A Reason for Concern...

I have created this blog to voice my concern about the future of the profession of pharmacy. I practice in California but I have noticed that this issue is relevant in most states across the country. I have been working in pharmacies now for over 15 years. There was a shortage of pharmacists since I was an intern in the late 1990s and it continued for over ten years. This lack of manpower was the root cause of a major overreaction to accredit numerous new pharmacy schools to meet the demand. The number of schools in California has already doubled from four to at least eight. My concern is that there are more slated to open in the future. The number of students graduating has now overloaded the job market to where new graduates are having serious difficulties in finding employment. Some of these aforementioned schools still have not produced a graduating class and thereby the situation is already likely to worsen without the addition of new schools to the mix. I understand the economic state of the country has a part in the employment woes of pharmacists but on the other hand pharmacy is not as heavily affected by the economy as other fields. It is my conclusion that we all need to make our voices heard so that no additional pharmacy schools are opened at this time. It is in the best interest of all pharmacists, current and future, to take a stand to prevent this from occurring. My only regret is that we may be acting after some damage has been done. I was hoping a healthy balance would be achieved but it has quickly gone from a shortage to an overabundance of pharmacists. It is not too late though, so join me...