18 in Alexandria, Virginia and promises to provide the tools pharmacy owners need to improve operations, increase profit, and identify opportunities for growth.

Entitled “Jumpstart your Pharmacy Business: A Seminar for Owners,” the program features leading experts in the field—Richard Jackson, PhD, RPh, professor and director of Mercer University’s Center for Community Pharmacy Practice and Research, as well as Gabe Trahan, an independent consultant and director of retail services for Burlington Drug Company. Jackson has been published 65 times in scholarly and professional journals, is the author of 5 books, and has made 258 presentations at academic and professional meetings, both in the United States and abroad. Trahan is the creator of the “Store Report Card” (Retail Fairy Test) and specializes in helping drug store owners design retail spaces that optimize sales and improve front-end merchandising.

In the 2-day seminar, Jackson and Trahan will apply their combined expertise to teach pharmacy owners to:

• better analyze their finances
• gain access to important tax and accounting information
• invest in smart technology
• utilize merchandising tools
• handle third party audits effectively
• improve marketing techniques
• explore niche markets and develop new services

Compared with other programs in NCPA’s well-attended Ownership Academy, the seminar’s focus is unique in that it targets current, rather than aspiring pharmacy owners. Joseph H. Harmison, PD, NCPA president and a pharmacy owner himself, said he wishes such an opportunity had been available to him in the early years of his ownership. “While getting your business up and running is a challenge many independent community pharmacy owners overcome, the frustration of taking their business to the next level is considerable,” Harmison said.

For more resources on independent pharmacy ownership and the NCPA Ownership Academy, view these articles from recent issues of Pharmacy Careers:

• Leadership Key to Owning an Independent Pharmacy
• Independent Pharmacy: Making a Difference

Program Details

The program is scheduled to begin on Saturday, July 17, at 8:00 AM and conclude on Sunday, July 18, at 12:00 PM. Class size is limited to the first 50 paid participants. Participants will be eligible to earn up to 11.25 hours of continuing pharmacy education credits. The registration fee is $797 for NCPA members and $1,092 for non-members, which covers tuition, CE processing, materials, and 3 meals (in the non-member registration fee, NCPA membership for 1 year is also included).

For more information, or to register for “Jumpstart Your Pharmacy Business: A Seminar for Owners,” visit the NCPA Web site.

For other articles in this issue, see:

• Updated Guidelines for Management of Chronic Pain Released
• Helping Parents Medicate Children Safely at Home
• Study Shows Aspirin Effective for Migraine Pain