Meeting the Demand of Pharmacists in Georgia

April 28, 2023

PCOM Georgia is addressing the rising demand for pharmacists in the state by offering high quality, hands-on pharmacy practice experience for those pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree.

Through this program, PCOM Georgia is filling a major need that exists – both locally and nationally.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of pharmacists in Georgia dropped by nearly 5% from 2019 to 2020, leaving vacancies and mirroring an existing strain that has been demonstrated across medical professions even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet, despite a drop in the field’s talent pool, the Georgia Department of Labor projects that by 2030, the state is expected to employ pharmacists at a growth rate of 13.3% over the previous decade.

“Our curriculum is uniquely designed to develop highly trained pharmacists capable of practicing in many different healthcare environments,” said Shawn Spencer, PhD, RPh, dean of the PCOM School of Pharmacy. “We’re delivering on the critical need for pharmacists by training our pharmacy students to become some of the best healthcare providers in the state and beyond.”

PCOM Georgia’s school of pharmacy program combines a strong patient-centered curriculum with services designed to provide the necessary training to prepare graduates for rewarding positions in the healthcare workforce. This means healthier communities overall, knowing the important role pharmacists play in overall health.

“Pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare providers. And with the rigor of training pharmacists receive, we can have a great impact on patient health outcomes,” said Ted Sukhdeo (PharmD ’22), a graduate of PCOM Georgia and a post-graduate resident of the PCOM Georgia Pharmacy Practice Residency.

Students within the program are afforded over 1,600 hours of experiential training in over 40 different areas of pharmacy practice in the greater Atlanta metro area, across the state of Georgia, and in other parts of the United States and Puerto Rico. This includes rotational placement within community pharmacies and hospitals, further enhancing the hands-on experience and research undertaken by students, while also placing them at the forefront of the industry.

Recognizing that the medical and pharmaceutical fields are ever evolving, PCOM Georgia continues to offer a slate of learning opportunities that prepare graduates for careers in a variety of specialty areas, such as primary care/ambulatory care, acute care, managed care, medical cannabis and nuclear pharmacy.

To bridge the expanse between understanding and implementation, PharmD students immerse themselves in direct patient-centered care, a cadaver-based anatomy lab, social responsibility training, and interprofessional learning with other programs at PCOM in a state-of-the-art Simulation Center. These resources transform the education process, bringing opportunities off the page and into practice, thus improving the quality of care they will provide in the future.

As the need for pharmacists continues to rise in Georgia, PCOM Georgia is creating opportunities for students to excel where the need is most present. The PharmD program is doing just that.

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