DISILLUSIONED pharmacists who are planning on leaving the profession should consider spending a couple of years in a rural area before quitting.
Raven's Recruitment General Manager Australia and New Zealand, Heidi Dariz, told Pharmacy Daily that the profession is experiencing a significant brain drain, with many pharmacists abandoning the profession worn out by their experiences in urban and suburban stores.
"There are career opportunities," she said.
"It can be great, but I just don't think they're seeing that - especially in the universities.
"We go around and we talk to the students and even now the third and fourth year students are getting jaded, they're saying 'there's no jobs, there's no career path, and then I'm going to have to work all these awful hours and have these stresses'.
"They're coming out of Sydney and Melbourne and they're working in Chemist Warehouse or something and they're not happy, and they're feeling 'I'm not getting paid, I'll just leave the industry altogether'.
"We try to convince them to just do two years rural practice.
"You've done this whole degree, do two years rural, then if you don't like it leave the industry, just give it a chance, because it could be so much different to what you're experiencing now.
"But a lot just aren't willing to do it."
Dariz voiced support for calls for pharmacy courses to include mandatory rural placements, to encourage city-based students to consider working outside of the major metropolitan areas.
"When the students do that rural placement, and when they come back they're like 'my eyes were opened', and so many more of them are willing to consider the option, at least for 12 months or two years."
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 28 Jul 21
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 28 Jul 21
