Many of the nation’s pharmacies are busier than ever. At a time when qualified professionals are becoming hard to find, what can health employers (and commercial managers) do to ensure that they have access to the professionals they need to carry out an effective pharmacy workforce strategy? A good first step in partnering with the right staffing and recruitment provider.
Checklist: What to Look for in a Pharmacy Workforce Partner
With so many staffing agencies to choose from, how can you tell what recruitment company to trust with the essential task of keeping your facilities fully staffed? Before you choose a partner, here are some important criteria to consider:
☑ A deep bench of professionals. To get the results you’re looking for, it’s best to find a partner that has real range within the healthcare workforce. They should cover not only the essentials of pharmacy workforce staffing but also a range of adjacent positions, with the ability to offer not just pharmacists, assistants and techs but also medication reconciliation technicians and even clinical directors.
> A lack of leaders? Even before the tumultuous events of 2020, the pool of talent in America’s pharmacist workforce was declining. A 2019 study from The Pharmacy Workforce Center (PWC) found that 46.8% of pharmacists in management positions agreed that there was “at least a moderate shortage” of those qualified “to fill management positions.”
☑ A variety of solutions. It’s important to find a partner with the resources and network needed to scale up and down at a moment’s notice. This means being covered whether you’re supplementing your existing pharmacy team or building one from scratch. It also means getting access to a full range of assignment types including per diem, local contract, travel or temp to direct hire placements.
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☑ A nationwide network. In any given hiring scenario, the more options you have to choose from, the more likely you are to find the pharmacist professional who meets your precise needs. When you partner with a pharmacist workforce company with a presence across the United States, you’ll have access to a much larger pool of candidates than you might find than with local hiring efforts alone.
☑ Travel staffing expertise. In addition to offering a national network, you should choose a solution that offers the chance to hire travel professionals from other cities or states. With a nationwide network of travelers, you’ll have more opportunities to find — and hire — exactly who you’re looking for.
> While travel pharmacists may not be as well-known as travel nurses or locum doctors, CareerStaff clinicians are encouraged to travel for assignments. Read more about our travel policies here, and our Covid-19 policies here.
☑ The ability and resources to adapt and upgrade. Whether or not you choose to engage in broader healthcare managed services (MSP) to help optimize your overall workforce, you should still make a point of selecting a provider with the experience, expertise and operational ability to serve as a full strategic planning partner. That means the ability to integrate with and even optimize existing clinical workflows around improved pharmacy workforce tactics.
☑ A positive, nurturing, engaged work culture. As important as it is to find a partner with a large, far-reaching network, it’s equally vital to find a partner with a great workforce culture. Giving workers great benefits and a clear path for career advancement means keeping retention and job performance high. It’s also important to keep team members engaged in opportunities for learning and professional networking (whether virtual or online).
CareerStaff has been officially named a Great Place to Work for three years in a row (and running).
> Did you know? CareerStaff Unlimited has been named a Great Place to Work® for three consecutive years (and counting).
☑ 24/7 access. One of the most basic must-haves in any clinical workforce partner is 24/7 access to a dedicated support team. And even better is a partner who also extends that access to pharmacy professionals they employ to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible at all times.
> Connect with CareerStaff: We offer an up-to-date source of conversation and connections as well as regular updates to our network at the CareerStaff LinkedIn page.
☑ Experience across a variety of settings and scenarios. From acute care environments to long-term care center, your pharmacy workforce partner should have experience providing professionals qualified to work in any clinical setting, as needed. And that includes related services like managing prescription services for educational facilities or consultative services for SNFs and LTCs.
Even if you’re seeking a pharmacist for a retail instead of a clinical setting, choosing a pharmacy workforce partner with a network of active professionals across the gamut of settings and practice types can make the difference in finding the right applicant for that next open position.
Seeking Pharmacy Workforce Solutions or Immediate Workers
At CareerStaff, we’re proud to connect the nation’s most qualified pharmacy professionals with the facilities and businesses that need them. Our placements play a strategic role interfacing with an interdisciplinary patient care team to maximize and individualize pharmaceutical care as well as to ensure high-quality treatment and patient satisfaction.
When it comes to addressing staffing needs, CareerStaff is as passionate about ensuring the right fit as you are. As a healthcare company, no other pharmacy staffing agency will work as hard to understand your unique needs and challenges. We’re an industry leader for good reason, committed to providing the best quality personnel and customer service possible.
Looking for consultation on pharmacist recruitment strategies and implementation? Set up a free consultation so we can better understand the type of staff you need and how we can best help.
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Last Updated on December 13, 2021