Judith A. Cooksey

Pharmacy School Graduates by State and Region: 1990 -1999

OBJECTIVE To describe the distribution of pharmacy schools and graduates (first professional degree) at the state, divisional, and regional levels during the 10-year period from 1990 through 1999, as well as enrollment patterns by residential status. DESIGN Yearly school-level graduate counts from 1990 through 1999 were obtained from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and analyzed at the state, division, region, and national levels. Comparisons were made before and after adjusting for state population. In-state enrollment patterns for 1998 were examined. SETTING United States. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES At various geographic levels, the distribution of schools and new graduates adjusted to population; cumulative production of graduates; percentage of in-state enrollment. RESULTS Over the 10-year study period, 73,541 new pharmacists graduated from U.S. pharmacy schools, about 9,500 more than graduated in the 1980s. The number of schools varied across states (range, 0-5), as did cumulative graduate counts (range, 0-7,303), with high-producing states including those with four and five schools. Nationally, 28 new pharmacists graduated per year per 1 million population. Several populous states, including California, Florida, Illinois, and Texas, produced pharmacists at a rate substantially below the national average when computed as graduates per year per million population. The West region had the lowest annual graduate count adjusted for population. In-state enrollment was consistently high, with nearly 80% of individuals graduating from schools in their state of residence. CONCLUSION The number of pharmacy schools and graduates increased during the 1990s, a period of substantial educational and workforce change in pharmacy. Numbers of schools and graduates varied significantly across states. The West region and several populous states had graduate counts less than one-half the national average. With the current national pharmacist shortage, greater attention should be directed to the development of strategies to address imbalances between supply and demand within individual states.

Analysis of Pharmacist and Pharmacist-Extender Workforce in 1998–2000: Assessing Predictors and Differences Across States

OBJECTIVE To examine the impact of supply and demand factors on filled positions for pharmacists and pharmacist extenders (pharmacist technicians and aides) and assess differences across states through analysis of state-level pharmacist labor market data. DESIGN Cross-sectional analysis. SETTING United States. PARTICIPANTS Not applicable. INTERVENTIONS Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES State-level counts of filled pharmacist and pharmacist-extender positions, wages, and various available demographic, health, policy, and other factors related to the pharmacist labor market. RESULTS Across states, the total population and the number of community pharmacy prescriptions were very accurate predictors (R2 = 0.99) of the number of pharmacist and pharmacist-extender positions, and all other variables were insignificant after these two variables were controlled for. Pharmacists and pharmacist-extenders were positively correlated, and the ratio of the two was not related to observable policy-related variables. Outlying states, in terms of simple pharmacist-to-population ratios, were difficult to categorize. CONCLUSION Future changes in prescriptions are likely to affect the pharmacist and pharmacist-extender labor markets. Across states, pharmacists and extenders relate as complements rather than substitutes. The number of pharmacist graduates and state-level regulations regarding technician-to-pharmacist ratios appears to have a small effect on filled positions across states.

Problem‐based learning in an interdisciplinary community‐based primary care course

Developing community‐based educational experiences that prepare health professions students to become more effective practitioners is a critical challenge for academic health centers. This article describes a course that used problem‐based learning (PBL), primary care practice, and a student‐directed intervention project to teach interdisciplinary, community‐based primary care. From this course, we learned that PBL is an effective and readily accepted method for interdisciplinary education. Additionally, we found that repeated and varied student interaction with the community provides the best opportunity for community education.