Soon-to-be PharmD graduates are at an advantage as they enter the workforce, and can expect higher pay, significant signing bonuses, and increased flexibility as they begin their careers.

Recent hiring trends are favoring those entering the medical industry, especially in retail and community pharmacies. Since last fall, recruiters have expanded their efforts to fill the in-demand pharmaceutical positions nationwide, which first made headlines during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2020, the staffing shortage has only ballooned as pharmacies across the nation look to fill thousands of open positions. Recently, over three-quarters of community pharmacies have reported that their locations are consistently hiring for open positions.

Some Walgreens locations have recently begun to offer a $75,000 signing bonus, and many other retail pharmacies have started to make similar offers in their continual recruitment.

Chapman’s PharmD program puts students at an advantage by using an accelerated program model, graduating excellent pharmacists in less than three years in comparison to a more traditional and utilized four-year program. The accelerated program allows candidates to begin their careers, and take advantage of these opportunities, sooner than pharmacy students at other universities.

“Our accelerated Pharm.D. program offers a personalized education experience that sets our students up for success,” says Dr. Rocke DeMark, CUSP’s Associate Dean of Student Affairs. “Our students learn from world-class faculty, who are on the leading edge of research and teaching. The PharmD program only takes 33 months to complete, which means that they will be able to start their careers sooner than 4-year schools. With the hands-on experience students gain through experiential rotations, student organizations, and other professional activities, our students become well-prepared to pursue a limitless number of career pathways within the pharmacy industry.”

Chapman’s School of Pharmacy’s annual open house is February 11, 2023, from 9 AM until 11:30 AM on the Rinker campus in Irvine. It is an exceptional opportunity to learn about a career in the pharmaceutical industry. Reservations are currently live.