Pharmacist shortage continues as chains compete to fill posts - Pharmacy Annual Report: Recruiting Pharmacists - Statistical Data Included

While many college graduates are struggling to find a job in today's tough economy, pharmacy graduates are enjoying Large salaries, signing bonuses, stock options and relocation allowances. The continuing pharmacist shortage has chain and independent pharmacies, hospitals and other practice settings consistently upping the ante to recruit pharmacists.

According to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores' February 2002 employment survey, there were 6,502 open pharmacy positions as of January 2002, escalating from a shortage of 5,723 in February 2001. The most severe shortages were found in Arkansas, California and Maine, while Rhode Island, Wyoming and Montana reported their number of pharmacists was suitable. Meanwhile, the supply of community pharmacists is expected to increase just 3.9 percent in the next three years. In contrast, the number of prescriptions dispensed is expected to increase by 26 percent.

According to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, 7,000 students graduated in the 2000-2001 school year with degrees in pharmacy, 1,914 of which were bachelor's degrees and 5,086 were pharmacy doctorates. The need for pharmacists has chains aggressively attempting to outbid and outdo not only one another, but hospitals and drug companies, as well, for this limited supply of new graduates. The majority of chains Drug Store News contacted declined to comment or release any specifics of their offers to prospective pharmacists.

"Any time you have a shortage, it gives potential employees more control over their careers," said David Knapp, dean of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. About one-half of the school's May 2002 graduating class chose to work in community pharmacy. Ten percent chose institutional settings, 28 percent went into residency or fellowship programs, 3 percent continued on for a graduate degree, 2 percent chose positions with the Food and Drug Administration, and the remaining 1 percent went into industry settings, such as drug companies.

"We had an upswing into community pharmacy this year, with a large chunk of our students choosing to start their careers in chain and independent pharmacies," Knapp told Drug Store News. "Each student had three or four offers to choose from and, therefore, had an improved opportunity to be selective." Wit many community pharmacies offering starting salaries of $75,000 to $80,000, it is easy to see why.

In a prepared statement, Eckerd noted that it aggressively recruits pharmacists, offering a competitive relocation and compensation package that includes an enhanced 401(K) program. Walgreens reported that it, too, offers competitive employment packages and pharmacist stock options, while it also works with high schools to encourage careers in pharmacy. CVS offers the Pharmacy Student Scholarship of Excellence program with TERI, a non-profit education loan provider. The program offers selected recipients $5,000 to assist in their college pharmacy education in exchange for one year of service after graduation as a full-time registered pharmacist in a CVS pharmacy.

Preparing for community pharmacy

In order to give pharmacy students practical exposure to community pharmacy, the University of Mary and opened a $600,000 pharmacy practice laboratory that provides an educational bridge between the classroom and real world of experiential learning. The 2,000-square-foot lab was built entirely with outside funding.

Rite Aid gave the university a gift of $160,000, the Institute for the Advancement of Community Pharmacy provided a grant of $100,000 and Merck & Co. contributed funding, as well. In addition to its gift, Rite Aid donated stock and provided manpower to merchandise the shelves. Giant Food of Landover, Md., donated $50,000 to purchase the computers and provides an additional $15,000 per year for annual upgrades and maintenance. Additional funding and other contributions came from CVS, Pyxis Corp., McKesson, Uniweb and Walgreens.

The lab also has eight patient counseling sites, including four counseling/monitoring/examination rooms that feature video capabilities. These offer students a venue in which to learn how to better communicate with patients and health care professionals to better manage diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension.

Schools struggle to attract students

Despite the lucrative post-graduation offers, pharmacy schools still can't produce pharmacists fast enough to fill the thousands of empty positions. Many schools offer accelerated programs while attempting to recruit more students, but class sizes continue to dwindle annually. According to a recent AmerisourceBergen survey conducted by Opinion Research Corp. of 1,044 Americans, 82 percent of the respondents had never considered pursuing or recommending a career in pharmacy.

NACDS is working with several chains to get high school students interested in pharmacy. The Pharmacies of Promise program, affiliated with Secretary of State Colin Powell's America's Promise group, works to get chain pharmacies to develop internship programs. CVS began Pharmacies of the Future, a full-time summer internship of 35 hours per week and five additional hours of educational sessions led by pharmacy professionals, which will be reduced to part-time when school resumes.

For those in the industry, the pharmacist shortage is critical, but according to the AmerisourceBergen survey, 64 percent of respondents were unaware that there was a shortage, and only 19 percent were concerned. The numbers indicate that despite the shortage, pharmacies are meeting patient demands. To do that, chains are floating pharmacists from one store to another and increasing the number of pharmacy technicians where permitted by law to help alleviate pharmacists' workload.

NACDS also has been working to make the pharmacist's job easier, according to Crystal Wright, vice president of media relations. "Twenty percent or more of a pharmacist's time is spent doing paperwork, verifying insurance information or checking with the doctor," Wright said. "Simple things can be so beneficial."

She noted that NACDS has been working with state legislatures to develop uniform information on insurance benefit cards and have drug manufacturers package medications in doses rather than loose pills.

"Every pharmacist wants to engage with the patient, and retail pharmacy allows them that. Patient interaction is one of the most rewarding experiences, as well as a major draw for retail pharmacy," Wright said.

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