Pharmacist Job Market Update

Here’s the latest pharmacist job market update:

More job opportunities are opening up for pharmacists, as pharmacies & companies are more interested in hiring, compared to late 2009.  Positions are getting filled quickly in areas saturated by pharmacists, especially those that are staff level ones with desired shifts.  It is refreshing to see some pharmacies ready to hire and quick to make decisions.  Pharmacists are having to beat other pharmacists to the punch, because once a coveted position becomes available, pharmacies are being flooded with applicants.

On the flip side, I am seeing other pharmacies take extra care in waiting for the right pharmacist, more so than in the past.  I know one hospital that waited 8 months to find the right critical care pharmacist. The pharmacy director chose not to look at critical care trained residents who had only one year of experience beyond residency, nor critical care pharmacists without a residency.  Their minimum requirements were that the pharmacist had to be PGY2 critical care residency-trained and have at least 2 years of critical care experience as a pharmacist.  And the pharmacy director was willing to wait for someone who met that criteria and was the right fit.

I know another hospital that has waited months for the right candidate for a clinical coordinator position.  They have been waiting for someone who is cream of the crop.  Even staff pharmacist roles are not immune to this type of extra selectivity and hiring managers waiting for the right person.  One pharmacy in Northern California has had a staff pharmacist opening for a few months.  Despite receiving many qualified candidates, they have chosen to hold off on hiring until finding someone who is the perfect candidate.

Clinical specialists that are in high demand are Read more