Lincoln Alexander (’15), PharmD
With the transition, Albertsons-Safeway has named Lincoln Alexander (’15) as the First Pharmacist to Prescribe Birth Control in the Company. They held a Q&A session with him to learn about his personal experience. Here are a few of his responses:
Q: When in pharmacy school, is this the type of practice (i.e. the ability to prescribe) you
wanted to have?
Lincoln: I envisioned it briefly at times, but I saw this as a far in the future (10+ years) community pharmacy development. It is still surprising to me how fast the rule was developed, passed, and implemented.
Q: How was the patient interaction?
Lincoln: The interaction is pretty straightforward. When I’m present in the pharmacy and a patient expresses interest in birth control, the technician will typically refer the patient to me. The patient and I discuss the procedure for obtaining a prescription.
Q: Did you approach the patient or did she ask for the birth control?
Lincoln: All patients have approached me for birth control prescription. This typically involves a patient coming to the counter to inquire about the service because they saw the sign out front of the store or a story on the news. Or if I overhear a patient trying to refill a birth control prescription and it is out of refills, I will mention to them the service we offer to see if they are interested.
Q: Was there anything in the process of prescribing that wasn’t covered in your training or that would be beneficial for prescribing birth control?
Lincoln: The training is comprehensive and includes many resources. My most used resource is the included table from Pharmacist’s Letter entitled “Comparison of Oral Contraceptives and Non-Oral Alternatives”. The chart includes a list of hormonal contraceptive brand names (since there are so many!) as well as included estrogen and progesterone dosages in each formulation.
Q: What advice would you give to pharmacists who are hesitant to prescribe birth control?
Lincoln: Just jump in and get your feet wet! You are more prepared to do this than you realize. Plus, if you are nervous or have a question, figure out which pharmacists are already prescribing near you and call them to ask questions.
In a final quote, Lincoln added, “This is a step in the right direction for patients, pharmacists and the American healthcare system! I’m passionate about the future of prescribing for pharmacists.”