How to Land a Remote Pharmacy Job That’s a Good Fit for You
Key takeaways:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, various pharmacy settings are offering more work-from-home (WFH) options to pharmacists.
Remote pharmacist positions are popular, so you may need to find ways to improve your competitive edge.
Since all remote work isn’t the same, the best remote role will vary from pharmacist to pharmacist.
The worldwide pandemic continues to change our lives, including the way we work. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, only 3.6% of employed Americans worked from home, and only some of the time. Pharmacy work-from-home (WFH) opportunities were also limited despite technological advancements.
By April 2020, the number of remote American workers increased to 62% and remained steady into early 2021. Similarly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, certain pharmacy settings also made WFH options more available.
As of March 2021, one study showed 26% of Americans preferred remote work. This rising trend coincides with the many upsides of working remotely, including job satisfaction and health benefits such as lower risk of depression and obesity.
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Are these benefits translatable to the pharmacy industry? More research is still needed, but with up to 70% of pharmacists experiencing burnout, remote work might be a potential solution in preventing burnout and improving work-life balance.
Let’s discuss what you need to know about remote pharmacy work.
Remote pharmacy settings
The following pharmacy settings tend to have WFH options for pharmacists:
1) Academia
You don’t have to be a researcher or a professor to become faculty at an academic institution, like the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS). You, like many pharmacists, might have teaching experience as a preceptor.
In addition to pharmacy schools, pharmacists are valued in teaching roles at other professional programs, including at nursing schools and as pharmacy technicians. Remote positions in academia are more prevalent now during COVID-19, with more faculty and students attending virtual classes.
2) Ambulatory care
With current technological advancements, ambulatory care pharmacists can remotely and securely log into electronic health records (EHRs) to view patients’ medical histories, add encounter notes, and privately message healthcare providers. These pharmacists can also remotely visit with patients via phone or video. An example of a remote ambulatory care pharmacy company is RxLive.
3) Inpatient pharmacy
While many inpatient pharmacists physically work in a hospital, other pharmacists activate orders and perform patient care responsibilities from home. Some of these remote pharmacists work for companies that contract with multiple hospitals, such as Cardinal Health, while other pharmacists focus on only one hospital for a large health system, like HCA Healthcare.
4) Medication therapy management
In the past, ambulatory care and community pharmacists would provide medication therapy management (MTM) services face-to-face in a physical office or pharmacy. Now, pharmacists are able to remotely provide MTM services over the phone with companies like Tabula Rasa.
5) Pharmaceutical industry
Pharmaceutical industry firms like ProPharma value pharmacists in many different WFH positions, including clinical development, medical information, medical science liaison (MSL), medical writer, pharmacovigilance, and more.
6) Pharmacy benefit manager or managed care
In addition to MTM, managed care companies like Molina Healthcare have many remote pharmacist opportunities, including in formulary management and prior authorization review roles.
7) Pharmacy informatics
When health systems began to switch from paper to digital records, opportunities emerged in pharmacy informatics. Although some pharmacists physically work on-site at the hospital, many of them have the WFH option.
Informatics pharmacists focus on patient safety and positive outcomes by functioning as a liaison between the clinical and technical teams to create and maintain user-friendly management systems, such as the bar code medication administration (BCMA) program, smart pump drug libraries, and clinical decision support tool of computerized provider order entry (CPOE).
8) Pharmacy startup companies
Some pharmacy startups that have WFH options include pharmacogenomics companies (such as Color), mail order companies (Capsule), and specialty pharmacies (CoverMyMeds). Some of these startups directly offer WFH opportunities. A few of these startup businesses, however, have WFH options only by working with another company. This other company contracts with multiple pharmacies to provide remote services.
Gaining a competitive edge to become a remote pharmacist
Many pharmacists are aware that the pharmacy job market is already saturated. Since these WFH settings are gaining in popularity, there is some additional competition for these remote positions. So how do you get your foot in the proverbial door? Consider some of the following ways:
1) Obtaining additional certifications
For some settings like inpatient pharmacies, board certifications might improve your chances of getting a position. Board certifications in addition to your pharmacy certification convey to employers a commitment to staying up to date and providing high-quality care.
2) Getting course certificates
There are also courses that will offer certificates, such as pharmacogenomics, pharmacy informatics, and project management. These courses can help you gain additional skills to include on your resume.
3) Volunteering
If you notice any skill gaps after reading a WFH pharmacist job description, look for opportunities to gain more experience — by volunteering or shadowing another professional, for example — to include additional skills to your resume.
4) Preparing for the interview
Job interviews can be tricky for many of us. If you feel a little rusty, find time to prepare to make a lasting first impression for your pharmacy interviews. Furthermore, WFH positions tend to have virtual interviews, which can be different from phone or face-to-face interviews.
5) Getting multiple state licenses
Though you don’t need multiple state licenses for most WFH roles, some positions (like ambulatory care, inpatient, mail order, and specialty pharmacy startups) tend to require many state licenses.
With multiple licenses, these remote pharmacies might more strongly consider you for a WFH pharmacist position over other candidates because of your immediate ability to help them with numerous clients in many states. However, do take time to weigh the benefits against the financial and time commitments. Make sure the return on investment will be worth it for you.
6) Networking
You probably know about the importance of expanding your network, yet many of us interact with colleagues exclusively at work. Find opportunities to stay connected with the pharmacy profession outside of your job. Additionally, learn how to network with pharmacists in various remote settings on LinkedIn.
7) Submitting an exceptional resume and cover letter
Due to the saturated job market, many pharmacists feel pressured to quickly apply by submitting a generalized resume with a simple cover letter. Unfortunately, this tactic doesn’t help you stand out.
Take time to learn about the company and study the job description to tailor your resume and cover letter to that particular job. Hiring managers can tell the difference between cookie-cutter and customized resumes. In addition, a thoughtful, tailor-made cover letter will help.
The best remote fit for you
Although WFH opportunities are appealing, you might receive limited support and training by working from home. So you’ll need to have some computer proficiency to troubleshoot your own technical difficulties and to quickly learn various software programs. Furthermore, you’ll need to be comfortable with training yourself.
When you find a WFH opportunity, keep in mind that not all remote jobs are the same. Learn more about the position and its day-to-day responsibilities. Additionally, consider the following factors to help you determine which specific roles might be the better for you:
Do you dislike making cold calls? If you don’t like to make cold calls, then avoid MTM and some ambulatory care positions.
Do you prefer someone to make appointments and bill encounters for you? If you’d like for someone to help you with appointment scheduling and billing encounters, this is possible with some ambulatory care positions.
Do you dislike documenting your encounters for prescribers and writing notes for patients? If you don’t like to document or write notes, avoid MTM and ambulatory care roles.
Do you thrive on assignments and projects? If you like working on assignments, look at industry and informatics settings. Some ambulatory care, inpatient, and PBM roles are also project-oriented.
Do you have a preference for not being on call? If you don't like having on-call duties, inpatient and informatics might not be the best options for you.
Do you dislike having more work after the end of your shift? If you prefer to have no after-work expectations, you might want to avoid academia, ambulatory care, and MTM. Although you might have set hours in these settings to visit with students or patients, all of the planning, billing, and paperwork could occur outside of your scheduled hours.
Do you prefer to work whenever you want? If you like to make your own hours as long as you meet deadlines, then some industry and informatics roles might fit these criteria.
The bottom line
With a high number of pharmacists experiencing burnout, many pharmacists are weighing their WFH options to potentially improve job satisfaction and quality of life. Since these WFH positions are popular, figure out which position may play best to your skill sets — and find ways to make yourself a competitive candidate.
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