INCREASING workloads and the repetitive tasks pharmacists have to do make it a profession few would recommend to those considering their career options, the recently conducted Pharmacy Daily Salary Survey reveals.
Data from the poll found 87% of pharmacists would urge anyone thinking of pursuing a career in the profession to look elsewhere, with 67% of pharmacy owners saying they would not recommend it.
When it came to their views of their workplace, pharmacists were marginally less negative, but far from positive, with two-thirds of employee pharmacists saying they would not recommend their current workplace, while just 11% said they were "satisfied" with their working conditions.
Pharmacy managers were also unlikely to recommend their store to prospective employees, with 40% being negatively disposed towards their shop as a workplace, however, they were more likely to be satisfied with their store than employees.
"Pharmacy is no longer a profession, it is simply a role that a robotic computer could do," one respondent said.
"The workload and red tape has increased exponentially, so too has the pressure yet the income has gone south. Eventually, the talent will realise and leave, if they already haven't."
Non-pharmacist employees were less likely to report being dissatisfied with their workplace (32%) than those with a pharmacy degree, however the proportion who reported being satisfied was 28% (the same as pharmacy managers), with the remainder being neutral.
While the survey found a high level of negative sentiment among pharmacists, the proportion actively looking for alternative employment was relatively low (35%).
The negativity highlighted by the survey contrasts with the growing levels of optimism reported by the University of Technology Sydney Pharmacy Barometer (PD 08 May), which found 19% of pharmacists were optimistic about the future, while the profession at large was "overwhelmingly neutral".
Meanwhile the survey found that 70% of employee pharmacists had a formal written employment agreement, with one third reporting not to have an official job description outlining their roles and responsibilities.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 14 May 19
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