100 vacancies for pharmacists in private sector alone at any one time

Drugstore .Photo: Gorm Kallestad / NTB scanpix

The Norwegian Pharmaceutical Association sees an increased demand for pharmacists in Norway. The association wants more places to study pharmacy.

 

This year, 288 applicants for pharmacy studies were divided among 92 study places. That is 20 more applicants than in 2016. Despite increased interest, and need, no more study places have been created. In recent years, the study offer has been constant, following the coordination of admissions.


‘There is a large lack of pharmacists. In the private sector alone, it’s believed that at any one time, there are over 100 vacant positions’said the head of the Norwegian Pharmaceutical Association, Rønnaug Eline Larsen, to Avisenes Nyhetsbyrå (ANB) news bureau.


Larsen stressed that the association wants more student places offered to meet the need for pharmacists in both the public and private actors.


One of the reasons for the increased need is new legislation that requires institutions to have medication reviews annually. Several municipalities have begun hiring their own ‘municipality pharmacists’ due to the regulations.

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today