Published by Computachem Services

P.O Box 297.
Alstonville. 2477
NSW Australia

Phone:
61 2 66285138

The long awaited workforce report from the Third Agreement has arrived and the news is gloomy for those wanting an early retirement or thinking about cutting their hours back. By 2010 we'll be 3000 pharmacists short of meeting demand and as far as ever from filling the gaps.
I strongly recommend any pharmacists who intend to be practicing anytime in the next 10 years read though this report (A Study of the Demand and Supply of Pharmacists, 2000 - 2010). It is available currently from a link on the front page of the Guild's webpage. (http://www.guild.org.au)

It is expected that around 2500 of this shortfall could be in the hospital sector where the demand for new pharmacy oriented services seems at odds with the ongoing shortages in this area.
Ideas are put forward for increasing the ebb and flow of pharmacists between the two sectors (which is rather one-way at the moment, and generally irreversible).
The ideas put forward include marketing hospitals to older community pharmacists as a refresher program, closing the gap between private and public practice and using hospital pharmacies as a training ground for the cognitive services provided via retail pharmacies.
Sadly most of these measure seem to be aimed at helping community pharmacies improve their workforce situation, and don't help to put in place long term reforms for the hospital sector.
In NSW ideas are being put forward at the moment to rectify workforce related issues that go beyond mere salaries, and the outcomes are eagerly awaited.

Other interesting points are the 5000 registered pharmacists currently not working in pharmacies.
The report highlights the need for targeted programs to encourage pharmacists to return to pharmacies rather than other employment in industry or other sectors, and the reduce the loss into other professions such as medicine.
It is feared that up to 7% of new graduates will be lost to the pharmacy sector by 2010 and this is a huge loss, possibly over 500 full-time pharmacists.
This is significant when you realise that 2005 graduates are not expected to greatly outnumber the class of 2002, despite the establishment of 4 new pharmacy schools in recent years, and the possible establishment of more.

At the basis of this lies a dilemma for the community pharmacy sector in particular.
Margins have been squeezed in recent years, with little real increase in the basic renumeration for PBS dispensing (which is still the major business of nearly all retail pharmacies) and a major amount of extra work required, to obtain the bonuses offered from new services in the Third Agreement.
While there can be no argument that some financial incentives are necessary to drive new cognitive services, it is hard to ignore a workforce shortage of the one facing our profession.
In order for pharmacy to remain an attractive profession, and become more attractive to the 7% of graduates we might lose, and the 5000 registered pharmacists who work elsewhere what needs to be done?

Working conditions need to improve in both community and hospital sectors.
This can be done with increased pharmacist substitution as suggested in the report published this week.
More assistants and technicians can help to overcome a shortage of pharmacists, especially if they are empowered to take on more responsibility in a pharmacy.
The shortage of pharmacists has the potential to feed upon itself, as pharmacists become frustrated with the increased workload and walk away.
We can't make more pharmacists appear, but we can attempt to delegate much of the more menial work to others.

Wages need to improve, particularly in the hospital sector.
It is hard to ignore the lure of money.
Even in the retail sector where margins are now tighter, wages have not quite spiralled to the extent you might have expected given the shortage we face.
Real increases in government renumeration will make pharmacy ownership a more attractive proposition, and keep young pharmacists in the system, and will enable higher wages to be paid to retain existing staff, and attract pharmacists from the pool of 5000 currently working elsewhere.
Hospital pharmacies will never be able to attract more staff than their current 10-15% of the workforce unless major industrial reforms take place.

Expanded clinical role for pharmacists.
The UK is leading the way in its NHS trusts with a role for the prescribing pharmacist, working with the doctors.
Roles like this will be more attractive to existing young pharmacists, and some experienced pharmacists as well.
An expanded role, and profile will make pharmacy appear to be a more attractive career.
Many on the outside of out profession see little else than sticking labels on bottles, and this perception needs to be changed.
Even the clinical work of pharmacists in the hospital, that often has little to do with dispensing, has a low profile in comparison to the public image of pharmacists.

Postgraduate training needs to become more common.
Postgraduate training provides a career structure and pathway for pharmacists.
Whether it is an MBA oriented to Pharmacy as currently offered via Monash or a Doctorate in Clinical Pharmacy from UQ, these courses offer a pathway into something bigger, and help young pharmacists to plan for the future.
The increasing development of AIPM and the establishment of the MBA course will go a long way to encouraging young pharmacists to want to manage and eventually own their own pharmacy.

We can't lose the ownership battle.
If the debate of ownership restrictions is lost at any point in the next ten years, the situation could be bleak.
If Woolworths, Priceline, Mayne etc are cashed up and ready to roll, the many older pharmacists who will sell out are surely a high probability of retiring and leaving the profession.
With a 3000 pharmacist shortage predicted can we afford to lose any pharmacists?