My name is Wesley Hickman, and I’m honored to run for a seat on the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy. I am the owner and pharmacy manager of Hickman’s Pharmacy in Leland, NC, and a proud graduate of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, where I earned my PharmD in 2005.

My pharmacy career began at age 16 as a cashier with Revco in Shallotte, NC. Over the past two decades, I’ve witnessed the profession evolve from a traditional dispensing role to one that fully embraces our expanded clinical expertise. These changes and the challenges that accompany them fuel my desire to serve on the Board.

Until 2018, I worked for a large chain pharmacy, where I saw firsthand how declining pharmacist and technician staffing levels created unsafe working environments. The increasing pressure to check hundreds of prescriptions, provide immunizations, and deliver clinical services during 13-hour shifts left little room for patient safety or professional well-being. That experience led me to open my own independent pharmacy, where I could practice safely, ethically, and with the patient at the center of every decision. My journey was featured in The New York Times article by Ellen Gabler, “How Chaos at Chain Pharmacies is Putting Patients at Risk.”

A Voice for Safety, Accountability, and Progress

If elected, my goal is to ensure that the Board of Pharmacy proactively addresses the staffing and safety issues that affect both pharmacists and patients. I will advocate for accountability. I want to ensure that pharmacy permit holders are held responsible when unsafe conditions lead to errors or compromise patient care. North Carolina law already establishes that pharmacy permit holders “shall not allow pharmacists to dispense prescription drugs at such a rate per hour or per day as to pose a danger to the public health or safety.” As a Board member, I intend to make sure this standard is applied and enforced to protect our profession and our communities. Currently, we are seeing aggressive enforcement of USP 795 standards that have shut down simple compounding sites across the state. My question is, “Why is the Board of Pharmacy so aggressively enforcing this regulation, when we have NC Supreme Court precedent that establishes the Board’s right to regulate safe staffing levels?” We have much more pressing issues that impact the safety of patients that we are currently misallocating limited resources to address.

Leadership and Advocacy

Beyond my practice, I remain deeply involved in advancing pharmacy and public health. I serve on the Board of Directors for Pharmacists United for Truth & Transparency (PUTT), where I advocate for meaningful PBM reform nationwide. I have worked directly with Representative Rhyne and Senator Rabon to strengthen PBM oversight in North Carolina and recently met with members of U.S. Congress to promote fair reimbursement and transparency for independent pharmacies.

Locally, I served on the Brunswick County Substance Use and Addiction Commission for 5 years, where we successfully advocated for the establishment of a new inpatient treatment facility. I have also been the pharmacist advisor for the Brunswick County Drug Treatment Court for more than a decade.

Personal Commitment

I live in Leland with my wife, Ashley, and our 10-year-old son, Will, along with our two dogs—Jordan (a Goldendoodle) and Zellie (a rescue Rotti-doodle)—who keep life lively at home.

I hope my story resonates with yours. As pharmacists, we share a deep commitment to patient care and professional integrity. When you cast your vote, ask yourself:

“Has the Board acted proactively to protect our profession and North Carolina citizens, or only reactively after our concerns became too loud to ignore?”

&

“Has the Board been loud enough over the last 15 years to demand a safe working environment to protect all citizens in this state?”

Together, we can ensure the Board is responsive, responsible, and ready to lead.

Vote for Wesley Hickman – a Prescription for Progress.