2021 was the year the world stayed home.
According to Owl Labs’ 5th Annual State of Remote Work, 70% of full-time United States workers had at some point worked remotely. So, did this transition to working from the comfort of your bed, couch, or small office hurt productivity? Not at all. Owl Labs also reports that 90% of employees were just as and even more productive than at the office. Even more staggering is that 84% of employees were willing to take a pay cut due to increased happiness.
So, is a remote job the new working model for the future in pharmacy?
According to Forbes, 25% of all professional jobs in North America will become remote by the end of 2022, and that number will continue to rise as we progress through 2023. Although the COVID-19 pandemic may have been the potential kickstarter to this increase, the evolution of technology helped pave the way as well, especially in health care. The desire to find a remote or hybrid job is on every new graduate’s mind.
However, newer entrants to the profession have many questions to answer. Many new pharmacists are probably thinking, “What do remote pharmacist jobs even look like?” This is an appropriate question, but there are many opportunities for those seeking a remote pharmacist position.
Whether it be the burnout you’re experiencing in the workplace, the inconsistent hours that you work, or you want a work-from-home position right after graduating, a remote pharmacist position may be perfect for you. Understand that there may be a steep learning curve based on what you have previously practiced.
You can start by taking a few minutes to go on LinkedIn or Indeed and search for a remote pharmacist job description. Your search should be able to pull in various equal opportunity employer results ranging from clinical to managed care to MTM, etc.
Throughout pharmacy school, you have probably only been introduced to the role of a retail, clinical, or industry pharmacist employee. However, the possibilities and positions available to pharmacists as remote pharmacists are limitless, and I will discuss them here in this article.
Medication Therapy Management
MTM is a group of services a pharmacist provides to patients to help optimize their medication therapy. According to The National Board of Medication Therapy Management, an MTM pharmacist provides patient-centered services to improve clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes. The different services include but are not limited to comprehensive medication reviews (CMRs), target interventions (TIPs), transitions of care, etc. Traditionally, these services are provided telephonically, through video chat, or face-to-face.
Depending on where you are practicing and what the company is seeking, this could be a remote/hybrid position, completing the services solely via telehealth. To become a certified MTM pharmacist, you must have a pharmacy degree (PharmD, BPharm), complete the required training, and pass the certification exam.
Ambulatory Pharmacy
An ambulatory care pharmacist provides healthcare services to patients transitioning from the hospital to home or another care facility. These pharmacists typically interact with patients in an outpatient setting to help manage conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. What separates an ambulatory clinical pharmacist from a traditional community retail staff pharmacist is that these pharmacists work directly with the patients and the corresponding healthcare team in the ambulatory setting.
As I mentioned, ambulatory care is traditionally practiced as an outpatient at a hospital or other healthcare center. With the rise of telehealth, these pharmacists can work remotely and log in to patient health records remotely/securely. They can also provide patient care similar to a clinical pharmacist working physically in a clinic. They can work with patients via telephone or video chat.
For new graduates, a postgraduate year one residency is usually required to practice in this setting, but pharmacists looking to transition can search for different opportunities.
Pharmacy Industry
With the growth in pharmaceutical industries looking for more than Ph.D. candidates and researchers, PharmD candidates and pharmacists are being more sought after in the industry sector. Pharmaceutical companies provide many different work from home positions that many will find desirable.
Pharmacists can work in regulatory or medical affairs remotely. A medical writer or clinical data manager position requires a secure line of end-to-end communication but allows you to work remotely. Many industry positions may require a pharmaceutical fellowship that is 1-2 years in length, while there are also different opportunities to enter the industry directly.
Work on your networking. Pharmacy is a small world.
Managed Care
This may be more of a niche setting that many pharmacy graduates or practicing pharmacists don’t know about.
If you’ve had experience in a retail or outpatient setting, you would have encountered insurance issues many times. For many medications that aren’t in a patient’s formulary or are a new medication on the market, many insurance companies will kick back a pharmacy claim requiring a so-called “prior authorization.” A pharmacist can play a role here by using their clinical knowledge to determine if a specific medication can be authorized for use in a patient.
With knowledge of medications and proper training in insurance, a pharmacist can help speed up the process of getting a medication to a patient. Depending on the company, this position could be a remote pharmacist position, as a secure connection to the health records and insurance database may be all that is needed.
Academics
As pharmacy evolves and curriculums continue to change, pharmacists' value in academia is increasing. While the pandemic may have been one of the biggest contributors to shifting classes from in-person to “zoom school,” whether it be kindergarten or college, online learning is here to stay.
Technology advancements unlocked better online quizzes/exams monitoring and more effortless connectivity to live classes. Pharmacy schools aren’t the only place for pharmacists to teach. Undergraduate pre-pharmacy courses, pharmacy technician school, and even nursing school could pose opportunities for remote work. While most of these academic positions require 1-2 years of training/residency in a pharmacy school, others can work in a different pharmacy department as a preceptor to pharmacy students to gain experience as a teacher.
As mentioned earlier, pharmacists’ roles are evolving to many different settings that you may not learn in today’s curriculum, so these niche setting pharmacists can transition to teaching online courses as either a full-time or a part-time job.
Traditional and Startups
While the role of a retail or hospital pharmacist is traditionally viewed as in-person, there are specific opportunities for those on this career path to transition to a remote pharmacist position. Clinical pharmacists can work from home on a secure connection to help verify prescriptions, optimize hospital medications, and tele-message the different healthcare team members. Companies such as CVS Health or Walgreens can offer remote pharmacist jobs for pharmacists to work as clinical specialists to answer and triage questions from in-store pharmacists or directly answer questions from patients.
Cardinal Health or other major wholesalers may have a remote job opportunity for a registered pharmacist specializing in inventory logistics. Newer pharmaceutical startup companies such as Capsule or Cost Plus Drug Company are newer online retail pharmacies that deliver your prescription medications. These companies offer remote pharmacist jobs to pharmacists to help with medication verification, data entry, and consultation purposes with patients. Pharmacists will also consult with prescribers and transfer prescriptions from other pharmacies.
Consulting
While not necessarily a fully remote work from home position for pharmacists, this is a position that requires travel without a distinct home base or office. There are life science consultant companies that seek pharmacists to help deliver clinical analysis and strategies to clients/accounts. You could consider this a hybrid position as you will split your work 50-50 researching at home and traveling.
While this is more of a non-traditional role for pharmacists, your clinical knowledge still plays a significant role as you understand specific trends. You will interpret clinical data to facilitate the sale and implementation of the most optimal interventions, clinical or financial.
Final Thoughts
The opportunity for remote work is plentiful for pharmacists. As always, there will always be a learning curve regardless of your previous background or if you are a new graduate. A work from home or hybrid position is indeed very desirable. However, always weigh the pros against the cons when deciding to make a switch in your career. Start your search early and research the different positions.
Some positions require additional certifications and qualifications. This article was intended to provide insight into what’s out there and some others we haven’t covered.
Network with those not just in the pharmacy profession but in the healthcare world, too. Think about the different reasons why you want to make a switch to a different position. A remote pharmacist position can be available for those who want it.
