what profession is not saturated?

[spacecowgirl]

I question your usage of the word "literally" here. I've noticed that this word seems to be taking on an entirely new meaning recently.

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. ~Inigo Montoya

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[owlegrad]

I question your usage of the word "literally" here. I've noticed that this word seems to be taking on an entirely new meaning recently.

Literally.

so should we add Dean to the list?

Added.

i feel like the janitor and garbageman comments are a bit mean spirited. It's not professional.

I am shocked, SHOCKED that no one has brought up truck driving.

 

[PharmD RPh]

Air traffic controllers...

There is also a tier in retail pharmacy. A pharmacist manager who can bring in results and numbers, with years of experience is still in high demand. I know that I am highly in demand still. New graduates on the other hand without experience are now a dime a dozen (literally).

Just like how lawyers can win case after case, a pharmacist who can turn around challenge stores and drive business is invaluable.

Completely agree with your viewpoint. I think the same can also even be said of a staff pharmacist in the retail setting. I've worked with great staff pharmacists as well as staff pharmacists I'm surprised even have a license. A staff pharmacist that thinks on their toes, is a problem solver, works with speed and is knowledgeable clinically is also invaluable.

 

[PharmD RPh]

The difference is that most pharmacists are retail pharmacists. They are essentially a commodity and thus interchangeable.

This is in contrast to fields like law which is highly stratified. A lawyer from a lower tier school will likely never cross paths and apply to the same jobs as a lawyer from a Top 14 law school. So while law in general might be very saturated, there is still a very high demand for a Yale graduate on law review or a lawyer with a consistent record of victories.

Same with engineering. An engineer with experience managing dozens of engineers on multiple successful projects will always be in high demand. But retail pharmacists all start looking the same after 5 years of experience.

So I would say pharmacists are far more vulnerable to saturation than many other fields where excellent performance is more visible and highly desired.

It's easy to look at the extremes you've mention. You make the analogy of talent is to demand which is true for any profession whether it be law, engineering, NBA, NFL etc. There are individuals with various levels of talent in any profession and thus those individuals are more highly sought after. There are still mediocre attorneys, engineers and physicians that would NOT be highly sought after.

I don't consider retail pharmacists a commodity, as there is quite a bit more differentiation than you might think.

 

[Retail rph 1997]

Yeah, is true, I will start pharmacy school this august (NOVA ft-lauderdale), and I have the award letter right there for me to accept it. I have a bachelors in chemistry, and I have not found any jobs at all after I graduated (off course I am looking for jobs in south florida ONLY). But, I just can not stop thinking about, going all the way trough pharmacy school, and end up in the same shoes that I am right now...it is a terrible feeling, specially after I took physical chemistry ... what should we do?

You will definitely be in a different position. You will have 150k more in loans and no job.

 

[bacillus1]

My cousin who's in air traffic controller school disagrees with this statement. Pilots are still on shortage though...

 

[PharmtoCS]

-Software engineer / computer programmer
-Petroleum engineer (not sure how that's doing after the collapse in oil prices)
-Primary care physician
-Physician assistant
-Dentist?

 

[BidingMyTime]

Every profession is saturated, or getting close to saturation. Seriously, primary care physician? They are being replaced by cheaper NP's & PA's. PA's? Their growth is rapidly increasing. The entire economy is on the verge of implosion.

 

[awval999]

I just don't know why the baby boomers aren't retiring. I work with at least two (maybe 3 if he wouldn't have gotten a divorce) that have the money to hang it up. But they won't. Hell we even have a few that are still working PRN into their 60's.

Give it up. Maybe in a couple years if there is a white president (not that scary black man Obama) they will finally retire.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

The trades.

 

[fauxden]

I just don't know why the baby boomers aren't retiring. I work with at least two (maybe 3 if he wouldn't have gotten a divorce) that have the money to hang it up. But they won't. Hell we even have a few that are still working PRN into their 60's.

Give it up. Maybe in a couple years if there is a white president (not that scary black man Obama) they will finally retire.

nice use of the racism card. Just don't hear it enough. Appreciating MLK day the right way. But, I'm sure their only issue with the guy is the color of his skin...

 

[type b pharmD]

Completely agree with your viewpoint. I think the same can also even be said of a staff pharmacist in the retail setting. I've worked with great staff pharmacists as well as staff pharmacists I'm surprised even have a license. A staff pharmacist that thinks on their toes, is a problem solver, works with speed and is knowledgeable clinically is also invaluable.

I agree. As an rxm and as one who is pretty close with my DM .. I have helped with hiring and firing , new grads who can pull their weight will become staff , and GOOD staff are not going to be replaced. I am actually looking at ways I can get some retention money for one of my staff if that's possible... And I have seen so many poor managers just run things into the ground (currently trying to fix one of those) .. there is NOT a surplus of good managers , hence why wags and cvs have both substantially raised their rxm pay and benefits lately . They couldn't retain good mgr! And a good staff will always get the easy OT at least still where I'm at. .. I have requested scheduler give preference to staff who want to pick up OT at my store rather than floaters... Yeah it's more expensive .. guess who is willing to pay ? Big corporate. The floaters who suck are the rphs getting the short end of the stick .. which while I argue the pendulum has swung too far vs the 2000s ... It is much better when things are merit based rather than "anyone who has a pulse" which honestly nearly ruined the profession last decade .. so much underperformance it is / was absolutely stunning. When Kroger in Colorado asked all rphs to re interview for their jobs in 2010, it was honestly a slight sigh of relief for many rxms.

If mgr and good staff were dime a dozen why would pay still be 120-150k base ? Floaters are a way for chains to try before they buy .. and there is no wage floor there anymore.

 

[type b pharmD]

The trades.

Get into pharmacy, save up 200k cash, learn disesel mechanic, buy a diesel cab and a build a garage, earn easily 100k/year as an owner operator working part time.

 

[RxStudentatUB]

Get into pharmacy, save up 200k cash, learn disesel mechanic, buy a diesel cab and a build a garage, earn easily 100k/year as an owner operator working part time.

How do you become successful?

 

[type b pharmD]

You seem like one of the few pharmacists actually happy with the profession. Can you kindly tell current pharmacy students how to be successful? How to obtain a position as an RX manager? A district manager? How to get one step ahead of the high number of graduates? When people say to 'network,' do they mean making friends with classmates or impressing preceptors? Thank you in advance.

I am not gonna give away ALL my secrets, and I have addressed strategy a few times in previous posts (I'll pm you the link) but I will say the following .

Yes I am extremely satisfied because I get daily happiness out of my job and interacting with my patients. I also have a personality type that is very much suited to retail (very calm and feel happier and higher performing when situations get more stressful) .

Becoming an rxm is all about people skills and practicality. If you are the most practical pharmacist in your district or float pool and have people skills , you will quickly be offered the promotion. It is a lot more work and people who are anal retentive and OCD will quickly find themselves feeling overstressed and underpaid , micromanaging is what I would say is the less efficient way to go about it , and micromanaging in general will not get you far in pharmacy although I know some good rxms who are micromanagers, they are just stressed out .. you have to build your relationships and build loyalty and then delegate. You build loyalty by impressing people with great core skills and work ethic .. these same things also get you a job in the first place.

My biggest tips are the following ..

In school, master filling and the tough tech tasks like ordering, returns, audit, inventory, and bookkeeping. You have a lot of chances to learn these things at an easy pace, and very few techs and pharmacists know them cold. I was once offered a job after I worked with a PIC and filled 2-3/minute by his side for a week while answering phones.

Study and practice leadership w books and role modeling ideal behaviors. Lead the techs as an intern if you get the chance.

Above all else be practical! Make some non AB substitutions without calling DR .. it will impress staff and also veteran (ie important) Rph.

Offer ULTIMATE customer service to each patient .. your company has bull**** seeming videos and training materials.. If you take a moment to suspend your disbelief and actively try to buy into it .. you will realize that it really helps people leave with a smile if you are actively genuine and caring in your interactions.

Keep your counseling brief, override most drug interactions, and work harder than everyone else.

Impress the **** out of your preceptors --- This is most important for getting a job. Do not EVER be late or miss a deadline, make a point to surprise the pharmacy each day by learning an extra task such as deletes or call lists or out dates or bookkeeping and they will love you. Secret tip, identify which of the weakest tech functions your site has , develop that and take some **** off the rphs back . Better yet... Try to help the tech learn.

Above all be practical .. in all honesty , I am not a 'by the book' type of rph.. as an rxm I have called all kinds of Dr offices and gotten their OK to make therapeutic switches and put their name on them .. not like drug types inside of a class but dosage forms .. you don't need to create a mess to switch from capsules to tablets or cut a dose in half and double the # of units, etc . I have an Rph who calls to ok a switch from hydrocodone 5-325 to hydrocodone/apap 5/325. Please don't be that guy ..

Be fast as ****.. develop filling into an exercise routine .. if you are not sweating you're not filling fast enough. Same for final review. Learn ALL the keyboard shortcuts. I honestly had a floater once who thought I became manager because of knowing all the keyboard shortcuts .. no it's the people skills but make it a point to never touch the mouse ever and your output will quickly double.

That's all I got for now! But if you do everything on this list you will be miles beyond most of your classmates and even older rphs.

There is still a huge shortage of GOOD Rph. My company is finding that out the hard way. All you need to do is prove to people that you're somebody they want on their team and you're hired.

P.s. you don't want to be rxs / dm.

 

[BMBiology]

Above all else be practical! Make some non AB substitutions without calling DR .. it will impress staff and also veteran (ie important) Rph.

I had to LOL

 

[oldstock]

I am not gonna give away ALL my secrets, and I have addressed strategy a few times in previous posts (I'll pm you the link) but I will say the following .

Yes I am extremely satisfied because I get daily happiness out of my job and interacting with my patients. I also have a personality type that is very much suited to retail (very calm and feel happier and higher performing when situations get more stressful) .

Becoming an rxm is all about people skills and practicality. If you are the most practical pharmacist in your district or float pool and have people skills , you will quickly be offered the promotion. It is a lot more work and people who are anal retentive and OCD will quickly find themselves feeling overstressed and underpaid , micromanaging is what I would say is the less efficient way to go about it , and micromanaging in general will not get you far in pharmacy although I know some good rxms who are micromanagers, they are just stressed out .. you have to build your relationships and build loyalty and then delegate. You build loyalty by impressing people with great core skills and work ethic .. these same things also get you a job in the first place.

My biggest tips are the following ..

In school, master filling and the tough tech tasks like ordering, returns, audit, inventory, and bookkeeping. You have a lot of chances to learn these things at an easy pace, and very few techs and pharmacists know them cold. I was once offered a job after I worked with a PIC and filled 2-3/minute by his side for a week while answering phones.

Study and practice leadership w books and role modeling ideal behaviors. Lead the techs as an intern if you get the chance.

Above all else be practical! Make some non AB substitutions without calling DR .. it will impress staff and also veteran (ie important) Rph.

Offer ULTIMATE customer service to each patient .. your company has bull**** seeming videos and training materials.. If you take a moment to suspend your disbelief and actively try to buy into it .. you will realize that it really helps people leave with a smile if you are actively genuine and caring in your interactions.

Keep your counseling brief, override most drug interactions, and work harder than everyone else.

Impress the **** out of your preceptors --- This is most important for getting a job. Do not EVER be late or miss a deadline, make a point to surprise the pharmacy each day by learning an extra task such as deletes or call lists or out dates or bookkeeping and they will love you. Secret tip, identify which of the weakest tech functions your site has , develop that and take some **** off the rphs back . Better yet... Try to help the tech learn.

Above all be practical .. in all honesty , I am not a 'by the book' type of rph.. as an rxm I have called all kinds of Dr offices and gotten their OK to make therapeutic switches and put their name on them .. not like drug types inside of a class but dosage forms .. you don't need to create a mess to switch from capsules to tablets or cut a dose in half and double the # of units, etc . I have an Rph who calls to ok a switch from hydrocodone 5-325 to hydrocodone/apap 5/325. Please don't be that guy ..

Be fast as ****.. develop filling into an exercise routine .. if you are not sweating you're not filling fast enough. Same for final review. Learn ALL the keyboard shortcuts. I honestly had a floater once who thought I became manager because of knowing all the keyboard shortcuts .. no it's the people skills but make it a point to never touch the mouse ever and your output will quickly double.

That's all I got for now! But if you do everything on this list you will be miles beyond most of your classmates and even older rphs.

that is a lot of good advice.

There is still a huge shortage of GOOD Rph. My company is finding that out the hard way. All you need to do is prove to people that you're somebody they want on their team and you're hired.

P.s. you don't want to be rxs / dm.

"GOOD" is subjective. When the pool of new grad keeps on expanding, today's "GOOD" is no longer good enough for tomorrow...

 

[The Cutest Ponytail]

Who would rather have fill your Rx? Anal Annie or Don't Let the details get in your Way type B?

 

[Retail rph 1997]

You seem like one of the few pharmacists actually happy with the profession. Can you kindly tell current pharmacy students how to be successful? How to obtain a position as an RX manager? A district manager? How to get one step ahead of the high number of graduates? When people say to 'network,' do they mean making friends with classmates or impressing preceptors? Thank you in advance.

You don't just become an RXM out of school. You need the experience maintaining an inventory and keeping your shrink low. It takes time to learn how to do that. This is where Target screwed up by firing their older management and replacing them with new grads. Their inventories are the worst in the biz. If you are not a RXM or DM which is most pharmacist your future is grim. Here in New York State I hire kids at 45/ hr now and they take it. I offer them 35 hr per week as well. I would hate to be just getting out of school now the good days are over thanks to all the new schools that oversupplied the profession.

 

[oldstock]

You don't just become an RXM out of school. You need the experience maintaining an inventory and keeping your shrink low. It takes time to learn how to do that. This is where Target screwed up by firing their older management and replacing them with new grads. Their inventories are the worst in the biz. If you are not a RXM or DM which is most pharmacist your future is grim. Here in New York State I hire kids at 45/ hr now and they take it. I offer them 35 hr per week as well. I would hate to be just getting out of school now the good days are over thanks to all the new schools that oversupplied the profession.

really ?? wow....

 

[ExpressMaiL]

I want to chime in here. Type B mentioned keyboard shortcuts. This is an important skill to have, regardless of wanting to become a manager/sup/pic/blah. If you're using the mouse to navigate or adjudicate, you're already behind. Typing quickly and accurately can save you lots of time, including ways to populate fields, transferring information, switching between windows/programs, etc. It's just a small piece but ultimately, being ahead on multiple facets will allow you to excel way beyond your competition.

 

[Lnsean]

really ?? wow....

not hard to believe...my district only offers new grads 32hours/week. This is walgreens.