Can today's Pharmacist be the solution to primary care physician shortages?

As I go further along in my pharmacy curriculum, I can't help but wonder why pharmacists are not utilized more or given more power in their practices. Slowly but surely, it is clear the value and impact of pharmacists are showing. However, I still think we can do more. We are more than what the world and even our healthcare perceives of us. And I think COVID-19 could have been the platform pharmacists needed to showcase their qualities to its maximal effect.

With few exceptions, prestigious colleges with renown pharmacy programs prepare prospective students with exceptional clinical knowledge. With the current issue of job market saturation, there needs to be a way to sell our rigorous academic credentials as reason to better utilize pharmacist beyond dispensing, and verifying patient medications.

Currently, the clinical expectation of today's pharmacist consist of residency programs that cover a wide range of various sub-department of medicine. The second year of residency is sufficient enough of training to allow pharmacist to be considered specialist. Comparing it to the academic and training path for primary care physician, we can notice it is not very different. To become a primary care physician, one must undergo 4 years of medical school and 3 years of residency. If current students are being taught basic diagnostic skills, appropriate lab testing for each disease state, and have an affluent knowledge on medications, why are they not given more power in their practices? If physician assistants who undergo 3 years of general training can see patients, diagnosis, and even specialize in different areas of medicine, why are pharmacists not given more credit or seen at a similar level as other mid-level practitioners for the amount of training they undergo?

With the constant shortage of primary care physicians and physicians in general, if PAs and NPs are allowed to mimic the actions of a physician, would it be considered ridiculous to better design pharmacy programs and residency training to meet the demand of primary care physician shortage? Given the thorough coverage of pharmacy schools curriculum, I do not think this is an entirely ridiculous request or plea. Pharmacists are known to be more empathetic and approachable to patient population. I would like to see them play a greater role in primary care and expand in their practices. With COVID-19 cause a strain on healthcare shortages, it would have been really interesting to see how pharmacist could have been utilized during this time to better manage other subsets of medicine--primary care.

Without a doubt, pharmacists roles are changing. There is a small voice being spoken louder and louder. I hope eventually, pharmacist will be able to take a more prominent role and increase the standards of quality in patient care.