Drug Topics - May 12, 2008 - (Page 63)

www.drugtopics.com MAY 12, 2008 DRUG TOPICS 63 Chains and Business CVS Caremark’s mentoring program recruits and retains R.Ph.s Sandra Levy J erry Welenc is 71-years-of-age. He has been a pharmacist for 50 years. While he has logged enough years to hang up his white coat, the thought never crosses his mind. What’s keeping Welenc in the workforce? Welenc gets satisfaction from working as a CVS pharmacist as well as from participating in CVS Caremark’s Senior Pharmacist Legacy Mentoring Program. The program, which CVS piloted in Chicago in 2006, utilizes pharmacists who are over age 50 to mentor inner-city high school students during a summer internship at CVS/Pharmacy. Importance of giving back Welenc, who has seven adopted children and has had 100 foster care children in his home, said, “I love working with youth. It’s one of my callings in life. I feel that I have a lot to offer and I have a lot of managerial experience. The company is allowing me to use that, in addition to being involved in the mentoring program.” Steve Wing, CVS Caremark’s director of workforce initiatives, told Drug Topics, “There are two large tsunamis that are going to hit the workforce here. The first tsunami is that within the next two years, the mass of baby boomers is going to hit retirement age. The second tsunami is that there are fewer and fewer young people in the inner cities, and the rural markets are in big trouble. We looked at how we can keep mature workers and how we can encourage younger people to come to work in the pharmaceutical arena.” CVS has already shown its commitment to creating workforce development partnerships, as evidenced by its collaboration with America’s Promise’s “Pathways to Pharmacy” program for inner-city and rural kids. On the heels of that partnership, the chain conducted a survey of pharmacists in Chicago who were over age 50. According to the study, conducted by the University of Vermont, the senior pharmacists said, ‘Don’t call us retired.’ They also indicated that they were interested in mentoring students. The mentoring program selects 30 high school sophomores and juniors to participate in an eight-week program. They spend time in a CVS pharmacy and at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy. The mentor comes to the university and spends time with the students and also stays in touch with these students during the school year. “We are now into our second year of mentoring and have had great success from the youth and pharmacy side,” said Wing, adding, “the mentors are trained to listen to and encourage students. So far, we’ve seen that having mentors has helped kids see that pharmacy is something they want to do. The mentors have a career and a lifetime of knowledge they can share with these kids. The mentors enjoy doing it and they see that they are helping a young person go into something they love.” Rollout plans CVS plans to roll out its mentoring program to Tampa, Fla., and Atlanta Jerry Welenc, R.Ph., and his mentee, this year. “After we get those Veronica Vergara, at a CVS/pharmacy in Chicago. up and going, we will roll it out to California and then nationally,” said Wing. CVS is also interested in going to elementary and middle schools to introduce younger students to pharmacy as a career and is working with an all-black male high school to encourage these students as well. CVS believes mentors can also encourage pharmacy employees who have the potential to become pharmacists, technicians, and lead techs. Pointing out that two African-American students he mentored are now pharmacy students in Michigan and that a Hispanic female student is studying prepharmacy at the University of Illinois, Welenc said, “They thought this was a good opportunity to have a summer job and make some money and learn about something. It’s important that when they come to the pharmacy, the kids have a positive experience. The most important way you mentor is when you get them into the pharmacy, you give them an example. When they are in this environment, they meet with people who are professionals. They find out these people are no different than they are. They can say, ‘I can really do this.’” “I had mentors when I was a kid. You have to give back,” Welenc concluded. http://www.drugtopics.com

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Drug Topics - May 12, 2008 Contents Latebreakers Letters R.Ph.s Say More Needs to be Done to Prevent Pediatric Drug Errors There's a New School of Thought on Use of Beta-Blockers for Hypertension Cover Story Guest Spot Letters Clinical Practice Special Report Professional Practice Broad Label for New Leukemia Therapy Looks Promising Treating Asthma During Pregnancy Safer than Not, Says New Guide In the Pipeline Clinical Q&A APhA Leader's Plan to Leave Office Takes Center Stage at its Conference Policies Passed at a Glance Giving a Talk to the Community? Check Out These Materials This Foundation has Funds to Spare JP at Large Cover Story: Employers and R.Ph.S: A Win-Win Combo FDA's Ilisa Bernstein Discusses Pharmacy Affairs Legal Q&A Manufacturers Unleash a Rash of Poison Ivy Treatments Are OTC Cold Remedies Safe for Kids? Probiotics are All the Rage: How You Can Capitalize on It CMS' Prices for Round One of DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Raising Concerns CVS Caremark's Mentoring Program Recruits and Retains R.Ph.s Antibiotic Resistance Among Community Pathogens Technology Update New Products Advertisers Index Classified Viewpoint

Drug Topics - May 12, 2008

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