Pharmacy Job Market/Outlook

[Hope1974]

How about applying to other states? Do employers not look at your application if you are not licensed in their state? I'm graduating in May and am more than willing to relocate, but a lot of the positions I've looked at require a license for that state. How am I supposed to know where to get licensed!

Easy, just speak with people who staff pharmacists all over the country. Go to retail websites and search for pharmacist positions by state and see which states tend to have the most positions. Call pharmacies in different areas and see if the pharmacist on duty has info. Google
Unemployed pharmacist and read the blogs, read SDN. Do ur research we'll cause licensing is a b$$$$.

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[EML9255]

Apply to grad intern positions. That's what I'm doing, but it's annoying playing to waiting game to find out if they're goin to reply to you or not.

after you applied to walgreens did you contact someone to let them know or is the DM just supposed to contact you if he wants to set up an interview? I have heard mixed things about that walgreens process

 

[THE MTL]

after you applied to walgreens did you contact someone to let them know or is the DM just supposed to contact you if he wants to set up an interview? I have heard mixed things about that walgreens process

Word of advice when trying to get a job never wait on someone to contact you first. You're the one trying to get employed, you contact them first! It significantly speeds up the process

 

[EML9255]

Word of advice when trying to get a job never wait on someone to contact you first. You're the one trying to get employed, you contact them first! It significantly speeds up the process

Should I go to a store near me in one of the districts im interested in and ask the pharmacist there for the DMs/or whoever does recruiting/hiring contact info

 

[Lexington2012]

I'm a regular "staffer" $78-83/hr here, depending on shift. Night shift $4 more, but I rarely ever pick up nights. There is no clinical/staff designation here, everybody does everything. We are told by HR that we're among the highest $$ in the US.

PS: My area doesn't have a high cost of living either. Low crime, high incomes, high education levels, top public schools, lots of recreation, etc, etc, etc. It's great. I love it.

What part of the country is this? I've heard that pharmacists are getting $75/hr in North Dakota.

 

[THE MTL]

Should I go to a store near me in one of the districts im interested in and ask the pharmacist there for the DMs/or whoever does recruiting/hiring contact info

Now you're talking that exactly what you should do.

 

[KatsLovinLife]

I'm a regular "staffer" $78-83/hr here, depending on shift. Night shift $4 more, but I rarely ever pick up nights. There is no clinical/staff designation here, everybody does everything. We are told by HR that we're among the highest $$ in the US.

PS: My area doesn't have a high cost of living either. Low crime, high incomes, high education levels, top public schools, lots of recreation, etc, etc, etc. It's great. I love it.

What part of the country is this?! I am aggressively seeking new employment in Tampa due to the Express Scripts layoff but I would prefer to move to an area that is less saturated.

 

[BidingMyTime]

What part of the country is this? I've heard that pharmacists are getting $75/hr in North Dakota.

Yeah, but considering the cost of living in those areas, that works out to about $55.00 anywhere else. And the fact that you will probably be living in your car, because there are no living spaces available to buy or rent. There is a reason Wal-Mart is paying $17.00/hr to what would be minimum wage jobs anywhere else in the country.

 

[Nelcovp]

How's this for a twisted viewpoint?

While most likely unethical, it is brilliant from a corporate standpoint, who, and let's be honest..... doesn't care about you because you are replaceable.

The schools tend to keep track of the new grads getting jobs and it is always up around 98%. However, they are not keeping track of those same grads two years later. Let's say you are a corporate pharmacy and know this information (and they do). Because the schools keep pumping out grads that are getting jobs, more and more want to enter the field, thereby creating 100+ and counting schools.

You currently have a pharmacist you hired in 2013 and are paying them $120,000. The 2014 grads hit the job market. Corporate thinks the grad from 2013 is not a good employee (for any number of reasons) and cans them for the 2014 grad at a $110,000. The 2013 grad, now jobless and with a ton of debt, will underbid any new grad looking for a job and will work for $100,000. The cycle continues.

Meanwhile, back in schoolville, everyone graduating is getting a good job. Build more schools corporate cries... build more school the businessman cries (it's a money maker). Come to our school, everyone is getting jobs.

Back to real world.

The 2014 grad making $100k, will be replaced by 2015 grads for $90k.... the 2013 grads, now desperate because a lein was just put on their house for loan default will gladly take any job at $80k...... This cycle continues until pharmacists are $50-60k/per employees and then people stop going to pharm schools, and all those school built after the year 2000 tank.

Twisted, but not completely far fetched.

 

[Nelcovp]

It really is entertaining that professional students do not know how to use the search function.

Or we just don't care to. =)

 

[Doctorman45342]

Okay, so lets say I am aspiring to be a pharmacist. I do not give a crap about where I live/work. I have no family in the United States so that is not an issue. I come from middle eastern background so working overseas is deff. a possibility. Would you say I have a good shot at landings a job as a pharmacist? What kind of job could I except?

 

[Gombrich12]

How's this for a twisted viewpoint?

This may have worked before the internet, but as soon as you start laying off 10-20% of your workforce every year word will spread quickly. The number of people applying to pharmacy schools is already down, so this would probably crater it. More likely it will be a slow glidepath of minuscule raises or slightly lowered starting salaries each year.

 

[Nelcovp]

This may have worked before the internet, but as soon as you start laying off 10-20% of your workforce every year word will spread quickly. The number of people applying to pharmacy schools is already down, so this would probably crater it. More likely it will be a slow glidepath of minuscule raises or slightly lowered starting salaries each year.

I would readily agree but one thing holds me back. "Expert" after "expert" insisted the housing bubble would not 'burst', but instead would be a more of a 'leveling off.' An "expert" professor at my school thinks this also. He feels job outlook will remain good, but salaries will likely flatten. My opinion, if the baby boomers don't support the new grads, there will be an implosion. My description above was over exaggerated hyperbole. It would probably be more like 2016 grads have been jobless for almost a year and will gladly take any staff pharmacy position for $60k. Boom, supply/demand curve is corrected, schools crumble, loans default, and the cycle starts again. It would happen quick. Just like housing prices fell by 50% in only 6 months in 2006 and the DJIA fell 50% in a few months during 2008 also. I'm a ball of joy, aren't I? =)

 

[oldstock]

I would readily agree but one thing holds me back. "Expert" after "expert" insisted the housing bubble would not 'burst', but instead would be a more of a 'leveling off.' An "expert" professor at my school thinks this also. He feels job outlook will remain good, but salaries will likely flatten. My opinion, if the baby boomers don't support the new grads, there will be an implosion. My description above was over exaggerated hyperbole. It would probably be more like 2016 grads have been jobless for almost a year and will gladly take any staff pharmacy position for $60k. Boom, supply/demand curve is corrected, schools crumble, loans default, and the cycle starts again. It would happen quick. Just like housing prices fell by 50% in only 6 months in 2006 and the DJIA fell 50% in a few months during 2008 also. I'm a ball of joy, aren't I? =)

by you own prediction, you should get out STAT (and I am also trying to rethink my plan again before heading for pharmacy school in the Fall )

but I agree with you with things you said above. IMHO the next crisis would be student loan. Be very fearful

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Is it just me or are the cold calls from recruiters picking up like crazy? Of all things I got a letter from Walmart in the mail advertising a position in Red Bluff, California. How desperate must they be when they are sending a dude a letter in Pennsylvania about a store on the other coast? Is the worm starting to turn a tad? I haven't heard from this many people begging for my attention since my last year in pharmacy school before it all went South. We aren't talking signing bonus and moving expenses madness like before, but I am detecting a pick up. Is the economy maybe actually picking it up a bit?

 

[awval999]

Red Bluff, CA is rural. And the yuppies graduating refuse to go rural. There is still need in rural areas. But the majority of new grads would rather "train" in residency or take 24-32 hrs float in the City.

 

[Momus]

Is it just me or are the cold calls from recruiters picking up like crazy? Of all things I got a letter from Walmart in the mail advertising a position in Red Bluff, California. How desperate must they be when they are sending a dude a letter in Pennsylvania about a store on the other coast? Is the worm starting to turn a tad? I haven't heard from this many people begging for my attention since my last year in pharmacy school before it all went South. We aren't talking signing bonus and moving expenses madness like before, but I am detecting a pick up. Is the economy maybe actually picking it up a bit?

I had the same letter also from WMT, although different location in El Centro, CA. When I ask around, the position is already filled pretty quickly <1 week after I got the mail. I think it's their hiring practice to send out the letters to everyone. More candidates to select from, so they can pick a better pharmacist.

 

[BidingMyTime]

I had the same letter also from WMT, although different location in El Centro, CA. When I ask around, the position is already filled pretty quickly <1 week after I got the mail. I think it's their hiring practice to send out the letters to everyone. More candidates to select from, so they can pick a better pharmacist.

That would be a waste of money on their part if you are right.....if they are sending out letters nationwide to have more candidates to choose from, then why wouldn't they wait a few weeks, so people have time to respond and they actually have more candidates to choose from? If they filled the position in less then 1 week after sending out letters, that sounds more like they were desperate and hired the first sucker who applied for the position.

 

[Momus]

That would be a waste of money on their part if you are right.....if they are sending out letters nationwide to have more candidates to choose from, then why wouldn't they wait a few weeks, so people have time to respond and they actually have more candidates to choose from? If they filled the position in less then 1 week after sending out letters, that sounds more like they were desperate and hired the first sucker who applied for the position.

Who knows what they are thinking. I got their letters, all my rph co workers also got one lol. Maybe, they really are desperate and want anyone with a pulse.

 

[oldstock]

Who knows what they are thinking. I got their letters, all my rph co workers also got one lol. Maybe, they really are desperate and want anyone with a pulse.

hope this is true when I graduate from pharmacy school

 

[Jibby321]

If you work for WMT you can go online and view positions across the country. There are also A LOT posted. A lot in Cali rural of course and in the Midwest. Some in florida and NE too. There are usually >50 pages of positions. Ranging from intern to Rph to district manager positions.

 

[sproles134]

Lol I agree with this post, I see too many depressing comments comparing pharmacy to what it use to be 20-10 years ago. I can't think of any job or profession that isn't facing over saturation right now. Pharmacy isn't even as bad as law, which graduates ~44,000 lawyers a year when there are only half that number of positions available for new grads. Even nursing and dentistry is over saturated, and new dental graduates are willing to take jobs at private offices for 60k a year (I know this because I am friends with many new dental school graduates). If you are in this profession for the money or job security, you should back out and forget even apply for pharmacy school. But if this is the only profession you love and can imagine yourself doing, you should definitely stick to pharmacy. You just need to work hard and make great connections to land yourself a pharmacy job. There will always be 20-50+ applicants for one position in any job in this economy, and pharmacy is the same. The majority of new pharmacy graduates do find jobs, even though they are non-permanent, floater positions. This is still better than other saturated majors where students are unable to find jobs in their field.

Complete and utter rubbish.

Dental schools keep a steady number of spots open year after year, while there were dozens upon dozens of new pharmacy schools built after 2000. That's why the HPSP Army scholarship throws themselves as dental students while completely shunning pharmacy students.

I'm not saying Pharmacy is bad at all, I just think calling dentistry "over saturated" is completely unfounded and quite frankly, preposterous.

 

[shewantthepharmD]

Complete and utter rubbish.

Dental schools keep a steady number of spots open year after year, while there were dozens upon dozens of new pharmacy schools built after 2000. That's why the HPSP Army scholarship throws themselves as dental students while completely shunning pharmacy students.

I'm not saying Pharmacy is bad at all, I just think calling dentistry "over saturated" is completely unfounded and quite frankly, preposterous.

Im guessing you arent from California. Dentistry is saturated here.

 

[oldstock]

Im guessing you arent from California. Dentistry is saturated here.

everything is saturated for a long time now in California

 

[BidingMyTime]

Complete and utter rubbish.
Dental schools keep a steady number of spots open year after year, while there were dozens upon dozens of new pharmacy schools built after 2000. That's why the HPSP Army scholarship throws themselves as dental students while completely shunning pharmacy students.
I'm not saying Pharmacy is bad at all, I just think calling dentistry "over saturated" is completely unfounded and quite frankly, preposterous.

The thing with dentists is, their profession has been encroached upon by dental hygienists, dental assistants, and dental therapists (a relatively new job similar to how a PA/NP would compare with a physician.) So, even with the number of schools remaining the same, there are less jobs for dentists then in the past.

 

[sproles134]

Im guessing you arent from California. Dentistry is saturated here.

Tell me a profession that isn't saturated in California.

The thing with dentists is, their profession has been encroached upon by dental hygienists, dental assistants, and dental therapists (a relatively new job similar to how a PA/NP would compare with a physician.) So, even with the number of schools remaining the same, there are less jobs for dentists then in the past.

Doesn't matter. A Dental assistant or dental hygienist will never replace a dentist, so why does it matter? It's analogous to Pharm techs in Pharmacies. At least dentists will never have to worry about automation making their profession nearly obsolete in the future.

 

[oldstock]

Tell me a profession that isn't saturated in California.



Doesn't matter. A Dental assistant or dental hygienist will never replace a dentist, so why does it matter? It's analogous to Pharm techs in Pharmacies. At least dentists will never have to worry about automation making their profession nearly obsolete in the future.

c'mon now... no robot dentist ?? lol jk

http://www.workopolis.com/content/a...hat-are-safe-from-the-robot-takeover-for-now/

 

[sproles134]

c'mon now... no robot dentist ?? lol jk

http://www.workopolis.com/content/a...hat-are-safe-from-the-robot-takeover-for-now/

To be quite honest, I don't even know anymore.

Look at Google: They've already created autonomous cars (self driving vehicles) safer than any human can drive. Mind you, the vehicle got in 0 accidents. The only incident was when a human was driving it LOL.

As for pharmacy, it's not a matter of if, but when it's going to be automated. Google has already taken over the robotics industry (purchased over a dozen engineering firms in the past 5 years, including Boston Dynamics). It's only a matter of time before they dip their hands into the pharmaceutical field and automate that as well.

 

[oldstock]

To be quite honest, I don't even know anymore.

Look at Google: They've already created autonomous cars (self driving vehicles) safer than any human can drive. Mind you, the vehicle got in 0 accidents. The only incident was when a human was driving it LOL.

As for pharmacy, it's not a matter of if, but when it's going to be automated. Google has already taken over the robotics industry (purchased over a dozen engineering firms in the past 5 years, including Boston Dynamics). It's only a matter of time before they dip their hands into the pharmaceutical field and automate that as well.

I believe that too. Soon they will start producing robot PharmD's in mass. No need for 6-8 years of school + residency. No student loans. Can work 24/7 with accuracy and no wage. Easy to update and maintain. There will be no human pharmacist no more as there is no need. Medical doctors and nurses and maybe dentists might survive a little longer.

from the article (link) in my post above,

"Of course, one day they will start creating themselves, at which point they will rise up and take over, and turn us into their slaves. So, you won’t need a job anyway. We’re all toast."

http://www.workopolis.com/content/a...hat-are-safe-from-the-robot-takeover-for-now/

and even then they (robots) might not even need us as we are way less efficient/productive, more expensive and prone to mistakes than them. They might just terminate all of us humans.

I can't think anymore... the end is near...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_consciousness

http://science.howstuffworks.com/robot-computer-conscious.htm

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/automaton-robots-become-self-aware/

http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2012/09/25/first-self-aware-robot-created/

 

[bmclinn]

You guys are looking 100+ years into the future with all this robot talk. Do you know how long something like that would take to perfect and develop? To automate a whole industry?!

 

[oldstock]

You guys are looking 100+ years into the future with all this robot talk. Do you know how long something like that would take to perfect and develop? To automate a whole industry?!

LOL

 

[gwarm01]

Can work 24/7 with accuracy and no wage.

While this may be true, it overlooks the fact that 100% accurate interpretation of physician orders is not our only goal. In the hospital setting you must constantly ask yourself if the orders are appropriate, if the dosing makes sense, is it timed appropriately. You have to be mindful of the fluid status of certain patients, renal function, novel applications of drug therapy. You learn to be mindful of what the team really wants, as opposed to what they may have selected into the computer. Hell, more often than not I've seen drug A ordered, but then the real request written in under the admin instructions.

In short, if 100% accurate robotic implementation of dispensing were to be implemented today it would do far more harm than good. It would take a revolutionary jump in CPOE improvement along with constant education of staff on proper software usage to ensure that they are at least ordering what they want to order, while at the same time removing the professional judgement and support offered by pharmacists. I can't speak for every institution, but I know my doctors and nurses would be furious if we were replaced with super advanced, Blade Runner style hyper-AI robots. Well, maybe they would be. That actually sounds kind of cool.

 

[sproles134]

You guys are looking 100+ years into the future with all this robot talk. Do you know how long something like that would take to perfect and develop? To automate a whole industry?!

Lol, not even. I'm talking 20 years.

Google started the autonomous car project in the mid 2000's and it's already on the roads driving safer than all human driven vehicles. Just sayin'.

Maybe 20 years is an exaggeration, but you get the picture. Technology is advancement is literally exponential, especially when you have a company like Google with tens of billions of billions of dollars to spend.

I, for one, welcome our Google overlords.

 

[oldstock]

While this may be true, it overlooks the fact that 100% accurate interpretation of physician orders is not our only goal. In the hospital setting you must constantly ask yourself if the orders are appropriate, if the dosing makes sense, is it timed appropriately. You have to be mindful of the fluid status of certain patients, renal function, novel applications of drug therapy. You learn to be mindful of what the team really wants, as opposed to what they may have selected into the computer. Hell, more often than not I've seen drug A ordered, but then the real request written in under the admin instructions.

In short, if 100% accurate robotic implementation of dispensing were to be implemented today it would do far more harm than good. It would take a revolutionary jump in CPOE improvement along with constant education of staff on proper software usage to ensure that they are at least ordering what they want to order, while at the same time removing the professional judgement and support offered by pharmacists. I can't speak for every institution, but I know my doctors and nurses would be furious if we were replaced with super advanced, Blade Runner style hyper-AI robots. Well, maybe they would be. That actually sounds kind of cool.

accuracy is only one of the advantages robots can offer. But I get what you are saying. What I was saying is there will be the day that the robots are conscious/self-ware (already happened http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2012/09/25/first-self-aware-robot-created/ ) with super intelligence that way surpasses ours. In another word, they become some forms of "superhumans". By then they would probably be able do anything a pharmacist can do and more. But then again, the future that all pharmacists will be replaced by robots might still be very far from now.

I am sometimes amazed (and amused) at what Siri on my iPhone can do. Google has been very aggressive on robotic engineering + AI. There are many things in pharmacy that can be automated though and I agree with Sproles134 that with the advancement in computer / robotic engineering + AI that we will probably see the start of automation and computers / robots "assisting" or replacing some of the jobs that a pharmacist is doing and more and more as we go along. Who would know what is going to happen 10 or 20 years from now ??

I would not be surprised to see corporations and/or hospitals taking advantage of the advancement in computer / robotic engineering + AI to push more automation to cut costs in the near future. If there is a will, there is a way. For us, that would be less and less jobs in pharmacy. And if we want to compete, we probably have to work for more and cheaper than machines

But what is human anyway ?? On the other hand, we might be just some very intelligent biological machines or robots lol

http://www.ted.com/conversations/19143/what_does_it_mean_to_be_human.html

http://theweek.com/article/index/24...-question-what-is-a-human-being#axzz33DJpaFY9

http://www.wired.com/2008/06/what-does-it-me/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human

 

[gwarm01]

What I was saying is there will be the day that the robots are conscious/self-ware with super intelligence that way surpasses ours.

I think this day is definitely coming, but it is still very far away. True self-aware, thinking, learning AI will be a revolutionary, society changing event.

 

[jc1979]

Dispensing robots:

 

[PharFromNormal]

While this may be true, it overlooks the fact that 100% accurate interpretation of physician orders is not our only goal. In the hospital setting you must constantly ask yourself if the orders are appropriate, if the dosing makes sense, is it timed appropriately. You have to be mindful of the fluid status of certain patients, renal function, novel applications of drug therapy. You learn to be mindful of what the team really wants, as opposed to what they may have selected into the computer. Hell, more often than not I've seen drug A ordered, but then the real request written in under the admin instructions.

In short, if 100% accurate robotic implementation of dispensing were to be implemented today it would do far more harm than good. It would take a revolutionary jump in CPOE improvement along with constant education of staff on proper software usage to ensure that they are at least ordering what they want to order, while at the same time removing the professional judgement and support offered by pharmacists. I can't speak for every institution, but I know my doctors and nurses would be furious if we were replaced with super advanced, Blade Runner style hyper-AI robots. Well, maybe they would be. That actually sounds kind of cool.

You may not be replaced but many of these "interventions" we make might be. What makes you determine if a dose is too high or too low? A clinical ruleset engine that drives the professional judgement in your head. You look at all data that currently exists and apply it to existing guidelines or your own internal risk assessment. Newsflash: algorithms already exist to do many of these things. What is happening and is happening fast is the link between clinical information, point of care, and clinical guidelines that support increasingly incentivized metrics (i.e. Medicare Star ratings).

Where's the next move for pharmacy to maximize profits for pharmacy? Our ability to make profits related to these metrics. How do you do that? Maximize output at the cheapest way possible. Oh can we pay one company $100k for a software license that will be more effective and not miss one single occurrence of X intervention? Sounds like a win to me - I'll be more effective in my X intervention rating which means more $$$ for the business and this $100k software license is much cheaper than my $110k pharmacist (without benefits) that only works 40 hrs/week and will probably miss one or two of those interventions.

 

[oldstock]

You may not be replaced but many of these "interventions" we make might be. What makes you determine if a dose is too high or too low? A clinical ruleset engine that drives the professional judgement in your head. You look at all data that currently exists and apply it to existing guidelines or your own internal risk assessment. Newsflash: algorithms already exist to do many of these things. What is happening and is happening fast is the link between clinical information, point of care, and clinical guidelines that support increasingly incentivized metrics (i.e. Medicare Star ratings).

Where's the next move for pharmacy to maximize profits for pharmacy? Our ability to make profits related to these metrics. How do you do that? Maximize output at the cheapest way possible. Oh can we pay one company $100k for a software license that will be more effective and not miss one single occurrence of X intervention? Sounds like a win to me - I'll be more effective in my X intervention rating which means more $$$ for the business and this $100k software license is much cheaper than my $110k pharmacist (without benefits) that only works 40 hrs/week and will probably miss one or two of those interventions.

excellent post !!

I take the liberty to repost one of your posts that I find very interesting and related to this thread regarding future of pharmacy below

After just coming across this forum filled with the complete spectrum of hopelessly optimistic and vengeful pessimism, I would like to chime in with a few thoughts of my own...

I am all for people going into specialty residencies for extreme niche fields if they truly want to do that. No harm to me. Not spending (postponing) my paycheck, if you get enjoyment out of it, do you. Along with that there are limited jobs in which I would want a specialist handling the medications. Pediatric oncology is the first example I can think of that I would want a highly educated (and experienced) pharmacist verifying that order because I know even PGY1's with a year of general medicine that I wouldn't trust checking something like that. That being said....

My mind is still trying to wrap my head around our industry trying to carve out some new service to bill for on the interventions they provide. I am assuming (I could be wrong, and I'm sure the exception case will say that I am) most of you residents are all about ACO's and PCMH's in which we are seeing reimbursement trends shift from fee for service to outcome based payments. Having said that we the brave pharmacists are trying to stick our hand out in the marketplace and ask for a fee for service in providing interventions for the same system we support being outcomes based. While I don't want the masses to assume that I am against providing these interventions, I must say the economics around this are quite intriguing. So we want our field to transition away from dispensing where there will always be a supply and demand, to a more clinical based focus where the existing providers are only going to get stronger from technological advances thus narrowing the gap for error and need for interventions? Or do we want to open up eligibility and create more interventions that we can bill for to grab our slice of the pie and run up more costs? I urge you all to think about the concept and economics of preventative care. I am all for preventative care because of the morality of service but to say preventative care on chronic conditions saves money is preposterous. You're intervention leads to less heart attacks in a 1 year period, I'm happy you prolonged that person's life. Especially happy if it is my family member. Now what is going to happen to my family member in a year? Have a heart attack? Now you've added on the cost of your intervention, the cost of treatment for the year, cost for a nursing home (jeez talk about serious dough) and the cost of the heart attack (maybe at a marginally cheaper cost). If I could have provided this same intervention with the clinical knowledge that exists (you must have learned it somewhere) and cut the cost of your billed intervention, I'd say that is the best case scenario from an ethical and cost-saving approach.

I do not doubt any of the clinical knowledge all of the residents (and even those that are seeking residency) have. Pharmacy school puts us through hell and I know residency programs that prolong that hell. What I think the OP is referring to is that there is an area of opportunity for someone without a PharmD to wipe out the necessity for an immeasurable amount of the "services" you think are needed. How do you think big chains and even newer organizations (ie OutcomesMTM) target these services for their population. If you think they hire 200 pharmacists to sit behind the curtain and say these people could take omeprazole instead of Aciphex, or this person hasn't filled their lisinopril and their MPR is below X we should call them, or this person filled metformin and wait a second they don't have an ace or an arb we should get on that, than you are INSANE. Big data is here. High powered analytics is here. Compressing what you think to be highly complex clinical decision making into a logistical data mining and SQL query is already going on.

80 20 rule folks, 20% of you are in/looking for/completed residencies and are making 80% of the noise in our profession. Be careful where you lead us.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...y-the-inevitable.1040136/page-6#post-14742673

 

[gwarm01]

You may not be replaced but many of these "interventions" we make might be. What makes you determine if a dose is too high or too low? A clinical ruleset engine that drives the professional judgement in your head. You look at all data that currently exists and apply it to existing guidelines or your own internal risk assessment. Newsflash: algorithms already exist to do many of these things. What is happening and is happening fast is the link between clinical information, point of care, and clinical guidelines that support increasingly incentivized metrics (i.e. Medicare Star ratings).

Where's the next move for pharmacy to maximize profits for pharmacy? Our ability to make profits related to these metrics. How do you do that? Maximize output at the cheapest way possible. Oh can we pay one company $100k for a software license that will be more effective and not miss one single occurrence of X intervention? Sounds like a win to me - I'll be more effective in my X intervention rating which means more $$$ for the business and this $100k software license is much cheaper than my $110k pharmacist (without benefits) that only works 40 hrs/week and will probably miss one or two of those interventions.

This is why I want to get into informatics and ride out in a blaze of self-immolating glory.

 

[Momus]

Dispensing robots:

As much as I want every pharmacy to have this, it's not feasible lol... $15M machine. If it is feasible, every CVS will put one in already. Assuming a pharmacist gets paid $130k, you can hire 115 pharmacists/yr, or 1 pharmacist to stay in the same place for 115 years and make way more profit through their expertise, dispensing, and merchandise sales.

 

[kendrick lamar]

I'm applying to jobs right now and wondering what should be the expected time frame I should hear back for an interview. 2-3 weeks?

 

[oldstock]

I'm applying to jobs right now and wondering what should be the expected time frame I should hear back for an interview. 2-3 weeks?

~ 2 weeks or less. Usually if I don't hear back within 2 weeks, I would call/email to check/follow up or just forget about it (i.e. They are not gonna call me).

 

[sproles134]

As much as I want every pharmacy to have this, it's not feasible lol... $15M machine. If it is feasible, every CVS will put one in already. Assuming a pharmacist gets paid $130k, you can hire 115 pharmacists/yr, or 1 pharmacist to stay in the same place for 115 years and make way more profit through their expertise, dispensing, and merchandise sales.

20 years ago, it took years upon years to sequence DNA and cost millions of dollars.

Nowadays, you can get a DNA sequencing kit, put your saliva in and have it back to you with the most up-to-date analytical data about your genome and everything in between for under $100 dollars.

Just sayin'.

 

[Momus]

20 years ago, it took years upon years to sequence DNA and cost millions of dollars.

Nowadays, you can get a DNA sequencing kit, put your saliva in and have it back to you with the most up-to-date analytical data about your genome and everything in between for under $100 dollars.

Just sayin'.

20 years from now, I'd probably almost retire so who cares >_>;

 

[y0ssarian87]

20 years ago, it took years upon years to sequence DNA and cost millions of dollars.

Nowadays, you can get a DNA sequencing kit, put your saliva in and have it back to you with the most up-to-date analytical data about your genome and everything in between for under $100 dollars.

Just sayin'.

Technically, not true. You can get genotyped, but not sequenced, at that cost. We're talking vast differences in amounts of information between the two processes. I'm not saying the information isn't useful from genotyping, but let's call it what it is.

 

[tia_bluesky]

I just finished my 1st year at the 6year PharnD program at St Johns University and I just discovered how Pharmacy is becoming a dying profession. Would it be wise to continue with the program and get my doctorate or should I reconsider my career choice?
The last thing I want is to graduate with a debts and no job.

 

[JakeSill]

You are in a PharmD program but taking the MCATs? Pharmacy is not really dying, just becoming more competive in getting a job. This is because of a lot of school openings and class sizes getting larger.

 

[tia_bluesky]

You are in a PharmD program but taking the MCATs? Pharmacy is not really dying, just becoming more competive in getting a job. This is because of a lot of school openings and class sizes getting larger.

This Question was posted by my sister through my account. She is the one in PharmD program lol

 

[oldstock]

I just finished my 1st year at the 6year PharnD program at St Johns University and I just discovered how Pharmacy is becoming a dying profession. Would it be wise to continue with the program and get my doctorate or should I reconsider my career choice?
The last thing I want is to graduate with a debts and no job.

explore other options if you can. The pharmacy situation is real as more and more schools opening every year. Jobs becoming more scare and competitive as the results. Read this

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/r...rning-out-too-many-grads/stories/201310270094

 

[JakeSill]

Good article, but did that lady really say Pharmacists are in shorter supply in Cali and Texas? Lmao