06/08/2008

Quebec Missing 18% Hospital Pharmacists

According to a recent survey by the Association des pharmaciens d’établissement santé (APES) (Quebec Association of Hospital Pharmacists) the deficit of hospital pharmacists in the province is at 18% at present. This conservative estimate, according to an APES press release, means that practicing hospital pharmacists must work 5.35% more hours to compensate for this gap.

Contributing to this figure is the disparity in pay between pharmacists practicing in hospitals and in retail – in Quebec a hospital pharmacist can expect a starting salary of $33/hour on average whereas a retail pharmacist can expect to earn $43/hour on average – a difference in pay of 30%. Although improvements have been observed in hospitals where equalizing measures such as signing bonuses and maintenance bonuses are offered.

Increased work load for hospital pharmacists is not the only consequence of the shortage, according to the APES, the survey found that cut-backs to pharmacy department services were reported by 60% of survey respondents.

To view the full APES press release please click here