미국약사 전망

[ucpharm]

ocos079.pdf

미국 노동부에서 매년 제공하는 직업별 전망 안내책자에 실린 약사 제하의 설명입니다. 몇 가지 주요점을 아래 정리해 봅니다.

원본을 읽어보기 원하시는 분들은 첨부한 pdf 파일을 열어보시기 바랍니다.

Work environment. 
Pharmacists work in clean, well-lighted, and well-ventilated areas. Many pharmacists spend most of their workday on their feet. When working with sterile or dangerous pharmaceutical products, pharmacists wear gloves, masks, and other protective equipment.

Most full-time salaried pharmacists work approximately 40 hours a week, and about 10 percent work more than 50 hours. Many community and hospital pharmacies are open for extended hours or around the clock, so pharmacists may be required to work nights, weekends, and holidays. Consultant pharmacists may travel to nursing homes or other facilities to monitor patients’ drug therapy. About 16 percent of pharmacists worked part time in 2006. 

읽어보시면 다 좋은 내용이죠? "대체로 하루종일 서서 일한다"는 부분을 빼놓고는 그렇습니다. 사실 미국/캐나다 Community Pharmacy에서 약사로 근무하기에 제일 힘든 부분은 다름아닌 "서서 일한다"는 것입니다. Leg edema를 제거하기 위해 밤에 다리를 베게에 올려놓아야 하는 날도 종종 생깁니다.  

Job Outlook

약대 졸업생 수가 늘기는 했지만 여전히 전망은 밝습니다. 약사 수요는 다른 직종보다 빠른 속도로 증가 추세에 있습니다.

Employment is expected to increase much faster than the average through 2016. As a result of rapid growth and the need to replace workers who leave the occupation, job prospects should be excellent.

Employment change. Employment of pharmacists is expected to grow by 22 percent between 2006 and 2016, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. The increasing numbers of middle-aged and elderly people—who use more prescription drugs than younger people—will continue to spur demand for pharmacists throughout the projection period. Other factors likely to increase the demand for pharmacists include scientific advances that will make more drug products available and the coverage of prescription drugs by a greater number of health insurance plans and Medicare.

As the use of prescription drugs increases, demand for pharmacists will grow in most practice settings, such as community pharmacies, hospital pharmacies, and mail-order pharmacies. As the population ages, assisted living facilities and home care organizations should see particularly rapid growth. Demand will also increase as cost conscious insurers, in an attempt to improve preventative care, use pharmacists in areas such as patient education and vaccination administration.

Demand is also increasing in managed care organizations where pharmacists analyze trends and patterns in medication use, and in pharmacoeconomics—the cost and benefit analysis of different drug therapies. New jobs also are being created in disease management—the development of new methods for curing and controlling diseases—and in sales and marketing. Rapid growth is also expected in pharmacy informatics—the use of information technology to improve patient care.

Job prospects. Excellent opportunities are expected for pharmacists over the 2006 to 2016 period. Job openings will result from rapid employment growth, and from the need to replace workers who retire or leave the occupation for other reasons.

Licensure. 약사시험에 대한 내용이 간략하게 소개되어 있습니다. 캘리포니아를 제외한 다른 주들 간에는 면허 transfer가 가능합니다. 물론 여러 주의 면허를 동시에 소지할 수도 있습니다. (California 주도 NAPLEX를 인정하지만 MPJE대신에 CPJE를 요구합니다.)
A license to practice pharmacy is required in all States, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories. To obtain a license, a prospective pharmacist must graduate from a college of pharmacy that is accredited by the ACPE and pass a series of examinations. All States, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia require the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam (NAPLEX), which tests pharmacy skills and knowledge. Forty-four States and the District of Columbia also require the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MPJE), which tests pharmacy law. Both exams are administered by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). Each of the eight States and territories that do not require the MJPE has its own pharmacy law exam. In addition to the NAPLEX and MPJE, some States and territories require additional exams that are unique to their jurisdiction.

All jurisdictions except California currently grant license transfers to qualified pharmacists who already are licensed by another jurisdiction. Many pharmacists are licensed to practice in more than one jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions require continuing education for license renewal. Persons interested in a career as a pharmacist should check with individual jurisdiction boards of pharmacy for details on license renewal requirements and license transfer procedures.

Graduates of foreign pharmacy schools may also qualify for licensure in some U.S. States and territories. These individuals must apply for certification from the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC). Once certified, they must pass the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE), Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam, and Test of Spoken English (TSE) exam. They then must pass all of the exams required by the licensing jurisdiction, such as the NAPLEX and MJPE. Applicants who graduated from programs accredited by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) between 1993 and 2004 are exempt from FPGEC certification and examination requirements.

Other qualifications. Prospective pharmacists should have scientific aptitude, good interpersonal skills, and a desire to help others. They also must be conscientious and pay close attention to detail, because the decisions they make affect human lives.

Advancement. 
체인 약국에서 일하는 약사들은 약국 매니저나 관리자로 승진할 수 있으며, 더 나아가서는 지역 관리자 또는 본사에서 중역으로 일할 수도 있습니다.
In community pharmacies, pharmacists usually begin at the staff level. Pharmacists in chain drugstores may be promoted to pharmacy supervisor or manager at the store level, then to manager at the district or regional level, and later to an executive position within the chain’s headquarters. Hospital pharmacists may advance to supervisory or administrative positions. After they gain experience and secure the necessary capital, some pharmacists become owners or part owners of independent pharmacies. Pharmacists in the pharmaceutical industry may advance in marketing, sales, research, quality control, production, or other areas.

Employment

2006년 미국에서 일한 24만 3천명의 약사들 중 62퍼센트는 커뮤니티 약국(일반 소매약국)에서 근무했고, 23퍼센트는 병원 약국에서 일했습니다.
Pharmacists held about 243,000 jobs in 2006. About 62 percent worked in community pharmacies that were either independently owned or part of a drugstore chain, grocery store, department store, or mass merchandiser. Most community pharmacists were salaried employees, but some were self-employed owners. About 23 percent of pharmacists worked in hospitals. A small proportion worked in mail-order and Internet pharmacies, pharmaceutical wholesalers, offices of physicians, and the Federal Government.

Projections Data

미국 노동부에서는 2016년이 되면 296,000개의 약사 Position이 Available할 것으로 예상하고 있습니다.  

약사 연수입(Earnings)에 대한 Data는 Drug Topics 자료와 중복되므로 생략합니다.

출처: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition,Pharmacists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos079.htm (visited September 18, 2008).