Pharmacy Management Must Consider Needs of Employees

At a recent online presentation, my daughter, Gretchen Kreckel Garofoli, PharmD, BCACP, CTTS, FAPhA, shared the following statistics about our profession¹:

• According to census data, the number of pharmacists in the US has risen from 286,400 in 2018 to 337,400 in 2023, which is a 17.8% increase.
• Women make up 47% of the workforce in the US.
• Women make up 62% of the pharmacist workforce.
• There continues to be a disparity in the salaries between male and female pharmacists.

Female pharmacists make up approximately 62% of the pharmacy workforce. | Image Credit: lubero - stock.adobe.com

Outsiders looking at these data might wonder why there is such a shortage of pharmacists. In 1981, when I graduated, there were 72 schools of pharmacy. Today, there are 142 accredited schools of pharmacy.² We doubled the number of pharmacy schools in my 43-year career, and we have had an 18% increase in the number of pharmacists in the past 5 years. Why is it that every week, I get a solicitation for an employment opportunity with the major chains or big box stores?

THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE

Female pharmacists make up 62% of this profession. They want and often demand a good work-life balance. I am a good dad, and at the time, I took the kids to school, was a Scoutmaster, put the kids to bed, and helped as much as I could. My wife, Denise, who is also a pharmacist, would bear most of the responsibilities and duties of raising the kids. Denise worked part-time, approximately 24 hours per week, when the kids were in school; I worked full-time. When our oldest, Gretchen, started college, Denise started working full time. She would say, “My kids need my money more than they do me.”

In a study published in JAMA Network Open, the authors said 90% of Americans live within 5 miles of a community pharmacy, and 85% receive medication through a brick-and-mortar pharmacy.³

There is a need for community pharmacists. The interest in practicing in a community setting is not there. The reason is quite simple. Pharmacist positions in the retail space are not family-friendly. Most pharmacies are open for 10 hours, which leads to a poor work-life balance. I know several female pharmacists who have given up on practicing retail altogether because of the challenges in finding day care. One of my colleagues told me she has a phone list of 15 people she will call to watch her 2 kids. She hears “no, not today” a lot.

Pharmacy chains need to provide some means of childcare for these mothers. Pharmacies could also make changes that would be family friendly by closing at a reasonable time. Let’s face it: Our patients are spoiled by the long hours. Many independent stores shortened their hours during COVID-19 and still do the same prescription volume as in the prepandemic times.

At one time in my career, I worked every fourth Sunday. About 6 women picked up their oral contraceptives on that Sunday. It was convenient for them. They could have picked up their prescription every fourth Friday or Saturday. Because the store was open Sunday until 4 PM, they would rush in from 3:45 PM on. We stayed open for the “convenience” of our customers but paid no attention to the family life of our staff, and now we wonder why we cannot find adequate staffing.

Nothing irritates me more than the saying, “The customer comes first.” Our staff should always be first. I read once that it takes $20 worth of advertising to attract a single customer. It is estimated to cost 1.25 to 2 times the base salary to replace an upper-level employee.⁴ When a pharmacist leaves a community pharmacy, we can assume it costs at least $125,000. This turnover leads to customer dissatisfaction, staff dissatisfaction, and decreased productivity and hits the bottom line hard. Management needs to consider creative ways to keep our female pharmacists happy. We cannot afford not to.

To read these stories and more, download the PDF of the Drug Topics March/April issue here.

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REFERENCES

1. US Census Bureau. More than 60% of U.S. pharmacists were women but they earned less than their male counterparts. October 18, 2024. Accessed March 5, 2025. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2024/10/american-pharmacists-month.html

2. American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Academic Pharmacy's Vital Statistics. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.aacp.org/article/academic-pharmacys-vital-statistics

3. Urick BY,Adams JK,Bruce MR. State telepharmacy policies and pharmacy deserts. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(8):e2328810. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.28810

4. Gallup. The $7.8 Trillion Fixable Problem: Low Engagement and Burnout. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/247391/fixable-problem-costs-businesses-trillion.aspx