It's not just about taking orders and counting doses at Dougherty's Pharmacy in Dallas. Pharmacists actually practice science by mixing their own drugs. That's what enticed pharmacist technician Mary Felton to work here. I'm just doing the mad scientist thing and coming up with formulas. It takes seven full-time pharmacists plus back up staff to keep up with 19,000 prescriptions Dougherty's fills each month.
Business gets more hectic all the time.
According to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, there's a shortage of some 1,100 pharmacists statewide. About half of those vacancies are in North Texas. The pharmacist gap is a major contributor to prescription backlogs at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. Industry experts say pharmacy schools can't keep up with an aging population which has a high demand for medication. Many of them recieve signing bonuses like cash and cars.