Pharmacist Spotlight: David Newman, BSPharm, RPh

What initially drew you to pharmacy and has kept you engaged over the years?

My mom was a hospital pharmacist for over 40 years, so my introduction to the profession began as a wee tot. She would bring home tchotchkes from pharmaceutical sales representatives who visited the hospital: pens, magnets, notepads, letter openers, coffee mugs, and little plush mascot animals. There was an endless array of cool-looking accoutrements that I proceeded to confiscate as a young collector. The most interesting aspects of these doodads were the hitherto unpronounceable trade and generic drug names. Needless to say, I had questions.

Pharmaceutical sales representatives now seldom show up in the retail milieu, so the breadth of pharmaceutical swag has dried up over the years, but lack of bric-a-brac hasn’t diminished my interest in pharmacy. On the contrary, my engagement in the practice has grown, especially in the creative writing side of retail pharmacy. I am currently producing an essay that details a new ideology of retail pharmacy workflow that I call “microtriaging.” Improving pharmacy workflow has been a near-obsession for many years.

What are the most significant changes you have witnessed in retail pharmacy?

The roles of the retail pharmacist, pharmacy technician, and pharmacy itself have significantly evolved in the 31 years since I started as an intern in 1994. Back in those early years, the pharmacist was essentially a middleman between the prescriber and the patient. “Right drug, right dose, right directions” was the mantra, and drug therapies were definitely not as complicated as they are today. There were fewer retail biologics available, and vaccines administered by retail pharmacists only began in earnest around 2010.

Retail pharmacists are practitioners themselves in the modern age. We have National Provider Identifiers. We can prescribe Narcan [naloxone], Paxlovid [nirmatrelvir, ritonavir], and oral contraceptives. We are no longer just the middlemen: Retail pharmacists are indeed medication therapy managers who navigate the complexities of interactions, adherence, education, counseling, and cost reduction to produce positive health care outcomes. We are, pun intended, indispensable.

Retail pharmacies dispense more prescriptions than ever, so proper workflow is part and parcel of a successful operation. It doesn’t matter if a pharmacy fills 100 or 1000 prescriptions per day; smooth workflow is the key to the kingdom, and that begins with having a team of pharmacy technicians and pharmacists who are all on the same page. Your team is the most valuable resource in the pharmacy.

How has the relationship between pharmacists and patients evolved throughout your career?

Pharmacists no longer epitomize the tired “count and pour, lick and stick” trope of 3 decades ago. Patients now understand that their local retail pharmacist is much more than a glorified bean counter; we are a valuable health care resource. Indeed, the relationship between pharmacist and patient has only strengthened over the past 30 years as we have become a reliable and readily available recognized wellspring of education, counsel, advice, instruction, and even consolation.

Today’s retail pharmacist has a more patient-facing role, and by that, I mean that we have more customer face-to-face time either addressing patient concerns or counseling on a variety of topics, such as interactions, dosage and/or strength changes, storage, administration, and personalized vaccine recommendations, to name a few. The pharmacist of today does not hide behind a counter; they require a strong personality and an equally formidable level of communication skill to provide the highest levels of patient care and safety.

I have more confidence in myself as a practitioner than ever, and I think it comforts patients to know that I am always there for consultation, perhaps offering a solution for a customer concern, a bit of humor, or simply a warm smile.

Looking back over your career, what advice would you give to today’s pharmacy students or early-career pharmacists?

First: Many times, difficult interactions can be brought to resolution by the simple act of listening rather than by being in a rush to offer an answer. And second: Always do right by the patient morally, ethically, and legally.