The staff shortage is hitting pharmacy departments hard in health establishments on the North Shore. In emergency rooms in the region alone, there is a shortage of approximately 34% pharmacists, according to the Association of Pharmacists of Health Establishments of Quebec (APES).
This is a generalized trend, according to the head of the pharmacy department at the CISSS de la Côte-Nord, Dave Charlton. Overall, the shortage figure on the North Shore is significant. We have a lot of vacant positions, he said.
At the CISSS de la Côte-Nord, around ten positions must be filled, and this figure is expected to increase, according to Mr. Charlton. This summer, the situation will deteriorate with departures and departures on maternity leave, he says. From 45% to 50% of the workforce will then be missing.
With the state of our workforce, we are not able to be present as we should be in our emergency rooms.
To compensate for the lack of staff, the CISSS de la Côte-Nord will call on independent labor, particularly for the validation of prescriptions. But this is only part of the job. On the floor, in the care units, the situation will remain difficult to resolve, according to Mr. Charlton.
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Salary conditions and the duration of studies are two factors which aggravate the shortage of pharmacists in health establishments. (Archive photo)
Photo : Radio-Canada / Marc-Antoine Mageau
This is where the needs are enormous and difficult to meet, confirms Julie Racicot, president of APES. However, the usefulness of a pharmacist in these units is beyond doubt, according to her. Its presence will reduce the length of a stay in the emergency room, will prevent patients from returning to the emergency room, and can even avoid hospitalizations, according to Ms. Racicot.
Discouraging studies and salaries
Too few pharmacists are heading into the hospital environment after completing their training, according to Dave Charlton. The question of salary is at the heart of this reluctance, according to him. Working in a health establishment requires longer studies, he explains, while offering less in terms of salary.
Indeed, according to Ms. Racicot, the shortage of pharmacists would also be felt in the private sector, which leads to an increase in salaries in this sector. Those who choose to work in the public sector will earn 30% less, she specifies.
This causes an attraction issue, affirms Mr. Charlton, and it is also reflected in university registrations, he suggests. We see it this year which is a catastrophic year. […] There was a capacity of 110 places, and around 55 had registered, he reports.
APES believes that the profession of pharmacist in hospitals must be valued. We are in the heat of the action, as an interdisciplinary team. So we must recognize holders of a master’s degree as specialists […] and give them an independent right to prescribe, according to Ms. Racicot.
According to information from Ludmilla Guignard
2024-02-20 08:02:58
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