Our mandate is protection of the public. No one is there to ask the appropriate questions. Assisting pharmacists as they change their role is economic clout. There is a shortage of pharmacists and that is pulling their wages up and giving them more job options. Bradshaw said part of the shortage is the decision of grocery chains to get into the pharmacy business.
More outlets require more staff and competition.
This year the University of Saskatchewan will graduate 70 pharmacy students at the end of their five-year course. Big American dollars will lure many of them south of the border. And over half of those students are women, who tend to work less than full time due to pregnancy and family. Bradshaw said to combat the shortage, pharmacy associations will have to set national standards to allow more mobility among provinces. Also, as with nurses and doctors, health systems will have to work harder to retain the already trained and to persuade them of the advantages of a rural lifestyle.