Future Looks Bright in Pharmacy

Posted on November 23, 2005

Young people looking at careers with good longterm growth prospects might want to consider becoming a pharmacist if the numbers in this Columbus Dispatch article are accurate. The Dispatch article includes data and a chart that shows the number of pharmacist jobs will double by 2020 from 196,600 in 2001 to 417,000 by 2020 and there will be 157,000 vacant pharmacist positions.

It also shows that pharmacists are rewarded handsomely for their hard work --- the average salary is over $78,000. The article also says the field is changing and it now requires more counseling with patients thanks in part to the vast amounts of drugs that are available and the fact that drugs are being advertised on television. So if you are a people-person this pharmacy field may interest you more than it would have in the past.

"What pharmacists do and what they will do is shifting," said Kenneth M. Hale, assistant dean of OSU's College of Pharmacy. "When I was a young lad, the American Pharmacists Association had a code of ethics that said pharmacists couldn't counsel patients. Now, it's unethical not to. The clear line between doctors and pharmacists has changed."

The need to fill prescriptions has been partially addressed by technology improvements and the use of pharmacy technicians. But that hasn't helped with increasing pressure on pharmacies to become more involved in helping patients manage their drugs, especially elderly patients who might take several medicines, said Dr. David Knapp, dean of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Maryland.

"Every hour of every day, dozens if not hundreds of prescriptions are coming across the counter," Knapp said. "They are trying to do that while at the same time counseling patients, calling physicans, helping diabetic patients manage eight or 10 medicines, teaching parents how to help their child use his new asthma inhaler."

People curious about pharmacy careers may also want to read the pharmacists career page provided by the U.S. Department of Labor.



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