A dose of patience may come in handy at the pharmacy counter this fall.
Drug and staffing shortages haven’t gone away. Stores are starting their busiest time of year as customers look for help with colds and the flu. And this fall, pharmacists are dealing with a new vaccine and the start of insurance coverage for COVID-19 shots.
Some drugstores have addressed their challenges by adding employees at busy hours. But experts say many pharmacies, particularly the big chains, still don’t have enough workers behind the counter.
“I just didn’t have time for the patients,” he said. “I am OK working hard and working long hours, but I just felt like I was not doing a good job as a pharmacist.”
In recent years, drugstores have struggled to fill open pharmacist and pharmacy technician positions, even as many have raised pay and dangled signing bonuses.
Larger drugstore chains often operate stores with only one pharmacist on duty per shift, said
“I think that many pharmacists in the profession are hesitant to work for a company where they don’t feel supported,” said Dang, a former president of the
Customers have noticed.
“These pharmacists always look stressed,” he said.
A CVS spokeswoman said the company is focused on addressing concerns raised by its pharmacists and has taken several actions, including “providing additional pharmacy resources” in markets that need support. She declined to say how many pharmacists or technicians the company has hired.
Former
Brewer, who left in late August, also said the company was limiting hours at 1,100 pharmacies, or about 12% of its
Labor strife and staffing shortages in health care are not isolated to drugstores, as the recent
But drugstores have some additional challenges in the fall. Many customers come to them for vaccines for COVID-19, flu and pneumonia. Plus, federal officials have approved a new shot for people ages 60 and older for a virus called RSV.
All told, CVS touts in a pharmacy counter brochure that the company can offer more than 15 vaccines to customers.
Ongoing drug shortages also have kept pharmacy workers on the phone more.
Marquess runs several independent pharmacies in
Marquess also adds extra staff when he knows they will have an influx of customers, like when a nearby company sends its employees over for vaccines.
“We learned from our experiences,” he said. “Training your entire staff is very, very important.”
Pharmacists say customers aren't powerless and can help things run smoothly.
People should bring all their insurance cards to vaccine appointments, especially since insurance coverage is new for the COVID-19 shots, Marquess said.
Dang said customers should avoid showing up right after pharmacies reopen from a lunch break or just before they close, times when pharmacists and technicians are especially busy.
Making appointments for vaccines gives pharmacy workers a better sense for their workload. Calling several days in advance for a prescription refill also helps, said Jen Cocohoba, a pharmacy professor at
“That tiny piece of control can help, because there’s so many things you cannot predict when you’re inside the community pharmacy,” Cocohoba said.
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AP Business Writer
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