Pharmacies are struggling to fill vacancies as the deregulated sector mushrooms and qualified personnel take up opportunities on the retail side, writes Caroline Madden.

A serious shortage of manpower, combined with an explosion of new stores in recent years, is putting the Irish pharmacy industry under pressure. But the recruitment of pharmacists from our European neighbours could be the antidote, according to new pharmacy recruitment agency Pharma Seek.

Currently there are in the region of 3,800 pharmacists registered in the State, which, according to Mary O'Brien, relationship manager with Pharma Seek, represents a "dramatic increase on five years ago".

However, a considerable number of registered pharmacists choose not to work in the pharmacy sector, and of those who do, only 80 per cent choose to work in the retail sector, she said.

"When you combine this with the increased number of new pharmacies which have opened in recent years, the longer opening hours and the increased size of many new retail pharmacies, there is simply not a sufficient number of pharmacists available to fill the vacancies," Ms O'Brien said.

"There are now more than 1,450 pharmacies in Ireland and we estimate that there is an urgent demand for at least 300 more pharmacists."

Almost 200 new pharmacies have mushroomed in the State since the deregulation of the industry in January 2002, which saw the restrictions relating to the opening of new stores lifted. And with each store requiring a minimum of two full-time pharmacists, demand for qualified staff has grown considerably.

"Graduates are being offered excellent salary packages, particularly when compared to other European countries. There is a huge choice of location and size of pharmacy available to work in and there are numerous incentive schemes to entice potential employees," said Ms O'Brien.

"There are positions available for managing, support, relief and locum pharmacists in community pharmacies, industry and hospitals as well as pharmacy managers, technicians, front-of-counter staff and specialist front of counter staff. However, despite all these positive attractions there is still a considerable shortfall."

Countries such as Australia and New Zealand traditionally relieved the pressure by providing candidates for Irish job vacancies in this sector, but due to changes made this year to the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland's registration process, pharmacists from these countries are no longer granted visas to work here.

Pharma Seek is now advertising Irish pharmacy jobs in Britain and throughout Europe. Ms O'Brien pointed out that there are more than 20,000 pharmacists now registered in Poland.

"With far higher salaries on offer here, I believe we will soon see a trend where many Polish pharmacists will be applying for jobs in Ireland," she predicted.

There is one catch however - while pharmacists from other European countries can register here, they cannot act as supervising pharmacists in a store which has been open for less than three years.

So for companies such as Boots Ireland, which recently announced that it will open 30 new stores around the country over the next five years, this restriction means that hiring European pharmacists still would not solve all of its recruitment needs.

However, chief pharmacist with Boots Ireland, Mary-Rose Burke, says it is "widely understood" that this restriction will be removed, hopefully before the end of the year, by the new Pharmacy Bill being introduced by Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney.

Until recently, Trinity College provided the only pharmacy degree course in the State, but aspiring pharmacists can now avail of courses introduced by the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI) and University College Cork (UCC).

Trinity College has traditionally produced in the region of 75 new graduates annually, and the two new courses will add roughly 55 graduates to the number coming on-stream each year.

"This increase in graduates coming into the market will definitely improve the situation and will benefit the whole pharmacy sector," said Ms O'Brien.

"We also welcome Minister [ for Education and Science] Mary Hanafin's moves to introduce suitability tests and to set a 450-point entry level for leaving certificate students wishing to study pharmacy at third level.

"At present, pharmacy courses require from 545 to 555 points."

The first intake of the RCSI course took their degree exams earlier this year, and are now embarking on their pre-registration training year.

It will be December 2007 before they are fully registered pharmacists. The first intake of the UCC course are entering their final year now, and will become registered pharmacists in December 2008.

According to Ms Burke of Boots Ireland, the pharmacist manpower in this State has been under pressure for some time.

"The sector has been carrying a shortfall for years," she said, adding that "pent-up demand" will absorb this new stream of graduates immediately.

A significant number of UCC and RCSI graduates will be recruited into Boots Ireland's pre-registration programme, which is expanding every year. The number of "pre-reg" students recruited onto the programme increased from 14 last year to 17 this year, and is set to increase to 25 in 2007.