Is it me or is any and everybody applying to pharmacy school? I honestly think people are doing it for the money now. I know people who majors were totally different but now have been accepted to pharmacy school knowing they are doing it for the wrong reasons. That could've been some who really wanted it spot. I see there being a lack of jobs within the next few years. Too many pharmacists... Not enough jobs!! Any thoughts??
Future of pharmacy
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That's what happens when so many schools open up that almost anyone that wants to can get in. Kind of like law schools.
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I agree. Too many schools allowed to open is the problem.
Any guess on what authority people of pharmacy education/accreditation (e.g. ACPE, AACP ??) are thinking ??
something to create another shortage of pharmacists would be nice
jk
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This. All these "cash crop" schools have led the profession to go down the toilet.
I am graduating with a good GPA and a B.S. in biology and I'm really stressing about the future of pharmacy. I've been considering pharmacy school for a while now but is it still worth it? I'm going to have ~200k in loans and I need to know that I will be able to get a job somewhere.. maybe I'm just looking for reassurance? Is it worth going to pharmacy school or should I just get a second bachelors in some type of engineering.. 
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You shouldn't take more out in loans than you will make your first year salary.I am graduating with a good GPA and a B.S. in biology and I'm really stressing about the future of pharmacy. I've been considering pharmacy school for a while now but is it still worth it? I'm going to have ~200k in loans and I need to know that I will be able to get a job somewhere.. maybe I'm just looking for reassurance? Is it worth going to pharmacy school or should I just get a second bachelors in some type of engineering..
I am graduating with a good GPA and a B.S. in biology and I'm really stressing about the future of pharmacy. I've been considering pharmacy school for a while now but is it still worth it? I'm going to have ~200k in loans and I need to know that I will be able to get a job somewhere.. maybe I'm just looking for reassurance? Is it worth going to pharmacy school or should I just get a second bachelors in some type of engineering..
ROI (return on investment) of BS in engineering >> ROI of PharmD right now.
If you look at how many pharmacy schools there are vs. the number of optometry schools there is a big difference. Schools are accepting anyone, some that don't really wanna do it. My fear is that there will not be enough jobs. I was considering PharmD/PHD or even PA school. Thoughts??
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this is a question I've been asking myself lately. As with all market cycles, pharmacy has to go through the ups and downs. Here I've got accepted for Class of 2018 and I keep thinking about job prospect and the huge student loan debt that I will probably be accumulating for pharmacy school.
I think I've found the answer here in Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford commencement speech : "You've gotta find what you love."
You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html
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They're accepting anyone with a pulse, and many of these students are racking up debt with no easy way to pay it off after they get out of school. Look at one of the top posts in the pharmacy forum, Angela says she cannot find a job in the field right now, and she has many certifications.
Also, there's the oldstock Joseph Campbell "follow your bliss" stuff she posted in the form of a Steve Jobs commencement speech. If that's your bag, go for it I guess.
Also, there's the oldstock Joseph Campbell "follow your bliss" stuff she posted in the form of a Steve Jobs commencement speech. If that's your bag, go for it I guess.
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why did you go to pharmacy school ?? from your tone, I sense an unhappiness, so should you do something else already if you think the future of pharmacy is hopeless (per your example of Angela) ??
to clarify, I did not tell anyone to go to pharmacy school just because of the money or jobs. I simply say, find the thing you love to do (thus will do with your best) and do it. You could pursue nursing, PA, PT, medicine, engineering, anything, if you love doing it. No need for anyone to do pharmacy if there is no money and you do not even love doing it. Thought that I would post Steve Jobs' commence speech as a motivation for us to do the things we love to do. I did not mean to post the speech to motivate you to do pharmacy if it is not your thing. Again, you should do the thing you love to do and do it with your best !!
As for Angela, I do not know her specific situation as she did not say all. But to be honest, from what I read from her unemployment thread, there is something really fishy about her not finding any job.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...-as-a-pharmacist.1067452/page-2#post-15203031
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I'm doing it for the ladies, and that still doesn't change the fact that they'll accept anyone with a pulse.
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you do not need to go to pharmacy school for that. Save 250K and buy a Porsche or Corvette then go down to some streets where you live with some blings would get you faster action with no headache.
well, good schools are still very selective imho
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you do not need to go to pharmacy school for that. Save 250K and buy a Porsche or Corvette then go down to some streets where you live with some blings would get you faster action with no headache.
well, good schools are still very selective imho
Look at a school like Midwestern, they accept students with a 2.5 GPA and a 50th percentile score PCAT, and this is an established university.
http://www.aacp.org/resources/student/pharmacyforyou/admissions/Documents/PSAR-1213_narratives.pdf
Also, Chrysler couldn't make a car if they tried.
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I already looked... the 2.5 GPA and 50th percentile PCAT are the minimum for one's application to be considered. They do not say a student would automatically get in with those stats.
ah I get you now. Your posts are meant to be just some joking around, right ?? you are probably trying to scare away people who are wanting to apply to pharmacy schools, right ??
GM / Chevrolet makes Corvette. Porsche makes Porsche. I do not know what you meant about Chrysler, but have you heard of Viper ??
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How do you know you'll love a job until you actually do it? Once you find out if you like the profession or not, you are most likely too "pot committed" to get out. The whole "if you don't love it, get out" shtick that is thrown around by pre-____ is kind of naive.
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hey, I think you need to reread what I wrote above. No need to twist my words or start a war !!
FWIW, I might be just a pre-pharmacy student now, but I am not a 18-20 years old but having 20+ years working and life experience. You could have stopped at the 2nd sentence of your post above and cut out the last one. Please watch your language and behave like a professional !!
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Eh, it's pretty close to what you were getting at.
I see no need to answer those posts of yours any more. Please have a nice day !!
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This is my region - not a good program. Maybe the other schools in the state are getting the quality students. I don't know. But what they are putting out seems to be declining year by year.
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LOL @TheWeeIceMan your smileys are hilarious.
You do have a point. How would any pre-pharmacy students or pharmacy students know they will love being a pharmacist. They don't. Job shadowing or volunteering isn't enough to know the pros and cons. You can end up hating it all after the first year or 2 of pharmacy school.
That is the reason why so many current pharmacist on this forum are complaining about their jobs and being bitter and telling everyone to not enter the pharmacy field. And I'm willing to bet most of them are the typical " I got my 4 year degree with a nice GPA yet did not try for medical school but instead went for pharmacy because it pays almost just as good with less time in school and all the experience I ever had was only from shadowing or volunteering" students.
And then there are students with actual pharmacy experience as an assistant or a technician that love their jobs and want to further their career in the pharmacy field. They are usually a bit older and more mature and know exactly what they want and what to expect out of their career. Their GPA might not be as impressive (because they work or have a family) or they might not have a degree at all. But at least once they are done with pharmacy school they will love their job and probably do a really good job at it instead of dreading their job, being miserable, and not performing their pharmacist duties very well like the students in the former paragraph.
And that is probably why some of those students get accepted into a good school with mediocre GPA or PCAT scores but with real pharmacy experience. Yet they get bashed on by the kids with nice grades that know jack about pharmacy or working in general. Coming on here showing off their scores and talking down other students to make them feel better about themselves. They know who they are...jerks.
You do have a point. How would any pre-pharmacy students or pharmacy students know they will love being a pharmacist. They don't. Job shadowing or volunteering isn't enough to know the pros and cons. You can end up hating it all after the first year or 2 of pharmacy school.
That is the reason why so many current pharmacist on this forum are complaining about their jobs and being bitter and telling everyone to not enter the pharmacy field. And I'm willing to bet most of them are the typical " I got my 4 year degree with a nice GPA yet did not try for medical school but instead went for pharmacy because it pays almost just as good with less time in school and all the experience I ever had was only from shadowing or volunteering" students.
And then there are students with actual pharmacy experience as an assistant or a technician that love their jobs and want to further their career in the pharmacy field. They are usually a bit older and more mature and know exactly what they want and what to expect out of their career. Their GPA might not be as impressive (because they work or have a family) or they might not have a degree at all. But at least once they are done with pharmacy school they will love their job and probably do a really good job at it instead of dreading their job, being miserable, and not performing their pharmacist duties very well like the students in the former paragraph.
And that is probably why some of those students get accepted into a good school with mediocre GPA or PCAT scores but with real pharmacy experience. Yet they get bashed on by the kids with nice grades that know jack about pharmacy or working in general. Coming on here showing off their scores and talking down other students to make them feel better about themselves. They know who they are...jerks.
I completely agree.
I really think real job experience should be a requirement. I am amazed when I talk to some fellow applicants and they have no real pharmacy experience (as you say, shadowing and volunteer experience are not the same thing). Why would you waste 4+ years of your life working towards something you may hate? You think the paycheck will help, but will that really smooth over waking up every day possibly HATING what you do for the rest of your life? It baffles my mind as I normally think of pharmacy students as at least smarter than the average Joe, but I have come to learn that GPA does not equal common sense.
I know exactly what I am getting into, and while I would rather not do retail, if I have to, I am totally fine with it. I could go to work and totally enjoy my day. And because I know I would rather not do retail, I know to start working towards a residency NOW.
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Making actual pharmacy experience being a requirement for pharmacy school is a lot better than upping degree requirements or test scores in my opinion. I think it would help students make better decisions and actually know what to expect. Everyone is saying its too easy to get accepted nowadays. Well making pharmacy experience mandatory would make it more competitive. If you hate being an assistant or a tech, you will probably hate being a pharmacist. Then people who hate it can pursue other career paths. Should help with the saturation problem a bit.
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Do both, require a bachelors and work experience. That will fix everything imho.
