Career path for Pharmacists

[PharmDBro2017]

Answer the following questions, and expand on your answer if you'd like or just keep it simple. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts.

1. Did you do a residency? (yes or no)


2. What is your current position? (retail staff pharmacist, PIC, clinical pharmacist, etc.)


3. If you could go back in time, would you have made the same choice? Would you go back and do a residency, or would you have entered the job market immediately post graduation?


4. Are you satisfied (happy) with your current job?


5. Benefits (401k, insurance, PTO/vacation, etc.) & pros/cons:


6. Thoughts:


Just wanting to see what the PharmD community's take is on the above in general. Thanks.

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[Dred Pirate]

Answer the following questions, and expand on your answer if you'd like or just keep it simple. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts.

1. Did you do a residency? (yes or no)

nope

2. What is your current position? (retail staff pharmacist, PIC, clinical pharmacist, etc.)

clinical services manager at a large community hospital


3. If you could go back in time, would you have made the same choice? Would you go back and do a residency, or would you have entered the job market immediately post graduation?

nope - 12 years ago it wasn't that big of a deal - and hasn't held me back in my career


4. Are you satisfied (happy) with your current job?

above average

5. Benefits (401k, insurance, PTO/vacation, etc.) & pros/cons:

50 cents on the dollar match up to 10%, 8 weeks PDO, hsa - decent insurance

6. Thoughts:


Just wanting to see what the PharmD community's take is on the above in general. Thanks.[/QUOTE]

 

[Azianmunk]

1. Did you do a residency? No
2. What is your current position? PIC + odd jobs (hospitals, LTC, compounding) = 60-80 hours
3. If you could go back in time, would you have made the same choice? Would you go back and do a residency, or would you have entered the job market immediately post graduation? Tried residency, didn't match (so I couldn't because I tried). Not sure where I would be now had I not moved back to CA or if I stayed in NY. For me, after graduating, CA had quite a few job opportunities that many people took for granted. Now I'm seeing more competition and glad I got a head start since my "odd job" categories are getting harder and harder to find.
4. Are you satisfied (happy) with your current job? No, but then again I have bottomless hole for a constant need to improve and advance.
5. Benefits (401k, insurance, PTO/vacation, etc.) & pros/cons: Above average, decent 401k match, hospital still has pension + 403b match, my PTO is higher than most because I've been with the same company before I started Rx school.
6. Thoughts: If only my parents had me sooner, I've could have been in the pharmacy bubble before it burst.

 

[PharMed2016]

1. Did you do a residency? (yes or no) currently pursuing a highly competitive medical residency
2. What is your current position? (retail staff pharmacist, PIC, clinical pharmacist, etc.) graduating medical student, class 2016, not currently working as a pharmacist
3. If you could go back in time, would you have made the same choice? Would you go back and do a residency, or would you have entered the job market immediately post graduation? I would but probably tell myself to stick to one field as oppose to doing both. However, I do think that my career prospects where definitely made better with the PharmD.
4. Are you satisfied (happy) with your current job? As a graduating medical student, absolutely, ask me in 6 months as an intern.
5. Benefits (401k, insurance, PTO/vacation, etc.) & pros/cons: none current but 4 weeks during residency
6. Thoughts: ***

 

[Dred Pirate]

Omfg 8 weeks PTO?!?![/QUOTE]
yup - that is the norm around here for hospitals (depending on length of employment - I have 10 years, but one hospital give 8 weeks PDO after 3 years.

 

[PharmDBro2017]

1. Did you do a residency? (yes or no) currently pursuing a highly competitive medical residency
2. What is your current position? (retail staff pharmacist, PIC, clinical pharmacist, etc.) graduating medical student, class 2016, not currently working as a pharmacist
3. If you could go back in time, would you have made the same choice? Would you go back and do a residency, or would you have entered the job market immediately post graduation? I would but probably tell myself to stick to one field as oppose to doing both. However, I do think that my career prospects where definitely made better with the PharmD.
4. Are you satisfied (happy) with your current job? As a graduating medical student, absolutely, ask me in 6 months as an intern.
5. Benefits (401k, insurance, PTO/vacation, etc.) & pros/cons: none current but 4 weeks during residency
6. Thoughts: ***

Got the PharmD and then decided to do MD? Interesting, and I have pondered that same idea.

Appreciate the replies. Keep em coming.

 

[DesiRX]

Answer the following questions, and expand on your answer if you'd like or just keep it simple. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts.

1. Did you do a residency? (yes or no)
No

2. What is your current position? (retail staff pharmacist, PIC, clinical pharmacist, etc.)
Staff RPh at a 300 bed hospital and per diem in retail

3. If you could go back in time, would you have made the same choice? Would you go back and do a residency, or would you have entered the job market immediately post graduation?
Was considering residency but was in too much debt from undergrad and pharmacy school, wanted to start making money and start paying back right away.

4. Are you satisfied (happy) with your current job?
Yes, for now. Doing MBA part time and also taking the BCPS over the next year or two.

5. Benefits (401k, insurance, PTO/vacation, etc.) & pros/cons:
403b- employer matches 2% at 4%- i maximize by contributing 15%. vacation - 3 weeks, will be 4 weeks starting next year. i am at about 160 hrs of sick time right now which keeps accruing year and year.

6. Thoughts:
Wonder what the future of pharmacy holds - esp for future graduates.


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[ChalupaBatman86]

2. What is your current position? (retail staff pharmacist, PIC, clinical pharmacist, etc.) I am 35 years old, I am thrice divorced, and I live in a van down by the river


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[alprazolamborghini]

deleted

 

[alprazolamborghini]

deleted

 

[alprazolamborghini]

Answer the following questions, and expand on your answer if you'd like or just keep it simple. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts.

1. Did you do a residency? (yes or no)

nope

2. What is your current position? (retail staff pharmacist, PIC, clinical pharmacist, etc.)

clinical services manager at a large community hospital


3. If you could go back in time, would you have made the same choice? Would you go back and do a residency, or would you have entered the job market immediately post graduation?

nope - 12 years ago it wasn't that big of a deal - and hasn't held me back in my career


4. Are you satisfied (happy) with your current job?

above average

5. Benefits (401k, insurance, PTO/vacation, etc.) & pros/cons:

50 cents on the dollar match up to 10%, 8 weeks PDO, hsa - decent insurance

6. Thoughts:


Just wanting to see what the PharmD community's take is on the above in general. Thanks.

[/QUOTE]
Give us rough idea where this is.... lol

 

[spacecowgirl]

1. Yes PGY1
2. Clinical coordinator for hospital pharmacy
3. No regrets
4. I have a unicorn job. Day shift, infrequent weekends/holidays, lots of variety, flexibility, great work/life balance.
5. Benefits good - decent 401k match, I am well compensated despite what people say about hospital pharmacy, ~7 weeks PTO. My husband is a state union employee so our benefits are through him because nothing can match those!
6. I'm glad I graduated when I did, got my BCPS, have the resume I do so that whatever happens with the job market, I'll be OK.

 

[rph3664]

1. When I graduated in 1994, the Pharm.D. was the equivalent of a residency, only less useful WRT ROI.

2. I left active practice in 2012 and am self-employed. Still licensed, and I've had 100% support from everyone with whom I've discussed it.

3. I was promoted from technician to pharmacist upon my graduation. No regrets, although I later regretted some of the jobs I took.

4. YES

5. Benefits? HA! I had those when I "worked", and that's why I can do what I do now.

6. Thoughts: I guess someone has to go into pharmacy now, to replace people like me.

 

[Dred Pirate]

Give us rough idea where this is.... lol[/QUOTE]
North Carolina.

 

[gwarm01]

1. Did you do a residency? (yes or no)
No.

2. What is your current position? (retail staff pharmacist, PIC, clinical pharmacist, etc.)
Informatics pharmacist.

3. If you could go back in time, would you have made the same choice? Would you go back and do a residency, or would you have entered the job market immediately post graduation?
If I could go back in time I would have become a software developer and moved to the west coast in the mid-2000's. As far as my pharmacy career, I don't have any regrets about my professional choices yet. I have met resistance due to my lack of residency, but it was nothing I couldn't overcome. At my last position (pediatric clinical pharmacist), I was a new graduate with no residency and really had to go out of my way to prove my worth to management, even though I was hired along with PGY1/2 pharmacists who constantly proved overconfident and underskilled. Hell, maybe it was my underdog position that made me extra cautious.

4. Are you satisfied (happy) with your current job?
Ehh it's okay. Not as stimulating as my last job, but I appreciate the steady hours and low stress.

5. Benefits (401k, insurance, PTO/vacation, etc.) & pros/cons:
About 6.5 weeks of PTO, not sure on the retirement matching on the top of my head,

 

[PharmDBro2017]

I've never heard of an informatics pharmacist, what do you actually do gwarm01? (on a daily basis, walk us through a typical day)

 

[Dred Pirate]

I've never heard of an informatics pharmacist, what do you actually do gwarm01? (on a daily basis, walk us through a typical day)

our healthsstem has 4 I think (6 hospitals) - build order sets, deal with formulary additions, pretty much anything that breaks with a computer they try to fix

 

[alwayspharming]

1. Did you do a residency? (yes or no)
No.

2. What is your current position? (retail staff pharmacist, PIC, clinical pharmacist, etc.)
Industry pharmacist and per diem retail

3. If you could go back in time, would you have made the same choice? Would you go back and do a residency, or would you have entered the job market immediately post graduation? Graduated 2014; Tried for residency and didn't work out. Got into industry without a fellowship. It probably would have helped if I had a better idea of what I wanted to do post graduation. My school is extremely pro-clinical and I geared my APPEs towards that. Looking back, I may have gone a different HCP route (PA or Med school).

4. Are you satisfied (happy) with your current job?
It's okay. Still learning but there are more opportunities to switch departments/ functional roles and it has a consistent day schedule. Other perks are nice such as ability to wfh, weekends/holidays off, etc.

5. Benefits (401k, insurance, PTO/vacation, etc.) & pros/cons:
none. I am currently a contractor but am on the hunt for a permanent position for these reasons

 

[gwarm01]

I've never heard of an informatics pharmacist, what do you actually do gwarm01? (on a daily basis, walk us through a typical day)

Basically what dred pirate said. I don't have a set schedule or anything, and I don't really have a typical day. Some days I have meetings with pharmacy people, hospital committees, or technology vendors. Other days I just sit in my office and work on projects. It's kind of feast or famine depending on what we're doing in the hospital.

I do make sure to visit the on-site gym nearly every day, so that's a great perk.

 

[Caffeine QAM]

I do make sure to visit the on-site gym nearly every day, so that's a great perk.

What...a hospital has an on-site gym??

 

[gwarm01]

What...a hospital has an on-site gym??

Sure! Lots of larger hospitals have them. The one in the main building isn't huge but it has enough for me. There's a much larger one on campus but I never go there.

 

[PharmDBro2017]

Basically what dred pirate said. I don't have a set schedule or anything, and I don't really have a typical day. Some days I have meetings with pharmacy people, hospital committees, or technology vendors. Other days I just sit in my office and work on projects. It's kind of feast or famine depending on what we're doing in the hospital.

I do make sure to visit the on-site gym nearly every day, so that's a great perk.

On site gym sounds amazing, seriously.

 

[BidingMyTime]

On site gym sounds amazing, seriously.

It is, but I think I've used mine like maybe 3 times? After work, the last thing I feel like doing is spending more time at work, working out in a gym. And who wants to go into work on their day off? It's a great idea in theory...

 

[gwarm01]

It is, but I think I've used mine like maybe 3 times? After work, the last thing I feel like doing is spending more time at work, working out in a gym. And who wants to go into work on their day off? It's a great idea in theory...

That's why I always go during my lunch break. Squeeze in a quick workout, maybe a shower. I usually bring my own lunch so I'll just eat it at my desk afterwards.

 

[VeeSee]

Answer the following questions, and expand on your answer if you'd like or just keep it simple. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts.

1. Did you do a residency? (yes or no)


2. What is your current position? (retail staff pharmacist, PIC, clinical pharmacist, etc.)


3. If you could go back in time, would you have made the same choice? Would you go back and do a residency, or would you have entered the job market immediately post graduation?


4. Are you satisfied (happy) with your current job?


5. Benefits (401k, insurance, PTO/vacation, etc.) & pros/cons:


6. Thoughts:


Just wanting to see what the PharmD community's take is on the above in general. Thanks.

1. No.
2. Floater retail chain pharmacist.
3. No. I would've never done this at all. I'd likely be an engineer and not a vending machine.
4. Not at all. But I'm working on improving my situation and realize this is only temporary.
5. They are OK. Nothing amazing.
6. I hate it. It's ridiculous. Who are the imbeciles before me who let things get this out of control.

 

[Elle928]

1. Did you do a residency?
Nope

2. What is your current position?
Regulatory and prn hospital pharmacist

3. If you could go back in time, would you have made the same choice? Would you go back and do a residency, or would you have entered the job market immediately post graduation?
No regrets, I wasnt sure what I wanted to do after graduation, so it all worked out

4. Are you satisfied (happy) with your current job?
No complaints, I work 7-3:30, off all weekends/holidays, wfh once a week, pretty stress-free. I just got a prn hospital job and Ive been doing that every other weekend. I like the consistency/stability in my work schedule and its a good work/life balance

5. Benefits (401k, insurance, PTO/vacation, etc.) & pros/cons:
Its good, theres a pension and all that.


6. Thoughts:
If i was deciding on a profession now, I wouldnt choose pharmacy, and I wouldnt recommend it to anyone unless they had a clear path/connections to the job that they wanted. Retail is in the crapper now and who knows how bad its going to get before it gets better.

 

[PharmDBro2017]

1. Did you do a residency?
Nope

2. What is your current position?
Regulatory and prn hospital pharmacist

3. If you could go back in time, would you have made the same choice? Would you go back and do a residency, or would you have entered the job market immediately post graduation?
No regrets, I wasnt sure what I wanted to do after graduation, so it all worked out

4. Are you satisfied (happy) with your current job?
No complaints, I work 7-3:30, off all weekends/holidays, wfh once a week, pretty stress-free. I just got a prn hospital job and Ive been doing that every other weekend. I like the consistency/stability in my work schedule and its a good work/life balance

5. Benefits (401k, insurance, PTO/vacation, etc.) & pros/cons:
Its good, theres a pension and all that.


6. Thoughts:
If i was deciding on a profession now, I wouldnt choose pharmacy, and I wouldnt recommend it to anyone unless they had a clear path/connections to the job that they wanted. Retail is in the crapper now and who knows how bad its going to get before it gets better.

Appreciate your honesty

 

[ibanasiak]

1. Did you do a residency? (yes or no) No


2. What is your current position? (retail staff pharmacist, PIC, clinical pharmacist, etc.) Clinical/managed care pharmacist


3. If you could go back in time, would you have made the same choice? Would you go back and do a residency, or would you have entered the job market immediately post graduation?
I probably would've done a managed care residency first, because it was really difficult to get into that field without connections.

4. Are you satisfied (happy) with your current job? Yes


5. Benefits (401k, insurance, PTO/vacation, etc.) & pros/cons: 100% match up to 6%, hsa insurance decent, pto 18 days + 8 holidays. great work-life balance, great boss. no weekends, ever


6. Thoughts:Looking back, I probably would've gone to medical school (public school to lessen debt load) because I feel like my intelligence has been wasted and feel like I'd be making more of an impact. However, my current job is not stressful, so there's that. The grass is always greener..

 

[panasoniku]

1. Did you do a residency?
Nope, but I did start the application process back then.

2. What is your current position?
Consulting (informatics related) and prn retail

3. If you could go back in time, would you have made the same choice? Would you go back and do a residency, or would you have entered the job market immediately post graduation?
No I found out I don't like clinical duties anyways at my first hospital job.

4. Are you satisfied (happy) with your current job?
I pretty much work M-F with flexible hours. Sometimes I work at 7, sometimes I work at noon. Depends on the job at hand the client(s) need. I generally don't work weeekends (might catch up on projects and emails) and I don't work holidays (I get extra longgg holidays). I try to pick up shifts at retail 1-2 times a month to still stay relevant.

5. Benefits (401k, insurance, PTO/vacation, etc.) & pros/cons:
Lots of PTO, ok 401k. Lots of status through traveling.

6. Thoughts:
I found out that I really enjoy the business/financial and operational management. I probably should have pursued a more business admin track, but there are just as many variables there as med school, which is why I didn't pursue med school. If you don't match into a top 10 MBA program, you're pretty much left with leftovers - financially and career-wise. I like the stability that pharmacy brings since as long as you are flexible and work hard you can get a decent paying job. If you really focus on your career and get involved you can do greater things in pharmacy that aren't so dependent on what school you went to, what residency you did, etc.

 

[PharmDBro2017]

1. Did you do a residency?
Nope, but I did start the application process back then.

2. What is your current position?
Consulting (informatics related) and prn retail

3. If you could go back in time, would you have made the same choice? Would you go back and do a residency, or would you have entered the job market immediately post graduation?
No I found out I don't like clinical duties anyways at my first hospital job.

4. Are you satisfied (happy) with your current job?
I pretty much work M-F with flexible hours. Sometimes I work at 7, sometimes I work at noon. Depends on the job at hand the client(s) need. I generally don't work weeekends (might catch up on projects and emails) and I don't work holidays (I get extra longgg holidays). I try to pick up shifts at retail 1-2 times a month to still stay relevant.

5. Benefits (401k, insurance, PTO/vacation, etc.) & pros/cons:
Lots of PTO, ok 401k. Lots of status through traveling.

6. Thoughts:
I found out that I really enjoy the business/financial and operational management. I probably should have pursued a more business admin track, but there are just as many variables there as med school, which is why I didn't pursue med school. If you don't match into a top 10 MBA program, you're pretty much left with leftovers - financially and career-wise. I like the stability that pharmacy brings since as long as you are flexible and work hard you can get a decent paying job. If you really focus on your career and get involved you can do greater things in pharmacy that aren't so dependent on what school you went to, what residency you did, etc.

How did you get into the consulting/business and operational management side of Pharmacy? That niche is actually interesting to me more than all other areas.

 

[cj98]

1. Did you do a residency? (yes or no)
No

2. What is your current position? (retail staff pharmacist, PIC, clinical pharmacist, etc.)
State prison pharmacist + prn retail. Started out as a retail chain pharmacist for 8 months before getting a position with the state.

3. If you could go back in time, would you have made the same choice? Would you go back and do a residency, or would you have entered the job market immediately post graduation?
I am a recent grad (class of 2015), so I went into a saturated job market. I think a residency is wise if you want a hospital job and to make yourself more competitive in desirable areas. I live in the boonies of California, so there isn't a need yet for me to do a residency, but this will probably change in a few years.

4. Are you satisfied (happy) with your current job?
Yes, government jobs are hard to come by because pharmacists there never retire!! At prison, I feel like I get a variety of different pharmacy experiences in one setting-- inpatient, outpatient, amb care, managed care. I like being a prn retail pharmacist to keep up with my knowledge.

5. Benefits (401k, insurance, PTO/vacation, etc.) & pros/cons:
Government benefits, with no weekends, nights, on-calls, or holidays...so definitely many pros and a good work/life balance. Cons: you get treat 5000+ inmates who are the worst of the worst, lower salary compared to retail, and state prisons are usually out in the middle of nowhere.

6. Thoughts: If I had to redo things or give advice, I'd probably go into the PA/NP route and encourage others to do the same. I got lucky to end up with a more rarer pharmacy opportunity, but if I had to keep my retail position full time until I retire, I'd probably go crazy and have anxiety/stomach ulcers in a few more years. I think other healthcare fields are more respectable and have better prospects for the future.

 

[panasoniku]

How did you get into the consulting/business and operational management side of Pharmacy? That niche is actually interesting to me more than all other areas.

Hard work and taking on lots of projects to build my CV. If you want to get into a consulting firm you'll want to pursue a top 10 MBA.

 

[TLaw8860]

1. Did you do a residency? (yes or no)
-No, considered participating in the scramble but ultimately decided not pursue a residency.

2. What is your current position? (retail staff pharmacist, PIC, clinical pharmacist, etc.)
-Floater at a chain pharmacy

3. If you could go back in time, would you have made the same choice? Would you go back and do a residency, or would you have entered the job market immediately post graduation?
-I'm a new grad so yes I believe that I made the right choice, but I do find myself wondering if the grass is greener on the other side.

4. Are you satisfied (happy) with your current job?
-I am satisfied because I am well compensated, have good benefits, and like the company that I work for. But there are a lot of times in my short career where I wished I was more clinical.

5. Benefits (401k, insurance, PTO/vacation, etc.) & pros/cons:
-I have about 4 weeks of PTO, good 401k match, and good relationship with middle management. The cons is that my commutes are long (45min to 80min), irregular hours, sometimes the RPh's I work with are not the best (adds more stress to my shift), and it seems that I am always in very demanding stores (high volume/high medicaid population) which is the polar opposite of the store I interned at. The small sliver of patients that are appreciative of my services is what makes the job worthwhile.

6. Thoughts:
-Overall I wished I looked into other pharmacy paths more seriously. I would have probably applied and interviewed for residencies but I don't know if I would have participated in the match. As a P4 my two favorite rotations were my retail one (in the suburbs) and my hospital one. But as I continue working community pharmacy I am learning the stores that I interned and did a rotation at are more of the outliers than the norm. But I also know that my career is in its infancy and I need to wait before I make any major moves. I think once I get a semi regular schedule I will try to get a job at a hospital on a PRN basis to see how I would like it in a day to day basis.