Finding shifts as a locum pharmacist – Here’s where to start

For those suitably qualified, working as a locum pharmacist can be the perfect career for a lot of people. You get a high degree of flexibility, while benefiting from competitive pay and interesting, meaningful work. That being said, how exactly do you go about getting shifts as a locum pharmacist? Here’s where you should start.

Locum agencies

The best way of finding consistent shifts as a locum pharmacist is to use a locum agency such as Pharma Seekers. These agencies stay in contact with a range of different institutions, and get alerted the moment a position becomes available. 

Once you’re registered with an agency, if they think that you’re a good fit for a position that comes up, they’ll send over the details and you can choose whether you take the shift or not. You can tell them your preferences, and let them know when you’re not available, so that they can tailor what they send you to match your requirements.

Online job sites

In addition to using locum agencies, you can have a look online for locum pharmacist job boards. It’s a good idea to set up an alert so that you’re notified when a shift comes up – the best ones will likely be snapped up quite quickly, so you’ll have to get in there early. That being said, the pharmacist job market is by no means saturated, with staffing shortages presenting ongoing issues in the sector. 

This means you shouldn’t ever have to look for shifts for too long, as long as you’re qualified and registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). 

Develop your professional network

Once you’ve been working as a pharmacist for a little while, you should have developed a significant professional network. When you’re looking for locum shift work, you can ask around this network to see if anyone’s heard of anything going on. 

You can also ask about places that you’ve worked at before, especially if there are any locations that you particularly enjoyed. As you progress in your pharmacy career, this will become an increasingly effective way of finding work, especially as you start to understand the exact kinds of places that you enjoy working in.

Be flexible

Finally, it’s important to point out how important it is to be flexible when you’re starting out as a locum pharmacist. Not all of the shifts that you’re offered will be exactly what you’re looking for, and you’ll have to accept that. You might even find that you’re surprised by the kinds of places that you enjoy working in – be open to new possibilities, and treat each new location as an opportunity to develop your skills and expand your professional network.

Embarking on a career as a locum pharmacist can be a little daunting at first, but it will also be incredibly rewarding. You get to make a genuine difference to the quality of people’s lives, while working in diverse and engaging professional environments. There are multiple different ways to find shifts, and in the current job market, you shouldn’t struggle too much to ever find a position.