Innovations-Magazine-July-August-2023 - 9

hough the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency
declarations have officially come to an end, the effect of the pandemic
and changes to professional roles and workplace standards will be felt
by pharmacists and workers across many industries for years to come.
In the post-COVID-19 context, the pharmacy landscape
continues to evolve. Noteworthy demographic trends include
decreasing pharmacy school applications alongside increasing
opportunities for those who apply, as well as a changing job
outlook for both new and seasoned pharmacists. Such trends
may place additional pressure on pharmacy practices, chains,
and schools to become more focused on recruiting and retaining
talent in the coming years.
Workforce Changes and Decreasing Applications
Following the unprecedented workplace challenges of the last
three years, many experienced pharmacists of the baby boomer
generation (59-77 years old) - and older members of Generation
X (42-58 years old) - are deciding to either retire or seek better
opportunities and work-life balance by transferring to lessdemanding
roles in non-retail pharmacy settings. Pharmacists
who are leaving the profession often say they are doing so
because of professional burnout and insufficient compensation
for increased hours and duties in an increasingly high-stress
retail environment.
Rather than leaving the profession altogether, some seasoned
pharmacists have also been opting to step down or transition into
different roles, such as working from home for pharmacy benefits
managers or insurance companies. These alternative positions
allow them to practice pharmacy without having to adapt to
pandemic-related changes - administering COVID-19 testing
and vaccinations, accepting reduced staffing and lower pay, or
utilizing new technologies - at the later stages of their careers.
Under more typical conditions, pharmacists just entering the
practice would likely fill the gaps left by the loss of more seasoned
practitioners, and such workers are certainly in demand in retail
pharmacy settings. Further, these newly licensed pharmacists have
completed training in the latest technologies and practice models,
adding to their appeal during the hiring process.
However, as pharmacist vacancies increase, enrollment at
schools and colleges of pharmacy has declined. The American
Association of Colleges of Pharmacy's (AACP's) PharmCAS
Applicant Data Report shows that even before the pandemic,
the total number of PharmCAS applicants had been steadily
declining, dropping from a high of 17,617 during the
2012-2013 application cycle to 15,335 applicants in the
2018-2019 cycle. Later, at the peak of the pandemic, the
applicant total fell to 13,324 during the 2020-2021 applicant
cycle and then decreased by an additional 15.8%, to a low
of 11,219 people submitting 32,848 applications in the
2021-2022 cycle.
Increasing Opportunities and Diversity
With over 130 United States pharmacy schools vying for
fewer applicants and with more jobs available after graduation,
those interested in pharmacy careers now have more
opportunities and incentives to pursue degrees and
enter the profession.
Indeed, the percentage of PharmCAS applicants accepted to
pharmacy schools in the 2021-2022 admission cycle was nearly
87%, a significant increase from the 34% accepted during the first
PharmCAS admissions cycle in 2003-2004, according to AACP.
Over that two-decade period, the percentage of applicants accepted
each year showed a steady increase that mirrored the growth of
the number of pharmacy schools, which grew from 43 to 134.
As another factor that could potentially affect application
rates in the coming years, AACP announced in December 2022
that it will retire the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT)
in 2024, thereby removing a potential barrier to entry and
bringing an end to what had been a mainstay of the pharmacy
school admissions process for 50 years.
It remains to be seen if changes such as the elimination of
standardized application requirements like the PCAT will
succeed in attracting more students to help grow the pharmacist
workforce in the long term. However, such factors could
potentially help create a more inclusive environment in the near
term for those from traditionally underrepresented groups who
are wishing to enter the field - which is just what the practice of
pharmacy needs, according to recent reports.
For example, study findings published in March 2021
by the Journal of the American Medical Association Network
demonstrate that Black, Hispanic, and Native American people
are underrepresented in 10 health care occupations - including
the practice of pharmacy - as well as in the educational
pipeline for those occupations. AACP data support these
findings; when asked to self-identify by race/ethnicity, about
44% of PharmCAS applicants in the 2021-2022 application
cycle selected White; 23% selected Asian; about 14% selected
Hispanic/Latino; 13% selected Black/African American; and
less than 1% selected American Indian.
As a way to increase representation within health care professions
and educational pipelines, NABP and several other organizations
have been working since fall 2021 on a three-year grant project
funded through the US Department of Health and Human
Services. The effort is expected to help draw a more diverse group
of students to consider pharmacy and other health care careers,
and to increase the number of practitioners and leaders in racial
and ethnic minority groups working in such professions.
JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 7
JULY/AUG
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/issue/4/3 https://connect.aacp.org/discussion/2021-2022-pharmgrad-applicant-data-report
Innovations-Magazine-July-August-2023

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