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!

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