Ambulatory care pharmacy practice: Findings from the 2019 National Pharmacist Workforce Survey

The purpose of this study was to describe the demographics, training, clinical specialties, and practice activities of ambulatory care pharmacists using data from the 2019 National Pharmacist Workforce Study (NPWS).

The 2019 NPWS was conducted using a 3-contact electronic survey sent to a random sample of 94,803 pharmacists using the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Foundation e-Profile system. The 2019 NPWS had a response rate of 67.3% (5,705/8,466), based on the number of prospective respondents who clicked the survey link. A subset of pharmacists' responses (n = 4,557) was used for this analysis, which included those who selected an employment status of "practicing as a pharmacist." Of the 4,557 actively practicing pharmacists responding, 338 (8.0%) reported working in the ambulatory care setting. Ambulatory care pharmacists were predominately White (71.6%), women (67.5%), and/or between the ages of 31 and 40 years (36.9%). A total of 41.3% had completed PGY1 residency training, 14% had completed PGY2 residency training, and 29.3% had completed one or more board certifications. Their most common clinical specialty areas were anticoagulation (21.7%), endocrinology (19.7%), hematology/oncology (16.2%), and primary care (16.2%). A total of 49.6% reported using a collaborative practice agreement.

Ambulatory care pharmacists reported more training and certifications than the overall sample of pharmacists. These pharmacists practiced in a variety of clinical specialty areas and engaged in a range of in-person and telecommunication medication management activities. This study provides a baseline assessment of the ambulatory care pharmacist workforce that can be used to assess changes over time.