title: Association between increased number of US pharmacy graduates and pharmacist counts by state from 2000-2009.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether growth in the number of pharmacy graduates and newly accredited schools from 2000 to 2009 were larger in states with fewer pharmacists per population age ≥ 65 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  States were aggregated into quartiles based on rank-ordered ratios of in-state pharmacists per 100,000 population aged ≥ 65 years. Quartiles were then compared with respect to the number of new graduates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean cumulative number of graduates was highest in the first quartile of states (those with the greatest need for pharmacists) and lowest in the fourth quartile of states. States with the greatest need for pharmacists had the lowest positive growth in number of pharmacists per population ≥ 65 years. The majority of new schools in 2009 were located in states with relatively low numbers of pharmacists.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The growth in new pharmacy graduates created by expansion in schools as well as in graduates per school helped states meet demand between 2000 and 2009. However, tremendous variation remains in the number of graduates as well as the number of pharmacists across states. The quartile framework is useful for assessing the number of new pharmacy graduates based on pharmacists per population ratios. Based on current dynamics in the supply and demand of pharmacists, frequent monitoring is recommended.
authors.affiliation: University of Illinois, College of Pharmacy, USA. Walton@uic.edu
authors.forename: Surrey M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Walton
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Mott
authors.forename: Katherine K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Knapp
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fisher
mesh_terms: D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States