However, significant pharmacy chains, like CVS and Walgreens, are looking to expand essential healthcare services. They're currently battling employee burnout, much like many other healthcare providers.
A CDC board recommended third shots of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for all adults over 18, as children 5-11 are also lining up for shots, most of them at local pharmacies.
CVS Health announced this week that it plans to focus more on healthcare services, like vaccinations and screening tests, even as it closes several locations where traditional sales have declined. Walgreens is also investing more in primary care clinics at its stores.
The pandemic has shown the potential of these retail stores to meet routine healthcare needs, as well as some of the challenges involved.
Pharmacies have proven to be a convenient option for vaccinations, which is why a patient scheduled her recent flu shot at a Walgreens in Florida.
This particular location has good parking, and trying to see a doctor is a huge challenge, she said.
Yet, when she arrived, the pharmacy corner was overwhelmed. Technicians were handling the drive-through COVID test window while answering phones and filling prescriptions.
"The tech I spoke to clearly had a lot going on," she said.
Pharmacies around the country have been dealing with staffing shortages as demand for new services has increased, said Veronica Vernon, an assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Butler University.
"Just like with all of healthcare, pharmacists and technicians are definitely feeling the unfortunate burnout from working through a pandemic," she said.
CVS has been on a hiring spree, adding 25,000 new jobs in September. However, the pipeline isn't growing fast enough. Enrollment in pharmacy programs has dropped over the last decade. Additionally, there's increasing competition for staff from mail-order operations like Amazon, where it's often less stressful than public-facing jobs.
"It’s been challenging to find people to fill these roles," Vernon said. "They don't want to spend the entire day answering phones or dealing with insurance issues."
Expanding healthcare services will only mean more of that kind of work, said Robert Field, a health management professor at Drexel University. Pharmacies will need more capacity for billing and managing medical records. They'll also need more private space.
"I think people won’t be comfortable changing into a gown for a health exam while others are shopping for Tylenol and toothpaste," Field said.
However, there should be space to shrink those Tylenol and toothpaste displays as more people purchase those items online.
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