Pharmacy schools graduate class early to cover expected pharmacist shortage due to Covid

[JustFillIt]

L.......M.......A........O

Pharmacy Students Graduating Early to Cover Potential Pharmacy Staff Shortage in COVID-19 Pandemic

Purdue University’s College of Pharmacy is granting early graduation to 144 students to help cover a potential shortage of pharmacists during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

www.pharmacytimes.com

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[firework]

wait a minute, Purdue is actually doing students a favor. There's no job waiting for them anyway. Graduate now, they can at least receive a stimulus check, which helps to pay off student loan.

If we're doomed anyway, now is the best time to be unemployed.

 

[mentos]

Pharmacist shortage where??? Hahahaha. Pharmacists are LOSING hours right now due to COVID-19!!

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

Those new grads are doomed. lol. There is no shortage... there never was a shortage. Except that one time when everyone converted to pharmd and no one graduated for 2 years in the early 2000s or so i am told.

 

[Seriously Serious]

Actually smart, they will get licensed earlier than the other 15K students they will compete with.

 

[BMBiology]

So, is the school going to refund part of their tuition?

Smart move. This way they can force faculty to take a pay cut.

Never let a crisis go to waste. There is no shortage of pharmacists. You can confirm this by looking at the number of RX filled.

 

[owlegrad]

I am almost literally speechless. It’s a mind boggling level of doublespeak. I wonder if the copywriter’s pants literally burst on fire when they wrote that BS.

 

[zelman]

Did Pearson Vue reopen?

 

[wagrxm2000]

Being the person from the Midwest, normally there is openings during this time since Walgreens always waits to hire new grads so they wait and over schedule vacations then beg people to pick up shifts every single year.

While I can't speak for all of the Midwest, pharmacists were allowed to cancel vacations and all floaters had to give up their scheduled hours. So there definitely isn't a shortage like there has been in the past. Most floaters are getting minimum right now.

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

L.......M.......A........O

Pharmacy Students Graduating Early to Cover Potential Pharmacy Staff Shortage in COVID-19 Pandemic

Purdue University’s College of Pharmacy is granting early graduation to 144 students to help cover a potential shortage of pharmacists during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

www.pharmacytimes.com

“It is our hope that by certifying our graduates a month early, they will be able to schedule their exam date without concern of impact from the reduced capacities at the testing centers,” Barker said.

There is no "reduced capacity" at testing centers, there is NO capacity at all since they are all CLOSED so graduating early doesn't affect your ability to register for the exam... Matter of fact Pearson Vue won't allow signups to even happen until May 1, and that's IF the national quarantine will be lifted by then which I doubt: Important test delivery information pertaining to COVID-19 (coronavirus). So it doesn't matter if you graduate March April or May if you can't sign up until May...

Eligibility to test is also dependent on when your SOP submits your applications to the state and NOT based on proof of diploma so it's a red herring argument...

“Our graduates will be ready to enter the workforce a few weeks sooner and could provide needed backup if the pandemic begins to impact pharmacy workers more broadly,” said Barker to Pharmacy Times®.

The only "backup" that's needed is free or cheap labor. Obviously systems are trying to trim administrative overhead and that means cutting salaries and pharmacist hours. So would they "welcome" extra pharmacy workers if they could get them for free? Of course. And the supply will be there because more than half of the class of 2020 is going to unemployed anyways so may as well do some "volunteer" work for free to put on your resume.

“I’ve already received inquiries from a health system about making our graduates available in case they face likely workforce issues as the pandemic intensifies here in Indiana,” Barker said. “Having additional trained clinical pharmacists, even graduate pharmacists, will become increasingly important.”

Translation: the pharmacy department at our health system is facing massive budget cuts AND we're feeling the effect of having no APPE or IPPE students around to do free labor for us anymore since all the schools cancelled their rotations. So we need to figure out ways to replace that free student labor -- ah, yes! Those students, if they become licensed pharmacists quicker, can still offer us the same free service (because everyone wants "hospital experience" but ain't nobody hiring) but we won't be held liable to, for example, a school of pharmacy if they get sick -- unlike if we had a student on rotation. It's a dream scenario!

 

[wagrxm2000]

Translation: the pharmacy department at our health system is facing massive budget cuts AND we're feeling the effect of having no APPE or IPPE students around to do free labor for us anymore since all the schools cancelled their rotations. So we need to figure out ways to replace that free student labor -- ah, yes! Those students, if they become licensed pharmacists quicker, can still offer us the same free service (because everyone wants "hospital experience" but ain't nobody hiring) but we won't be held liable to, for example, a school of pharmacy if they get sick -- unlike if we had a student on rotation. It's a dream scenario!

Maybe I'm reading this wrong but I have IPPE students this summer still. It wasn't cancelled.

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

Maybe I'm reading this wrong but I have IPPE students this summer still. It wasn't cancelled.

Bet you don't have any with you currently. And if coronavirus isn't resolved by the summer (which I highly doubt it will be), then schools will probably pull out their students then or make them do "virtual" rotations which contributes nothing to the business. It's just too early to tell at this point, which is why residencies that start in 2020 haven't been cancelled/delayed yet. But I can guarantee that if residencies start getting impacted then the first things to get eliminated/restructured are student rotations.

 

[wagrxm2000]

Bet you don't have any with you currently. And if coronavirus isn't resolved by the summer (which I highly doubt it will be), then schools will probably pull out their students then or make them do "virtual" rotations which contributes nothing to the business. It's just too early to tell at this point, which is why residencies that start in 2020 haven't been cancelled/delayed yet. But I can guarantee that if residencies start getting impacted then the first things to get eliminated/restructured are student rotations.

I have a student every month including this month.

 

[mentos]

Actually smart, they will get licensed earlier than the other 15K students they will compete with.

No they won't. The testing centers aren't open, so they can't even get licensed. This article is all lies. The school already has their tuition so they have no incentive to teach anymore.

So, is the school going to refund part of their tuition?

LoL no. It's already in the dean's pockets.

Did Pearson Vue reopen?

Nope.

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

I have a student every month including this month.

I can see retail not giving a crap and sending students in regardless of the situation. After all, you can't exactly mimic a retail rotation with a "virtual" one. But the article and quotes were specifically focusing on "clinical pharmacists" aka those that work in health systems.

 

[wagrxm2000]

I can see retail not giving a crap and sending students in regardless of the situation. After all, you can't exactly mimic a retail rotation with a "virtual" one. But the article and quotes were specifically focusing on "clinical pharmacists" aka those that work in health systems.

The article says community and health system pharmacies.

Retail is generally considered community.

You really shouldn't go into an article trying to find flaws. Sometimes people (colleges) are actually trying to do the right thing. While it can't help if they can't get licensed, doesn't mean the college wasn't trying to help out.

 

[owlegrad]

Saying you are going to graduate pharmacy students early to help with the shortage is like saying you are going to douse a fire with gasoline to help with the flames.

Does not compute.

Edit: actually maybe it is more like claiming there is a heat shortage next to a raging inferno? I can’t think of the right analogy.

 

[wagrxm2000]

Sometimes I forget how negative this place is

Thanks for the reminder everyone.

 

[JustFillIt]

I am almost literally speechless. It’s a mind boggling level of doublespeak. I wonder if the copywriter’s pants literally burst on fire when they wrote that BS.

I started with a thumbs up on this comment but had to change it to the laughing emoji. Such a funny visual.

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

Saying you are going to graduate pharmacy students early to help with the shortage is like saying you are going to douse a fire with gasoline to help with the flames.

Does not compute.

Edit: actually maybe it is more like claiming there is a heat shortage next to a raging inferno? I can’t think of the right analogy.

It's like saying that I have a group of volunteers that can help shovel snow off the streets during a snowstorm to keep things safe for everyone. Right intentions but wrong idea. You're better off spending your time training them to drive snow plow trucks or at least teach them how to use snow blowers, because it's counterproductive to make them shovel snow manually with shovels.

All that is to say that the vehicle by which you try to solve a problem matters. So instead of trying to fight coronavirus by graduating students early, how about lobbying the boards of pharmacy for waivers to let new grads practice as if they were licensed, or host some practical classes to educate students or pharmacists (specifically retail pharmacists) on COVID so they could answer common questions from the public, or simply just DO NOTHING since there's too much talk for no value add by pharmacists anyways?

 

[Seriously Serious]

No they won't. The testing centers aren't open, so they can't even get licensed. This article is all lies. The school already has their tuition so they have no incentive to teach anymore.

Yes they will. The testing center is set to open on May 1st (assuming things do not get worse). Some states do not send diplomas until mid-late May (in TX at least), and there is a delay for ATT.

 

[Lubeckd]

on a Facebook group there are still a lot of unemployed pharmacist

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

Yes they will. The testing center is set to open on May 1st (assuming things do not get worse). Some states do not send diplomas until mid-late May (in TX at least), and there is a delay for ATT.

"Due to increasing concern for the health and safety of our candidates and our employees and in response to government guidance and difficulty procuring the critical hygienic products that keep our test centers safe, we have temporarily closed our U.S.-based Pearson VUE-owned and operated Pearson Professional Centers (PPCs).

Candidates can schedule their exams for appointments starting May 1st and beyond if conditions allow."

Actually no, it's not "if things don't get worse," it's "if things get better to the point where legally speaking they can open up." And even then, that is when REGISTRATION opens up. There is going to be 0 people to sign up for AND take the test of May 1 even if they open it up then.

Practically speaking, they won't even be able to test enough candidates per day anyways. I don't see the ban on gatherings >10 people getting lifted anytime soon so EVEN IF the country is reopened, I am sure there will be limitations on how many people can be in a facility at once. So I'd expect a MAX of 10-15 students to be taking an exam at once, or maybe 50-60/day (if an average standardized test takes 2-3 hours). You also have to consider the backlog of students taking other licensure or certification exams such as nursing, dentistry, medicine, even things like GRE, GMAT etc so as a pharmacy student you're competing against literally every other profession for a spot just to take a test. So good luck trying to find a time slot to sign up for.

Plus let's be real - most students haven't even begun studying for their board exams since they are still technically on rotations. April-June is normally when you graduate and have a month or two to study for boards but with the disruptions caused by coronavirus I highly doubt there are any students who are prepared to take the exams (unless you usually graduate super early like UCSF).

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

on a Facebook group there are still a lot of unemployed pharmacist

Which one?

 

[wagrxm2000]

If the school teaches properly, May 1st is plenty of time to study.

 

[deleted562805]

Did Pearson Vue reopen?

Earliest testing date is June.

 

[wagrxm2000]

Earliest testing date is June.

Did you try scheduling? Website says May at the earliest.

If so then yeah this is pointless.

 

[Seriously Serious]

"Due to increasing concern for the health and safety of our candidates and our employees and in response to government guidance and difficulty procuring the critical hygienic products that keep our test centers safe, we have temporarily closed our U.S.-based Pearson VUE-owned and operated Pearson Professional Centers (PPCs).

Candidates can schedule their exams for appointments starting May 1st and beyond if conditions allow."

Actually no, it's not "if things don't get worse," it's "if things get better to the point where legally speaking they can open up." And even then, that is when REGISTRATION opens up. There is going to be 0 people to sign up for AND take the test of May 1 even if they open it up then.

Practically speaking, they won't even be able to test enough candidates per day anyways. I don't see the ban on gatherings >10 people getting lifted anytime soon so EVEN IF the country is reopened, I am sure there will be limitations on how many people can be in a facility at once. So I'd expect a MAX of 10-15 students to be taking an exam at once, or maybe 50-60/day (if an average standardized test takes 2-3 hours). You also have to consider the backlog of students taking other licensure or certification exams such as nursing, dentistry, medicine, even things like GRE, GMAT etc so as a pharmacy student you're competing against literally every other profession for a spot just to take a test. So good luck trying to find a time slot to sign up for.

Plus let's be real - most students haven't even begun studying for their board exams since they are still technically on rotations. April-June is normally when you graduate and have a month or two to study for boards but with the disruptions caused by coronavirus I highly doubt there are any students who are prepared to take the exams (unless you usually graduate super early like UCSF).

Did you even read the article?
1. "Effective April 17, the certification also offers an early jump to the health field. The students will be eligible to work as graduate pharmacists until fully licensed."
2. "According to Barker, in addition to their graduate pharmacist status, students of Purdue University are able to complete the necessary certifications in order to schedule their NAPLEX and MPJE exams."

Your point about the test-taker limits and backlog of test-takers only makes this more important. At half-capacity and back-log of test takers, signing up days in advance make a huge difference. Given that they are certified early, and they have at least two weeks before they can register with the testing center, they have plenty of time to study and prepare. On the contrary, schools in my state will continue until their respective certification days (mid-late May) which at that point purdue students could have been registered for weeks and been practicing as a graduate pharmacist for at least a month in advance.

 

[Xenophylia]

Maybe they are doing this in response to Uber and Lyft needing more drivers STAT..... Maybe it has to do with the increased need for pizza delivery drivers in this "time of crisis"...

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

Did you even read the article?
1. "Effective April 17, the certification also offers an early jump to the health field. The students will be eligible to work as graduate pharmacists until fully licensed."
2. "According to Barker, in addition to their graduate pharmacist status, students of Purdue University are able to complete the necessary certifications in order to schedule their NAPLEX and MPJE exams."

Your point about the test-taker limits and backlog of test-takers only makes this more important. At half-capacity and back-log of test takers, signing up days in advance make a huge difference. Given that they are certified early, and they have at least two weeks before they can register with the testing center, they have plenty of time to study and prepare. On the contrary, schools in my state will continue until their respective certification days (mid-late May) which at that point purdue students could have been registered for weeks and been practicing as a graduate pharmacist for at least a month in advance.

Yeah that's just hogwash put out by the school. That April 16/17 date was the original planned Pearson Vue closure (March 17-April 16): Pearson Vue Test Centers Closed March 17 - April 16 - NCCPA but I linked Pearson's direct website updated TODAY that said closures will last till at least May 1. And this "certification" is no more than a participation trophy that means nothing to anyone because EVERY new grad could be considered a "grad intern" upon graduation. So no, their students can't register early because the testing sites are all closed. They gotta wait their turn in line like the rest of the 15,000 new grads

 

[Sparda29]

Pharmacist shortage where??? Hahahaha. Pharmacists are LOSING hours right now due to COVID-19!!

I'm working 232 hours this month it's nuts.

 

[Seriously Serious]

Yeah that's just hogwash put out by the school. That April 16/17 date was the original planned Pearson Vue closure (March 17-April 16): Pearson Vue Test Centers Closed March 17 - April 16 - NCCPA but I linked Pearson's direct website updated TODAY that said closures will last till at least May 1. And this "certification" is no more than a participation trophy that means nothing to anyone because EVERY new grad could be considered a "grad intern" upon graduation. So no, their students can't register early because the testing sites are all closed. They gotta wait their turn in line like the rest of the 15,000 new grads

Bruh, I think you are missing the point... Yes, Purdue students have to wait until May 1st to register for their NAPLEX, but their school has given them the green light to register with Pearson VUE by that date. Whereas schools who do not graduate their students early (typically mid-late May) have to wait 2-4 weeks after Pearson opens up to give their students permission to register. Therefore, Purdue students WILL be registering for their exam with Pearson before other students who have mid-late May graduation dates. So they WILL beat 15K students to register on May 1st.

Since they will graduate earlier they will be graduate pharmacists earlier as well. Almost a whole month prior to my school's graduation date. So they could, in theory, have a whole month of graduate pharmacist experience before other schools giving them a slight leg-up on the other 15K students.

And news regarding Pearson's May 1st date is not new, it has been updated on that site for over a week now (I sent someone an email about it last week).

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

Bruh, I think you are missing the point... Yes, Purdue students have to wait until May 1st to register for their NAPLEX, but their school has given them the green light to register with Pearson VUE by that date. Whereas schools who do not graduate their students early (typically mid-late May) have to wait 2-4 weeks after Pearson opens up to give their students permission to register. Therefore, Purdue students WILL be registering for their exam with Pearson before other students who have mid-late May graduation dates. So they WILL beat 15K students to register on May 1st.

Since they will graduate earlier they will be graduate pharmacists earlier as well. Almost a whole month prior to my school's graduation date. So they could, in theory, have a whole month of graduate pharmacist experience before other schools giving them a slight leg-up on the other 15K students.

And news regarding Pearson's May 1st date is not new, it has been updated on that site for over a week now (I sent someone an email about it last week).

Direct from the source article (Pharmacy students to graduate early in preparation for future COVID-19 impact):
"There is a secondary benefit to certification of the college’s senior class a month early. Testing centers for licensure are reopening on April 16 after a monthlong closure. Testing will resume at a reduced capacity during the virus crisis, and that could lead to a backlog of exams scheduling for the summer months.

By moving graduating students forward, the College of Pharmacy is giving graduates the ability to schedule their exam date now.

"Giving graduates the ability to schedule their exam date now" doesn't mean that the students can actually schedule the exams because they are hosted by Pearson and not the school. There's a world of difference here. Purdue did not strike a special deal with Pearson to let their grads register before other schools -- they are just assuming that if you graduated early you'd be able to sign up for the test earlier(which makes logical sense under normal circumstances but these are not normal circumstances we're living in).

 

[Seriously Serious]

Direct from the source article (Pharmacy students to graduate early in preparation for future COVID-19 impact):
"There is a secondary benefit to certification of the college’s senior class a month early. Testing centers for licensure are reopening on April 16 after a monthlong closure. Testing will resume at a reduced capacity during the virus crisis, and that could lead to a backlog of exams scheduling for the summer months.

By moving graduating students forward, the College of Pharmacy is giving graduates the ability to schedule their exam date now.

"Giving graduates the ability to schedule their exam date now" doesn't mean that the students can actually schedule the exams because they are hosted by Pearson and not the school. There's a world of difference here. Purdue did not strike a special deal with Pearson to let their grads register before other schools -- they are just assuming that if you graduated early you'd be able to sign up for the test earlier(which makes logical sense under normal circumstances but these are not normal circumstances we're living in).

Lol... for the 5th time, being able to register for the exam on MAY 1st is EARLIER than MOST SCHOOLS. In order to register with Pearson, your school has to acknowledge that you met requirements. Purdue acknowledged their students, hence they can sign up ASAP aka May 1st... while other students must wait.

 

[steveysmith54]

The school just released an official statement in regards to job placement: It is with great deal of disappointment that I inform everyone that due to COVID-19, the graduating class has a 15% employment rate. Sincerely, dean of college of pharmacy.

 

[Xenophylia]

Did he end the statement with "thanks, SUCKERS!!!"?

 

[mentos]

I'm working 232 hours this month it's nuts.

Are you guys hiring pharmacists? Maybe this school can provide some good candidates.

 

[mentos]

The article says community and health system pharmacies.

Retail is generally considered community.

You really shouldn't go into an article trying to find flaws. Sometimes people (colleges) are actually trying to do the right thing. While it can't help if they can't get licensed, doesn't mean the college wasn't trying to help out.

So you would be okay if one of these early graduates became a staff pharmacist at your store? Just checking.

 

[wagrxm2000]

So you would be okay if one of these early graduates became a staff pharmacist at your store? Just checking.

There's technically no difference between them and all the other new grads coming out. Most preceptors are horrible so they never get proper training.

I would hate having any of them. Well except the ones that did their rotation with me, I trained some good prospects.... That all said they were doing residency

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

Lol... for the 5th time, being able to register for the exam on MAY 1st is EARLIER than MOST SCHOOLS. In order to register with Pearson, your school has to acknowledge that you met requirements. Purdue acknowledged their students, hence they can sign up ASAP aka May 1st... while other students must wait.

I thought I had mentioned this in another post but just to clarify here... your eligibility to take the NAPLEX does not depend on when you graduate/whether you have a diploma, it depends on when you submit your application to the BOP verifying that you have completed the intern hours and coursework etc. to become a pharmacist. This is something that could be done on your own but usually the SOP submits this on behalf of their graduating class so that the BOP can process these applications in batches and hence expedite the review process. My school usually submits this a
month before graduation so that by the time we graduate we would be able to schedule exams.

Point being that Purdue "graduating their students early" has zero impact on testing eligibility because it is about having your attestations done earlier, and if what is going on is that Purdue is just starting their attestation process earlier then this is not out of the ordinary at all because many schools already do this and they are just following the trend.

But again, I believe all of this will be a moot point because I don't think testing centers will open up until late May or afterwards, by which every pharmacy school will have graduated their students.

 

[owlegrad]

You have to graduate before you get an ATT. So of course if you graduate before everyone else you will get a test date before everyone else. Potentially you might even get a test date before everyone else even graduates. How is this even an argument?

One person graduates today and is ready to test as soon as they reopen. Second person graduates mid-May after they have reopened, which person will get the ATT first? The first person might even get to test before the second person gets their ATT!

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

You have to graduate before you get an ATT. So of course if you graduate before everyone else you will get a test date before everyone else. Potentially you might even get a test date before everyone else even graduates. How is this even an argument?

One person graduates today and is ready to test as soon as they reopen. Second person graduates mid-May after they have reopened, which person will get the ATT first? The first person might even get to test before the second person gets their ATT!

Can I apply for the NAPLEX and/or MPJE prior to graduation? | National Association of Boards of Pharmacy

You may apply for the NAPLEX and/or MPJE prior to graduating, but your state board of pharmacy will not confirm your eligibility to test until you meet all graduation requirements. Once you are granted eligibility you will receive an email prompting you to log in to your e-Profile to purchase...

nabp.pharmacy

You only need to "meet all graduation requirements," not necessarily be "officially graduated" in order to get your ATT. Most likely your school is filling out a form verifying the actual graduation date and saying that you met the requirements otherwise. So yes, it is possible to get an ATT before you walk at graduation... I had many classmates who signed up for the exams before we were hooded.

 

[wagrxm2000]

Maybe my state is different but you can't sign up until your last rotation is over.

I'll ask my student today.

 

[owlegrad]

I am open to being wrong but that is not how I recall it.

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

Maybe my state is different but you can't sign up until your last rotation is over.

I'll ask my student today.

It may vary by school as well but I think most schools have a "off block" or "dead period" after their last rotation for the school to put on review sessions and students to study for boards, which explains the several week gap between your last day of rotation and the graduation ceremony (I don't know of any school who had their last day of rotation on a Friday and their graduation the following Monday, for example).

So it could very well be that students still have to complete their rotations to be eligible BUT are still able to get their ATT before graduation.

 

[wagrxm2000]

It may vary by school as well but I think most schools have a "off block" or "dead period" after their last rotation for the school to put on review sessions and students to study for boards, which explains the several week gap between your last day of rotation and the graduation ceremony (I don't know of any school who had their last day of rotation on a Friday and their graduation the following Monday, for example).

So it could very well be that students still have to complete their rotations to be eligible BUT are still able to get their ATT before graduation.

It was my assumption that rotations were cancelled and they are able to sign up now.

 

[ValeRx]

When I graduated, you couldn't sign up to take the NAPLEX or MPJE until your school sent your graduation confirmation info to the state Board of Pharmacy, which then authorized you to test, at which point NABP would allow you to schedule your exams.

 

[gwarm01]

Let's see some employment statistics from this cohort in six months.

 

[Sparda29]

Are you guys hiring pharmacists? Maybe this school can provide some good candidates.

They're hiring a part-timer but they want someone with a couple years of hospital experience so that they can do 2 weeks of training and toss them into the fire.

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

Let's see some employment statistics from this cohort in six months.

No worries, it will be at 70-80% due to self-reporting bias and the fact that residency/fellowship is considered "employment." You can make up anything as long as you caveat!