Developing a successful recruitment/retention plan for hospital pharmacy personnel

Due to various external factors, recruitment through traditional methods, such as newspaper ads, failed to produce the pool of applicants for hospital pharmacy staff positions it had in the past. As a result of this and other factors specific to University Hospital, the number of staff pharmacists decreased from 11 to four full-time equivalents (FTEs). The number of technicians dropped to the point where per diem nurses had to be hired to help make IV admixtures. Through some short-term measures (salary increases, intensive recruitment efforts, etc), the number of pharmacist and technician vacancies was reduced by 60%. However, a long-range recruitment/retention plan was needed to achieve full staffing and to prevent such drastic staffing shortages in the future. The four components of the plan that was developed included: commitment to provide for full-time human resources management, improved forecasting of personnel turnover, supply, and demand, design and implementation of retention strategies, and design and implementation of innovative recruitment programs. Seven months after initiation of much of the plan, there was no pharmacist turnover and minimal technician turnover. In fact, one pharmacist stays on staff despite relocation 90 miles away. Almost all positions are filled, despite a large number of openings at other institutions in the area.