From pharmacist to pharmacist-business owner, with an improvement plan already under way.

For current and future pharmacy owners. An initiative by Bidafarma and San Telmo Business School

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Current or future pharmacy owners, staff pharmacists and management professionals

16th edition

March to June 2027 · Qualification recognised by Universidad Villanueva

Management of Community Pharmacies Program (PDGOF)

A genuine transformation from pharmacist to business manager: strategic perspective, opportunity identification and 100% practical tools. A format compatible with running your pharmacy, with learning concentrated into one day per week.

days
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editions
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professors from the San Telmo faculty + guest lectures by pharmacy experts
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improvement plan per pharmacy
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Program Profile

Who is the program for?

Three possible profiles and one shared need: to broaden the business perspective of the pharmacy and learn to lead and manage it professionally.

The practicing pharmacy owner

You are responsible for the pharmacy, but day-to-day operations leave little room for strategic thinking. You want to develop business judgment, compare experiences with peers and grow as an entrepreneur without losing the healthcare perspective.

→ Community pharmacy owner

→ Absorbed by day-to-day activity at the counter

→ Wants to decide with numbers, not intuition

Experienced pharmacy graduate

You work as a staff pharmacist or are the successor in a family pharmacy. The program accelerates your development as a pharmacist and business owner before you assume full responsibility.

→ Staff pharmacist or owner-to-be
→ Family succession or pharmacy purchase on the horizon
→ Little previous business training

The management professional

You manage the business behind the counter: purchasing, inventory, the team and the numbers. You need a clear method and practical tools.

→ Responsible for day-to-day management
→ Handles purchasing, inventory or staff
→ Looking for tools to apply from day one

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

Four keys to leading your pharmacy

Transform your pharmacy with an Improvement Plan

Mentored from day one, diagnosing areas for improvement in your pharmacy.

Grow alongside other pharmacists

Share experiences, decisions and challenges with a business community that will remain with you beyond the program.

It is not about earning a diploma or simply learning to manage a pharmacy better

It is about leading it like a business owner, making better decisions and preparing it for the future.

From pharmacist to pharmacist-business owner

Make the transition: take control and make decisions with business judgment.

Master the key drivers of your pharmacy

Finance, profitability, taxation, inventory and people management to run your pharmacy better and improve results.

Methodology

A pioneering Case Method approach in the sector

Real cases from pharmacies and other businesses, with technical notes and workshops. You debate them, then apply them in your own pharmacy.

“My experience as a San Telmo alumnus has been extremely rewarding because of the broad business perspective it opens up.” — Leandro Martínez Carrasco, Chairman of Fundación Bidafarma.

One hundred percent on campus: the experience of the other pharmacy owners is part of the curriculum.
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Individual preparation
Cases with technical notes and materials on the platform. Before the program starts, an optional online course in finance and Excel to level the room.

Team case discussion. You test your judgment with pharmacy owners of different ages, from different pharmacies and regions.

General discussion, workshops and role plays led by the professor.

Every decision you practise contributes to your individual improvement plan, supported by a mentor from beginning to end.

Curriculum

Academic Content and Learning Modules

The Individual Improvement Plan is the backbone of the program: diagnosis of your pharmacy, selection of a priority strategic challenge, a roadmap and mentoring throughout the program. Three modules are built around it:

From managing day-to-day operations to leading with judgment and autonomy.

  • Strategy and management: analysing the environment and future scenarios, direction and strategic priorities, day-to-day decisions with a business perspective.
  • Decision-making and leadership skills: the Case Method as practice, negotiation techniques, communication and influence, role plays based on real situations.

Numbers, processes and sales — with the data in front of you.

  • Finance and profitability: the income statement, costs and margins by business line, investment and financing, pharmacy valuation and management dashboard.
  • Operations and growth: inventory management and profitability by category, data analysis, processes and service quality, value proposition, pricing, merchandising and the customer-patient experience.

The team that sustains the business and the future generation that will inherit it.

  • People and leadership: management styles, recruitment, motivation and retention, compensation, collective agreements, conflict management and difficult conversations.
  • Taxation, assets and family business: taxation for the pharmacy and owner, wealth planning, the pharmacy as a family business, and succession planning and decision-making.
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Who will teach you

Specialist faculty with business experience

Regular San Telmo professors: Raúl Ibáñez, Juan Paneque, Manuel González Toruño, Bassem Newlatty, José Miguel Caballero, Marisa Martínez, Josep Mor, José Manuel Cansino, Jaime Martínez Brocal, Rocío López and José Luis García del Pueyo. Complemented by guest lectures and workshops from experts in pharmacy operations.
Finance
Josep Mor Figueras
Retail and Services
Marisa Martínez Jiménez
People Management
Juan Paneque Macías

Success Stories and Real Testimonials

The true measure of the program is what changed in the pharmacies of those who completed it. After fifteen previous editions, there are many stories to tell.

PDGOF
Paz González Cuesta
“When I started this program, I had spent 22 years running a pharmacy that simply opened and closed every day. Now that I have completed this training, I am more aware and more efficient in every process that takes place in my pharmacy. Thanks to it, I now know that every day when I close my pharmacy, I have been far more efficient — and my pharmacy is more profitable.”
Paz González Cuesta
Farmacia María de la Paz González Cuesta (El Pardo · Madrid)
2022 EDITION

What makes it different?

San Telmo faculty of the highest business and management calibre

An individual, mentored Improvement Plan, developed with the backing of San Telmo.

Real pharmacy cases and tools you can apply from day one.

Focused on transforming the pharmacist into a business owner, not simply improving short-term management.

Taught by San Telmo, which brings its business experience across many sectors to the program — beyond the purely academic or pharmaceutical sphere — so you can break out of the usual loop.

After the program, the faculty remain available for consultations about your pharmacy. And you join the San Telmo network of more than 14,000 alumni worldwide.

The Impact

What happens after the program

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Consecutive editions

An indicator of the program’s standing in the sector.

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Executives trained at San Telmo
Business owners and senior executives since 1982: the network you join.
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Program alumni

Behind each one is a pharmacy that has been transformed.

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Improvement plans implemented
% of plans implemented in the pharmacy [pending]
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Frequently Asked Questions

Complete the form to contact the Program team directly.

Can I combine the program with running my pharmacy?

Yes. The program is designed precisely for pharmacists who run their own community pharmacy. It consists of 15 on-campus sessions, one per week, to make it compatible with your professional activity, so you can keep running your pharmacy while applying what you learn. In fact, one of the goals is for you to put real improvements in place in your pharmacy from day one, through a mentored Individual Improvement Plan. 

No. The program is designed for pharmacists, not finance specialists. We take a very practical approach, focused on helping you interpret your pharmacy’s numbers and make better business decisions. In addition, before the program starts you will have access to an optional online introductory course in finance and Excel, so you can approach the program with greater confidence. 

The program fee is €3,000. Thanks to the support of Bidafarma, members of the cooperative can access a €1,000 scholarship, bringing the final cost for them to €2,000. The fee includes all documentation, faculty support and the mentored development of the Improvement Plan for your pharmacy. (Fee information is taken from the official program page.)

No. The program is aimed at pharmacy owners, future owners, staff pharmacists and management professionals in community pharmacies, regardless of the cooperative they work with. Although it was designed jointly by San Telmo Business School and Bidafarma, any pharmacist who wants to develop a more business-oriented view of their pharmacy may apply for admission. Bidafarma members benefit from special financial conditions thanks to the collaboration between the two institutions.