Inside: Everything you need to craft the perfect mission statement for your pharmacy.
What is a mission statement?
A mission statement is a document that articulates your pharmacy’s core purpose.
If you’ve already written a vision statement for your pharmacy, it may seem like a waste of time to also write a mission statement, but these two statements actually have different purposes.
Mission statement vs vision statement
Unlike a vision statement, which is typically limited to one or two sentences, mission statements don’t have a set format. Some companies (like Starbucks) have simple one-sentence statements, while others (like Google) go into much greater detail.
Another key difference between a vision statement and a mission statement is timing — a vision statement focuses on your big picture dreams for the future, while a mission statement focuses on the here and now.
If you don’t yet have a mission statement for your pharmacy, here’s why you should consider creating one, along with tips for how to write a clear and meaningful mission statement.
Why should you have a mission statement?
Your mission statement can be a communication tool, but it also serves as internal guidance. Paired with your vision statement, it should be included in your employee handbook to outline your pharmacy’s ultimate purpose.
A well-crafted mission statement can help keep employees grounded in their work and remind them about the pharmacy’s foundational purpose even as they work toward the bigger picture goal established in the vision statement.
Like a vision statement, your mission statement is also critical for establishing your pharmacy’s reputation in the community. Post your mission statement on your website’s About page and display it inside your pharmacy’s practice to connect with patients who share your values.
What makes a good mission statement?
A mission statement should cover three main elements. Each element should be relatively timeless, as frequently changing your mission statement can cause confusion about what your pharmacy’s purpose is and potentially damage your brand identity.
Describe what you do
This isn’t a trick question. The foundation of your mission statement should simply describe what your pharmacy does on a day-to-day basis.
Keep it simple. It doesn’t have to be a list of every service you provide, and instead should be a basic explanation of your primary function. For most independent pharmacies, this description will look something like, “ABCD Pharmacy fills prescriptions.”
You can widen your scope a little bit and say something like, “ABCD Pharmacy connects patients with clinical services,” but don’t get let things get too lengthy or complicated. This portion of your mission statement should only be a few words long.
Explain how you do it
After you’ve outlined what your pharmacy does, it’s time to explain how you do it.
Your mission statement shouldn’t be an in-depth explanation of your workflow or your standard operating procedures. Instead, it should be a description of the qualities you associate with your products and services.
To nail down this part of your mission statement, you may want to “free write” about your business. This is a stream of consciousness exercise where you write down the first things that come to mind when you think about your pharmacy operations.
You may take pride in providing great customer service or your fast turnaround time. Or perhaps your pharmacy’s focus is on providing cutting-edge services that aren’t available at other pharmacies.
Your pharmacy may provide a lot of different products and services, but the “how” part of the mission statement should focus on the elements that tie them all together.
Explain why you do it
The last part of your mission statement is to explain why you do what you do. This may overlap with your vision statement, as it will revolve around what’s driving you forward.
If you’re not sure what to put here, think about why you’re passionate about independent pharmacy. Think about the patients you serve and what you hope to do for them. You can also reflect on when you first started out in pharmacy and identify what inspired you to pursue a path as an independent pharmacy owner.
A Member-Owned Company Serving Independent Pharmacies
PBA Health is dedicated to helping independent pharmacies reach their full potential on the buy-side of their business. Founded and owned by pharmacists, PBA Health serves independent pharmacies with group purchasing services, wholesaler contract negotiations, proprietary purchasing tools, and more.
An HDA member, PBA Health operates its own NABP-accredited secondary wholesaler with more than 6,000 SKUs, including brands, generics, narcotics CII-CV, cold-storage products, and over-the-counter (OTC) products — offering the lowest prices in the secondary market.
