Vacancies in chain pharmacy positions continue to mount

Drug Store News, April 24, 2000 by James Frederick

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Another 1,000 full- and part-time jobs for chain pharmacists went unfilled in the latter half of 1999, adding to a serious and still-growing shortage of practitioners in chain drug stores across the United States. By the end of the year, chain pharmacist vacancies had risen to a record 6,920 unfilled positions, according to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

Of particular concern, noted the organization in its latest pharmacy manpower survey, is the fact that "full-time vacancies have risen disproportionately." That is "not a welcome development," NACDS added in a dry understatement of the problem.

The shortage of new pharmacists to fill a growing list of openings in new drug stores, mail order facilities, online prescription fulfillment centers and other practice sites has become one of the most critical problems facing the profession, say pharmacy leaders. And according to projections of the number of graduates expected from schools of pharmacy over the next several years, the problem is likely to get worse before it gets better.

"It's been a trend for the last couple of years: chain pharmacist vacancies have been increasing by about 1,000 pharmacists every six months," noted NACDS. "As chain community pharmacies fill over 60 percent of the 3 billion retail prescriptions filled annually, this is a clear symptom of a profession-wide shortage."

Meanwhile, the number of retail pharmacists available to dispense those prescriptions is expected to rise only about 6 percent, to 136,919 community pharmacists in 2005 from 128,781 in 1998.

The shortage of full- and part-time pharmacists has more than doubled in the past two years, according to the survey--from 2,670 at the end of 1997 to nearly 7,000 today. Several factors play a role in the crisis, including the growth of retail and alternative practice settings demanding skilled manpower and burnout among overtaxed practitioners.

The rapid growth in prescription usage is adding pressure to retail work sites. At the American Pharmaceutical Association's 147th Annual Meeting last month, Kurt Proctor, senior vice president of pharmacy policy and operations, noted that the "tidal wave of prescriptions hitting community pharmacy," with 4 billion scripts a year projected by 2004, makes it essential that the profession find new and more efficient ways to dispense medications.

"In today's society, wasting time doesn't cut it for anybody," he said. "Most frustrating for pharmacists today are all the third party requirements they have to deal with."

Proctor reiterated NACDS' support for easing practice restrictions to allow pharmacists to rely more heavily on technology and pharmacy technicians, along with the adoption of a standard prescription benefit card by the managed care industry to simplify third party plan adjudication and billing procedures. "The standard benefit card is a squeaky-wheel issue, and we're going to get a lot squeakier," Proctor said.

As the labor shortfall mounts, the federal government is laying the groundwork for a year-long study of the problem, its causes and possible solutions. As mandated in legislation passed last fall by Congress and signed into law by President Clinton, the Health Resources Services Administration is now soliciting public comment as it gathers information for the study.

The deadline for comments is May 1. NACDS is providing information about the study and the comment process at the "Resources" button on its Web site, www.nacds.org.