CVS Hiring 10,000 Pharmacy Techs to Support Flu, COVID-19 Response

CVS Health is hiring more than 10,000 full-time and part-time pharmacy technicians to meet the demand for flu vaccinations and, in the future, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations.

Overall, CVS is hiring 15,000 new staff in the fourth quarter. “These new and existing positions will help the company continue to respond to the needs of communities across the country during the fall and winter months when the incidences of COVID-19 and the flu are expected to increase,” the company said in a news release.¹

More than 10,000 of the new roles are for pharmacy techs and will be filled “as soon as possible, helping increase support for patients and fellow pharmacy professionals,” CVS Health said.

Many of the tech positions are temporary with the possibility of becoming permanent.

“Additional team members typically are needed every flu season,” said Lisa Bisaccia, chief human resources officer for CVS Health. “However, we’re estimating a much greater need for trained pharmacy technicians this year given the continued presence of COVID-19 in our communities."

CVS Health is advocating for an expanded scope of practice that would allow trained pharmacy techs to administer COVID-19 vaccinations under the supervision of an immunization-certified pharmacist.

“As an integral part of the health care system, pharmacy technicians can help fill the urgent need to safely and quickly scale distribution of a vaccine and extend the capacity of the health care workforce to address the pandemic,” CVS Health said.

Pharmacy techs are also “vital" to administering COVID-19 tests at more than 4000 drive-thru testing sites at select CVS Pharmacy locations across the country.

Other pharmacy chains are likely to follow CVS’s lead. However, Walgreens stated that it is not ready to reveal its hiring plans.

“We continue to evaluate staffing requirements to ensure our teams can support the administration of COVID tests and vaccines, once available. We’re still continuing the planning process and don’t have additional details to share at this point,” Kelli Teno, a spokesperson for Walgreens, told Drug Topics®.

CVS also said it is hiring pharmacists, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, member benefit case professionals, and distribution center employees.

Reference

CVS to hire 15,000 across the U.S. in fourth quarter. News release. CVS Health; October 19, 2020. Accessed October 21, 2020. https://cvshealth.com/news-and-insights/press-releases/cvs-health-to-hire-15000-across-the-us-in-fourth-quarter​