Choosing the right pharmacist: retail vs. clinical for your pharmacy
With over 300,000 licensed pharmacists nationwide, facilities must carefully evaluate their roles and make use of them within the facility. For healthcare owners like you, it is important to compare a clinical pharmacist vs. a retail pharmacist before you hire based on facility needs and treatment goals.
As demand for experienced professionals grows, making the right choice ensures you hire a candidate with the right skill set to improve patient safety at your facility.
This blog helps healthcare owners like you make informed staffing decisions by assessing your clinic’s recruitment needs. Recruiters like you must also understand the required skills for each role before making hires.
How to choose between a clinical and retail pharmacist: Recruiting considerations
For healthcare facilities, choosing between retail and clinical pharmacists requires a clear understanding of your facility’s requirements.
During the evaluation process, you must start by identifying the facility’s needs. This can be identified based on patient growth as well.
Identifying these will help you decide whether you need a clinical pharmacist or a retail pharmacist to manage prescriptions.
Understanding retail and clinical pharmacist roles: Key roles explained
The most essential step during recruiting is to understand the roles before you hire.
To understand the roles, you need to know about the responsibilities and skills related to a retail pharmacist vs. a clinical pharmacist.
Each role may have different duties, so if you can gain knowledge, it helps you hire better. To provide you with updated information about responsibilities, an infographic is included.
Vital responsibilities of pharmacists in retail and clinical settings
Skills to look for when recruiting a pharmacist
Once you have decided between a retail pharmacist and a clinical pharmacist. You need to shortlist the skills and qualifications you want from an applicant.
In order to shortlist, you must be aware of the market-trending skills to improve patient care.
For retail pharmacists, look for these skills:
- Accurate medication dispensing and prescription handling
- Patient counseling and clear communication
For clinical pharmacists, look for these skills:
- Medication therapy management and drug interaction checks
- Clinical assessment and treatment plan support
Understanding these skills will make your recruiting stress-free.
Compare pharmacist salaries before recruiting
As you have gained information about the role, skills, and responsibilities, you might now have decided what role to hire.
Now the most important thing is to check if the role fits into your budget or not.
This means that if you have decided to hire a clinical pharmacist, you need to check market rates for compensation.
Once checked, you can understand if that aligns with your facility’s budget.
For example, if you are planning to hire a clinical pharmacist for your facility in California, you need to pay $ 157,280.
To compare and make an informed decision, a detailed table about salaries in different locations is added. This information will help you pay a better salary.
Pharmacist salaries across the states in the USA
State | Hourly pay | Annual pay |
California | $ 75.62 | $ 157,280 |
Alaska | $ 72.89 | $ 151,600 |
Oregon | $ 71.90 | $ 149,550 |
Washington | $ 71.42 | $ 148,550 |
Minnesota | $ 68.85 | $ 143,210 |
Source: BLS
Partner with a technological platform to tackle the growing challenges of recruiting
Evaluating your facility’s requirements before hiring is essential. This evaluation allows you to make informed decisions.
However, as a recruiter, you must understand that this evaluation alone may not be enough to help you hire a skilled pharmacist. To recruit skilled and certified professionals in this competitive market, you need to partner with a staffing platform.
During the process, it is essential to limit your dependence on traditional agencies. This can help you avoid common staffing challenges, such as lengthy hiring processes caused by reliance on manual procedures.
Submission of unverified profiles and limited credentialing support. To overcome these challenges, you can partner with MedSquirrels.
This AI-powered platform helps you hire clinical pharmacist professionals who are qualified to work.
With MedSquirrels, you get verified profiles within 2–5 business days. It does not come with a markup. You can also get credentialing support while you hire.
MedSquirrels also offers cost-efficient plans that allow you to hire within your budget.
As a pharmacy owner, you can book a free demo to see how the platform helps you make better recruiting decisions. Professionals can also check open jobs and apply for those that match their skills.
FAQs
What qualifications should I look for when hiring a pharmacist?
As a recruiter, you need to look for a Pharm.D. degree, an active state license, relevant experience, and any additional professional credentials required for the role.
What skills should I look for in a retail pharmacist?
Recruiters can look for skills such as prioritizing accurate prescription handling, medication dispensing, patient counseling, and clear communication skills for effective patient care.
What are the common challenges in pharmacist recruitment?
Common challenges recruiters face include lengthy recruiting processes, unverified candidate profiles, and a limited pool of skilled professionals.
Can I hire contract and full-time pharmacists through MedSquirrels?
Yes. MedSquirrels supports contract staffing and full-time placements, helping you find professionals for different pharmacy roles.
Does MedSquirrels help with pharmacist credentialing?
Yes. It supports credential verification and onboarding to help facilities meet their staffing requirements.
