On The Cover

Lauren Howell, PharmD

While job hopping may have once been considered a red flag or taboo, 21% of millennials report changing jobs in the past year, according to a Gallup report on millennials in the workplace. This number is almost three times higher than the percentage of non-millennials who have done the same.

The days of getting a job after graduation and staying there until you retire are over. While it’s true that one PharmD degree can open doors to many different practice settings, pharmacists may still need to know how to successfully transition career settings and leverage their degree to be successful in today’s workplace.

In 2023, the number of U.S. pharmacists increased to 337,700, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The largest employers of pharmacists were pharmacies and drug retailers (39%), hospitals (28%), general merchandise retailers (6%), and ambulatory health care services (6%). That still leaves over 20% of pharmacist jobs that did not fall into the categories of community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, or ambulatory care pharmacy. Unique practice roles and settings are increasingly popular, but how does one know when it’s time to switch to something new? And when it is time, how do you identify which practice setting would be an ideal fit?

Why are pharmacists switching pathways?

A JAPhA study published on November 6, 2023, investigated intrinsic motivation and extrinsic rewards across pharmacy roles and settings. A 92-item questionnaire was administered to 129 pharmacists and 111 pharmacy technicians. The questionnaire captured information about demographic variables and perceptions about work, including autonomy, competence, relationships, and pay and benefit satisfaction.

The results of the study showed that pharmacy personnel in independent and hospital systems felt more positive about relationships, competence, and pay and benefit satisfaction than those in chain pharmacy settings. Although pay did not differ across work settings, feelings about the work and compensation satisfaction did vary across settings. According to the study authors, their findings highlight some of the challenges of working in a chain pharmacy environment.

“If turnover trends persist in chain pharmacies, patients may be disproportionately affected and chain pharmacies may become further overloaded and stretched beyond capacity,” said the authors.

A different JAPhA study published March 15, 2024, found that student pharmacists reported a low interest in pursuing community pharmacy practice. A total of 77.4% of student pharmacists who were included in the study reported current or previous work experience in community pharmacy. However, 52.7% said they were not interested in pursuing community pharmacy directly after graduation, and 52.7% said they were not interested in community pharmacy as a long-term career.

While the student pharmacists found salary, job availability and security, interactions with coworkers in the pharmacy and health care professionals, relationships with patients, and teaching responsibilities to be the most appealing aspects of working in a community pharmacy, they also found the work hours, business management responsibilities, insurance-related tasks, and pace of work to be unappealing.

---

The pharmacist career journey: Planning for career development, progression, and maximization

Did you know APhA publishes a book to help pharmacists plan for progression and maximization of their career? A focus on and commitment to career planning are important during all stages of a pharmacist’s career journey. Refocusing on a specific pathway, especially during a period of disillusionment, can provide new perspectives, plans, and ideas that can contribute to career enhancement, repurpose, or change. The authors aim to provide resources and actionable planning steps for pharmacists to use throughout their career spectrum.

• Each chapter presents key takeaways, questions, and reflections and exercises designed to reinforce information.
• Interviews with pharmacists from diverse practice settings offer a multitude of career planning perspectives.
• An emphasis on aspects pertaining to the whole person and work-life integration creates a big picture view.

Visit www.pharmacist.com/Publications/Books for more information and to order your copy today. ■

---

Factors to consider when changing pathways

In The Pharmacist Career Journey, Lynette R. Bradley-Baker and Nidhi Gandhi identified six factors to consider when changing positions or careers:

1. Starting over
Before beginning the search for a new job, an individual should take time to reflect on their current role. Sometimes there may be a loss of interest in their current work, and if there is, they may need to explore something different, develop new skill sets, and prepare themself for starting over with an opportunity or interest.

2. Training
A new job may require additional training or skill sets. Pharmacists should also reflect on the skill sets they do have and how they may transfer to a new role. For example, in community pharmacy, a pharmacist may counsel patients on their medications. In a nontraditional role, the pharmacist may not directly interact with patients, but this skill may instead be presented as concisely and clearly communicating information to key health care partners.

3. Location
Some job opportunities may only be present in certain areas. Consider if they are willing to move and where they are willing to move to before looking for new opportunities.

4. Financial impact
Changing positions can impact finances due to salary changes and other aspects such as contributions to 401K accounts. Completing research on the average salary for a desired position, determining how to manage a budget on that salary, and planning how to advocate and negotiate for a certain salary are important aspects to consider.

5. Family repercussions
Living with family or having family members nearby can influence the decision to seek out another position. Work hours and responsibilities of a new role can affect family life. Open and honest conversations with loved ones about job changes and the timing of job changes is important to avoid possible future discord.

6. Reasons for career change
Reflect on all the reasons for planning a switch in career paths. This information can serve as talking points when interviewing for a new position later.

Choosing the next best step

Knowing which path to go down next can be overwhelming. Using tools such as a SWOT Career-Focused Analysis can help pharmacists identify which pathway they may want to pursue next.

The first step to completing a SWOT analysis is to consider strengths. This can include skills, certifications, education, and even connections. There are also many online assessments and tools such as the Gallup CliftonStrengths assessment (found at www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx) that may be helpful in identifying personal strengths.

Personal weaknesses should be considered next. During this part of the exercise, consider tasks that you usually avoid because you don’t feel confident doing them. This may also include negative work habits such as being disorganized or having difficulty handling stress. While this may not be information about yourself that you want to advertise or discuss publicly, being as reflective and honest as possible allows you to determine areas where growth is needed. It may also guide you in identifying job opportunities that may not be the best fit.

The third section of the SWOT Career-Focused Analysis is for reflecting on opportunities. In what ways is pharmacy growing and how can you take advantage of the current market? Do you have someone in your network who can strategically help you by giving advice, providing insight into a certain role, or facilitating introductions? Are competitors failing to do something that you could do?

Lastly, identify threats. This section can include obstacles that you currently face at work or ways in which technological advancements may threaten your position and impact your work.

Once the SWOT analysis is complete, it can be used to determine what kind of roles may be a good fit for you in the future.

The APhA Career Pathways Evaluation Program, a free online resource, provides a list of critical factors that individuals can use to determine the kind of role that they might enjoy the most. Interactions with patients, conducting physical assessments, community prestige, parental leave opportunities, and travel are just some of the factors included. The program includes an online assessment where pharmacy professionals can rate each of these critical factors to help assess goals, values, strengths, likes, and dislikes. Based on the results of the assessment, several different career paths are presented as potential options to evaluate. The APhA Career Pathways Evaluation Program can be found at www.pharmacist.com/Career/Career-Pathways.

Strengths	Weaknesses
What do you do well?	What could you improve?
What unique resources can you draw on?	Where do you have fewer resources than others?
What do others see as your strengths?	What are others likely to see as weaknesses?
Opportunities	Threats
What opportunities are open to you?	What threats could harm you?
What pharmacy and/or health care trends could you take advantage of?	What is your competition doing that is different or innovative?
How can you turn your strengths into opportunities?	What risk(s) do your weaknesses expose you to?

Paving a new path

While there are already nontraditional job opportunities available, “pharmacists are educated and trained to be critical and creative thinkers,” said Bradley-Baker and Gandhi. They believe that pharmacists can utilize their education, skills, and work experience in a variety of health care settings, including those yet to be established.

Bradley-Baker and Gandhi describe 10 traits that allow a pharmacist to successfully pave new career paths:

1. Draw inspiration from previous experiences.
2. Surround yourself with like-minded individuals.
3. Use technology to reach patients in unique ways.
4. Strive to advance the practice of pharmacy through unique skill sets.
5. Be adaptive to change.
6. View taking action to achieve your dreams as an exciting challenge.
7. Always be optimistic.
8. Be proactive in helping others and building support systems.
9. Don’t be afraid to adjust to market demands.
10. Know that innovation takes courage. ■