By Ray Fisher (Pharmacy Recruiter)
Now that the pharmacy shortage is over [for the most part] I still see a lot of pharmacists working in retail that would rather be working in a hospital environment. Approximately 22% of all pharmacists work in a hospital environment, leaving four out of five pharmacists working in other types of pharmacies. If you are a pharmacist looking to transition into a hospital role you need to consider the industry trends.
Hospitals aren’t as desperate to find pharmacists these days. With most metropolitan markets having a surplus of pharmacists, they are finding themselves being able to be pickier. Typically hospitals want someone with previous hospital experience, something more than just a few rotations in a hospital environment. There are still a few hospitals around the country that will take in new graduates but they are found more in remote areas. There are even fewer hospitals that will take someone from a retail background and hire them to work in the hospital pharmacy.
Most non-retail pharmacies, hospitals included, don’t want to hire someone who has been in a retail spot for the past few years. This is because the work environment in a hospital is quite different from a retail store and because they are seeking candidates with a fresh knowledge of the pharmacy industry outside of pills. Hospital employers typically find that candidates in retail stores have lost experience in preparing TPN’s or IV’s and aren’t as current on the latest pharmacy trends. While I personally disagree with this I’m not the one that gets to make the hiring decisions. There are some things a retail pharmacist can do though if they are serious about transitioning into a hospital pharmacy role.
1. Volunteer - Many hospitals seek volunteers for a variety of tasks, mostly outside the pharmacy industry. Volunteers may staff reception areas and gift shops; file and retrieve documents; provide administrative backup; help visitors; visit with patients; or transport items like flowers, medical records, lab specimens, and drugs from unit to unit.
So you didn’t go to pharmacy school to be a candy striper but, by volunteering in a hospital environment you definitely acquire some hospital experience that a hospital recruiter will want to look at. Also, as a volunteer you will make connections with other hospital staff that might be able to provide you with a reference if a pharmacist job opens up in that particular facility. Not only will you be adding some hospital experience to your resume, you’ll be giving back to the community!
2. Take Continuing Education classes that reflect your career goals. In nearly every state pharmacists are required to take continuing education courses. Various organizations offer these courses and give you the options of which courses to take. Contact your state pharmacy association or board of pharmacy to find out what continuing education courses are available and take continuing education classes (even if you don’t need the credit) that are geared more towards hospital pharmacists. By taking these classes you might run into a hospital pharmacist who can help you get on at their facility and, you’ll be staying fresh on trends in the hospital pharmacies.
3. Complete a PGY Residency. Many residency programs pay pharmacists to complete post-graduate year residencies year one and year two. For someone getting ready to graduate Pharmacy College this is the best option into securing a pharmacy job in a hospital environment. By completing the residency program you gain a full year of hospital experience as well as training in specialized fields that hospitals will pay top dollar for! For a list of residency programs contact your alma mater or check out the information found on the American Society of Clinical Pharmacists. (Just do a Google search).
4. Go back to school! Most recent graduates already have a Pharm-D however, if you graduated with your Bachelors in Pharmacy, think about going back to school. The University of Florida now offers a Pharm-D program that you can complete entirely online. Creighton University in Nebraska offers a correspondence program that only requires you be present on campus for a few weeks each summer.
5. Be willing to go where the job is. Often times the hospitals that will offer someone with no previous hospital experience a job in their pharmacy aren’t located in the most desirable locations. Even hospitals in the most remote areas (Homer, AK for example) are finding pharmacists with hospital experience willing to relocate to these towns for the right position. If your serious about getting into a hospital pharmacy career you may end up having to relocate to somewhere that you would previously not consider living.
6. Become a preceptor. Many states have a formal pharmacy preceptor program. This allows pharmacists to mentor and supervise interns and is typically a volunteer position. Becoming a preceptor requires that you take on additional responsibility for little pay however, it gives you the chance to network with other pharmacy preceptors (some who work in hospitals) and it is also something you can post on a resume to demonstrate a genuine interest in going above and beyond in your field of expertise.
7. Network with hospital pharmacy managers. Most hospital pharmacists are very personable, have a genuine interest in their field and enjoy helping others. A good way to introduce yourself to a hospital pharmacy manager or director of pharmacy is to invite them to lunch. During that lunch you can talk about how they were able to get into a hospital pharmacy management position, get advice from them on what you can do to transition into hospital pharmacy roles. A good strategy would be to get a lunch date before the hospital starts taking candidates for their next hospital role that way, when they finally do post a pharmacist opening, you can simply call up your contact and ask them a few questions about the opening and possibly get their referral ands upport.
8. Complete additional rotations. Sometimes hospital pharmacies will allow working pharmacists to complete additional post-graduate rotations at their facilities. This is much like volunteering only you’ll be working in the hospital pharmacy under the supervision of the pharmacists they already have on staff. This provides you with excellent opportunities to network with the hospital pharmacy staff and looks fantastic on a resume!
9. Work with a recruiter that specializes in the pharmacy industry. Okay, since I’m a recruiter you can guess who I would tell you to call! (Ray Fisher – 937-867-1977) Typically hospitals that work with recruiters to fill their pharmacy positions do so because they can’t find candidates on their own. Why can’t they find candidates on their own? Mainly because the hospitals are in remote locations (Glendive, Montana anyone?). A good recruiter will have many contacts in hospitals throughout the country and we are often able to submit you to clients who haven’t publicly posted their pharmacist jobs yet. Another reason hospitals are unable to find pharmacists on their own is simply because of limited resources. Out of the 14,500 hospitals in the United States more than ten percent don’t have a web-site. The facility doesn’t have a budget to post jobs on major job boards and they find it more economical to work with recruiters instead.
10. Keep a professional profile. Make sure that you network with pharmacy professionals outside of your store. Join your local or state pharmacy association and use your membership wisely. Most pharmacy associations have regular meetings, go to them! Others have online discussion boards available only for members. Chat about your profession, the person replying could be your next employer.
In summary, there are a number of things a retail pharmacist can do to land a career in a hospital pharmacy. With the shortage of pharmacists over in most parts of the country, the job market is competitive for hospital pharmacy jobs. Though hospitals typically pay less (five to ten dollars less an hour) candidates are lining up for these openings to escape the retail environment.
Office phone: 937.867.1977
