A report from the Wisconsin Hospital Association shows the demand for new pharmacists is growing, but the number of people who can take those jobs is not. Wisconsin Hospital Association Vice President of Workforce Judy Warmuth says there's an increase in the number of pharmacies in the state and more people in need of medication, but hospitals are having a hard time getting people to do that work.
Warmuth says a large part of the problem is that the pharmacy school at the UW Madison has not increased admissions in recent years. She says many people do apply to the program, but enrollment has not been able to expand.
Many current pharmacists are nearing the age of retirement, and Warmuth says the state needs to consider expanding opportunities to train new ones. That could involve opening new training facilities or possibly even recruiting pharmacists from nearby states.
