The urgent need to manage COVID-19 vaccines in the US are fueling demand for another suddenly hot commodity: pharmacists.
The federal government started this week dispatch of vaccines to drugstores across the country as part of an effort to jump-start immunizations. As a result, pharmacies are adding pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other support staff to interact with patients, manage vaccine supplies, and give injections. Some employers even offer five-figure sign-up bonuses for pharmacy students before they even complete their studies.
“Over the past five to six years, the market has been saturated with pharmacists and there have been few good jobs,” said Micheal Hogue, dean of the Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy. “Today, I am very aware of regional and national chains hiring pharmacy students and pharmacists as soon as possible to meet the demands of COVID’s vaccination efforts.”
Scott Knoer, CEO of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), also pointed out the increase vacancies for pharmacy students.
“It used to be quite difficult to get a job in the pharmacy. Now it has been changed by COVID, and pharmacists are literally saving the world through vaccination,” he told CBS MoneyWatch.
Pharmacy job openings are up 35% from a year ago, with both large chains and independent pharmacies ramping up the number of employees as Americans scrambling to secure appointmentsCVS Health, the country’s largest pharmacy chain with 10,000 stores in the US, announced in October that it would fill 15,000 new jobs, including 10,000 pharmacy technician positions, to help respond to the pandemic.
Walgreens, the second-largest US pharmacy chain, with more than 9,000 retail locations, is also rapidly recruiting. It has filled 7,500 of the 9,000 newly created pharmacy roles to assist with COVID-19 testing and vaccination shots. It also trains existing staff to administer the vaccine, and aims to have trained 45,000 team members, including 30,000 pharmacists and 15,000 pharmacy technicians, by mid-February, Rina Shah, vice president of Walgreens pharmacy operations, said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch.
The chain is also hiring an additional 25,000 staff who are vital in supporting pharmacists and technicians.
New rule is a ‘game-changer’
A flyer distributed by CVS Health indicates that the company also offers “Hero Pay” to pharmacy teams administering the COVID-19 vaccine. A company spokesperson said it would continue to hire staff to meet demand while the pandemic continues.
Most pharmacists are trained and qualified to give immunizations once they have a PhD in pharmacy. But a rule change enacted by the Trump administration in October also allows pharmacy technicians, who don’t need Pharm.D. degree, to receive training to administer COVID-19 vaccines under the guidance of a fully licensed pharmacist.
The change allows pharmacists to delegate the task of giving a shot to a technician, leaving them free for other tasks. Pharmacists remain responsible for checking that the vaccine is suitable for the patient and that it has been prepared correctly.
“In the pharmacy workflow, immunizations are sometimes such a bottleneck, because as a pharmacist you have to step out of everything to give the patient a chance. To have a technician do this is a breakthrough in pharmacy practice,” says Kim. McKeirnan, associate professor of Pharmacotherapy at Washington State University College of Pharmacy and the author of the school’s pharmacy technician training program.
Five-figure bonuses
According to Linda Garrelts MacLean, vice dean of external affairs for Washington State University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
An internal job board features a Walgreens flyer advertising sign-up bonuses of up to $ 10,000 for pharmacists and $ 500 for technicians. Other chains offer up to $ 20,000, a pharmacy school administrator said.
Credit to WSU College of Pharmacy
Breanna Byrne, a fourth-year student at WSU’s pharmacy school, is positive about her job prospects. She has already completed the courses that allow her to administer the COVID-19 vaccine and works at the Fred Meyer pharmacy on weekends, making $ 23 an hour as an intern.
“They offered me an intern to help with the flu season, and that is now continuing to vaccinate against COVID,” Byrne told CBS MoneyWatch.
Her fiancé, Jeff Gist, also a fourth-year student at WSU, recently did an internship at Walgreens to help with vaccinations. “They said that when I graduate in May, it will be a full-time job. I am sure we will be doing a lot of vaccinations,” he said.
The pandemic highlights the broad skills of pharmacists and puts them on the front line against COVID-19.
“Pharmacy as a profession has worked very diligently to ensure their value is understood and this particular situation simply underscores the value that the pharmacist brings to the community and to the team,” said Garrelts MacLean of WSU.
Industry professionals say pharmacists are ready for an unprecedented public health challenge.
“This is 9/11 from pharmacists. In the beginning we had no protection whatsoever: no PPE, no masks, no plexiglass. Pharmacists went to work, they served their community and they do that now. In the background, but now are we’re up there, ”said Knoer.