For my 2025-2026 Honors Capstone Project, I chose to do the May Project Extension and research my future career in pharmacy. I am researching pharmacy as a broad topic, and I have broken aspects of the career into subtopics such as role of pharmacists, the drug approval process, ethics in pharmacy, the business of pharmacy, ad the rise of AI and technological advancements. All of this research will aid me for May Project as I plan to shadow a pharmacist to see their daily routine and schedule.
According to the US Bureau of Statistics, employment of pharmacists is predicted to increase around 5% in Louisiana from 2024 to 2034, so there is and will continue to be a need for pharmacists. I have found in my research, though, that the role of pharmacists is changing. When researching the history of pharmacy and the role of pharmacists, I have noticed trends of constant evolution and more expectations in pharmacists’ daily tasks. As reported by MedCity News, dispensing medication may not be the main task of pharmacists due to developments in healthcare and the lasting effects of Covid-19. In an article by the National Library of Medicine, there are reports of new opportunities beginning to emerge for independent pharmacies as they partner with payers and care givers to improve specialized medication treatment and lower costs.
Another significant factor in the role of pharmacists is ethics and the law. Pharmacists are responsible for ensuring that patients receive the correct medications in a safe and legal manner, so they have many legal and ethical responsibilities. According to Dr. David Gettman, current trends such as the opioid crisis in the United States have placed pharmacists at the forefront of efforts to combat prescription drug abuse. There are many resources available for pharmacists to stay updated with ethics as the field continues to grow, including the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics.
As Artificial Intelligence advances, it has impacted the pharmaceutical industry and is predicted to continue to do so. The Pharmaceutical Journal reports that AI and new technology can be used for automated medication dispensing, prescription verification, predicting stock needs, and providing customer care. AI has advanced at such a high rate that there is currently very little guidance or laws on how AI can be used to benefit the field. According to the American Journal of Managed Care, another emerging trend is biosimilars, more affordable alternatives to biologics, which have disrupted the drug market, and their popularity is predicted to continue as the biosimilar market has grown approximately 12.5% annually in the past couple of years.
Through my research into the differences between independent and chain pharmacies, I have found the benefits and downfalls of both. According to an article by Florida Medical Clinics on independent vs. chain pharmacies, independent pharmacies thrive in customer service and in performing their job ethically; one reason for this is because they are closely linked to the local community. On the other hand, chain pharmacies are valued for their convenience and affordability. Many sources, including an article by Spectrum News, say that chain pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers, people who negotiate the cost of drugs to save patients money, have taken over the industry, but there are contradicting statistics on whether this is the case.
All of this research into the field of pharmacy has expanded my knowledge on the profession and is helping me to make my decision on whether I want to become a pharmacist. The field of pharmacy is significantly more complex than I have thought previously, and there are so many impacting factors and aspects that I would not have learned without this research. I have become more aware of the importance of choosing the right pharmacy and how to choose the right pharmacy. This information of the industry and the occupation itself is going to help me during my time shadowing both chain and independent pharmacists during my May Project.