You may think that travel positions are just for nurses — but that is not true. Lots of medical professionals can work travel positions and receive all the benefits that come with them. If you are a pharmacist interested in a travel position, there are lots available — the trick is knowing how to find them.
With Allied Health, you can begin your career as a travel pharmacist.
Read on to learn more about the responsibilities of travel pharmacists, and how you can find the perfect travel pharmacist job for you.
Table of Contents
- What Is a Pharmacist?
- The Difference Between Travel Pharmacist and Staff Pharmacist Positions
- The Benefits of Working as a Travel Pharmacist
- How To Become a Travel Pharmacist: A Look at Skills, Qualifications, Demand, and Earning Potential
- Start Your Travel Pharmacist Journey With Pronto
What Is a Pharmacist?
A pharmacist is a health care professional who works distributing, storing, and educating the public on medication. They can not only provide medication ordered from a doctor but also explain medication and its potential side effects to patients. Pharmacists can work with patients or in the research field, testing new drugs. The day-to-day responsibilities of a pharmacist include:
- Administering vaccination shots
- Reviewing customer’s prescriptions and making sure that no prescriptions interact negatively
- Checking customer’s allergies before administering medication
- Educating customers on their medication, how and when to take them, side effects, etc.
- Discussing medications and treatment plans with doctors
- Managing pharmacy assistants and pharmacy technicians
- Working with insurance companies on medication coverage for customers
- Conducting health and wellness screenings, which can include testing a client’s blood sugar, checking cholesterol, and testing for certain illnesses such as COVID
Pharmacists are needed all over the country — from hospitals and drug stores to universities and research clinics. This pervasive need for pharmacists is why travel pharmacist jobs exist.
The Difference Between Travel Pharmacist and Staff Pharmacist Positions
A travel pharmacist must have all the same qualifications as a staff pharmacist. It is recommended that all pharmacists start in a staff position to get experience before getting a travel role.
There are a few key differences between a staff pharmacist position and a travel pharmacist position:
- Length of Employment: Staff pharmacists are hired indefinitely, while a travel pharmacist works for a predetermined period of time. However, some travel pharmacist positions can become staff positions.
- Type of Employment: A travel pharmacist is an independent contractor hired by the company. They do not get the same benefits as a staff employee, such as health insurance. If the thought of losing your health insurance keeps you from travel positions, there is an easy solution — Allied Health Travel. Not only can we help you find the perfect travel pharmacist jobs, but we have an amazing benefits package that surpasses most staff positions.
- Scheduling: Burnout is a huge problem in the medical community, especially post-Covid. Not having control over scheduling can contribute to burnout. With a travel pharmacist position, you control your schedule and when the contract ends.
The Benefits of Working as a Travel Pharmacist
Why choose a travel pharmacist position over a staff position? Here are a few reasons why people are leaving their staff pharmacist jobs and finding travel positions with Allied Health Travel:
Better Compensation
Travel pharmacist jobs are created out of necessity and therefore have better compensation than staff counterparts. According to Ziprecruiter, a staff pharmacist can expect to make around $126,701 a year.
However, the supply and demand caused by the need for a travel pharmacist can increase salaries. Travel pharmacists can expect to make up to 148,500.
Traveling and Networking
Want to see the world? Curious about how they do things at other pharmacies? A travel pharmacist gets to work in lots of different locations, allowing you to network and grow professionally.
Some “travel” jobs don’t even require travel — they can be where you already live! To see what travel pharmacist jobs are available near you check out Pronto, the best travel pharmacist job board.
Schedule Flexibility
Burnout is often associated with doctors and nurses, but pharmacists are experiencing burnout at unprecedented rates. With increased demand caused by an aging population, recent health crises, and expanding insurance, more and more pharmacists are experiencing burnout.
With a travel pharmacist career, you set your schedule, allowing you to spend more time with your family, minimizing or preventing burnout.
How To Become a Travel Pharmacist: A Look at Skills, Qualifications, Demand, and Earning Potential
A travel pharmacist must have all the same qualifications as a staff pharmacist, and it is recommended that all pharmacists start in a staff position to learn about the day-to-day. Here is what it takes to become a pharmacist:
Travel Pharmacist Qualifications
Pharmacists handle medication, often including controlled substances that can be deadly in the wrong hands. That is why pharmacists must attend several years of education to practice. There are different paths to becoming a pharmacist, and pharmacist qualifications vary from state to state, but generally include:
- Bachelor of Science: Receive a four-year BS in a science-related field from an accredited university. Ideal undergraduate majors include:
- Biology
- Medical Chemistry
- Pharmaceutical studies
- Microbiology
If you have a particular pharmacy school in mind, be sure to check their requirements for undergraduate coursework.
- Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT)
- You’ll want to study for this one, as most pharmacy colleges require a minimum score to attend.
- Doctorate in Pharmacy: Apply to a pharmacy school to earn your doctoral degree in Pharmacy, also called PHARM D. Some useful tips:
- Some pharmacy schools accept undergraduates in their third year, provided they do well on the PCAT.
- Check that your school of choice meets the standards set by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.
- After graduating with a doctoral degree, you are ready to start your pharmaceutical internship/residency. This is both a job and a learning experience in pharmacy practice under the supervision of licensed pharmacists.
- The hours needed will depend on state licensing requirements. For example, Oregon requires 2080 working hours under the supervision of a pharmacist to qualify for licensing.
- After completing a residency, pharmacist hopefuls must pass two exams:
- NAPLEX – The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination is meant to evaluate practical pharmacy knowledge and must be passed by pharmacy hopefuls after they have received their Doctorate in order to practice.
- MPJE – The Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination is required to practice in a specific state or jurisdiction and must be passed by recent pharmacy college graduates who wish to practice, as well as licensed pharmacists who want to practice in a state where they are not licensed.
Feeling Overwhelmed? There Are Other Pharmacy-Related Career Options
Not sure you are ready to go through all the educational requirements to become a pharmacist? Consider starting as a pharmacy assistant or pharmacy tech.
These roles require a lot less education and can get you started in the world of pharmacy work with less commitment. These roles pay less, but can still qualify for travel positions with enough experience. Check out Pronto to see travel pharmacy tech and pharmacy assistant travel positions.
Travel Pharmacist Demand
The demand for pharmacists is rising. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of pharmacy jobs is predicted to grow 5 percent from 2023 to 2033.
There is also a current shortage of pharmacists that is also predicted to grow, with pharmacy graduates going down and job openings going up. The exact cause of this shortage is unknown, but contributors include:
- The prohibitive cost of pharmacy education
- The increasingly aging American population that need medication
- Expanding insurance allowing more people to seek medical care
This is bad news for the country, but great news for anyone who is looking to become a travel pharmacist.
Travel Pharmacist Compensation and Benefits
Travel pharmacists get better monetary compensation, but may miss out on staff benefits.
That is where Allied Health Travel by Trusted Nurse Staffing comes in. We have a benefits package that outweighs any staff position, including:
- Guardian Vision and Dental Insurance
- Employer–Sponsored Health Insurance
- Wellness Benefits
- HRA to cover any deductibles
- Portable Permanent Life Insurance
- 401(k) with a 4% match after 1,000 hours and 1 year of employment
- Disability Insurance
With better benefits and better pay, switching to a travel pharmacist position just makes sense!
Start Your Travel Pharmacist Journey With Pronto
At this point, you may be wondering, where can I find all the best travel pharmacist jobs in one place?
The answer is Pronto — the best medical job board brought to you by Trusted Nurse Staffing.
Pronto allows you to search by specialty and state, finding the perfect position for your needs. The best part? It’s totally free to use! Here is an easy step-by-step to getting started:
- Sign up and make a Pronto profile. Fill out all your info and conveniently upload your resume, pharmacist license, and relevant certifications.
- Pronto will then automatically match you with a recruiter, who will help you with your job search and recommend placements based on your information. They can even assist you with job applications.
That’s all you need to do to get started with Pronto. But the perks don’t stop there. Once you have found your perfect position, you’ll work with a team of professionals to help support you in your role. These include:
- License Compliance Assistance: One of the most difficult aspects of being a travel pharmacist is updating licensure by state or facility. With Allied Health Travel by Trusted Nurse Staffing, we have a team that can help you keep your licenses up-to-date, including covering licensing costs.
- Payroll Team: Travel medical professionals often have a hard time navigating payroll. With Allied Health Travel, you can always talk to a real payroll specialist to help you get your money.
- Recruiter: The recruiter who helped find your travel pharmacist job will stay on as a support through the job. They can also help you find a new position when the current one ends, keeping your work life seamless.
- Additional perks, such as:
- A welcome box
- A $1500 referral bonus for friends or family
- An ambassador program where you are rewarded for creating digital content for Allied Health Travel
- And more!
With Allied Health Travel from Trusted Nurse Staffing, you get the best of both worlds. We help you find positions with competitive compensation, and make getting your money easy. We even offer flexible payment options, getting you your hard-earned cash when you need it most.
If you’ve already done the hard work of becoming a licensed pharmacist, let us make the process of becoming a travel pharmacist easy. Check out our website and start looking for your dream job today.
