The field of pharmacy is continually evolving, underscoring the need to cultivate well-rounded pharmacists who are equipped to capitalize on emerging career opportunities and propel advancements in the profession. Technology is a key component of this ongoing transformation as advanced automation systems are increasingly adopted across the industry, particularly among health system pharmacies.
Today’s pharmacy school candidates are also inherently tech-savvy – products of a digital age and naturally inclined to seek out technologies to improve efficiency and performance in their daily lives.
Advancing Pharmacy Care Through Hands-On Technology Exposure
In response to these factors, Long Island University, New York’s oldest pharmacy college in Downtown Brooklyn, now offers students the opportunity to gain exposure to the latest automation technologies in our Center for Innovative Medication Management (CIMM). This one-of-a-kind facility is valued at over $2 million and established in partnership with Omnicell, a leading provider of technology solutions designed to transform the pharmacy delivery model.
At CIMM, pharmacy students gain hands-on experience with innovative medication dispensing and compounding robotics, smart devices, and intelligent software. This exposure provides our future pharmacists with first-hand knowledge of how these technologies can help advance patient safety by reducing the potential for human error and improve workflow efficiency by eliminating redundant manual tasks.
By providing access to the advanced systems that are becoming more commonplace in today’s pharmacy environments, our students learn how to think strategically about leveraging technology to improve pharmacy outcomes. This helps better prepare them to enter the workforce and deliver immediate value for their future employers. At the same time, it helps address a growing industry-wide need for pharmacists with high-tech expertise.
Another noteworthy program in the works at Long Island University is the Dr. Howard Murad ’62 Inclusive Wellness Initiative, a multi-generational wellness program to expand the role of pharmacists in delivering health and skin care to their patients. Developed in collaboration with renowned skin care expert and Long Island University alumnus, Dr. Howard Murad, the initiative provides pharmacy students with the opportunity to engage in interactive events, programs, internships, and research activities geared to promote interest in cosmetic science careers.
It's the responsibility of all higher-learning institutions to improve the job prospects of their students upon graduation. The CIMM and Dr. Howard Murad ’62 Inclusive Wellness Initiative are two recent examples of how Long Island University actively fosters partnerships to provide programs that align with industry demands and enhance the employability of our graduates.
