Techs
Sonya Collins
Amid ongoing pharmacy technician shortages in both health-systems and community pharmacies, Walmart has taken definitive action to shore up its workforce. This summer, the corporate giant announced a new wage structure as well as pay raises that boosted current technicians’ average salaries to more than $20 per hour.
“We are sending a strong message to pharmacy technicians everywhere that Walmart is serious about attracting top talent and giving them the tools to build a successful career with us,” said Lisa Smith, PharmD, senior director of clinical operations and strategy for Walmart Health & Wellness.
Competitive new wage model
While Walmart’s starting pay for technicians remains the same at $15 to $22.50 per hour, the new wage structure allows for larger and more frequent pay hikes for new hires that permits salary increases of up to $4 per hour over 4 years. During the first two years of employment, technicians will get pay raises every six months.
As it announced the new model, Walmart also doled out a blanket pay raise that increased current technicians’ salaries to an average of over $20 per hour—significantly higher than the 2021 industry average of $17.66 reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It was the second pay raise for technicians in the last year.
Certified technicians start at a minimum of $16.50 per hour and can earn up to $3 per hour more than technicians who are not certified. Under the new system, Walmart covers all the costs of certification.
Shortages and high turnover across the profession
While Walmart did not cite technician shortages and high turnover as the motivation for the pay increases, these are realities that the profession is facing across health-system and community pharmacy settings.
In 2021, the majority of health-system pharmacy administrators reported turnover rates of at least 21%, according to a survey published by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). In a survey conducted by the National Community Pharmacists Association that same year, 68% of independent community pharmacies reported difficulty filling staff positions and 88% cited a shortage of pharmacy technicians.
Organizations that represent the pharmacy profession have called for higher pay for pharmacy technicians.
“We want to change the perception so that hospital executives and leaders understand that there is a unique complexity to what pharmacy technicians do to try to get higher wages that would be more commensurate with the work that technicians do in hospitals and health systems,” said David Chen, BSPharm, ASHP assistant vice president for pharmacy leadership and planning.
In a separate ASHP survey on job satisfaction, three-quarters of pharmacy technicians stated that higher pay would improve retention of technicians. A quarter reported a desire for a career ladder with a clear path to promotion.
Walmart is offering both in a move that the corporation hopes will help it hire approximately 5,000 pharmacy technicians this year.
“We believe we’re one of the first large retailers to incorporate this kind of model—an approach commonly seen in hospitals and the health care system,” Smith said.
Techs critical to pharmacy operations
Pharmacy technician shortages often force pharmacists to fill those roles. Nearly 9 out of 10 pharmacy administrators who responded to ASHP’s 2021 survey reported that they ask pharmacists to take on tasks typically performed by technicians.
Walmart’s new pay scale aims to retain pharmacy technicians in order to keep the pharmacy running smoothly and keep pharmacists practicing at the top of their licenses.
“Each of our pharmacists rely on our pharmacy techs to help meet the needs of the communities we serve. They have played an integral role in vaccinating the American public and continue to allow our pharmacists to practice to their full clinical capabilities,” Smith said. “By recognizing them with compensation and a career path for growth, we are acknowledging the critical role they play in patient care and supporting our clinicians.” n