Headlines Point to Continued Pressure on Pharmacy
Marsha K. Millonig, B.Pharm., M.B.A.
My plan for this year’s inaugural column was to provide insights and highlights from IQVIA’s recent five-year industry outlook. Instead, several headlines have caused me to pause and reflect on how my pharmacy colleagues are doing as 2022 unfolds. It started yesterday, with an e-newsletter that drew attention to a looming pharmacy technician shortage, and was reinforced today with the FDA’s approval of COVID-19 boosters for 12- to 15-year-olds as virus cases explode. Staff shortages combined with increased demand for COVID-19 boosters is causing the perfect storm, and stress levels in the pharmacy are higher than ever with potentially detrimental outcomes for patients.
Pharmacy Technician Shortage
The headline the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) chose in their story was, “First, it was store clerks, then it was food service workers… now it’s pharmacy technicians.” They link to a Dec. 29, 2021, NBC news report looking…
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