THIS week's contribution is from Sonja Bella, Director, Australian College of Weight Management - Implementing an in-house weight management program: This week, I thought I would share with you a couple of tips on how to get started with an in-house weight loss program.
Firstly, you have to decide whether you would like to upskill one of your existing team members, such as a Pharmacy Assistant with the Certificate IV in Weight Management, or if you would prefer to employ (or contract) a qualified Weight Management Practitioner. If you have a cubicle available for one-one-one consultations, or a room that would fit 6-10 people for a group clinic, you could also consider renting out this space on an hourly, daily or weekly basis with a condition that the weight loss products sold in your pharmacy are used as part of the weight management programs developed.
Space is usually the biggest consideration, so if your pharmacy doesn't have a room, or private area, that can accommodate a group clinic of 6-10 people, then one-on-one consultations are the easiest place to start. Find a quiet part of the pharmacy and install a partitioned cubicle with a desk and a set of scales (this is not an expensive exercise to do) and you are ready to start promoting your in-house weight management program.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 25 Jun 18
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 25 Jun 18
