Yet another new school. In California. Imagine that.

[steveysmith54]

Asian women pharmacists who speak marginal English are everywhere and in large numbers.

LOL!!!! they actually comprise half of my class. Nothing wrong with them, they might actually be the best staff pharmacists that you can find. They don't complain, do their work, and some of them are actually very cute.

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[owlegrad]

Total randomness does make for thread fun, no?

Just finished my last final of the semester!

 

[BelowTheMean]

Not even LA...it's in freakin' NoHo.

I do find solace that, even if they manage to open, I'll have at least 5yrs experience vs. the grads coming out of here. Hopefully that's enough to stay ahead.

That would be...if in inpatient setting. Outpatient...haha doesnt matter much, they rather take new grads (will work for peanuts, willing to do anything the company wants, knows more new information) vs old pharmacists (reluctant to change their ways, dont want decrease in wages,less clinical knowledge than someone fresh out of school,etc)

 

[All4MyDaughter]

Just finished my last final of the semester!

Once I took this class that had a final exam, and this Asian woman with marginal English speaking skills was in the class, and she was married to a man she didn't love and even though I heard she failed the final she was able to get a job in a pill mill pharmacy.

 

[pharm B]

Once I took this class that had a final exam, and this Asian woman with marginal English speaking skills was in the class, and she was married to a man she didn't love and even though I heard she failed the final she was able to get a job in a pill mill pharmacy.

The Aristocrats?

 

[rph3664]

All4mydaughter, I was going to iggy you but I can't because you're a moderator. Please don't think you can get away with mocking me just because you're hiding behind your computer.

You (generic you) just try doing transfers, or any other communication, with someone who doesn't speak your language, and you will say the same thing, especially when it's almost universal in a geographic area.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

All4mydaughter, I was going to iggy you but I can't because you're a moderator. Please don't think you can get away with mocking me just because you're hiding behind your computer.

Awww, I'm just teasing, rph. Your anecdotes do make threads fun! But surely you aren't threatening me?

 

[All4MyDaughter]

The Aristocrats?

I don't think I'm cool enough to get this reference, B.

 

[rxlea]

Once I took this class that had a final exam, and this Asian woman with marginal English speaking skills was in the class, and she was married to a man she didn't love and even though I heard she failed the final she was able to get a job in a pill mill pharmacy.

I bet she took out a yoyo during her job interview.

 

[pharm B]

I don't think I'm cool enough to get this reference, B.

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

It's a type of old, dirty ad-lib joke that's pretty vile. Only reason I mentioned it is because it's basically a collection of very random things barely held together by a simple story.

I bet she took out a yoyo ...

It's the kind of joke that a statement like this would fit into almost perfectly.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

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

It's a type of old, dirty ad-lib joke that's pretty vile. Only reason I mentioned it is because it's basically a collection of very random things barely held together by a simple story.

I see, I see!

"a collection of very random things barely held together by a simple story" LOL!!

I bet she took out a yoyo during her job interview.

LMAO!

 

[rph3664]

Awww, I'm just teasing, rph. Your anecdotes do make threads fun! But surely you aren't threatening me?

You had no mean intent? Hope that's the case. You can't detect tone of voice on a computer screen.

As for "The Aristocrats", yes, it's a very filthy joke that isn't funny. Someone made a movie about people telling the joke, and it was so vile, I took it out of my DVD player and put it in the mailbox at the end of the street because I didn't want it in my house.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

You had no mean intent? Hope that's the case. You can't detect tone of voice on a computer screen.

Like I said, teasing. What was your intent in threatening me?

 

[Its Z]

 

[Praziquantel86]

You had no mean intent? Hope that's the case. You can't detect tone of voice on a computer screen.

As for "The Aristocrats", yes, it's a very filthy joke that isn't funny. Someone made a movie about people telling the joke, and it was so vile, I took it out of my DVD player and put it in the mailbox at the end of the street because I didn't want it in my house.

I thought Bob Saget's version was one of the funnier things I've heard.

 

[owlegrad]

Once I took this class that had a final exam, and this Asian woman with marginal English speaking skills was in the class, and she was married to a man she didn't love and even though I heard she failed the final she was able to get a job in a pill mill pharmacy.

I once had a representative of McDonald's best and brightest argue with me about whether I had ordered a coke or not. Once I finally got her to give me my coke (which I paid for, it was on the receipt!) she ended the transaction by saying, "In the future if you want a coke, just say you want a coke." I think I am a very calm person, but this made me want to scream. It almost sent me over the edge.

The Aristocrat is terrible, just terrible.

It was very cold today and my team was eliminated in the first rounds of Beer Olympics. We came in dead last.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

I once had a representative of McDonald's best and brightest argue with me about whether I had ordered a coke or not. Once I finally got her to give me my coke (which I paid for, it was on the receipt!) she ended the transaction by saying, "In the future if you want a coke, just say you want a coke." I think I am a very calm person, but this made me want to scream. It almost sent me over the edge.

The Aristocrat is terrible, just terrible.

It was very cold today and my team was eliminated in the first rounds of Beer Olympics. We came in dead last.

Oh no! Not the Beer Olympics.

It's cold here today too. And we had an ice storm. Nothing like having your car frozen like an igloo when you need to drive it.

 

[Farmercyst]

Oh no! Not the Beer Olympics.

It's cold here today too. And we had an ice storm. Nothing like having your car frozen like an igloo when you need to drive it.

Ice storms are the worst. It sucks when you have freezing rain over night and your doors are iced shut and the windows take forever to clear. I do NOT miss those days.

 

[confettiflyer]

Tell that to Villaraigosa, LA mayor, who took the bar exam 4x and failed. He gave up being a lawyer.

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

I think common sense dictates here. Lower passage rate = reduce supply.

He probably didn't sink $200k into a law degree...i don't know anyone who would do that and walk away because of a simple test.

Maybe a few, but the #'s just aren't there to make any difference. Either way, we're all f*cked, no way the exam will be reformed in the way you describe. I'm backing up my pharmacy degree w/ a residency (hopefully) and a wholly unrelated business.

 

[Passion4Sci]

I am backing up my Pharm.D with a culinary arts degree. Who wouldn't want a baker that is an expert in chemistry? C'mon!

Dr Dessert. What an awesome name for a bakery/pastry shop.

 

[confettiflyer]

I am backing up my Pharm.D with a culinary arts degree. Who wouldn't want a baker that is an expert in chemistry? C'mon!

Dr Dessert. What an awesome name for a bakery/pastry shop.

Xanax cupcakes? sign me up!

 

[Sparda29]

Is this the new one in Long Beach, CA? If so, one of the admins from our school is leaving to become the Founding Dean over there.

 

[StevePerry]

Is this the new one in Long Beach, CA? If so, one of the admins from our school is leaving to become the Founding Dean over there.

Wow, when I think of areas in need of a pharmacy school, I definitely think Long Beach, you know with the extreme rph labor shortage in surrounding areas like Huntington/Irvine/etc... btw is this school separate from the one going in near Sherman Oaks or up that way?

 

[rxforlife2004]

Wow, when I think of areas in need of a pharmacy school, I definitely think Long Beach, you know with the extreme rph labor shortage in surrounding areas like Huntington/Irvine/etc... btw is this school separate from the one going in near Sherman Oaks or up that way?

lol...biggest joke of the day...what r u talking about? There's definitely no jobs in Huntington and Irvine, as well as Long Beach. If you can find me one opening, please pm me. Thank you. I'll give u 10K straight out of my pocket if there's a job around Orange County and nearby area

 

[Charlottefromca]

 

[BelowTheMean]

lol...biggest joke of the day...what r u talking about? There's definitely no jobs in Huntington and Irvine, as well as Long Beach. If you can find me one opening, please pm me. Thank you. I'll give u 10K straight out of my pocket if there's a job around Orange County and nearby area

Im pretty sure he was being sarcastic. Imagine in a couple of years, new grads willing to pay more money to get a job and probably willing to work for free or at some reduced wages. However, I'd be willing to pay out of pocket 10k too for a job in Orange county or any place in the country not in the middle of nowhere. Sad.

 

[owlegrad]

Love it!

 

[Praziquantel86]

Is this the new one in Long Beach, CA? If so, one of the admins from our school is leaving to become the Founding Dean over there.

So the new schools are a self-propogating system. A few bad apples ruining the profession...

 

[coffee4drug]

If CPJE was made easier at one point in the past by converting it from written to multiple-choice format because there was a severe shortage of pharmacists in CA, then with current saturation of pharmacist market in the State there should be no reason why the exam shouldn't be made more selective.

I think it was better when the exam was in the written format. After all, in the real world situation, a pharmacist won't be given a list of options to make an educated guess when he is confronted with a moment to make a come up with a correct answer quickly while he is being distracted by having to multitask at the same time.

However, with increasing number of CPJE takers the Board would be very reluctant to go back to the written format, because it would require extra funding for the human help necessary to grade the exams. An alternative is to increase the number of answer choices for each question on the test. This is not as ideal as having one to completely come up with the correct answer on his own, but it at least help to make it more difficult for some test takers to count on barely passing the exam by guessing correctly on a few questions. Besides, this way doesn't require the test writers to write ridiculously difficult questions that only people with photographic memory will know how to answer.

This is especially necessary given the current high number of pharmacy students in California. With more pharmacy students competing for limited number of internship opportunities, it is getting difficult for students to get more working experience than the limited number of intern hours requried to sit for the CPJE. Schools do not teach much of what a student will face in the real world when he becomes a pharmacist. Much of what he learns come from working experience. I have seen a few newbies who first started their pharmacist days give patient wrong answers due to lack of working experience beyond what they got from the required intern hours. It may be unfortunate for them that there were not enough internship hours available when they were students, but the Board at least has the obligation to ensure that pharmacists have at least the minimum competency to give patients and other healthcare providers the correct answers by modifying the difficulty of CPJE according to the changing supply and demand balance of pharmacists in California

 

[Vyvanase]

Im pretty sure he was being sarcastic. Imagine in a couple of years, new grads willing to pay more money to get a job and probably willing to work for free or at some reduced wages. However, I'd be willing to pay out of pocket 10k too for a job in Orange county or any place in the country not in the middle of nowhere. Sad.

Reduce wages are already happening in private hospitals in LA/Orange County. I've heard and spoken to new grads accepting $40/hr.

 

[Sparda29]

So the new schools are a self-propogating system. A few bad apples ruining the profession...

Well, if you were an admin at a school and got a job offer for even more $$$ to become a founding dean, wouldn't you take it? She's had like 30-40 years of experience in the sector. (Pharmacy in general. Probably around 20 years in pharmacy education.)

 

[confettiflyer]

Well, if you were an admin at a school and got a job offer for even more $$$ to become a founding dean, wouldn't you take it? She's had like 30-40 years of experience in the sector.

I'd do it in a heartbeat. I'd see it as a challenge/opportunity....the best places to be are areas with high uncertainty and a lack of history.

 

[confettiflyer]

If CPJE was made easier at one point in the past by converting it from written to multiple-choice format because there was a severe shortage of pharmacists in CA, then with current saturation of pharmacist market in the State there should be no reason why the exam shouldn't be made more selective.

Just saying...constraining the supply of pharmacists on the licensing exam isn't gonna work, that's like throwing rocks at a train. Those pharmd's are gonna practice *somewhere* and if they DO leave the state, that'll just displace people in places like Vegas, AZ, or WA and some of them just might make their way into the california labor pool anyway.

California should join the MPJE but require them to make it way harder....haha, then that will make THREE tests that California made harder for the rest of the nation (NAPLEX, SAT, and MPJE).

Besides, I think a campaign of misinformation/rumors of no jobs/low salaries will be just as effective as anything else. Couple this with schools hitting $50k/yr, and people will jump to the next supposed "recession proof" bubble. Nursing is almost there...a highly scientific look at my facebook feed indicates all my arts/social science friends are now in nursing programs. Difference is...their lobby & PR machine is stronger.

 

[homeslice]

Just saying...constraining the supply of pharmacists on the licensing exam isn't gonna work, that's like throwing rocks at a train. Those pharmd's are gonna practice *somewhere* and if they DO leave the state, that'll just displace people in places like Vegas, AZ, or WA and some of them just might make their way into the california labor pool anyway.

California should join the MPJE but require them to make it way harder....haha, then that will make THREE tests that California made harder for the rest of the nation (NAPLEX, SAT, and MPJE).

Besides, I think a campaign of misinformation/rumors of no jobs/low salaries will be just as effective as anything else. Couple this with schools hitting $50k/yr, and people will jump to the next supposed "recession proof" bubble. Nursing is almost there...a highly scientific look at my facebook feed indicates all my arts/social science friends are now in nursing programs. Difference is...their lobby & PR machine is stronger.

Completely agree with this. People love to blindly follow the media while performing little critical research on their own.

 

[StevePerry]

Reduce wages are already happening in private hospitals in LA/Orange County. I've heard and spoken to new grads accepting $40/hr.

WTF... are you serious? If so, this seriously confirms some of our postulating regarding what is going to happen with this surplus coming. The really effed up thing is that OC/LA/etc. is probably the WORST place to see salaries decreasing... even though this is all anecdotal is anyone else seeing this geographically? NY people? Chicago people? Anywhere else?

 

[StevePerry]

lmfao!!!!!!!

 

[sleazye]

lol...biggest joke of the day...what r u talking about? There's definitely no jobs in Huntington and Irvine, as well as Long Beach. If you can find me one opening, please pm me. Thank you. I'll give u 10K straight out of my pocket if there's a job around Orange County and nearby area

Here're 4 pages of jobs within 5 miles of Long Beach. http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=Pharmacist&l=long+Beach,+CA&radius=5
You can make the check out to "cash".

 

[rph3664]

Here're 4 pages of jobs within 5 miles of Long Beach. http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=Pharmacist&l=long+Beach,+CA&radius=5
You can make the check out to "cash".

Take those listings with a grain of salt. Ask me how I know this.

 

[type b pharmD]

WTF... are you serious? If so, this seriously confirms some of our postulating regarding what is going to happen with this surplus coming. The really effed up thing is that OC/LA/etc. is probably the WORST place to see salaries decreasing... even though this is all anecdotal is anyone else seeing this geographically? NY people? Chicago people? Anywhere else?

$40/hr? there have been jobs lower paying than that in major cities for a while. i think wvu was saying several years ago a major medical center out east was paying $36 or so. hospital chain i worked for was only paying $45 last year, and nuclear not much more.

I'd be happy to take that level of pay. I thought pharmacists only made $75,000 or so a year when i got into this, and I thought that pay was acceptable even with $170,000 in loans (live on 10k/ pay back 35k a year)

 

[sleazye]

Take those listings with a grain of salt. Ask me how I know this.

Yep, I figured that some are not legit. However, a quick job search on the website of a hospital network in that area yielded 7 jobs between Long Beach and Fountain Valley alone, and that's just a couple hospitals. So to say that there isn't one job in all of Orange County or LA is either ignorant or just too dang picky. I'm convinced the jobs are there if you look hard enough.

 

[SHC1984]

Tell that to Villaraigosa, LA mayor, who took the bar exam 4x and failed. He gave up being a lawyer.

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

I think common sense dictates here. Lower passage rate = reduce supply.

They should just make up a law that states everyone has ONE chance to pass the boards and if you fail it once you can NEVER become a pharmacist! That would hopfully cut out the saturation by a little bit! Then again how hard can it be to pass something...a perfect score is hard to obtain...but just simply passing should be easy.

 

[Sparda29]

They should just make up a law that states everyone has ONE chance to pass the boards and if you fail it once you can NEVER become a pharmacist! That would hopfully cut out the saturation by a little bit! Then again how hard can it be to pass something...a perfect score is hard to obtain...but just simply passing should be easy.

 

[jung1]

Yep, I figured that some are not legit. However, a quick job search on the website of a hospital network in that area yielded 7 jobs between Long Beach and Fountain Valley alone, and that's just a couple hospitals. So to say that there isn't one job in all of Orange County or LA is either ignorant or just too dang picky. I'm convinced the jobs are there if you look hard enough.

So what are you trying to say? That people who can't get jobs are bums who didn't look hard enough? Get real!

There will be many pharmacists applying for each one of those positions. Yes, there are positions open, but it's not unheard of to hear how there are a thousand people applying for one open spot for something like a janitor. Times are lean. A few weeks ago, a DM at Rite Aid let it known that he hired 10 pharamcists. That sounds great until it's known that he also fired 12.

I'm rationally optimistic however because I see opportunities. There are pharmacists who make millions a year; it's not by slaving away for some corporation trying to pay dividends.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

They should just make up a law that states everyone has ONE chance to pass the boards and if you fail it once you can NEVER become a pharmacist! That would hopfully cut out the saturation by a little bit! Then again how hard can it be to pass something...a perfect score is hard to obtain...but just simply passing should be easy.

Be careful what you wish for. Therapeutics just gets harder as you progress through school. If you were only able to pull a B+ in your first therapeutics class, you may end up struggling later and maybe even have trouble passing the NAPLEX. You might need a backup plan of becoming a trophy wife/gold digger.

 

[rxlea]

Yeah a B+ in your first therapeutics doesn't bode well for the rest... Just sayin...

 

[rph3664]

Yep, I figured that some are not legit. However, a quick job search on the website of a hospital network in that area yielded 7 jobs between Long Beach and Fountain Valley alone, and that's just a couple hospitals. So to say that there isn't one job in all of Orange County or LA is either ignorant or just too dang picky. I'm convinced the jobs are there if you look hard enough.

Yesterday, I found out that I didn't get a local job I applied for, but wasn't surprised because it was probably filled internally; it was 1 day a week at an infusion center, and I'm pretty sure they hired one of the per diems, a lovely woman I once worked with. I mentioned this on my Facebook page, and one of my FB friends (we were in the same Girl Scout troop) who now works in HR told me that all employers with >25 employees are required by law to post their job openings somewhere, even if they have every intention of filling them with an internal candidate. This job was advertised in the paper, although just once. They did take my resume but never even called me for an interview.

I didn't post it there, but I was kind of glad I didn't get it, because what if I started that job, then later got a job with benefits and more hours, and had to quit almost immediately? Not a good thing.

 

[sleazye]

Yesterday, I found out that I didn't get a local job I applied for, but wasn't surprised because it was probably filled internally; it was 1 day a week at an infusion center, and I'm pretty sure they hired one of the per diems, a lovely woman I once worked with. I mentioned this on my Facebook page, and one of my FB friends (we were in the same Girl Scout troop) who now works in HR told me that all employers with >25 employees are required by law to post their job openings somewhere, even if they have every intention of filling them with an internal candidate. This job was advertised in the paper, although just once. They did take my resume but never even called me for an interview.

I didn't post it there, but I was kind of glad I didn't get it, because what if I started that job, then later got a job with benefits and more hours, and had to quit almost immediately? Not a good thing.

Interesting, didn't know that. It sounds like it may be worth it then to suck it up and be a per diem for awhile with the possibility of slipping into a full time position in the future if you're interested in one of these ultra competitive markets.

 

[sleazye]

So what are you trying to say? That people who can't get jobs are bums who didn't look hard enough? Get real!

There will be many pharmacists applying for each one of those positions. Yes, there are positions open, but it's not unheard of to hear how there are a thousand people applying for one open spot for something like a janitor. Times are lean. A few weeks ago, a DM at Rite Aid let it known that he hired 10 pharamcists. That sounds great until it's known that he also fired 12.

I'm rationally optimistic however because I see opportunities. There are pharmacists who make millions a year; it's not by slaving away for some corporation trying to pay dividends.

Nope, I'm not saying that people who can't find jobs are bums. I am saying that the jobs are out there, but it may take some searching and perhaps making a compromise to get one in these crazy competitive markets. I am thousands of miles away from OC/LA and the Bay and I am aware of unfilled hospital positions. It's tiresome to hear all the doom and gloom on this site when I haven't seen any evidence of this firsthand. However, that's not to say that it isn't happening in some places. Personally, I haven't been anything but pleased with the opportunities afforded me by my education thus far. Maybe it just takes some perspective to realize what we have in comparison to most fields. That said, I think it's right to be concerned about the explosive growth of these new programs and the existing schools that are cranking out 150, 200, 300 students every year, which is really the point of this thread in the first place, right? Sorry if my post came off harsh but it's a result of my experience so far.

 

[Sparda29]

It makes more sense to restrict class sizes instead of restricting new schools.

 

[SHC1984]

Be careful what you wish for. Therapeutics just gets harder as you progress through school. If you were only able to pull a B+ in your first therapeutics class, you may end up struggling later and maybe even have trouble passing the NAPLEX. You might need a backup plan of becoming a trophy wife/gold digger.

Yeah it sucked missing an A by 0.3 of a point! I made A(s) in everything else so far though. Even in pharmacology and pharmokinetics etc...many people found those classes harder for some reason. I know two pharmacy students that made A(s) in everything except the therapeutics class that I made a B+ in...they also made a B+ in that class. That class focus on the therapuetics of all diseases involving the central nervous system...not sure why those people also made a B+ in that class...most likely because a lot of the stuff involving seizures/TBI/etc....just didn't make that much sense.

As for as failing goes...I have never came close to failing anything. 99.999999% of things are very easy to pass but hard to make a perfect score on...that has been my experience anyways. I still wish they only allow ONE chance for the boards. That really would hopfully cut down on the major surplus we are experiencing.