Overview
1. Automation Risk
2. User Poll
3. Growth
4. Wages
5. Volume
Decription
Resources
Comments

Pharmacists

AUTOMATION RISK
CALCULATED
34%
risk level
POLLING
51%
Based on 1,112 votes
LABOR DEMAND
GROWTH
2.4%
by 2031
WAGES
$132,750
or $63.82 hourly
VOLUME
325,480
as of 2022
SUMMARY
JOB SCORE
6.0/10
Vote
Comments (31)

Automation risk

34% (Low Risk)

Low Risk (21-40%): Jobs in this level have a limited risk of automation, as they demand a mix of technical and human-centric skills.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Some quite important qualities of the job are difficult to automate:

  • Assisting and Caring for Others

  • Social Perceptiveness

  • Finger Dexterity

  • Manual Dexterity

User poll

51% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted that it's unclear if this occupation will be replaced. However, employees may be able to find reassurance in the automated risk level we have generated, which only shows 34% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that this occupation will be replaced by robots or AI in the next 20 years?






Growth

Slow growth relative to other professions.

The number of 'Pharmacists' job openings is expected to rise 2.4% by 2031

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2021 and 2031.
Updated projections are due Sep 2023.

Wages

Very high paid relative to other professions

In 2022, the median annual wage for 'Pharmacists' was $132,750, or $63.82 per hour

'Pharmacists' were paid 186.7% higher than the national median wage, which stood at $46,310

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Volume

Significantly greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2022 there were 325,480 people employed as Pharmacists within the United States.

This represents around 0.22% of the employed workforce across the country.

Put another way, around 1 in 454 people are employed as Pharmacists.

Job description

Dispense drugs prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and provide information to patients about medications and their use. May advise physicians and other health practitioners on the selection, dosage, interactions, and side effects of medications.

SOC Code: 29-1051.00

Resources

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Comments

Leave a comment

Fady (Small chance) says
I believe the pharmacist in retail could be replaced but as with other careers in pharmacy it's almost impossible
Nov 16, 2021 at 03:40 PM
Rayne (Highly likely) says
Machine learning is improving at an astonishing rate. It would be infinitely cheaper to employ a reliable program than a person. Suggesting that face-to-face interaction cannot be replaced by a machine makes little sense given how many bots can pass a Turing test.

20 years ago we used floppy disks and CDs for data storage and a 486MHz processor was still considered a workhorse. Given the current pace of progress, most intellectual jobs will be automated.







Oct 21, 2021 at 01:05 PM
Anon (Highly likely) says
Easily replaceable. All the things required to be roboticized. Repetitive tasks, filling a prescription, analyzing data, processing an order etc. no human needed, and it’s cheaper for a pharmacy or hospital to have a robot do it instead of paying such a high salary to a pharmacist. Verdict: you are doomed.
Sep 29, 2021 at 12:33 AM
Kevin P (Could go either way) says
Pharmacists will definitely be replaced in a few decades but that's IF someone decides to make robots to do a simple task such as dispensing meds. Plus, pharmacists do more than just dispense; they give shots and also consult with patients at times.
Aug 23, 2021 at 10:27 PM
Anna E (Likely) says
Because it wont be to hard to make it automated
May 04, 2021 at 05:17 PM
fawazchowhan (Likely) says
The work of a pharmacist is often repetitive and can be learned through AI learning
Mar 10, 2021 at 08:02 PM
Feri (Could go either way) says
Machines are only "smarter" than humans in some ways. Currently, most are only able to perform the tasks programmed into them. The real thinking machine is just sci-fi for now.
Feb 12, 2021 at 11:19 AM
D. Methun (Could go either way) says
Maybe because robots wont forget any parts of the procedures and they will do the jobs accurately.
Dec 15, 2020 at 10:00 AM
ha says
I think it will be very risky in the future... Work is very routine and it doesn't need to build complex relationship with patients. Robot or A.I. will be able to replace it.
Nov 06, 2020 at 12:50 AM
James Harris says
Artificial Intelligence is quickly improving, so the rate at which computers make errors will eventually significantly decline. The only relevance Pharmacists will have in the near future is to regulate how A.I. interfaces with human beings, where as it pertains to Quality Assurance for the Optimization of Medication Therapies.
Oct 04, 2020 at 02:37 AM
Ahmad (Highly likely) says
Because this job is not complicated and can easily be replaced with robots!
Oct 01, 2020 at 07:52 AM
PromethazineDM says
I work as a inpatient pharmacist in a huge learning hospital and I don't think it will be easily replaced. The amount of mistakes I caught are astonishing even when order sets are built.

I can see the rise of remote verification from lower cost of living states pharmacists though.
Aug 11, 2020 at 04:14 AM
James Harris says
Artificial Intelligence is quickly improving, so the rate of error will eventually decline. The only relevance Pharmacists will have in the near future is to regulate how A.I. interfaces with human beings as it relate Medication Review Consultations
Oct 04, 2020 at 02:33 AM
lad 2 (Highly likely) says
I think only the scientists pharmacists will survive
Jul 29, 2020 at 08:48 PM
Robert (Highly likely) says
The clinical side of pharmacy will be replaced by AI in the next 10 years. I have seen what some big pharmacy/drug giants are working on and it’s really impressive.
Jul 21, 2020 at 12:22 AM
B (Could go either way) says
Kinda worried. Some robots are already doing machine learning and gathering data about drugs and specifics. On the other hand, it's still up to a conscious mind to decide which therapy is best of a patient.
Apr 27, 2020 at 07:56 AM
asdad (Highly likely) says
Its kinda same with cashiers you can find all medical drugs on internet and what they do
Feb 07, 2020 at 11:06 PM
M (No chance) says
How do you compare pharmacists to cashiers?
To be a pharmacist you have to study alot and take alot of training
But being a cashier does not require any studying or training
Aug 31, 2020 at 08:05 PM
Anon says
That’s true but ultimately the actual “work” in it is pretty much the same. Why can’t you program a robot with all the information about the drugs and make the robot have all the knowledge? You can. Easy
Sep 29, 2021 at 12:42 AM
Panax (No chance) says
Even if there will be "Rx drugs vending machines" there will still be a need of health consultations with pharmacists which otc to choose, what problems may i have with that symptoms etc. The job will evolve in next decade or two but it won’t be dehumanized like others may say.
Feb 02, 2020 at 01:38 AM
Teddy says
Well, Dispensing is not only one job pharmacist has......
We do a ton of work!
Dec 03, 2019 at 09:13 AM
Edinson says
Do pharmacists really earn an average of 122,230 per year in the United States???
Oct 31, 2019 at 04:40 AM
Jian Yang (Likely) says
Look at Rite Aid and Central Fill. Look at Walgreens and Shared Screens. Look at Kirby Bauer Machines and other robotic methods of filling RX's. Reducing the number of techs will thereby reduce the overlap of pharmacists, and reduce the number of pharmacists in the field by necessity.
Sep 23, 2019 at 02:01 PM
Lily (Highly likely) says
I think retail pharmacists will be replaced by robots, leaving only scientist working in this field
Aug 17, 2019 at 05:53 AM
PowderBlue (Highly likely) says
Demand for pharmacology
The ingredients of each drug can be recorded
And send it to the cloud
The doctor’s experience can be stored in the cloud
The cloud is very big
Search very quickly
Jul 24, 2019 at 09:57 AM
Violet (Likely) says
They’ll find a way to replace human rPHs sooner than later
Jun 13, 2019 at 09:26 PM
Max says
you are crazy
Jan 24, 2020 at 01:28 PM
Bill Williams says
No she is not, the majority of the tasks currently being done by Pharmacists can be automated.
The Clinical Aspects, Artificial Intelligence will soon take this over, the only Pharmacists that will survive are Informatics Pharmacists
Aug 16, 2020 at 01:34 PM
says
Tasks by pharmacy technicians could be replaced, but not the actual pharmacists.
Sep 10, 2021 at 01:27 AM
Anon (Small chance) says
AI development isn't going as fast as everyone claims here and even when the technology is ready it will still take almost a decade to be implemented to replace the jobs. Just look at the self driving trucks.
Apr 29, 2019 at 09:47 PM
Paul Whitmore says
"AI development isn't going as fast as everyone claims"..... Pharm Bots are already here, so what is next ?

It will only be matter of time before the A.I. is capable of independently making decision by itself. The majority of Pharmacists have no clue about Decision Science nor Data Science
Jun 16, 2021 at 09:32 AM

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