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Drugstore blues
Pharmacists are in high demand as chains expand their markets
[Boulder Daily Camera] By Brooke Wielde, For the Camera
August 4, 2003
If you find the line is a little long at your local pharmacy, you're not alone.
With pharmacists dispensing more medication than ever, they are in high demand but short supply.
There are nearly 5,500 pharmacist vacancies in stores across the country, according to a recent study by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation. This figure does not include independent pharmacies that are also suffering from the shortage, and some industry experts put the overall deficiency at over 7,500 open positions.
"There are lots of forces working in tandem to create this deficiency," says David Elm, director of pharmacy services at the University of Colorado. "The baby-boomer generation is aging, and with age comes chronic disease that require more medication ... and all the target advertising from drug companies creates the illusion that there is a remedy for every ailment."
Another big factor, says Elm, is that students are now required to complete six years of study to earn a doctor of pharmacy degree. By adding that extra year, the country faced a single year with no graduates. With more than 80 pharmacy schools and universities graduating students each year, this move alone created an acute shortage.
In an effort to alleviate the problem, there has been a push to bring in foreign pharmacists to fill some open spots.
"There are about 2,800 foreign-born pharmacists that come in each year," says Steve Croke, president and co-founder of Denver-based PharmacyChoice.com — a Web site offering professional services to the pharmacy and pharmaceutical industries, including recruiting and immigration assistance. "But it's a pain ... it takes two years start to finish, to get them over here."
Croke's site also provides online continuing education, temp placement services and a job board posting a daily average of 3,500 available positions. "We're a marketing engine for the industry ... all our products and services are geared toward fixing the shortage, which is only going to get worse," Croke says.
Based in Boulder, Pharmaca, a self-described "integrative pharmacy," offers traditional pharmacy services in addition to natural remedies or a combination of both, and says it is not feeling much of a hit.
"We've been fortunate because pharmacists seek us out," says Jason Atlas, director of pharmacists. "We have such a unique practice where they can do what they want ... counsel patients and integrate different practices into their traditional training."
Pharmaca purchased their first store in 2000 and now operates in four Western states. In the past two years, with eight different stores, they've only had to recruit three pharmacists.
"People are pushing to get in the door, rather than us having to pull them in," Atlas says. "Pharmacists are in such high demand, as a pharmacist myself I could walk out the door and have 10 offers in the next 72 hours."
As the U.S. population ages, the demand for drugs will only increase. Four out of every five patients leave a doctor's visit carrying a prescription, and prescription drug sales are estimated to rise 75 percent in the next five years, according to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.
Croke says that by 2010, the U.S. population older than 60 is slated to double, further increasing the demand. He also points out that industry jobs are attracting pharmacists, drawing them into the sector with higher-paying opportunities.
"This is not a perceived shortage, it's real," says Elm, adding that pharmacy giant Walgreens has been expanding heavily in Colorado. "They want to be around if Medicare comes through with prescription coverage ... with the increased demand for drugs, they want the best spot on the corner."
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