Pharmacy Job Market/Outlook

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CopToPharm said:
Sure, maybe not concrete evidence, I'll agree with that statement.

However, you can't argue with these facts - this is in comparison to the rest of my State. As long as these facts hold true there will be opportunities in the medical field.

23% more likely to die from heart disease
44% more likely to die from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
41% more likely to die from pneumonia or influenza
30% more likely to die from diabetes
54% more likely to die from chronic liver disease
70% more likely to die from unintentional injuries and
70% more likely to commit suicide. (In fact the region has among the highest suicide rates in the state.)
Population with Medicaid (2004) 25.9%

This area is incredibly medically under served. In addition to Federal loan forgiveness there are also State reimbursement options if you commit to work here. The problem is it's rural... very rural. Regardless of the opportunities available it's difficult to find people who want to stay in this area.
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what area of VA do you live in? And more likely than who? The national average or?
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Also, back on our topic, even though this organization doesn't track pharmacists this is what they're saying as of 2007:

To achieve equity with Virginia as a whole, the GMEC service area needs 16 more primary care doctors. For equity with the United States, the GMEC region needs 28 more doctors.

For equity among Virginians with regard to advanced practice nursing and physician assistants, the GMEC region needs 84 more nurse practitioners and 28 more physician assistants.

It would be interesting to see their stance on the Pharmacy industry around here.
 
powertoold said:
You won't help those statistics much as a pharmacist. As a doctor, you would be able to do more, but I think if you worked as a public health educator and pushed for a required health class in high / middle school, you would make more of an impact.
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I agree, it's not possible to put a big dent in it. Diabetes related deaths are on the rise, however, and that's something I can help with. As long as there are those in need of care (and in this area at alarming rates) there are needs for pharmacists. That can't be disputed - and it's the reason that I say the need for medical care - be it primary or as a pharmacist - is largely dependent on where you're at.
 
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njac said:
what area of VA do you live in? And more likely than who? The national average or?
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The rest of Virginia - I'm in the Western part of VA.

However, you can't argue with these facts - this is in comparison to the rest of my State.
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powertoold said:
You won't help those statistics much as a pharmacist. As a doctor, you would be able to do more, but I think if you worked as a public health educator and pushed for a required health class in high / middle school, you would make more of an impact.
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i gotta agree with you there.
 
I think many people get sucked into the bad health habit and can't seem to find the light. As a health-conscious person, I find that maintaining good health is "easier" and more pleasurable than spoiling yourself by lack of activity, overeating, etc.

People seem to think that good health is some horrible sacrifice, when in reality, it's a much better route overall.

Anyway, just putting in my 2cents. We definitely need a required health class, especially when we have stuff like required world history or geography. It makes a lot of sense to require health, since that's more practical than world history!

This is what we really need, not another pharmacist!
 
MrBlue said:
The intern at my store went to a company sponsored study session for the board examination. This was for prospective Rph's from western states. Out of 130 or so people only about 25 or so went to US schools. The rest were from overseas. My friend the recruiter tells me that every store in my area will have 2 foreign grads placed there.
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Even if what you are stating is true, the number of foreign grads that have passed the CPJE is low compared to the U.S grads. The number speaks for themselves:

http://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/publications/0408_0908_stats.pdf
http://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/publications/0907_0308_stats.pdf
 
I have a quick random question!

Who hires new pharmacists in a retail pharmacy? The district / region manager or the pharmacy manager?
 
Praziquantel86 said:
Each one ends in (pretty much) the same debate. So, I guess they serve their purpose.
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Yeah, but if they all end the same, then it's a ridiculous waste of the board's front page, since it seems theyre all fundamentally the exact same content, all posted by new members... I agree something seems fishy


mods: consider merging some of the threads?
 
The job openings are fake positions created by new pharmacy schools to create a sense of non-saturation :D
 
people still read newspapers? like...the physical paper ones? :confused:
 
cjhrph said:
"I'll do this job for $70,000.00 a year instead of $100,000.00 a year...The local hospital is including houses as part of their sign on package."

So I was right about your motivation for choosing pharmacy. It's all about your narcissism, the job opportunity, and the money. Your the epitomization of the practitioner we don't need in pharmacy. You'd have lasted less than a week in my rotation. Since your a pre-pharm student and your ears aren't even wet yet, Ill give you a break.... :>
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I was all with cjhrph until here. Everything about it reeks troll.
 
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In retrospect, I suppose I was a bit harsh on the lad. My apologies.
 
confettiflyer said:
people still read newspapers? like...the physical paper ones? :confused:
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my last apartment, the person before me had a M-F NYT subscription. We didn't have class until 2pm that semester, it was awesome. I would get up in the morning and drink my coffee and read the physical newspaper. I loved it!
 
I remember feeling bad for this kid selling newspaper subs so I bought one, they ended up piling up on my patio. Then it started raining and it was like a big block of slop out there.
 
I can take it - no worries. I've been **** and spit on for a living so forum ball busting is minimal! :D
 
confettiflyer said:
I remember feeling bad for this kid selling newspaper subs so I bought one, they ended up piling up on my patio. Then it started raining and it was like a big block of slop out there.
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Yeah the neighbor started complaining that I was ruining her property value because I come in the back door and the newspapers were piled up on the front. (The funny part is, she lives in a rental. What difference does it make what her apt building sells for? She's not going to get anything from her landlord.)
 
I would read the newspaper more often if it didn't get my hands all icky
 
DrugDealer said:
I would read the newspaper more often if it didn't get my hands all icky
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that's what the internet is for! that way you can have coffee and crumb stains on your keyboard.
 
and paper's too slow for me...i just have all my news sites on a firefox tab and pull a "open all tabs" and go through each site (OC Reg, LA Times, WSJ, MSNBC, SF Chron, NYT).

I know the paper articles are a lot more detailed, but I'd pay a subscription fee if I can just get the paper as a PDF. The only thing keeping me from subscribing to a paper is the fact that it's physical paper. Too much of a hassle for me to tote around and read.

Ever try to read a newspaper sitting in coach of an airplane or on a crowded subway? I'd end up punching my seatmate...much easier for me to read on the iphone, I'll usually pick up the Economist when I get on a plane.
 
Secondly, if working retail is so intellectually unchallenging. Then why don't we grandfather our techs into being Rph. There are many hardworking,smart, and honest techs I have worked with. I think that there are tons of techs, given a few months to study, that could pass the NAPLEX.Anyone here advocate this?

MrBlue,
I donot understand you, first you were saying that foreign pharmacist didnot recieve the good education as US graduate and NAPLEX is a joke to compare both of them. Now you can accept experienced techs that didnot recieve except high school education to be pharmacist if they passed the NAPLEX! You are very biased against foreign pharmacist.

The United States doesnot accept any pharmacy degree from any country but it has to be from an accredited school of pharmacy where they compare classes, hours and everything is compared to United State curriculum.
 
confettiflyer said:
I know the paper articles are a lot more detailed, but I'd pay a subscription fee if I can just get the paper as a PDF.
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My local paper comes as a PDF - in my inbox every morning!
 
A few years ago I worked at a store where they hired a graduate intern from Korea. He basically learned English from watching Friends. It was very hard to understand him at first and when he counseled I had to hide because it was embarrasing, I was a tech at the time. He basically knew zero. He said he was trained mostly in Chinese medicine. He worked his 1500 hours and studied 2 naplex books and passed it. He later was let go because of too many mistakes, but now works for another chain. He is a nice guy but it was scary working with him. Now he owns an expensive house almost paid for and no other debt, and I am working a lot of OT and barely making a dent in my 150000 in loans and own no home.

Doesn't seem fair.

I have worked with couple other graduate interns that were similarly scary. One was from India and so bad she would ask customers how do you spell Smith. I would have to cool off many angry customers who would scream at her because she couldn't understand a simple question. She also knew zero. I don't think the schooling is equivalant, I believe actually worse in some other countries. She was thankfully let go and I am sure she found another job because it was a time when a heartbeat was all that u needed to get a job. :thumbdown:eek:
 
Wow, "surplus" issue turns into fighting among you. I find no "fault" in all of you. This is the Fact. Blaming one another does not help.
 
Some of my friends, who are not in the pharmacy field, decided to further their education (Masters, PhD) due to the lack of companies hiring new grads in their respective fields. So instead of lurking, they decided to better themselves by gaining more knowledge (and in most cases, they enrolled in programs in which they received big scholarships so their choice of staying in school wouldn't be detrimental to their budget).
So in the field of pharmacy, is this a suitable option and is it worth it? The advantage of education beyond a Pharm D would not be necessary (from the perspective of retail companies) or economical. I know residency is another option, but residency positions seem quite competitive.
What are your opinions? Are MBA and PhD the only options beyond a PharmD?
 
If you're intent on staying in school, I can see many advantages but very few disadvantages to having an MBA as a Pharmacist. While the MBA has become a very popular and very generalized degree - it still stands.

In terms of progressing through the ranks in the retail world having your MBA would put you at a substantial advantage over those who don't in applying for promotions to pharmacy manager, district manager, and so on. However, that doesn't mean that's all there is to it, but it would provide an advantage.

If the going gets tough or you later decide you'd like to start your own Pharmacy having the MBA would help you to have the confidence and knowledge needed to run the business side of things. Again, that's not to say you couldn't do it without it, but it would help.

In the end, in my opinion, if the financial investment to get the MBA is going to be hefty and stack on top of already existing loans in excess of $100,000 it's not worth it.

Could the cost you incur ever pay for itself to make it worth it? Sure, it's likely. Is it worth the risk? Well, that's up to you to decide.
 
CopToPharm said:
In terms of progressing through the ranks in the retail world having your MBA would put you at a substantial advantage over those who don't in applying for promotions to pharmacy manager, district manager, and so on. However, that doesn't mean that's all there is to it, but it would provide an advantage.

If the going gets tough or you later decide you'd like to start your own Pharmacy having the MBA would help you to have the confidence and knowledge needed to run the business side of things. Again, that's not to say you couldn't do it without it, but it would help.
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Are you sure about this or just assuming?

A MBA provides almost NO advantage when applying for promotions. What does are your numbers when you are a supervising pharmacist, number of years in management, ability to relocate to where there is a spot that opens, and how connected you are to your boss.

It also has nothing to do with the confidence/knowledge of running a business pharmacy. That is something that you have to learn hands on.

All in all, a MBA is almost useless in the world of pharmacy.
 
Aznfarmerboi said:
Are you sure about this or just assuming?

A MBA provides almost NO advantage when applying for promotions. What does are your numbers when you are a supervising pharmacist, number of years in management, ability to relocate to where there is a spot that opens, and how connected you are to your boss.

It also has nothing to do with the confidence/knowledge of running a business pharmacy. That is something that you have to learn hands on.

All in all, a MBA is almost useless in the world of RETAIL pharmacy.
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I had to make a correction.
 
Walgreens and CVS are businesses. They don't give a crap about you and they are not run by pharmD's but rather by business people that are interested in PROFIT. So, it does not matter who they have behind the desk as long as they are generating money.

If you have noticed, business chains such as McDonald's in big cities hire almost nothing but people from Mexico that don't even know English. I am Mexican/Anglo (American) but I still notice these things and have seen how shameless managers or businesses are when it comes to hiring foreign workers.
 
Do you know that if you went for a PhD rather than a pharmD, you would be in a much more saturated market and you would have to move to a random place in the U.S. to find snag a job. We are lucky to be in this field since there is actually a shortage right now. I know many of my professors that can't even live with their spouses because they were only able to find jobs out of state from where they live.
 
Maybe I'm the only one who says this but there's NO LACK of job. Jobs are still there as long as you're flexible. In this state of economy, if you only apply within 25 miles radius of your home and esp. your home is in a major city (LA, San Jose, New York...), you will have a hard time finding a position.
 
Don't get to caught up with looking SO far into the future. First you have be admitted to a pharmacy school before you even need to worry about these things.
 
RobertRodrig1 said:
Don't get to caught up with looking SO far into the future. First you have be admitted to a pharmacy school before you even need to worry about these things.
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+1

If you're not even in pharmacy school yet then you're thinking at least 3 or 4 years ahead. And even in this current recession there are still jobs to be found, but just be willing to live in a rural area or something. People are overreacting and thinking that pharmacists are approaching Armageddon.
 
museabuse said:
He worked his 1500 hours and studied 2 naplex books and passed it. He later was let go because of too many mistakes, but now works for another chain. He is a nice guy but it was scary working with him. Now he owns an expensive house almost paid for and no other debt, and I am working a lot of OT and barely making a dent in my 150000 in loans and own no home.
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So people can basically not go to school and just take the test? Is this true? If so, I coulda passed it myself without school! It's easy...
 
what is the point of going for a pharmd if one plans on staying in school afterwards due to companies not hiring if you are not already in pharmacy school yet? why not pursue another field alltogether?
 
RobertRodrig1 said:
Walgreens and CVS are businesses. They don't give a crap about you and they are not run by pharmD's but rather by business people that are interested in PROFIT.
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Walgreen's CEO graduated from Purdue pharmacy school.
 
jachen84 said:
what is the point of going for a pharmd if one plans on staying in school afterwards due to companies not hiring if you are not already in pharmacy school yet? why not pursue another field alltogether?
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Thanks for the feedback and sorry for my lack of explanation. This post was derived after listening to a friend, who is a Pharm D already and attending pharmacy school in NJ (so there's no turning back at this point), discussing this matter. I wanted your inputs on this situation so I can make some relevant inputs to his current options.
 
pharmacology888 said:
Thanks for the feedback and sorry for my lack of explanation. This post was derived after listening to a friend, who is a Pharm D already and attending pharmacy school in NJ (so there's no turning back at this point), discussing this matter. I wanted your inputs on this situation so I can make some relevant inputs to his current options.
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So is your friend still in pharmacy school or has he/she graduated pharmacy school with a PharmD?

To briefly summarize the job prospects of PharmDs in the state of NJ: a couple of people that I know of who have just finished their PGY-1's do not have anything lined up, but instead working shifts at the local hospital/picking up retail shifts... its not looking pretty right now

its ridiculous how Rutgers continues to graduate 200+ pharmDs per year in a market already saturated with pharmacists. There are already enough 2009 grads that are still looking for work, what would happen when 2010 rolls around?

Sorry, this part is kind of OT, but...
It's time some of these people (and some parents if their child is of college age) to start reading in between the lines. A PharmD degree isn't necessarily a guarantee for one to get a good job, because these six figure jobs just don't come out of thin air. Even without the recession, the expansion of retail was going to slow down at some point. Obviously if all conditions remain status quo, something will have to give.

With that said, somebody on this board made an excellent point: if you are good at what you're doing, you will not have much to worry about. There will be work for you somewhere.
 
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I know a couple of pharmacists who just completed their first year of residency but are still looking for a job. I know they have worked really hard but the reality is that a lot of the hospitals are having a hiring freeze. I hope it will get better in 2010.
 
Drop out now, don't be a *****.....
 
CVS's CEO graduated from Rhode Island University with a Pharmacy degree.
 
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brj2UkUPjCI[/YOUTUBE]
 
RobertRodrig1 said:
Walgreens and CVS are businesses. They don't give a crap about you and they are not run by pharmD's but rather by business people that are interested in PROFIT. So, it does not matter who they have behind the desk as long as they are generating money.

If you have noticed, business chains such as McDonald's in big cities hire almost nothing but people from Mexico that don't even know English. I am Mexican/Anglo (American) but I still notice these things and have seen how shameless managers or businesses are when it comes to hiring foreign workers.
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Business is business. W/o a profit, who would open/run a business? (I'm not talking about non-profit org) Where and how would pharmacists get hired? If the pharmacist is incompetent in terms of clinical knowledge, eventually he/she gets fired. That's the fact; that's life.
 
powertoold said:
So people can basically not go to school and just take the test? Is this true? If so, I coulda passed it myself without school! It's easy...
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Yes, go to another country to study pharmacy, earn your pharmacy degree, then come back to accumulate 1,500 hours + pass 2-3 exams; it's so so so so ... easy.
 
kbv said:
Yes, go to another country to study pharmacy, earn your pharmacy degree, then come back to accumulate 1,500 hours + pass 2-3 exams; it's so so so so ... easy.
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Are you being sarcastic because I can guarantee you that some of these foreign interns really have the knowledge of a P1. And just studied a couple of books and passed the test. There are 3 books that I know of that if I took about 6 months to 1 year spending 8 hours everyday in a library studying them I could pass the naplex without ever stepping foot in a pharm school. Some people probably could do it in 3 months or less.
 
HB1 is not only issued to foreign pharmacists but also for other professions. So please stop blaming foreign pharmacists.
 
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