Leadership and Managerial Development Needs of Pharmacy Leaders in Canadian Health Care Systems: Results from a National Questionnaire.

Abstract

Background: The scope of pharmacy practice in Canada is expanding, as are the responsibilities of health care-systems pharmacy leaders. However, there is limited knowledge of the training pathways used by current pharmacy leaders and the leadership and managerial skills they value most.

Objectives: To identify key leadership skills valued by Canadian pharmacy leaders and to determine the development pathways for these skills.

Methods: An electronic survey on leadership and management competencies was distributed in spring 2024 to health care-systems pharmacy leaders across Canada. Descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, and linear regression were used to assess the associations between the self-reported skill deficit and sociodemographic and employment-related factors in the quantitative data.

Results: A total of 141 pharmacy leaders answered some or all of the survey questions. Respondents were predominantly midcareer leaders in academic hospitals with up to 10 years' experience, many of whom had prior clinical leadership training. Respondents expressed confidence in their clinical or operational management skills and identified finance and budgeting, human resource management, and leadership as areas requiring further development. Every mean 1-point increase in the skill deficit was associated with a 2-point decrease in job satisfaction score (95% confidence interval -3.4 to -0.90, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: These findings suggest the need for further leadership and management training programs. It is recommended that a national pharmacy leadership and management competency framework be developed, along with leadership certification programs offering hands-on learning opportunities.