COVER STORY

STILL A HOT PROPERTY

Pharmacists are still at a premium across the country, exclusive survey finds

From Long Island to Los Angeles, from Minneapolis to Miami, from Philadelphia to Phoenix, pharmacists confirmed that there just aren't enough of them to go around anymore. And the shortfall has boosted the readout on their stress-o-meters, according to an exclusive manpower survey conducted by Drug Topics and Hospital Pharmacist Report.

 

 

Questionnaires were sent randomly to 1,500 pharmacists; they were returned by 429. Ninety-three percent of the responding pharmacists reported a manpower shortage in their area of the country. But even more Midwestern respondents (97%) feel their region is suffering from a pharmacist deficit. When we asked our respondents about the extent of the shortage, 22% said it's severe and 65% labeled it somewhat severe.

Hospitals are bearing the brunt of the manpower crunch, according to our R.Ph. respondents. Chain drugstores reportedly use their checkbooks as a powerful recruiting tool, luring new and veteran practitioners alike into corporate pharmacy. Higher salaries and sign-on bonuses dangled by most chains make it tougher for hospitals to hire and retain staff. So, it's not surprising that 97% of hospital pharmacists report a shortage in their region, and 90% think it's severe or somewhat severe.

Although 93% of the pharmacists surveyed think there's a shortage, only 43% report an R.Ph. staffing problem in their own pharmacy. Once again, more hospital pharmacists (57%) have firsthand experience with the manpower shortage, compared with 30% of independents and 38% of chains.

Three major factors are at the heart of the pharmacist shortage, according to our survey. First, the switch to the entry-level Pharm.D. degree means an extra year of school and expenses, and the switchover from the B.S. results in a year with no graduates for each pharmacy school. Second, construction of too many chain drugstores and the move to round-the-clock operations put a real strain on the supply of pharmacists. And, third, the influx of women feeds the shortage because they drop out to have children and then prefer part-time hours if they return to the workforce, according to our respondents.

Other forces at work in the shortage include poor working conditions, low wages, and more varied job opportunities. "Six years of intensive scientific training to work a drive-thru window for 16 hours a day for $60,000 a year is not very appealing to young graduates," said a New York independent owner. A North Carolina independent pharmacist laid the shortage at the feet of "blood-sucking third-party insurance companies."

Another Tarheel R.Ph. said, "Pick one: overworked, underpaid, underappreciated, etc." But another New York pharmacist thinks "pharmacy school is too hard. Kids today are stupid and lazy. Who in their right mind would want to put up with the s*** the government and the insurance industry put us through?"

Patients are get-ting shortchanged in terms of face time with a pharmacist, according to 83% of the respondents who see a shortage. Patient counseling time has suffered, according to 90% of independents, compared with 76% of chains and 86% of hospitals.

Not only is there less time for counseling, patient relationships have also been hurt by the shortage, said 63% of our respondents. The sectors that reported the most widespread impact included the East (72%) and the South (69%), as well as chains (71%).

"I feel like I am always rushed and under pressure," said a Maryland chain pharmacist. "Therefore, I can be curt and short with the patients." And an Arkansas independent owner lamented, "I am a pill factory. No time to talk. I'm on the phone with the insurance [companies] too long." At a Kansas hospital in the mid-1990s, pharmacists used to see half of all inpatients, but it's "less than 1% now," said one respondent.

On the bright side, technicians are relieving the workload, according to 86% of the respondents who use techs. Even more independents (96%) rate techs tops for workload reduction, compared with 90% of chains and 76% of hospitals.

 

Does the R.Ph. shortage mean less time to counsel?*

 

Internal server error