SERVING THE UNDERSERVED
sentation, overall, for blacks in research science and medical-related professions in 2009.
Students in STEM majors could eas- ily excel in a number of research science sub-sectors that demand their grounding and discipline. These include physicians and surgeons, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists, veterinarians, and audiolo- gists. In 2009, there were 914,000 physi- cians and surgeons nationwide, of them 52,100, or 5.7 percent were black. There is little diversity among den- tists as blacks comprised only 2,300, or 1.4 percent of the nation’s 164,000. There were so few black biomedical engineers among the 16,000 positions counted that they did not show up numerically. There were 7,650 black medical scientists out of 170,000 total, and 4,606 blacks worked in the related field of biological science.
The critical area of information technology is one area where black representation is greater than percentage of African Americans in the population. Currently blacks have 17.8 percent of the jobs, and comprise 18,334 employees among the 103,000 medical records and health information technicians. In economic downturns, job seek- ers look for fields that defy the trends. Research science is vital not only to our economic recovery, but to the very way we live.
“Pharmacy may be considered a recession-proof profession,” says the dean of Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy (COP), Dr. Kath- leen Kennedy, “because there is still a shortage of pharmacists, especially in rural areas of the country. Many of the larger cities are saturated with pharmacists who only offer dispensing services.”
Each year the Xavier COP, which was established in 1927, receives more than 1,000 applications for the 165 slots in its doctor of pharmacy degree program. There are more than 660 stu- dents in the professional program. The college ranks among the na- tion’s top 20 colleges of pharmacy in research funding by the National Institutes of Health. This fall the school added 60,000 square feet of new facili- ties.
In 2008, 126 Xavier COP pharmacy graduates entered retail work, 15 became medical residents, six became pharmacists in health facilities or hos- pitals, and one was hired by a pharma- ceutical company.
Dean Kennedy says that many gradu- ates take positions in hospitals and community pharmacies. But the majority become pharmacists at major chains such as Walgreens, CVS, and Rite-Aid. In 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that there were 23,763 black pharmacists, which comprised 8.9 percent of the 267,000 pharmacists nationwide.
One area of potential growth is employment by hospital pharmacies, where Kennedy says there are short- ages. To encourage academic enrich- ment Xavier COP offers five post- graduate year one residency positions. Two of those are in collaboration with the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, and one is in a community practice position in collaboration with Rite Aid.
One might assume that major phar- maceutical makers would be a natural landing spot for pharmacy students, particularly in age of healthcare expan- sion. Yet only two of 12 companies on
Research science professions are appeal- ing to a cross-section of individuals with great intellectual curiosity and passion for making new discoveries.
the 2101 Fortune 500 list responded affirmatively to USBE&IT’s queries. In 2009 Eli Lilly & Company, the fifth larg- est pharmaceutical company on the Fortune 500 list had revenues of $22 billion, and employed 40,000 workers worldwide.
A company spokesperson says Eli Lilly is in the process of reorganization to speed up the delivery of medicines to patients, to align business to customer needs, and to reduce expenses. Part of that process is reducing Lilly’s work- force by 5,000 by the end of 2011.
Despite that change, Eli Lilly said that it remained committed to recruitment efforts to have a diverse workforce as we fill available jobs. “We do recruit at black colleges. Although we do not have as many open job positions as we did in the past as we are restruc- turing our company, Lilly maintains a campus recruiting initiative at many of the country’s top colleges and uni- versities, including historically black colleges and universities.”
Propitious changes in pharmacy are ahead. Kennedy says opportunites should grow under the new national health care legislation. Plus, there are greater opportunities now for pharma- cists to assist physicians in the role of medication therapy management. .
In 2009, the BLS reported that there were 462,000 employees in all areas of pharmaceutical and medicine making jobs. Of that number, 44,000 were black. African Americans comprise 7.2 percent of 8,136 of the nation’s chem- ists and materials scientists. But 18.2 percent of chemical technicians were black, or 9,828 of the 54,000 workers in the field, and there were 7,150 black chemical engineers, or 11 percent of the country’s 65,000.
In addition to Xavier COP, there are four other HBCU pharmacy schools. They the Florida A&M University Col- lege of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Services, Hampton University: School of Pharmacy, Howard University School of Pharmacy, and the Texas Southern University College of Phar- macy and Health Services.
www.blackengineer.com
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