Pharmacy Week is almost here and what an exciting time is it! Pharmacy Week takes place during the 3rd week of October each year. According to ASHP, this week is “a time to recognize the powerful impact you make on your patients”. No better time to celebrate your pharmacy teams and their impact as well as your incredible patients than Pharmacy Week.
Pharmacy Week dates back to 1925, when Robert J. Ruth envisioned a week during which public health would be the keynote concept. Ruth’s original goals were for this week to serve as an instrument to remind pharmacists everywhere of their responsibility to a code of ethics that binds them to guard the public’s health and welfare and for this week to make the public aware of the standing of the pharmacist in the community.
Within your pharmacy, there are various ways to celebrate this week and spread its original message. Below are 10 options for you and your teams to celebrate Pharmacy Week.
1. Personally thank your staff or co-workers
Taking a few moments to personally thank your team is one of the best ways to make a sincere impact and show your appreciation.
2. Schedule a special event for your patients
The event could be as simple as providing a free blood pressure screening day. Community events go a long way in building personal relationships and show that you care deeply about what you do.
3. Decorate your pharmacy
What better way to get everyone in the celebratory mood and ready for the week than to decorate the pharmacy space. Decorating the workplace is also a great way to boost morale among employees.
4. Participate in a community event
A few event options for your pharmacy team could include a 5k walk/run, making a donation to a charity, or completing volunteer work with your team. Not only is this great for the community and a wonderful opportunity to get your pharmacy’s name out there, it’s also a fun team building opportunity.
5. Invest in personal growth opportunities for your team
Growth within your team is so important as you look to achieve new goals and accomplishments as a pharmacy. A few personal growth options you and your team can complete are participating in a new CE course, creating a journal club where each team member chooses the topic weekly, or attending a conference, whether in person or virtually.
6. Advocate for pharmacy Issues
What issues are near and dear to your pharmacy team’s hearts? Get involved and advocate for them.
7. Reach out to a local pharmacy school
This is a great time to lend a hand to a local pharmacy program. Whether it’s by being a guest speaker, allowing students to shadow you, or to proofread CV’s – there are numerous ways you can impact the future of the profession.
8. Schedule a team building outing
Team builds are a great way to bond with your coworkers and peers. This could be an after work happy hour, pre-work breakfast, or any other off the clock event.
9. Partner with local business or organizations
Pharmacy Week is a wonderful opportunity to reach out to local businesses or medical offices to collaborate. The collaboration could include anything from working together on a health event to introducing the teams so a more personal relationship is made between the businesses.
Marketing your Events
Now that you have fun community events scheduled, how do you get the word out to your patients and community about Pharmacy Week? A great way to promote events or get your community involved is to utilize social media to get the word out. Be sure to create designs and graphics for Pharmacy Week and share them online. Social media is a powerful marketing tool that will help get the information out about these events to an even wider audience.
Pharmacy week is such an exciting time. We can’t wait to see how you and your teams celebrate the week.
Still need ideas? Get more tips on how to market your pharmacy on our blog, or contact us for a free demo of our digital marketing offerings. Additionally, utilizing your IVR and creating messaging about Pharmacy Week is a fun way to let your patients know about events and celebrations when they call.
