News Flash! Pharmacist Rated As Third-Best Job in America!

Can it be true that pharmacists have the third-best job in the United States? It is according to the recently released U.S. News & World Report 2013 listing of best jobs.

Using Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, U.S. News graded professions based on factors including 10-year job growth projections and ranked pharmacists third—after only dentists and nurses.

What was interesting to me was that the BLS projected that there would be 69,700 new pharmacist jobs added between 2010 and 2020 and found that the profession’s years mean salary as of 2011 was $113,390.

What do you make of this ranking? Here’s my take: Although the job market has slowed in recent years, according to the report, most of us probably would agree that the changing role of the pharmacist, including an increasing role in medication therapy management, will create many more opportunities for pharmacists in the rest of the current decade.

Pharmacy education is moving in the right direction in preparing pharmacists for this role. So you can still comfortably recommend pharmacy as a career—and I gladly do. Do you think I am wrong?