Life Off-Label

Many jobs have been replaced by machines and robots, but are pharmacists next? This article from Slate magazine would have to believe so, but this goes back to the perception that all we do is count pills. Most of the article’s argument comes from the idea that pharmacists have a mindless job. That just because we don’t have to compound most medicine now, we don’t do anything. We just stick a label on it and bill the insurance, right? If that actually were the case, I could see where a robot would do the job, but under the surface there are many things pharmacists do that aren’t so menial. Problems arise and customers are unpredictable, and I don’t think we’d want to trust a robot to handle them.

On the bright side, Mr. Robot doesn’t take bathroom breaks. I guess he has me beat there.

I don’t think this is something we should ignore. It’s a very real threat, especially since robots aren’t as prone to human error, but the ball is in our hands to demonstrate our value about how much clinical knowledge we have and how well we could use it. We need to create a better image with the public, because it’s up to them where they take their prescriptions, and it’s up to them whether it’s important to just get their medicine from a machine or if they want to have that relationship with their pharmacist. Personally, I’m irritated when my cashier isn’t a person. No robot can ever recreate that everyday chit-chat and interaction the way a real human being can, and it’s especially important that healthcare professionals stay human to maintain that relationship with their patients. Maybe we could start by airing a PSA about how annoying it would be to get counseled by C-3PO. That would be pretty effective.