MIDLAND, Texas — Across the Permian Basin, patients who go to pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens noted that they have waited up to an hour to grab their prescriptions.
This is because of a reported shortage of pharmacists across all of West Texas.
Dr. Eric MacLaughlin, the Department Chair of Pharmacy Practice at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, theorizes that pharmacists leave for more lucrative positions in their field.
“We’re seeing growth in pharmacist positions in a lot of other market segments, particularly hospitals, managed care groups and clinical pharmacy positions that really expanded quite a bit in the past five years," MacLaughlin said. "In fact, a recent report showed that clinical positions, new clinical job postings, outpaced community positions, I think for the first time ever.”
Some chains have tried to increase their staff by getting rid of work metrics that increase workloads on pharmacists, increasing the burnout they feel.
The metrics have pharmacists log the vaccinations and medications they give to patients they see. Walgreens has already started to reduce the amount of metrics they assign to pharmacists.
"These are kind of like the work-based metrics that are imposed," MacLaughlin said. "I think a lot of pharmacies are also trying to increase their staffing to really try to cope with some of this increased workload that we’re seeing."
A lack of pharmacists at the chain pharmacies can be a danger to the overall health of the public, as patients may not be able to pick up their prescriptions on time.
“Pharmacists really play a critical role in the health care system for the ability for patients to get their prescriptions," MacLaughlin said. "You run the risk, if pharmacies close, or patients aren’t able to get their medications, that their diseases won’t be controlled. Whether it’s a chronic disease like high blood pressure, heart failure or diabetes, to maybe more acute situations."
Short-term solutions include paying sign up bonuses of up to $75,000, while long-term solutions could include systemic changes to how pharmacies operate.