The Beginning of a New Era?

My generation of pharmacists is truly made up of pioneers in the profession, as our responsibility shifts from dispensing prescriptions at face value, to becoming yet another branch of the clinical health care tree. I recently read an article which summarizes this enormous change quite nicely:

"These new 'clinical pharmacists' began to share the patient-centered value system of American medicine, abandoning subservience for collegiality while seeking--and to a certain degree achieving--professional parity with physicians. For their part, pharmacy educators responded by producing a new generation of scientifically sophisticated, clinically oriented practitioners through specialized 'Doctor of Pharmacy' programs. Thus, just as pharmacists shifted the focus of their relationships with patients away from product-centered values, they also shifted the focus of their interprofessional relationships towards a patient-centered value system."

----Ethical Responsibility; Chapter 1: Professional Values in Pharmacy Practice

The Doctor of Pharmacy program mentioned is my current program of study, which has only been around for less than ten years (I'd say more like seven-ish). The change will happen slowly, and probably only those as involved as myself will notice its progress for a long time to come. But I am happy to be at the forefront of this transformation--to be set with the challenge of changing it for the better. By the end of my career it will have happened completely, and I look forward to admiring the distance we have crossed. :)

(Oh geez, I've talked about pharmacy a lot lately... sorries. School is almost over though, and then you'll get a three month break! :D )