Can recent pharmacy school grads answer my question?

[ClrkKnt]

I know there is a pinned thread about this but it is old and recently it has broken down into bickering and just offtopic stuff so rather than debates I just want to hear your experiences.

How hard was it for you to actually find employment after finishing pharmacy school?

Also, how hard was it for those you know that finished with you?

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[trailerpark]

hard

 

[owlegrad]

Easy

 

[molyhelp]

I know there is a pinned thread about this but it is old and recently it has broken down into bickering and just offtopic stuff so rather than debates I just want to hear your experiences.

How hard was it for you to actually find employment after finishing pharmacy school?

Also, how hard was it for those you know that finished with you?

Depending on your willingness to sacrifice.
Please answer these questions and you will see how hard or easy it is:
Are you willing to relocate?
Do you must have a job within the city?
Do you have family, connections, roots, sick parents, kids, love ones that force you to be around certain area?
Do you must work in hospital only?
Do you must work in community pharmacy only?
Do you must work in big company only?
Do you must work in independent pharmacy only?
Night shift okay?
Rural okay?
How far are you willing to go from the nearest major city?
Do you accept the job as pharmacy manager?
Any disciplinary action on your license?
Did you burn your bridge with the last work place (stole med, Medicare or Medicaid sanction for insurance fraud...)?
Any view-able bad record on board website?
Do you have skill and willing to sacrifice for the team? Yes (I answered yes for you.)

In summary, there is always a job around if you are able, licensed, and willing to sacrifice: your level of sacrifice will decide how easy you can find the job.

 

[mustang sally]

Not that hard. Graduated in 2012, so maybe this is slightly outdated but I went on three job interviews. The third place offered me a job.

The questions above are helpful. It depends on how flexible you are willing to be with your job search sometimes.

 

[EML9255]

For me it was a little more difficult than I would have liked, but everything worked out great in the end. A lot of my friends who went the retail route got their jobs in January-March. Well little ole me decided last fall that I wanted to try and do a residency, which ultimately did not work out. Looking back i am 100% satisfied it did not. Long story short I did not really start looking for a retail job until April, in school I had some intern experience with an independent so no chain connections besides my community rotations. I had 3 community rotations and two were with grocery stores (1 store was more or less bought out...not hiring, the other one..not hiring). The third place i was too late in the game for their grad intern process and they had already hired all of their grad interns for this area by April.

I basically started contacting everyone I knew asking about employment opportunities but did not have huge amounts of luck. Then I started to just apply online to all of the major chains or any other jobs i found that i liked. It took almost 6 weeks and i finally heard back from 2 major chains on the same day. One of them was way too far away and the other one was hiring for 90 min outisde of where i live now in a medium sized nice city. I live in a pretty large city/saturated area so i figured i would have to either a. have a longer commute or b. move. I'm really happy about where I ended up and location so it all worked out for me in the end (which people had been telling me it would for months but i just wanted to punch them all in teh face when they said that).

So short answer....moderately difficult (but partially my own fault for not applying to retail/residency at the same time)
For classmates.....I'm not sure what the stats are now but at graduation i felt like i was one of the only few who did not yet have a job, but that probably was not true.

 

[kendrick lamar]

Graduated May 2014. There are only a few people I know in my class who don't have jobs besides me. I believe a majority have jobs, but that is also because 80-90% went in retail. Most people who were offered a retail position had 3-5 years of intern experience with the company that offered them a job. Some others had 3-5 years of intern/tech experience, but got a job at another chain. I know two people who had 2 years of less of tech experience offered jobs with Walgreens.

the others 10-15% have had residencies or fellowships lined up: I would say out of those, 85-90% got residencies at the VA (in my state, there are only few hospitals, and most of my professors are affiliated with the VA) only 5% or so got residencies at academic institutions (they were either top performing students with plenty of work experience or got through connections), prob 2% went the fellowship route

As for me, I have not had an internship/tech job during school ( I did everything to get one). I have been applying to hospitals all over the country since I graduated, (large, medium sized, and small) and have not heard back from any. I think I've applied to 30+ places now, including: North Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, New England (where I'm from, where I assume there's a major saturation), New York (upstate, city, long island), California, Virginia, Pennsylvania, some other places that I can't remember.

So my answer for your question is: it's hard and I'm not sure how much easier it will get.
I found many others on SDN who had a similar experience to me (no tech/internship during school) that also seem to have had a hard time.

 

[ClrkKnt]

Are there any areas of the country where you would say jobs in pharmacy are easy to find? I know it will be next to impossible in Philadelphia or Los Angeles.

 

[trailerpark]

If you have a non retail internship like I did (LTC), do you guys feel like it gives you an advantage applying retail? What about hospital?

 

[FlavyFlav]

Had a job offer before I graduated, however it was a floater position with only 32 hours guaranteed a week. Not stable enough, so I took an offer 3 hours away for full-time. Been pretty happy so far.

 

[kendrick lamar]

Had a job offer before I graduated, however it was a floater position with only 32 hours guaranteed a week. Not stable enough, so I took an offer 3 hours away for full-time. Been pretty happy so far.

retail or hospital?

 

[BMBiology]

^^ I think you are setting unrealistic goals. People who completed a residency are also having a hard time finding a hospital position. Strict federal laws prohibit hospitals from accepting volunteering pharmacists.

Things are not going to get better as more people get their license. Whatever you decide to do you better do it now.

 

[BMBiology]

Hospital pharmacist with experience > new pharmacist with residency > new pharmacist with hospital internship > new pharmacist with retail internship > you

 

[kendrick lamar]

Hospital pharmacist with experience > new pharmacist with residency > new pharmacist with hospital internship > new pharmacist with retail internship > you

I know I have unrealistic expectations *now* except around the time I was graduating I wasn't as aware that getting simply a staff position even at a really small hospital (which I've heard of people graduating 3-4 years ago, without any experience, were able to get) are becoming harder to get. I'm really in the process of re-evaluating a lot of things now.

I have just been hesitant going the retail route because I never had experience in school (and yes, i did everything I can think of and everything that was suggested on this forum to get a paid internship during school). I talked to a local CVS recruiter a year before graduating who told me if I had no experience in a reasonably sized chain, there's little to no hope for me in getting a job with CVS. My retail APPE with Target also didn't go well, my preceptor didn't like me at all and wrote off that she couldn't see me running my own retail pharmacy, which she expected me to do at the end of the six weeks. I also have type 1 diabetes, which I'm not trying to use as an excuse but at least have to say it is concerning, because I've had a handful of hypoglycemic episodes while doing my retail APPE. I admit I sound naive right now, but I'll be honest, it didn't seem like getting a staff hospital job was this impossible while I was on rotations.

 

[trailerpark]

KL why not just get a retail job so you have income then while your working and stabilizing your finances you can continue to apply for hospital?

 

[BMBiology]

I know I have unrealistic expectations *now* except around the time I was graduating I wasn't as aware that getting simply a staff position even at a really small hospital (which I've heard of people graduating 3-4 years ago, without any experience, were able to get) are becoming harder to get. I'm really in the process of re-evaluating a lot of things now.

I dont want to be too harsh on you....but really? you just realized that? haven't you been reading this forum?

You are not going to get a hospital position. It's not happening because of your lack of experience and because of the competition.

Lower your standards. Find something fast. Anything.

 

[kendrick lamar]

I dont want to be too harsh on you....but really? you just realized that? haven't you been reading this forum?

You are not going to get a hospital position. It's not happening because of your lack of experience and because of the competition.

Lower your standards. Find something fast. Anything.

lmao, based on your previous posts on here, I actually knew the answer you were going to say.
Yes, I know, I should have *known*, but it's been confusing. When speaking to my preceptors and some other classmates who have graduated a year ago on their experience, it seemed to paint a very different picture than what is being presented on this forum. It seemed like people like me with no experience were able to get staff hospital positions, albeit at smaller institutions, 2-3 years ago.
Anyway, I am going to be very broad on my search and more realistic seeing how times are changing. I do appreciate the advice.

 

[BMBiology]

^^ no one likes to admit to others that they are having a hard time finding a job after 6-8 years of schooling and 150-250 k in student loan debt or they are just being nice to you.

So you need to go at this like your future depends on it. There is simply not enough jobs for everyone. Many will be unemployed. It is just math.

 

[chronice]

It wasn't hard to find a job, but it was stressful. I didn't start looking until April. Originally I was planning to relocate to my home state (close to home but not close enough live at home) for a major chain. Received another offer the day before graduation at a different chain where I went to school. It is a floating position in the city with guaranteed 40ish hours.

 

[ClrkKnt]

It wasn't hard to find a job, but it was stressful. I didn't start looking until April. Originally I was planning to relocate to my home state (close to home but not close enough live at home) for a major chain. Received another offer the day before graduation at a different chain where I went to school. It is a floating position in the city with guaranteed 40ish hours.

40 hours a week? I am guessing you will take a huge paycut right?

 

[pepperjack]

It depends on how picky you are. A lot of my classmates had either a retail position or residency lined up. I don't know how many were able to get a hospital position without residency, but some got lucky. You just need to ask yourself if you're willing to move, what type of job you want, and how patient you're willing to be.

Personally, I interviewed for mostly retail jobs, but didn't get anything. Later decided to just be patient and get licensed before starting to apply to jobs again. Was offered a job in a non-retail setting.

 

[Andy62]

I had 5 job offers before graduation. 4 of them retail in great locations. I chose a clinical position in a rural location for the least pay. So far, I love the job and have no regrets.

 

[trailerpark]

I had 5 job offers before graduation. 4 of them retail in great locations. I chose a clinical position in a rural location for the least pay. So far, I love the job and have no regrets.

How many dollars an hour less was it?

 

[chronice]

40 hours a week? I am guessing you will take a huge paycut right?

Actually, I'm not taking a pay cut at all. That I am aware of, this company was offering the highest rate in my area.

 

[Derozan]

What's the average take home paycheck for you new grads in retail and hospital?

 

[Andy62]

How many dollars an hour less was it?

132K vs 96k (plus a 20K lrp not guaranteed).

 

[gwarm01]

I graduated in May '13. I moved across the country for my wife's job after graduating, and had to take the MPJE here as well as wait for the slower BOP to process my license. I became licensed in July, started interviewing in August, and had three hospital job offers by September. I took a full-time position for a major health system's pediatric institution and have been very happy, although the pay was less than I was hoping. I have no residency, but worked as an intern for 3 years in a pediatric hospital.

 

[ClrkKnt]

I had 5 job offers before graduation. 4 of them retail in great locations. I chose a clinical position in a rural location for the least pay. So far, I love the job and have no regrets.

How did you get those offers?

 

[Andy62]

apply. Two of them I interviewed for at our university's job fair.

 

[fxok425]

I would say it depends on how lucky you are. I am in Nor CA. After my school's career day, I didn't get any offer. I was stressed out and started to call CVS. The recruiter referred me to a local district manager who told me that he can give me an offer if I would like to relocate. I didn't have any CVS experience nor other retail experience. I turned this offer down after I got a job offer from my rotation site (I don't think if I was a good intern. I had no retail experience, but I did whatever they told me to do, and I fed them well with chocholate, snacks ). The CVS district manager was arrogant. He said: don't expect to relocate back if you take that remote location, and we don't hire anyone who doesn't have CVS intern experience. Well, you know what? In April, this local CVS gave offers to all my classmates in the local area offers and none of them had CVS experience.

 

[Tink14]

argument ahead. proceed with caution.

 

[brianuseruser]

Graduated in 2013. Signed on with a major retail chain I interned for. Floated for four months then got a staff position. Got promoted to manager a few months later. Had two job offers before graduation.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

[WhiteSnows]

Easy enough so far, but you have to be willing to move. I graduated for a year and now making 200k, not trying to show up but to encourage you there is always position for high qualified workers, and high pay. You may have to go rural temporarily for experience and networking. Btw, do not listen to BMB about job saturation. Job saturation is only true to those who want an easy job with high pay, not willing to relocate, or obsessed with negative thoughts.

 

[WhiteSnows]

lmao, based on your previous posts on here, I actually knew the answer you were going to say.
Yes, I know, I should have *known*, but it's been confusing. When speaking to my preceptors and some other classmates who have graduated a year ago on their experience, it seemed to paint a very different picture than what is being presented on this forum. It seemed like people like me with no experience were able to get staff hospital positions, albeit at smaller institutions, 2-3 years ago.
Anyway, I am going to be very broad on my search and more realistic seeing how times are changing. I do appreciate the advice.

I have hospital job one week after license. No prior job experience. I used my rotation experience during my interview. Don't listen to BMB, he thinks everyone is doomed like him. Again, this is the main reason I made a thread to destroy his folly, so he won't bother you guys anymore.

 

[30Percent]

When you interview with a recruiter tell them you'll will relocate any where and work any shift.

I've had classmates get job offers with no intern experience during school from big retail pharmacies.

 

[trailerpark]

When you interview with a recruiter tell them you'll will relocate any where and work any shift.

I've had classmates get job offers with no intern experience during school from big retail pharmacies.

Ditto. You can have 0 work/internship experience and get a retail gig.

 

[Ackj]

Easy enough so far, but you have to be willing to move. I graduated for a year and now making 200k, not trying to show up but to encourage you there is always position for high qualified workers, and high pay. You may have to go rural temporarily for experience and networking. Btw, do not listen to BMB about job saturation. Job saturation is only true to those who want an easy job with high pay, not willing to relocate, or obsessed with negative thoughts.

Congrats on your raise! Or did you just get a big bonus? Going from $180k to $200k over the course of a week is no small feat. Life must be good.

 

[owlbright]

Thanks for all the positive energy that you brought here. It did tune up Fengshui a bit of this forum!

Easy enough so far, but you have to be willing to move. I graduated for a year and now making 200k, not trying to show up but to encourage you there is always position for high qualified workers, and high pay. You may have to go rural temporarily for experience and networking. Btw, do not listen to BMB about job saturation. Job saturation is only true to those who want an easy job with high pay, not willing to relocate, or obsessed with negative thoughts.

 

[WhiteSnows]

Congrats on your raise! Or did you just get a big bonus? Going from $180k to $200k over the course of a week is no small feat. Life must be good.

Because I have free money for housing that I did not include in. In addition, with the amount of OTS I have. I can make wait more than 300k/year if I am doing it consistently for 1 whole year. I make 1.5 more OTs as well.

 

[gjb07]

Because I have free money for housing that I did not include in. In addition, with the amount of OTS I have. I can make wait more than 300k/year if I am doing it consistently for 1 whole year. I make 1.5 more OTs as well.

So let me get this straight:

You're working in America on an h1b visa. You're working for the Federal Government on that same h1b visa. You're working on an Indian Reservation, notorious for small populations, making two to three times the average pharmacist salary. That same 180-300k job allows you the time and freedom to post on SDN. You also have the time and freedom, at this high paying job, to post on SDN and even hold a grudge against BMB. You do not provide proof for any of your claims, and you chide those who ask for proof, stating that they spend too much time on the internet complaining and "whining".

And you're wondering why people don't believe you?

 

[WhiteSnows]

So let me get this straight:

You're working in America on an h1b visa. You're working for the Federal Government on that same h1b visa. You're working on an Indian Reservation, notorious for small populations, making two to three times the average pharmacist salary. That same 180-300k job allows you the time and freedom to post on SDN. You also have the time and freedom, at this high paying job, to post on SDN and even hold a grudge against BMB. You do not provide proof for any of your claims, and you chide those who ask for proof, stating that they spend too much time on the internet complaining and "whining".

And you're wondering why people don't believe you?

You are making a lot of assumptions here. I never claim those. Can you quote me directly that I make that money with IHS? And have you ever thought about I have time off from work so I had time to go on SDN? You are really making a lot of wrong assumptions. Anyway, you don't have to believe me. I do not really care lol. I am pretty sure you are sent by Bmb or you are Bmb with different username Lmaoo!!!!

 

[Ackj]

You are making a lot of assumptions here. I never claim those. Can you quote me directly that I make that money with IHS? And have you ever thought about I have time off from work so I had time to go on SDN? You are really making a lot of wrong assumptions. Anyway, you don't have to believe me. I do not really care lol. I am pretty sure you are sent by Bmb Lmaoo.

He didn't say that either. He said "you're working on an Indian reservation" and "[you're] making two to three times the average pharmacist salary." Do you dispute either of those 2 facts? Because there is plenty of evidence that you said both of those two things.

 

[WhiteSnows]

He didn't say that either. He said "you're working on an Indian reservation" and "[you're] making two to three times the average pharmacist salary." Do you dispute either of those 2 facts? Because there is plenty of evidence that you said both of those two things.

Since when did I connect IHS with that kind of money? Quote me if you can.

 

[Ackj]

Since when did I connect IHS with that kind of money? Quote me if you can.

I never said my name was Eric. Quote me if you can.

Oh, right, you can't use an unrelated argument to win another argument. There are two separate claims made, and we are asking if they are both true. Do you, or do you not work for IHS? Do you, or do you not, make $180k, or $200k or $300k (or whatever number you're currently touting, which is much higher than the average pharmacist)?

 

[WhiteSnows]

I never said my name was Eric. Quote me if you can.

Oh, right, you can't use an unrelated argument to win another argument. There are two separate claims made, and we are asking if they are both true. Do you, or do you not work for IHS? Do you, or do you not, make $180k, or $200k or $300k (or whatever number you're currently touting, which is much higher than the average pharmacist)?

LOL. Why do you care? I am no obligated to tell you where I work. But I do make that much money as pharmacist though.

 

[gjb07]

LOL. Why do you care? I am no obligated to tell you where I work. But I do make that much money as pharmacist though.

Are you even reading what you're posting? We care because you've been trolling this entire forum for the past few days going on and on about BMB's posts, and it's getting seriously old. I can't get through the front page without going into a thread where you mock BMB regardless of whether s/he commented or not. You even made a thread asking him/her to quit his/her job; who honestly cares THAT much? At least BMB is posting some peer-reviewed articles about the near future, so readers can come to their own conclusion. You, however, are not just asking us to believe you, but requiring us to believe you with no evidence. You're a pharmacist, how often do you believe anything without doing some critical thinking and asking some questions? Why are you painting yourself as if ANYBODY can make this kind of money? As if nobody in the entire field of pharmacy is capable of working as hard as you do. Will you at least that you are the exception and not the norm, that way you won't be misleading any future students? Lying about career prospects should be reserved for MLM salesmen, not for pharmacists.

Frankly, I don't care if you're making 100, 200, or 500k. What I want you to do is simply admit that your pharmacist salary is not in the top 0.01% of the nation, and whatever extra money you gain is from an outside source, whether you are running a side business/investments/whatever. That's not a tall order.

Frankly I know the whole thing is unbelievable because if you were half as valuable as you say you were, you'd be a full resident. Let's check in after 3 years and see how things are going. There will be a flood of pharmacists with full citizenship, with more than a handful willing to move to Alaska for jobs. Seems like a lot less paperwork to hire a full citizen, in my opinion.

I did not do residency but I got my h1b approval as well due to working for the government.

For the record, I'm not BMB. While I can't prove it, I'm sure mods can verify if anybody really cares that much.

 

[Ackj]

I don't really care. But you are like pop media. Everyone hears about it nonstop, whether they want to or not. If you didn't brag about your salary in every single thread for the past 2 weeks, nobody would know about it at all. If you don't want anyone to know your business, that's entirely your right to keep your trap shut, and I encourage you to do so.

 

[WhiteSnows]

I don't really care. But you are like pop media. Everyone hears about it nonstop, whether they want to or not. If you didn't brag about your salary in every single thread for the past 2 weeks, nobody would know about it at all. If you don't want anyone to know your business, that's entirely your right to keep your trap shut, and I encourage you to do so.

2 weeks? Another wrong fact. I will continue to speak if I want to.

 

[WhiteSnows]

Are you even reading what you're posting? We care because you've been trolling this entire forum for the past few days going on and on about BMB's posts, and it's getting seriously old. I can't get through the front page without going into a thread where you mock BMB regardless of whether s/he commented or not. You even made a thread asking him/her to quit his/her job; who honestly cares THAT much? At least BMB is posting some peer-reviewed articles about the near future, so readers can come to their own conclusion. You, however, are not just asking us to believe you, but requiring us to believe you with no evidence. You're a pharmacist, how often do you believe anything without doing some critical thinking and asking some questions? Why are you painting yourself as if ANYBODY can make this kind of money? As if nobody in the entire field of pharmacy is capable of working as hard as you do. Will you at least that you are the exception and not the norm, that way you won't be misleading any future students? Lying about career prospects should be reserved for MLM salesmen, not for pharmacists.

Frankly, I don't care if you're making 100, 200, or 500k. What I want you to do is simply admit that your pharmacist salary is not in the top 0.01% of the nation, and whatever extra money you gain is from an outside source, whether you are running a side business/investments/whatever. That's not a tall order.

Frankly I know the whole thing is unbelievable because if you were half as valuable as you say you were, you'd be a full resident. Let's check in after 3 years and see how things are going. There will be a flood of pharmacists with full citizenship, with more than a handful willing to move to Alaska for jobs. Seems like a lot less paperwork to hire a full citizen, in my opinion.



For the record, I'm not BMB. While I can't prove it, I'm sure mods can verify if anybody really cares that much.

You want me to admit that my salary is not in the top 0.01% of the nation? Get a life Kid. And this is your 3 posts since 2013? Hum suspicious loll

Again, a generation of depressing people. Lol. If I can make that kind of money, everyone can PERIOD. I am no EXTRAORDINARY.

P.S: My last post for you.

 

[gjb07]

You want me to admit that my salary is not in the top 0.01% of the nation? Get a life Kid. And this is your 3 posts since 2013? Hum suspicious loll

Again, a generation of depressing people. Lol. If I can make that kind of money, everyone can PERIOD. I am no EXTRAORDINARY.

P.S: My last post for you.

Of course you're not extraordinary. If you were, you would have applied for a EB-2 visa. From what I understand, though, these are reserved for those of "exceptional ability".

What exactly is so suspicious about me joining in 2013? Do you really think somebody made an alternate account over a year ago just to call you out?