Utah and the west seeing a spike in job openings for pharmacists
Jul 18, 2025, 6:30 PM | Updated: 6:44 pm
FILE: Pharmacist Tony Fink of Midvale helps train Loan Nguyen of Layton on her first day at the Sam's Club Pharmacy at 1905 S. 300 W. in Salt Lake City. (August Miller/ Deseret Morning News)
(August Miller/ Deseret Morning News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah and other western states are seeing a spike in job openings for pharmacists.
It may be due to lack of interest. Jolley’s Compounding Pharmacy pharmacist and general manager Benjamin Jolley said he’s having trouble finding a pharmacist applicant to accept a job offer from them.
He said a variety of issues are at play, including little to no change in what pharmacists are paid, as well as financial struggles across the sector.
Decreasing interest in attending pharmacy school has been evident for the last 10 years. Jolley points to instability across the sector to account for that lack of interest.
“Rite Aid has gone through two bankruptcies, Walgreens has lost 90% of their stock value and it’s going private. And CVS is closing lots and lots of pharmacies,” Jolley said.
“Which I think leads to students thinking, ‘do I want to go into this?'”
The number of students applying to pharmacy school has “declined significantly” in the last ten years, according to Drug Topics, an information source for pharmacists, which reports such applications declined by 60% between 2011 and 2021.
Rising tuition costs dissuading potential pharmacists
Rising tuition costs are also contributing to declining interest. A study published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education concluded there was a 40% reduction in affordability between 2004 and 2023.
Finally, Jolley said the impact that insurance companies have on the pharmaceutical industry is a factor.
“Their own self-dealing [is] sucking all of the profit out of the system so that no one else can continue to operate,” Jolley said.
For example, CVS Health owns Aetna, a health insurance provider and CVS Pharmacy, a retail pharmacy chain. UnitedHealthcare is an insurer owned by UnitedHealth Group.
He said he thinks insurance companies’ ability to own and operate their own pharmacies should be regulated.
“You shouldn’t be allowed to be in charge of paying pharmacies and being a pharmacy at the same time,” Jolley said.
This year, Arkansas passed a law that prevents pharmacy benefit managers from owning and operating pharmacy locations. In late May, CVS Health sued Arkansas, claiming the law would close nearly 30 CVS drugstores in the state.
Related: Utah AG targets UnitedHealth Group in new opioid lawsuit
