Young Potentials ñ a trainee program qualifying pharmacists to become successful executives

Background German pharmacists receive a thorough training in how to analyse, to manufacture and how to dispense drugs. Purpose At university pharmacists normally don9t learn how to lead a pharmacy. Due to this fact there is a lack of knowledge for the successfully leading a hospital pharmacy. Because there are additional and possibly different skills, the German society of hospital pharmacists (ADKA) e.V. decided to offer a trainee-program to interested pharmacists which was subsequently coined ‘Young Potentials’. Purpose of this trainee-programme is to qualify pharmacists to lead an hospital pharmacy. Materials and methods The program, which is held during five weekends covers a number or different subjects such as rhetoric and presentation techniques, management and conflict resolution training and information on employment law. Additionally participants are encouraged to take an internship at a hospital pharmacy for two days to receive individual coaching by a pharmacy director. All hospital pharmacists who are members of the ADKA are eligible to apply for the program. The board members decide which applicant will get in the program. Decisions are made upon the degree of specialisation, the curriculum vitae, former activities in hospitals and a commitment to future posts within the ADKA. Applicants should be aiming for a leadership in a hospital pharmacy in the near future after finishing the program. The ADKA itself sponsors the program with € 5,000 while more than € 32,000 were raised from industrial sponsors. Results From 2000 until today approximately fifty hospital pharmacists have completed the program, while twelve participate are enrolled in current program. Thirteen participants have been appointed as director of a hospital pharmacy; thirty-five are active in several boards of the ADKA. In addition they have presented posters on the program and attended scientific seminars about which reports were submitted our journal ‘Hospital Pharmacy’. Conclusions The programme ‘Young potentials’ is suited to qualify pharmacists to inherit a leading position in an hospital pharmacy. To this end all participants considered the program very useful since they were well trained in matters, they hardly had any experience in before. For the ADKA the YP program is an opportunity to recruit colleagues for positions within the society.