Retail Pharmacies in Washington: Results of a 2003 Workforce Demand Survey

Funder:	Bureau of Health Professions
Research center:	WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Phone: 206.685.0402
Lead researcher:	Susan M. Skillman, MS , 206.543.3557, skillman@u.washington.edu
Project funded:	September 2002
Project completed:	December 2004
Topics:	Pharmacy and prescription drugs Workforce

This study surveyed retail pharmacies in Washington to estimate the demand for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and administrative/clerical staff in rural and urban areas of the state. The survey also provides data to describe the impact of implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) on retail pharmacies.

Publications

• Retail Pharmacies in Washington State: Results of the 2003 Workforce Survey
  Author(s): Susan M. Skillman, L. Gary Hart, Elise Bowditch, Beth A. Kirlin
  Report Number: Working Paper No. 100
  Date: 12 / 2004
  Researchers surveyed retail pharmacies in Washington to estimate the demand for pharmacists, as well as pharmacy technicians and administrative/clerical staff, and to describe the impact of implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) on retail pharmacies. Combining the results of this survey with the estimates from a survey of pharmacist vacancies in the state's hospitals, 403 pharmacists were needed statewide for retail and hospital pharmacies in 2003-2004. Pharmacy schools in Washington graduated 180 pharmacists in 2003, which was not enough to fill all of the vacancies across the state.