Pharmacies Have Trouble Filling Jobs
By Will Buss, Belleville News-Democrat, Ill.
Jan. 28–Todd Evers would rather fill prescriptions than vacancies.
The last time he had to hire a pharmacist at one of his pharmacies, it took him three months to find someone.
"Right now, we are fully staffed, but there is huge void there," said Evers, whose Evers Group of Pharmacies consists of Evers Pharmacy in Collinsville, Harold Smith Pharmacy in Belleville, Dauber Pharmacy in Mascoutah, Allen’s Drugs in Troy and Millstadt Pharmacy in Millstadt. "There’s a huge shortage of pharmacists in this country."
According to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores in Alexandria, Va., there were 3,600 full-time openings for pharmacists throughout the nation last year reported by 37,000 member stores.
Jackie Lopez, associate director of management at the National Community Pharmacists Association, also in Alexandria, said several factors have contributed to the shortfall. She said the most significant being changes being in insurance policies and federal regulations, which have made drugs more available to more people. An aging population and more drugs being manufactured and advertised to the public have boosted the number of the nation’s prescriptions from 2 billion to 3.2 billion in the last decade. Independent and chain pharmacies, hospitals and nursing homes are scrambling to find people to fill these orders, Lopez said.
Then there is the explosion of new pharmacies by giant retailers such as Walgreens, CVS and Wal-Mart. Every time one of these chains opens a new store, it creates a need for more trained pharmacists.
Observers say pharmacy schools can’t crank them out fast enough.
However, the number of vacancies are on the decline. The number of full-time openings last reported are more than half of the 7,700 job openings reported in August 2001.
"Generally speaking, we think the shortage is improving, but there is a way to go," said association senior economist Laura Miller. "New schools of pharmacy have opened, and we’re starting to see graduates from new schools."
One is at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. SIUE School of Pharmacy Dean Phil Medon said the school is one of several established within the past few years to meet staffing needs.
"I think a lot of new schools coming on board here will help alleviate the problem," Medon said. "We haven’t had any graduates, yet, but long-term expansion at existing schools plus new school are designed to help alleviate the shortage."
Medon said SIUE’s pharmacy school will not see its first graduating until May 2009. The program was launched in August 2005 –four years after the university’s board of trustees approved it and three years after the Illinois Board of Higher Education gave its accreditation. SIUE’s program takes six years to complete with two years of pre-pharmacy curriculum before preceding with four years of doctorate-level courses. He said the university plans to admit and graduate 80 students per year, and current students are excelling.
Evers said the St. Louis area is fortunate to have two schools of pharmacy — the other being St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Others located in Illinois are in the Chicago area, including University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy and Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy in Downers Grove. The Chicago State University College of Pharmacy will begin inaugural classes in August.
"The solution is we need more students, and having another school of pharmacy has helped the competition between two schools only 15 miles apart," Evers said. "That is very good."
Contact reporter Will Buss at wbuss@bnd.com or 345-7822, ext. 24.
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