PHARMACY SALARIES CONTINUE TO RISE

The salary for pharmacy professionalscontinues to increase, according to the2006 Pharmacy Compensation Survey—Spring Edition. Nationally, the position ofstaff pharmacist receives a median totalcash compensation (which includesbase salary andannual bonus) of$98,300, comparedwith $93,000 lastyear—an increase of5.4%. The semiannualsurvey, publishedby Mercer HumanResource Consulting,found that pharmacy team manager,pharmacy technician, and pharmacygraduate also see increases of >4.2%.

Geography is a factor in the varyingpay levels. The survey indicated pay fora staff pharmacist in lower-paymentcities such as New Orleans, La($93,700), Kansas City, Mo ($93,300),Omaha, Neb ($86,000), and Pittsburgh,Pa ($84,000), compared with the nationalmedian for total cash compensation.Cities in California, however, exceededthe national median, including San Jose($109,100) and San Francisco($107,700).