CEDARBURG, Wis. — While Walgreens continues to have challenges in recruiting pharmacists to fill its pharmacies, an independent pharmacist believes that is far from representing the field as a whole.

Walgreens is reportedly offering high signing bonuses to recruit more pharmacists.

Scott Goldberg, a company spokesperson, issued the following statement:

“What we are seeing in some areas is consistent with what many other healthcare entities have been experiencing — staffing challenges due to the ongoing labor shortage. As a result, there are some instances in which we’ve had to adjust or reduce pharmacy operating hours, as we work to balance staffing and resources in the market to best meet customer demand. We continue to take steps to help mitigate current staffing pressures, including ongoing review of staffing levels within our pharmacies in order to meet the needs of our customers and patients.”

(Spectrum News 1/Phillip Boudreaux)

The owner of Ye Olde Pharmacy in Cedarburg, Kyle Beyer, pointed out that is not the full picture of the pharmacy field.

“I really think it’s not as much of an issue of a pharmacist shortage. I just think it’s really an issue that there is a shortage of pharmacists that are willing to work in those environments. It’s just too chaotic. It’s too understaffed,” said Beyer.

He explained the reason that independent pharmacies like his aren’t struggling to fill positions is simple.

“We are not answering to a non-pharmacist supervisor or a business manager,” Beyer said. “We still have to keep the doors open, but we staff multiple pharmacists throughout the day that allows them to take lunch breaks. That allows them that if their kid is sick, we can cover that shift, so it gives us a lot more flexibility.”

Beth Martin is a Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

As Walgreens continues to struggle with recruiting pharmacists, Martin explained there has been a national decline in students interested in attending pharmacy schools. She said the pandemic has also put a strain on the system, however, that time was also used to push the field forward.

“A lot of our community pharmacists innovated,” Martin said. “They made new connections. They saw new problems to solve, so I think if we all continue to use that frame of reference, that perspective, we can get through this.”

For Beyer, it’s also about building a reputation locally that independent pharmacies are a desirable place to work.

“I think that pharmacists have a choice of where they can work right now. There’s plenty of pharmacists out there,” Beyer said. “They are just choosing not to work at larger chain pharmacies which is creating a shortage for them, but there is not a shortage in the marketplace.”

As a pharmacist, he and others in his field are just focused on taking care of people in their communities.