US Pharm.
2006;5(Student suppl):22.
Congratulations as you near
graduation and plan the first stages of your pharmacy career! Some of you will
further your preparation in pharmacy practice residencies while others will
immediately begin working in one of the many settings that call upon the
knowledge, skills, and abilities of licensed pharmacists--society's
medication-use specialists. The profession offers a diverse and exciting array
of distribution management and patient-oriented options for each graduate. You
have choices to make now and in the future to ensure the best match between
your own career preferences and the characteristics of the pharmacy system
where you are employed.
A recent study of national
trends in pharmacy practice offers some important insights into the work of
pharmacists. The National Pharmacist Workforce Survey results can
assist you in better understanding factors that are impacting the pharmacy
work environment. Released by the Pharmacy Manpower Project, Inc., the survey
analyzed pharmacists' practice patterns and how they spend their time, and
compared the results to those from previous studies. Between 2000 and 2004,
the number of prescriptions that respondents processed daily increased,
documenting the increased use of medications by the public. This increase in
pharmacist demand exists even though there have been larger numbers of
graduates and increased use of dispensing technology and technicians.
The study also documented what
pharmacists do and compared this with how they would like to spend their time
in practice. In 2004, pharmacists spent 49% of their day dispensing drugs, but
they indicated the desire to spend only 39% of their day doing so, to allow
more time to provide direct patient care. The clear preference is to spend
additional time on counseling patients on their medication usage and disease
management.
The opportunities for
pharmacists to provide patient care management are growing as the public
becomes more familiar with the results of important studies. Pharmacists are
finding new roles by offering services similar to those provided in Project
IMPACT (drug therapy management) and the Asheville project (pharmacist
intervention). Pharmacists' roles are also expanding as medication therapy
management services evolve in our health care system for Medicare patients and
others at risk for drug-related problems. Compared to 2000, pharmacists have a
more positive outlook about their work and careers even though their workload
has increased. These new roles provide an exciting future in pharmacy.
Both male and female
pharmacists are enjoying the flexibility that pharmacy practice affords its
workforce. Compared to the 2000 survey results, pharmacists are working fewer
hours per week. More pharmacists are working part-time, with more than 30% of
the women between the ages of 31 and 50 working part-time. Compared to 2000,
pharmacists are also being paid more per hour, evidence that the national
shortage of pharmacists has not been resolved.
Over the next decade, the
pharmacy profession could see a worsening shortage as more men retire from the
workforce and more men and women elect to work part-time. This shortage could
make it challenging for the profession to expand the provision of
patient-centered services. As a result, you are likely to encounter positions
that require responsibility for more prescriptions each day and supervision
over a larger number of pharmacy technicians. Continued use of technology and
technicians may enable you to spend less time dispensing so that you have more
time for direct patient care. You are also likely to encounter more pharmacist
colleagues who desire to work part-time due to personal lifestyle preferences
or because they are nearing retirement. All of these factors mean you
that are embarking on a career where pharmacists are in demand. In addition,
the profession needs pharmacists who can solve evolving health care
challenges, such as providing high-quality patient care, despite an ongoing
workforce shortage.
Several articles describing
the national study results in more detail will be published in the May/June
2006 issue of the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. The
full report is on the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Web site,
www.aacp.org.
Good luck as you make your
initial choices about your practice and embark upon your pharmacy career!
To comment on this article, contact editor@uspharmacist.com.