How to hire a Pharmacist

How to hire a pharmacist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step pharmacist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a pharmacist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new pharmacist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a Pharmacist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a pharmacist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A pharmacist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, pharmacists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of pharmacists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type Of Pharmacist	Description	Hourly Rate
   Pharmacist	Pharmacists dispense prescription medications to patients and offer expertise in the safe use of prescriptions. They also may conduct health and wellness screenings, provide immunizations, oversee the medications given to patients, and provide advice on healthy lifestyles.	$44-72
   Outpatient Pharmacist Manager	Outpatient pharmacy managers supervise the day-to-day business operations of a pharmacy. The pharmacy managers lead pharmacy staff members through work task assignment, evaluation, training, supervising, and work shift schedule... Show More	$25-69
   Pharmacy Internship	When it comes to a pharmacy internship, one of the primary responsibilities is to observe pharmacy operations and develop efficient communication skills as most of the tasks will revolve around customer service, such as providing instructions on when to take medications and what could be the side effects. Moreover, working as a pharmacist requires excellent attention to detail, ensuring that all customers receive the correct type and amount according to their prescriptions... Show More	$21-66

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • Employee Development
   • Allergies
   • Patient Care
   • Drug Therapy
   • Pharmacy Services
   • Medication Orders
   • Inventory Management
   • PharmD
   • IV
   • Pharmacy Operations
   • Pharmaceutical Care
   • HIPAA

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform diabetes interviews along with physician collaboration agreement to manage therapy and optimal goals.
   • Dose and manage all Vancomycin and Aminoglycoside antibiotics throughout the entire hospital including overseeing, evaluating, and ordering antibiotic labs.
   • Perform critical care and oncology medication therapy management reviews for all patients assign to both satellite pharmacies.
   • Assist with transition to new computer system pending start of permanent PIC.
   • Deliver approximately 20K prescriptions per day to patients through budgeting Dr. Andy Nguyen, Pharm.
   • Provide small-group formal educational presentations for cardiac rehabilitation patients.

   More Pharmacist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your pharmacist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A pharmacist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a pharmacist in Alabama may be lower than in California, and an entry-level pharmacist usually earns less than a senior-level pharmacist. Additionally, a pharmacist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average pharmacist salary

   $118,968yearly

   $57.20 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level pharmacist salary

   $93,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 24, 2025

   Average pharmacist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$169,716	$82
   2	Washington	$154,068	$74
   3	Oregon	$154,022	$74
   4	Maine	$139,656	$67
   5	Delaware	$136,264	$66
   6	Maryland	$135,965	$65
   7	Connecticut	$134,224	$65
   8	District of Columbia	$134,157	$65
   9	Massachusetts	$132,014	$63
   10	New York	$131,758	$63
   11	New Jersey	$131,731	$63
   12	Pennsylvania	$130,061	$63
   13	New Mexico	$129,520	$62
   14	Wisconsin	$129,412	$62
   15	Virginia	$128,336	$62
   16	Arizona	$126,749	$61
   17	North Carolina	$125,155	$60
   18	Michigan	$125,015	$60
   19	Illinois	$121,021	$58
   20	Colorado	$120,631	$58

   Average pharmacist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Safeway	$140,576	$67.58
   2	QFC Quality Food Center	$140,140	$67.38	7
   3	Mayo Clinic	$139,331	$66.99	51
   4	Rite Aid	$135,215	$65.01	772
   5	Stanford Health Care	$135,181	$64.99	35
   6	Smith's Food and Drug	$135,023	$64.91	44
   7	Hannaford Supermarkets	$134,989	$64.90	58
   8	Food City	$134,851	$64.83	77
   9	Walmart	$134,750	$64.78	2,708
   10	Amazon	$134,724	$64.77	41
   11	Chewy	$134,175	$64.51	6
   12	Price Chopper Supermarkets-Market 32	$133,848	$64.35
   13	Albertsons Companies	$133,231	$64.05	542
   14	Eastern Connecticut Health Network (echn)	$132,567	$63.73
   15	Bashas'	$132,565	$63.73	7
   16	Harris Teeter	$131,837	$63.38	104
   17	Schnucks	$131,736	$63.33
   18	Parkview Health	$131,282	$63.12	33
   19	Albertsons	$130,979	$62.97	1
   20	Community Medical Center	$130,601	$62.79	8

4. Writing a Pharmacist Job Description

   A job description for a pharmacist role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a pharmacist job description:

   Pharmacist job description example

   The Registry Clinical/Staff Pharmacist is responsible for profiling and dispensing of medications, monitoring patient drug therapy, dispensing and record keeping of controlled substances, and performing clinical functions within the pharmacist's scope practice.
   
   + Ability to accurately enter medication orders (including chemotherapy) in a timely manner. Accurately check AMDS (Automatic Medication Dispensing System), IV admixtures, patient specific medications, prepacked medications. Responsible for the proper handling, storage and security of medications in the pharmacy.
   
   + Monitors and evaluates patients' medication profiles for safety concerning appropriate dosing, contraindications, interactions, allergies, duplications in therapy, incompatibilities, etc.
   + Critically evaluates and interprets lab alerts/results pertinent to the medication profile.
   
   + Is familiar with the hospital formulary and appropriately auto-substitutes to the formulary equivalent.
   
   + Provides drug information/education to the hospital's professional staff and patients as necessary to create the most effective treatment regimens.
   
   + Demonstrates a clear sense of urgency with the ability to complete multiple tasks simultaneously. Is able to maintain productivity that meets or exceeds the pharmacy standards; performance is analyzed using monthly Productivity Report data.
   
   + Must be able to effectively communicate via email which is critical to the pharmacy work environment; all pharmacy communications, memos, and shortages are sent electronically daily.
   
   + Assists with Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) monitoring, medication variance reporting and actively participates in continued quality improvement.
   
   + Required to perform other duties as assigned, including flexibility in scheduling as dictated by the needs of the pharmacy.
   
   + Adheres to all State and Federal rules as defined by the Pharmacy Practice Act and Controlled Substance Act and Hospital/Departmental Policies and Procedures. Must be able to explain policy and procedures accurately.
   
   + Exercises consistency in dispensing of narcotics and maintenance of appropriate record keeping.
   
   + Is in compliance with Holy Cross Hospital Attendance Standards, consistently prompt, and at work station ready to work at scheduled time.
   
   + Consistently observes and provides leadership for the technicians and pharmacy students to ensure adherence to established standards; delegates responsibilities with clear direction and expectations, resolves conflict; demonstrates accountability for his or her actions.
   
   + This position requires periods of prolonged sitting and standing; minimal lifting (up to 10 lb.), pushing, or any other physical activities. The work area is clean, well-lit, climate controlled with a moderate noise level. Subject to highly stressful and crowded working situations. Works with toxic/caustic chemicals including chemotherapeutic agents.
   
   Commonly Used Equipment:
   
   + Computer, calculator, paging system, printer (laser/zebra), scanner, fax machine, vertical and horizontal laminar flow hoods, Omnicell, pneumatic tube system.

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right pharmacist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with pharmacists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit pharmacists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   To find pharmacist candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit pharmacists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new pharmacist

   Once you've found the pharmacist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new pharmacist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a pharmacist?