Call for improved workforce planning for pharmacists in all industries to sustain the profession.

Abstract

Pharmacists, as one of the most accessible health care professionals, are often cited as a solution for filling gaps in health care services due to growing shortages of primary care physicians and nurses in the United States. However, future demand forecasts for pharmacists may be low owing to systematic undercounting of pharmacists in nontraditional Managed Care, Pharmaceutical Industry, and Academia roles by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accurate and inclusive demand estimates are needed to best inform workforce planning for pharmacists in traditional and nontraditional roles across all industries. The urgency to have accurate demand forecasts including all types of pharmacists is difficult to overstate because PharmD program enrollment has dramatically declined to a level that challenges maintaining pharmacists in traditional community and health system roles-before the need for Managed Care, Pharmaceutical Industry, and Academia pharmacists is even considered. This viewpoint aims to consider this aspect of the demand question of "will there be enough pharmacists?" to help mitigate future pharmacist supply risk to all industries for current and yet unknown functions that will arise, regardless of pharmacist supply, for medication experts to shape the future standards of patient care.