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The healthcare industry is grappling with a severe staffing shortage, and pharmacies are no exception. More than three-quarters of community pharmacists are struggling to fill open positions, and nearly 90% say finding pharmacy technicians is their top staffing problem, according to a recent survey by the National Community Pharmacists Association.
As a senior talent advisor for pharmacy operations at Maxor, these statistics don’t surprise me. In the more than 30 years I’ve spent recruiting pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and front-office staff for community and 340B pharmacies—including during the severe pharmacist shortage in the 1990s—this is the most challenging labor market I’ve ever experienced.
At Maxor, my team and I are responsible for staffing numerous pharmacies across the country for both rural and urban covered entities, including FQHCs, community health centers, HIV specialty and Ryan White clinics, and outpatient hospital pharmacies. Despite the challenging labor market, we’ve continued to successfully staff our pharmacies with the best and brightest in the field.
Here are some of our top hiring and retention recommendations for any community pharmacy participating in the 340B program:
- Focus on the unique benefits of 340B.
At Maxor, we have candidate education tools that help us inform prospective candidates about the basics and benefits of the 340B Program. - Prioritize and assess cultural fit.
Finding suitable candidates can be difficult in a tight job market. We factor you into the job search, incorporating your values into our assessments. We use stratification tools and unique prospective employee pools to find you the right fit, so that you can avoid the costs associated with bringing in the wrong hire to your pharmacy and clinic. - Get creative.
We help you differentiate your position in the community by implementing creative and strategic plans that help you find employees—not a one-size-fits-all approach. - Hire for retention.
Make retention a priority in your hiring process. We tailor interview questions to gauge candidates’ interest and match it to your culture. - Don’t wait.
Once we identify the right candidate, we accelerate the hiring process. You can miss out on a great employee if you don’t move quickly.
Are you looking to hire and retain staff for your 340B pharmacy? Maxor can help. With our integrated model, the Pharmacy Team works collaboratively with providers and clinic staff, offering team-based medicine with a strong pharmacy component to provide optimal patient care. Maxor has more than 20 years of experience staffing 340B pharmacies across the country and can help you find the best candidates, faster. Contact us today.
Sandra Shafer is Senior Talent Advisor, Pharmacy Operations at Maxor National Pharmacy Services. She can be reached at (561) 779-2979 or sshafer@maxor.com.
