PHARMACISTS IN SHORT SUPPLY DURING PRESCRIPTIONS BOOM.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

NORTHRIDGE - Pharmacist Barry Pascal wants what everyone deserves: a day off.

Instead, the owner of Northridge Pharmacy has worked Sunday through Saturday for weeks in order to make up for what has become a growing national health care crisis: an acute shortage of licensed pharmacists.

``Because of that, I've had to work seven days a week to fill the holes,'' Pascal, 57, said. ``I'm taking up the slack so I can keep the business going.''

Driven by increased demand for prescription medication, a growth in all- night pharmacies and growing demand for pharmacists in other health-care fields, the druggist shortage has compromised patient service and forced druggists like Pascal to either work longer, cut counter hours or temporarily close, according to a recent government study.

``All this results in a greater potential for fatigue-related errors,'' said Dr. Sam Shekar of the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, which conducted the study.

``It's a concern, ultimately, for the public if we don't have qualified pharmacists to meet (its) needs,'' he said. ``And we're certainly moving in that direction.''

Between early 1998 and early 1999 - the most recent national data available - pharmacist vacancies more than doubled from 2,700 to nearly 7,000 empty slots, of which between 700 and 800 are estimated in California.

And despite annual salaries between $70,000 and $100,000, unfilled pharmacist jobs have continued to soar, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report said.

Even with aggressive recruiting, such drugstore chains as Walgreens, Sav-On and Rite Aid all report difficulty hiring pharmacists to fill vacancies in California and other states.

``We're rushing to have people fill these positions,'' said Carol Hively, spokeswoman for Walgreens, which has 243 stores in California with plans for 207 more by 2004.

``We don't plan on slowing down our growth plan at all.''

With the demand for pharmacists far outpacing the supply, Shekar and industry experts see no relief through 2010.

The reasons are complex, including:

--The increased use of prescription medication by a growing population. Between 1992 and 1999, doctors' orders rose from 1.9 billion to 2.8 billion prescriptions, a 44 percent increase.

--The growth of drug prescribers in mail order, Internet, 24-hour drugstores, department stores and supermarkets.

--The added emphasis on Doctor of Pharmacy degrees, which takes six years to complete.

--And the draw of pharmacists from the drug counter into hospitals, pharmaceutical corporations, the academy and elsewhere.

``We are concerned that the shortage has clearly increased the stress in the workplace,'' said Lucinda Maine, senior vice president for the American Pharmaceutical Association.

``We hear this all the time - that pharmacists now can't spend as much time explaining the medicine to patients, and making sure they know how to take it right,'' Maine said.

``Making sure you have access to a pharmacist, and his or her expertise, is an important public health consideration.''

To ensure better service, Maine recommended requesting drug refills several days in advance, consulting with the pharmacist, and always checking the prescription before leaving the drugstore.

Carlo Michelotti, executive officer of the California Pharmacists Association, said the shortage is not a public health care crisis - yet.

``But if there is to be a Medicare drug benefit in the next two years there will be a crisis,'' he said, because a new program could result in 2 billion more prescriptions nationwide.

Michelotti called the current drug distribution system - with trained pharmacists distracted by mountains of paperwork better delegated to others - archaic and out of kilter.

A congressionally mandated study said what's needed is more technicians performing repetitive manual tasks, more automation to reduce pharmacists' workloads and less administrative burdens imposed by insurers.

Pascal, whose 65-year-old drugstore is one of the San Fernando Valley's oldest businesses, said what's needed is less managed care - which has squeezed costs, reduced inventory and helped drive mom-and-pop druggists out of business.

And what he needs, he said, is a day off ``to go to the beach with my wife.''

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Box: IS THERE A PHARMACIST IN THE HOUSE?

Source: US Department of Health and Human Services