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Pharmacy college faces challenges

by Cindy Abole
Public Relations
College of Pharmacy dean John Cormier, M.S. Pharm., Pharm.D., is beginning to wonder if licensed pharmacists in the United States are becoming the next entry on the endangered species list. 

There are an estimated 196,000 licensed pharmacists in the United States. Last year, there were 33 percent fewer applicants applying to America's pharmacy schools. 

Just as sobering is the fact that nearly half of the nation’s pharmacists are leaving the profession for higher paying, fulfilling jobs. 

“This decline has affected every health science discipline across the country. It's not just in pharmacy,” said  Cormier,  citing various reasons for the slump in pharmacy school applicants in recent years. “Although we can't determine if students are heading to other health science disciplines, we do know that applications are down.”

Last fall, MUSC’s College of Medicine reported a similar decrease in students applying to medical school. Like their medical school counterparts, the attraction to more higher paying jobs in the computer and technology industries continue to lure qualified candidates and professionals. 

In 1997, the college converted its entry-level degree from a baccalaureate Pharm.D training program to an entry-level Pharm.D degree. Combining the two programs may have resulted in a temporary shortage of degreed pharmacists entering the workforce. Next month, candidates from the first class of this new entry-level program will graduate.

Could the new curriculum change affect the decline in qualified pharmacy school applicants?

“Curriculum revision has always been fraught with anxiety,” Cormier said. “Students realize that they would bear the brunt of a new load of testing and revision for the first two years. They usually adopt a wait-and-see attitude.”

The South Carolina Pharmacy Association (SCPhA) estimates the state to have about 5,000 licensed pharmacists in the Palmetto State. Of that number, about 1,700 of these licensed pharmacists work outside the state. These numbers may reflect professionals who maintain dual licenses in neighboring states like North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia and have moved away. 

Also affecting the shortage is how the profession classifies the number of part-time pharmacists working in retail chain pharmacy environments. The pharmacy profession is flexible enough for women to maintain dual roles of family and professional. According to Jim Bracewell, executive vice president of the South Carolina Pharmacy Association (SCPhA) about 28 percent of today’s pharmacists work part-time and that contributes to the industry shortage. 

The struggles with managed care and job satisfaction, especially in the retail chain industry are constantly affecting the workforce, according to Bracewell. 

“The decline in professional priorities such as work conditions and salary makes a big difference,” Bracewell said. “All too often what happens is the public is short-changed on the full value of their prescriptions because the drug expert, the pharmacists, work part-time and that contributes to the industry shortage." 

Whether it is workplace challenges or the ability to recruit students, Cormier is willing to collaborate jointly with the University of South Carolina's School of Pharmacy to find short-term solutions to counter the shortage.

“Naturally, what we don't want is a glut of pharmacists five years from now in reaction to our actions,” Cormier said. “As an academic institution, we need to be cautious and thorough in our response so that we can stand ready to meet the state's needs.” 

Today, pharmacist professionals practice in one of three traditional work environments: chain retail, hospital and independent pharmacies. 

According to Cormier, the demographics of America’s population is constantly changing.

As pharmacist’s roles continue to broaden and expand, there is a need to become more patient-oriented and politically involved within the community. It will depend on the changing demographics of America's population in future years.

Within the next decade, the number of people age 55 and older will jump in size. Not only will modern medicine allow these aging baby boomers with the advantage of a longer life, but many will be diagnosed with more chronic illnesses. This gives rise to the pharmaceutical industry's need to produce and manufacture more drugs for consumers. 

“As healthy as these aging baby boomers may be, we know that their bodies can’t necessarily handle today’s drugs or combination of medications without careful monitoring and the proper guidance of pharmacy professionals,” Cormier said. 

According to Bracewell, about 30 years ago, there were about 650 prescriptive drugs on the market. Today, there are more than 10,000 drugs available. Therefore, the role of the pharmacists is expected to expand based upon supply and demand. As the senior population continues to rise, so will the number of prescriptions required by consumers.”

MUSC's pharmacy program continues to attract the best and brightest candidates. Last fall, the college won high praise on being ranked No. 22 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report’s listing for “America’s Best Colleges 2001.” The award recognized the college’s national reputation as a sound academic and clinically involved, patient-oriented program.

This year, the college received about 130 applications to fill 60 slots. Applicants ranged in diverse backgrounds  from science students, former nurses, pharmacy technicians and professionals who are interested in pursuing the six-year advanced degree. 

Like all of MUSC’s six colleges, the College of Pharmacy is focused on increasing minority applicants, especially Native Americans and Hispanics. The program has continually recruited from among South Carolina’s historically black colleges and universities. The college works closely with the SCPhA for statewide referrals and inquiries. 

“Pharmacists continue to hold a highly respected profession in the community,” Cormier said. “People recognize that they perform a highly critical function in terms of public health within communities.” 

As with most of health care, the advent of new technology continues to play a significant role in the industry’s future. Improvements in drug manufacturing and managing distribution challenges in the delivery of drugs are important issues to overcome.

Hospitals and other large scale pharmacy operations are successfully using touch-screen computer management programs and automated dispensing systems to free pharmacists giving them more efficient time for patient consultation and other specialty needs. Bracewell also foresees the expanding role of the compounding pharmacist as an important specialty. 

“With the progress in mapping the humane genome, the new knowledge scientists gain will help yield more accurate diagnoses for disease and provide important advances for customized drugs to help treat patients,” Bracewell said. “For pharmacists, I see a bright future awakening.”

For now, Cormier sees tremendous potential in the college's vision area for pharmaceutical research. The department of pharmaceutical sciences is currently being reorganized and seeking a new director. The move will help guide pharmacy graduate education for the future. 

“I think this profession will continue to be regarded as a highly respected and trusted of  professions,” Cormier said. “The demand for pharmacists will continue to attract people looking for a traditional career path, which will eventually lead to a return in popularity of the health sciences.”