Workforce Issues Among Sole Community Pharmacies

Date
07/2009
Description

Pharmacy services are delivered through a sole community pharmacy in over 1000 small rural communities nationwide. This brief presents the findings from 401 telephone interviews of sole community pharmacist-owners nationwide about their current staffing and future plans. Thirty-three percent of those interviewed have one or fewer pharmacist Full-time equivalents (FTEs) on staff. Thirty percent of those interviewed would like to retire in five years or fewer, and most would like to sell their pharmacies upon retirement. This brief explores the shared experiences of sole community pharmacist-owners regarding the challenges facing the pharmacy workforce in their communities and their concerns about their pharmacy's future.

Center
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Authors
Donald Klepser, Michelle Lampman, Andrea Radford, Indira Richardson, Stephen Rutledge