Non traditional student deciding when to switch to a pharmacy job

[AJF505]

I am a P1 who currently does not have a job in a pharmacy and am trying to figuire out when I need to get one. So a little background on me. I am 32 and have a degree in Chemical Engineering. I was a commisioned officer in the Navy for 5 years doing a staff job that essentially was engineering managment but managing work not people. I was a successful online poker player during my time in the Navy and for 2.5 years after. In April 2011 poker stopped being an option do to some reglatory issues and I found a job at a contract research lab that does pharma work. The job I got was low level due to lack of experience in the feild of analytical chemistry. I was geographically limted at the the time and ChemE jobs are non existant in my area. I also knew that I probebly wanted to go back to school and considered many things and settled on Pharmacy. I kept my lab job for my first year of school. It has several advantages over pharmacy jobs which is what promted me to keep it. It pays more and is much more flexible in when I work (I send my boss my hours every week). The flexiblilty is very nice for involvment in organizations(I will be president elect of our APhA-ASP chapter next year). As a wrinkle in this I might have a JRCOSTEP internship with the public heath service this summer. I think I would be able to come back to my lab after that if I get it. My question is how important is it for me to get a job in a pharmacy in the near term? An realatedly I am most interesed in hospital pharmacy. Would it make sense to apply to only hospital jobs and just continue to work at my current job untill I get one? If I get the JRCOSTEP would it be less important to switch to a pharmacy job? Anyway my situation is pretty unusual so any advice anyone has would be appreciated. Thank.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[BMBiology]

If you are planning to work as a pharmacist one day, you need to find an internship now. It is going to be virtually impossible to work as a hospital pharmacist without any work experience. A residency is probably needed too.

You are already 32. You better get going.

 

[Rouelle]

Take whatever pay cut is necessary to get into a pharmacy position right now. It's relatively easy to get internships early, but gets more challenging the longer you wait. Lack of an intern position now could easily translate into lack of a job at graduation. Try to find a paid intern position that you can stick with throughout school.

 

[AJF505]

Yeah I suspected that it would be correct to get a pharmacy job now. I can't really look untill I know about my public health service internship though. When I started my advisor said not working in a pharmacy the first year would have little to no effect on future employment prospects(and about 1/3 of my class don't work in pharmacies now). Yeah I do know I need to get a recidency to work in hospitals. I am doing the other things I know I need to do to get one currently (getting good grades, being in leadership positions in student organizations, planning to do research after P2 year ect). Does anybody who has experince in the residency process have an idea if my prior work experience will help me/hurt me much in the residency hunt. I would assume it would be at least a minor boost but I can see some residency directors thinking I might be less moldable or somethign like that.

 

[radio frequency]

Your prior work could be helpful; you also could run into residency directors with the mindset you mentioned at the end though. When it comes down to it, it will depend on the director. You probably wouldn't want to work for those with the mindset you mentioned, so I wouldn't worry about it -- I would just do my best. You'll find many in pharmacy are pretty open to career switchers, especially in regions where the standard is for students to get a 4 year degree before entering a PharmD program.

I don't have personal experience in the residency hunt, but I have talked with employers and many pharmacists, which is where I've heard these ideas.