14223 new PharmDs in 2021

[CNJ_Anon]

AACP released Sept 2021 data, showing that the number of PharmD graduates remained above 14000 for the sixth year in a row. The data is always a year behind. See this link for the full reports:

Student Applications, Enrollments and Degrees Conferred Reports | AACP

www.aacp.org

The number of PharmD grads peaked in 2018 at 14905. The year with the highest total enrollment was 2014 at 63927; it dropped to 57375 in 2020 and then to 53516 in 2021. Comparing 2020 to 2021, enrollment increased at 20 schools of pharmacy and decreased at 114 schools of pharmacy. The attrition rate (13.1%) is up from the 2004 low of 1.3%; this is the highest attrition rate since it peaked at 13.3% in 2000.

Actual number of degrees awarded:
2015 13994
2016 14556
2017 14502
2018 14905
2019 14800
2020 14320
2021 14223

Size of class of 20XX (as of Sept 2021):
2022 13894
2023 13138
2024 12730

The number of applications to PharmD programs by year:
2017 72941
2018 60042
2019 50842
2020 40392
2021 40552
Please note that these data pertain to applications (and not to applicants). While the number of applications increased slightly from 2020 to 2021, we can't say whether the number of people applying to pharmacy school has gone up or down.

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[mentos]

"Haters might say that the job market is crumbling. They just can't see that the possibilities are doubling."

 

[Dred Pirate]

at least we are going in the right direction....

 

[steveysmith54]

at least we are going in the right direction....

Yeah we are. Hard to be optimistic though as I see UC Irvine open the third school in Orange County California, arguable the most saturated market in the US. The wages for pharmacists are lower than there were over a decade ago when I graduated. I still see people spewing pharmacist shortage lol…

 

[confettiflyer]

Yeah we are. Hard to be optimistic though as I see UC Irvine open the third school in Orange County California, arguable the most saturated market in the US. The wages for pharmacists are lower than there were over a decade ago when I graduated. I still see people spewing pharmacist shortage lol…

What’s the going retail rate in OC these days? I remember it being like, ~$55/hr in 2007 ($76.69 in current dollars).

 

[GrandTheftAutumn]

 

[steveysmith54]

What’s the going retail rate in OC these days? I remember it being like, ~$55/hr in 2007 ($76.69 in current dollars).

My information is about 2 years old. I haven’t heard of chains hiring in OC, mostly internal transfers from other districts for those who paid their dues working in hard to recruit areas. I heard of new grads getting $45-$55 an hour to work in Los Angeles, San Gabriel valley, San Fernando valley, and Ventura. I heard Walgreens hasn’t given raises in a very long time. The independents are unpredictable; so I don’t comment on those, the trend is they pay even lower. But, to your point, one of the few health care jobs where the wages actually went down in the last decade. When compared to inflation in the last decade, it’s a joke.

 

[mentos]

My information is about 2 years old. I haven’t heard of chains hiring in OC, mostly internal transfers from other districts for those who paid their dues working in hard to recruit areas. I heard of new grads getting $45-$55 an hour to work in Los Angeles, San Gabriel valley, San Fernando valley, and Ventura. I heard Walgreens hasn’t given raises in a very long time. The independents are unpredictable; so I don’t comment on those, the trend is they pay even lower. But, to your point, one of the few health care jobs where the wages actually went down in the last decade. When compared to inflation in the last decade, it’s a joke.

$45-55 in LA, how do they even pay rent and student loans? I'm sure most are not getting a full 40 hours either.

 

[steveysmith54]

$45-55 in LA, how do they even pay rent and student loans? I'm sure most are not getting a full 40 hours either.

I've heard of a lot of newer grads went on 'pay as your earn' type of loan forgiveness programs. I think the bigger issue is sustainability. A lot of people were barely coping with the stress pre-covid, it has gotten a lot worse with the COVID vaccines and techs quitting. On the other hand, I heard the Kaiser folks are earning close to 90 dollars an hour now. I see a lot of disparity where the bottom 25% of the profession are down in the gutter, top 15% are prospering. I'd love to hear from people who are in retail right now or graduated within the last couple of year. I am now an old timer lol with the goal to retire within 20-27 years. I can't believe that 1/3 of my career is over, or at least I'd say and hope lol. Time flies!

 

[JustFillIt]

At this point I am just as concerned about the quality of student going through the PharmD program as I am the numbers graduating.

As these numbskulls graduate, and add to the saturation, they will have all sorts of negative interactions with the medical community which will reflect poorly on us as a whole.

It’s all just gone straight to hell.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Some places legit have a shortage right now, though. Walmart just sent me a letter in the mail from the RPh talent acquisition department. $30,000 sign on bonus plus relocation if I were willing to move to Sayre, PA.

I mean...I'm not.

But if I needed a job, I'd look into it.

 

[randompharm]

Some places legit have a shortage right now, though. Walmart just sent me a letter in the mail from the RPh talent acquisition department. $30,000 sign on bonus plus relocation if I were willing to move to Sayre, PA.

I mean...I'm not.

But if I needed a job, I'd look into it.

Not a shortage, just shortage of pharmacists willing to work/move to these random places to work at stores no one else is going to take. 30k bonus after taxes is 18k and if you leave/get fired for any reason, you have to pay it back. 18k/2yrs with a 45-50/hr pay rate is still laughable, granted better than nothing if there are loans to be paid.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Not a shortage, just shortage of pharmacists willing to work/move to these random places to work at stores no one else is going to take. 30k bonus after taxes is 18k and if you leave/get fired for any reason, you have to pay it back. 18k/2yrs with a 45-50/hr pay rate is still laughable, granted better than nothing if there are loans to be paid.

Walmart pays better than Walgreens. It's lower 60s to start out with them.

 

[randompharm]

Walmart pays better than Walgreens. It's lower 60s to start out with them.

It’s highly dependent on the area. In my area, RXM barely gets those rates. I know people who work for Walmart in other states and are getting 50s. Staff is like 59-62 but that is certainly not considered starting out/new grad. There are new grads in cali making high 60s but obviously this is not relevant anywhere else as it is equivalent to like 50 in other areas due to the COL.

 

[VA77]

New Walmart pharmacists in my area are 55-60 and 48-72 hours.

 

[randompharm]

New Walmart pharmacists in my area are 55-60 and 48-72 hours.

Basically the same, 24-36 hours and slightly more/hr. Loans resume soon and there’ll be an influx willing to work for half of that. People have been confusing “shortage of pharmacists” with “shortage of pharmacists willing to work, driven by paused loans”.