Hello, Motivation

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Unlike most college students nearing graduation, Clarissa Hall isn't worried about finding a job-she's already considering several offers, including some with possible starting salaries of at least $80,000. The shortage of pharmacists, though, is not good for others in the medical field, or their patients, say those who have been watching the shortage worsen over the past decade. It was fueled by several factors, especially changes in insurance and federal regulations of pharmaceuticals, which made drugs available to more people. Add to that an aging population and more drugs being manufactured and advertised to the public, and the number of prescriptions has increased from 2 billion to 3.2 billion in the past decade. That problem is expected to worsen after the new Medicare prescription drug program begins Jan. 1. Independent and chain pharmacies, hospitals and nursign homes are scrambling to find people to fill orders. the National Association of Chain Drug Stores reported about 5,950 full- and part-time openings in July in its 37,000 member stores. The American Hospital Association reprted a 7.4 percent vacancy rate for pharmacists as of December 2004, with 38 percent of its members saying it was harder to recruit pharmacests last year than in 2003. "We won't see the shortages going away anytime soon," said David Maize, associate dean of the Feik School of Pharmacy at San Atonion's University of the Incarnate Word. Even with two new pharmacy schools opening in South Texas next year-Incarnate Word and Texas A&M-Kingsville- Maize said "the supply is not going to meet the need in South Texas for at least 10 to 20 years." Texas has about 74 pharmacists per 100,000 people and South Texas had 49 pharmacists per 100,000, according to a Texas State Board of Pharmacy study in 2003. Incarnate Word began enrollment process Sept. 15 and expects to have 10 applicants for each of the 75 slots. It's also recruited nine faculty members, but getting pharmacists to leave the very lucrative profession for a professorship is difficult, Maize said.

By Margaret Stafford
Associated Press

Well, now I'm a little bit happier about my choice.

also, i'm breaking up with jeremy today. should be loads of fun.