Since Dr. Watterson's clinical pharmacy training and internship, she has been interested in the efficient use of the pharmacy workforce—helping pharmacists, student pharmacists, and technicians to practice at the top of their capabilities. As demands for pharmacy practice increase, there is a need to optimize role distribution among pharmacy team members.
Dr. Watterson's previous projects have investigated numerous initiatives to redistribute roles within the pharmacy: supporting pharmacists in the completion of clinical services, finding novel uses for student pharmacists in the patient care process, and delegating technical dispensing tasks to certified pharmacy technicians. In the SCRPTS lab, we view these problems through a Health Systems Engineering lens to apply a human factors approach to pharmacy team and job design. As the profession of pharmacy continues to evolve, this research will be crucial to ensure that the pharmacy workforce is sustainable and promotes quality patient care.