From The Arizona Republic:
Parents might want their children to consider a career in selling drugs after reading this.
The demand for pharmacists is hot as baby boomers age and more prescriptions are filled each year in Arizona and nationwide. The shortage’s culprit is simple: supply and demand. There were more than 4,100 open pharmacy jobs across the nation as of January, according to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.
“An unemployed pharmacist generally doesn’t have a pulse,” said Dennis McAllister, associate dean of the College of Pharmacy at the Midwestern University campus in Glendale.
Each of today’s Arizona graduates has an estimated seven job openings to choose from, McAllister said. Job security isn’t the only lure. Starting salaries range from $88,000 to $93,000 with some starting as high as $120,000, plus $10,000 to $30,000 sign-on bonuses.