In the past week, national news outlets have been reporting that major retailers, CVS and Walmart, will reduce their pharmacy hours in the spring due to staffing concerns. Many of these stories cite a pharmacists’ shortage as the primary driver for these reductions.
However, experts at the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences do not agree that there is a shortage, but rather the reduction is primarily a result of the extended hours and services handled by pharmacies during the COVID-19 pandemic. As pharmacists were inundated with preparing medications for those suffering with the virus, they were also brought to the frontline of the pandemic with testing and vaccine distribution. The ensuing timeframe was simply unsustainable for most licensed pharmacists.
As a result, ACPHS works diligently to:
-Support advocacy efforts for industry working conditions, higher reimbursements, and salaries
-Develop pharmacy technician programs to infuse the field and better support working pharmacists
-Bring students into the retail space while still in college through experiential learning opportunities and student-operated pharmacies
-Prepare pharmacy students for other career paths such as hospital pharmacies, industry, research, and academia
The College has several experts who are available to discuss the contributing factors of this issue, as well as how the College, who has educated pharmacists since its inception in 1881, is leading the way in advocating for and preparing the next generation of pharmacists.
ACPHS experts available include:
--Darren Grabe, B.S., Pharm.D.,’93,’95, Chair for the Department of Pharmacy Practice
--Katie Cardone, Pharm.D., BCACP, FCCP, ’06, PharmD Program Director and Associate Professor
--Paul Pagnotta, RPh,’92, Pharmacy Operations Manager and Clinical Services, and head of ACPHS’ student-operated pharmacies