Survey Results - 47.9% believe Good and competent employee pharmacists are NOT easy to find

Hi Brett,

Thank you for your comments.

I think your comments echo that of many non-owner pharmacists, and this is the difficulty we have been grappling with in the market for pharmacy employees.

Many of our clients, (often pharmacy owners), have often indicated that they are looking for good and competent pharmacists who can provide more services in the pharmacy. At the other end of the spectrum, we have comments such as your own that indicate that you feel as though these opportunities are not available/valued.

Given both sides are looking for "eachother", why is there this frustration that neither party can be found?

We had set up Jobs4Careers.com.au to enable a more open market for pharmacy jobs. And we continue to work on this site to seek support from stakeholders. However, we are finding that we are getting limited traction from pharmacists and pharmacy owners.

I think the issue is certainly a pertinent one - and often quite an emotive one.

If you have any suggestions on services we can offer through Jobs4Careers to be of assistance, please let us know through the Contact Us page of this website.

I also think that your comments would be relevant to the survey into the analysis of Independent Community Pharmacy in Australia: http://www.medici.com.au/GuildSurvey . I encourage you to contribute your thoughts to this survey.

Thank you for your comments.

Kind regards,
Medici Capital

As a good and competent pharmacist, I am surprised at the results of the survey. As in my own experience and that of a number of my colleagues, the quantum that is difficult to find are good jobs. Over the last 15 years employee pharmacist workloads and share of responsibilities have increased while job satisfaction and remuneration have decreased. Employer pharmacists no longer value their employees as they know there is a sea of younger, cheaper pharmacists out there who can dispense the scripts just as well as their more experienced counterparts. In many cases lip service is paid to the value of the employee pharmacist. While in reality we are only kept because we are required by law to be there. We are treated like nothing more than glorified technicians. How does that stimulate an owner to actively seek a competent professional? It doesn't! As long as there is a body behind the terminal. Let the retail staff and technicians do the rest. However cain the pharmacist when something goes wrong. Perhaps Medici should ask employee pharmacists about their feelings on this matter!