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Some of the most innovative community pharmacies in North America have had the advantage of being completely designed and constructed from scratch. Their designers have had the freedom and flexibility to mold the pharmacy into whatever they had imagined. Pharmacy journals across North America have profiled these pharmacies that have extensive compounding facilities, innovative dispensing areas and/or beautifully designed modern interiors. While the size and renovations of these pharmacies are impressive, they don't teach us how to transform existing pharmacies into visionary practices. Pharmacists are now realizing that they do not need 5000 square feet of floor space and tens of thousands of dollars worth of renovations to transform their practice into something more innovative. Saskatoon Medical Arts Pharmacy is the story of one pharmacist who understood this and had a vision of an innovative pharmacy. He did not let structural or financial limitations restrict the way he wanted to practice pharmacy. It is the story of how you can teach an existing practice new tricks.
The Transformation of an Existing Practice
Ray Bannister purchased Saskatoon Medical Arts Pharmacy in early 1992. He had spent over 15 years in a rural practice setting before moving to Saskatoon where he worked as a pharmacy manager for a number of years. At the time Ray purchased the pharmacy, the main floor space consisted of the existing dispensary area and cash counter that cut the store in half. It was exactly the same layout the pharmacy had when it first opened thirty years ago.
Given his extensive experience in both rural and urban community practice settings, Ray realized that the dated pharmacy design was extremely inefficient. He set about to redesign the floor plan. However, he was confronted with two major obstacles: first, Saskatoon Medical Arts Pharmacy only had about 900 square feet of front store space available, and second, having just purchased the pharmacy, he was not in a position to spend substantial amounts of money renovating the store. His first priority was to open up the layout of the store. He moved the dispensary to run lengthwise against the wall. In doing so, the dispensary moved right inside the front doors...