Pharmacist crunch

Howell will graduate from pharmacy school in January and step right into a job that pays $49 an hour.

“Basically I could go anywhere in the United States and find a job,” said Howell, who will leave the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy to work as a retail pharmacist for Walgreens Co., the nation’s largest drugstore chain.

Why is Howell, and every other pharmacist for that matter, in such a powerful position?

Simple supply and demand: Nationwide there is a shortage of more than 8,000 pharmacists, according to the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education.

And, with an aging population, the demand for pharmacists isn’t expected to fall any time soon.

According to AFPE, people over age 60 use three times more medication than their younger counterparts.

The first wave of baby boomers, who comprise 27.5 percent of the country’s population according to the U.S. Census Bureau, will hit that magic number in January.

Suddenly, Americans could start popping a lot more pills.

“As we age, we use more medications,” said Susan Winkler, vice president for policy and communication for the American Pharmacists Association.

“That all contributes to a greater need for pharmacists to help manage the use of those medications,” she added.

Missouri is feeling the pharmacist drought more than most of the country. Only five states – Arizona, California, North Carolina, Virginia and Texas – have a higher demand for pharmacists, according to www.pharmacymanpower.com, an educational Web site dedicated to the pharmaceutical industry.

“This is only the second time in 28 years that we’ve felt an employee crunch for pharmacists,” said Lynn Morris, president and founder of Ozark-based Family Pharmacy Inc.

Morris has 27 pharmacists to staff his 19 locations, but he said that’s three pharmacists fewer than he wants.

He said his demand for pharmacists would increase in the coming year with the possibility of five new stores opening.

And while Morris employs pharmacy technicians at every location, he said there are certain things only a licensed pharmacist can do.

Pharmacy techs, he said, have to be supervised by a licensed pharmacist, and only licensed pharmacists can consult with patients. That’s why Morris, who is a pharmacist, has to fill in on the front lines from time to time.

For the first time, Morris said, he’s hitting job fairs at University of Missouri-Kansas City and other pharmacy schools in a recruiting effort.

At the job fairs, he touts the virtues of working in small towns in southwest Missouri and tries to woo students with starting salaries that range from $85,000 to more than $100,000 per year.

That kind of money has gotten the attention of many college-students-to-be, but, according to one pharmacy school assistant dean, there just aren’t enough programs to train all of them.

Schooling scarcity

Kathleen Snella heads a UMKC School of Pharmacy satellite program on the University of Missouri campus, established in August to help alleviate the applicant demand.

However, she said, UMKC was able to accept only 113 of 456 qualified applicants this year even with the satellite program in place.

“If we were able to increase capacity at the school, we would be able to increase pharmacists,” she said. “There are plenty of applicants.”

A 2002 survey by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy showed a scarcity of pharmacy school faculty. The survey showed 417 vacant teaching jobs at 67 schools that responded. There are 84 pharmacy schools nationwide.

In Missouri, UMKC and St. Louis College of Pharmacy offer programs.

Missouri State University has no plans to adopt a pharmacy program, according to acting provost Frank Einhellig, who cited expense as the major barrier.

“It’s certainly something we’d love to do, but no, we don’t have any near future plans for trying to do that,” Einhellig said. “That’s a major undertaking.”

While designed for entry-level pharmacy technicians, Ozarks Technical Community College offers a program that remains full of students receiving more than 74 hours of classroom instruction, said coordinator Carmela Muller.

“Schools can’t keep up with the demand,” said Family Pharmacy’s Morris, who will keep competing for the services of new pharmacists like Howell.

“It’s going to be pretty good for the next few years,” Howell said.