Implications for pharmacy from the Institute of Medicine's report on Health Care Workforce and an Aging America.

The Institute of Medicine's report "Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce" concluded that the US health care workforce will require significant overhaul to care for the estimated 70 million adults 65 years and older by 2030. No profession trains the numbers of geriatric specialists needed to maintain the current provider to patient ratio. Pharmacy is no exception; currently less than 1% of pharmacists are certified or have specialty training in geriatrics. Schools of pharmacy, accrediting and professional organizations, and boards of pharmacy will need to collaborate to ensure that pharmacists have the core competencies to care for older adults.