157,000 Unfilled Pharmacy Jobs by 2020: Staffing Firm offers Premium Pay

Take a look behind the pharmacy counter of a typical retail drug store and you'll see proof that the industry is under stress - stacks of unfilled prescriptions, a harried staff, a schedule board showing extra-long shifts and, in some cases, pharmacy shutdowns.

The consistent shortage of qualified pharmacists first came to light in 1998, and all indicators are that it will get worse before it gets better, says Dale Hetrick, Director of Operations at Reliable One Staffing Services in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a nationwide staffing firm specializing in temporary, on-call, permanent placement and contract staffing for hospitals, nursing homes and retail pharmacy stores.

"Reliable One Staffing has established a 'First Response Team' to fill the gap as effectively as possible - even offering premium pay rates to defray the cost of additional licensing to those pharmacists willing to accept out-of-state temporary assignments," Hetrick states. "We're actively seeking new pharmacy graduates, established pharmacists, and those who are in or close to retirement, willing to earn extra cash, choose their own hours, and help keep understaffed facilities open until the shortage abates." More information on the company's services is available on the website: www.ross1.com, or by calling 1-800-640-2070.

The shortage of pharmacists is industry-wide, but particularly apparent in the retail chain outlets. Hetrick notes that one Ohio client recently asked Reliable One to fill 1,400 temporary pharmacist hours over a two-week period in a single metropolitan area. A client in Utah asked the company to fill 1,500 temporary pharmacist hours over a six-week period in a single metropolitan area.

Industry statistics show that the shortage is expected to grow to 157,000 unfilled positions nationwide by 2020. Predictions for prescription drug usage also continues to climb at staggering rates - an article published by U.S. Pharmacist magazine predicts that by 2020, more than 7.2 billion prescriptions will be filled annually in the United States - more than double the amount filled in 2001. Given the extent of the current shortage and the anticipation that the gap will only widen over the next decade, it is likely that pharmacy shutdowns and backlogs may cause many Americans to go without needed medications, or face multi-day waits to have their scripts filled.

"Even one pharmacist taking on a single additional shift each week would make a difference," Hetrick states. "None of us want to think about our aging parents or children going without essential medications because the local drugstore was shut down."

Media interested in more information on the shortage or Reliable One Staffing Services may contact Mr. Dale Hetrick at 800-640-2070, or visit www.ross1.com.

# # #