Yet another new school. In California. Imagine that.

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
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. :rolleyes:

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. :confused:

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.

Members don't see this ad.
 
Yeah a B+ in your first therapeutics doesn't bode well for the rest... Just sayin...

Our school organizes our classes differently...we have central nervous system and therapeutics on all central nervous system diseases our first semester, next semester we have cardio and all cardio therapeutics...so I am not sure if the diffculty will be any worst. I hope not though! lol....Would really hope I never make another B+ again! :laugh:
 
Yup, this is truth. Sometimes, job postings go up for jobs that don't exist/haven't been budgeted. The worst way to gauge a job market is the # of listings on craigslist/other job site.

Some employers (not just healthcare, either) place dummy ads because they want to put out feelers about salaries.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Yup, this is truth. Sometimes, job postings go up for jobs that don't exist/haven't been budgeted. The worst way to gauge a job market is the # of listings on craigslist/other job site.

True. Once I saw an ad that a local hospital was hiring a pharmacist, I was so excited and called immediately. When finally getting in touch on the phone with the director, he said, "You see, we are hiring, but we are not really hiring", and displayed his middle finger to me.
 
I'm thinking about starting up two more pharmacy schools: Wessyde and Eassyde Universities.

That's the way to actually become rich, not by working in these markets... :rolleyes:
 
how about campaigning against the next useless school that opens? i do wonder what would happen if the brains behind those operations felt the heat from un/under-employed pharmacists who talk about the oversupply.
 
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. :confused:

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.

Yep, build up at least $100K of debt, get one chance at boards, have a bad day, screwed for life. Makes a lot of sense. :rolleyes:
 
Yep, build up at least $100K of debt, get one chance at boards, have a bad day, screwed for life. Makes a lot of sense. :rolleyes:

Exactly.

Is the 5-year rule still in effect - that you have to pass the NAPLEX within 5 years of graduation? That's more reasonable. I do know of a COP that lost its accreditation because a surprising number of students did not pass; I'll tell you where if you PM me.

My school's fail rate was usually 1 person per class every year. I did not find out who that person was, although I knew all along that there was someone, for several years, and was told that this person had just experienced some kind of major crisis - the death of a parent, IIRC. Would it be right to permanently deny her the chance to use a degree it took her 5 years to get? No way!

I also heard about a woman from another class "who was having very serious problems with one of her 3 children, and nearly had a nervous breakdown herself." Yeah, pile permanent failure on top of that, will you?
 
Digging this up...we should just do this for CA CPJE:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/world/asia/03japan.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=japan&st=cse

haha, except some of the questions would be like this:

A patient took the bus from Buena Park to Orange to pick up his Oxycontin 80mg PO TID, which of the following statements is true:


a) the patient could have used the 5 to get to his destination
b) the patient could have used I-5 on the return trip
c) who the hell in southern california takes the bus?
d) A&C
e) B&C
f) All of the above

The correct answer and explanation gets you a gold star from me :D
 
Didn't read the link but have to go with A&C because B can't be right, as no one in Southern California says "I-5", they only say "The 5", which means B cannot be correct. C is correct as well, because, who the hell takes the bus? A&C.
 
My experience with the job websites like indeed.com is the following:
1. Majority of positions are posted through recruiters...if you find one from the hospital itself, that is probably a legit actual opening.
2. Most of the job postings are the same job posted by different recruiters
3. Many jobs posted by recuriters aren't actual jobs.

My advice is to apply through the actual hospital's website and deal with their HR directly if possible. I think most hospitals prefer this method as well because it cuts out the middleman.

So it may seem like there are 50 positions open in DC, but in fact it is really only 1 or 2.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Honestly why is everyone such a hater? I think it's good to open up new pharmacy schools, especially in California. Ya CA has a lot of schools but it's a huge @$$ state, probably the size of the east coast and we have some of the most populated cities (LA, SF, SD) and the population is exponentially growing. People who open schools aren't dumb, they only do it if they project the need. I just searched my zip code in indeed.com and there are 762 pharmacist openings in my area (LA area) - and no, it's not like the first page is pharmacists and the rest are random - every job until the last page is for a pharmacist. Even if only HALF of those are valid for whatever reason, that's still over 350 pharmacist jobs posted right now, recently after holiday time, which is the slowest hiring season. Hardly anyone posts jobs around Dec/beginning of Jan.

It seems like you guys aren't satisfied unless there are 100 job openings for every new grad. Come on! I think competition is necessary, and I doubt competition for pharmacists is ever going to get ugly (like it is for JDs now) let alone bad. You guys really are freaking out. I've never heard of a pharmacist looking for work and not finding a job eventually, whereas so many others are out of jobs now.

On top of it, those of you who are already pharmacists/in pharm school/applying soon don't even have to worry because you don't have the competition yet - maybe the kids who graduate in 10-15 years will, but that's their problem!

We need more nursing schools, more medical schools, more vet schools (now THAT'S what's lacking in CA), etc. Healthcare is unique in the sense that when there is a job opening, it's CRUCIAL to fill it, whereas most other positions have wiggle room and duties can be combined, a person can be given multiple responsibilities, etc. So, I wouldn't even worry about pharmacists losing jobs or any of that...as long as the population is aging and as long as US consumer culture becomes more drug-obsessed pharmacists will have jobs, and probably many job options. BAM!
 
Last edited:
Honestly why is everyone such a hater? I think it's good to open up new pharmacy schools, especially in California. Ya CA has a lot of schools but it's a huge @$$ state, probably the size of the east coast and we have some of the most populated cities (LA, SF, SD) and the population is exponentially growing. People who open schools aren't dumb, they only do it if they project the need. I just searched my zip code in indeed.com and there are 762 pharmacist openings in my area (LA area) - and no, it's not like the first page is pharmacists and the rest are random - every job until the last page is for a pharmacist. Even if only HALF of those are valid for whatever reason, that's still over 350 pharmacist jobs posted right now, recently after holiday time, which is the slowest hiring season. Hardly anyone posts jobs around Dec/beginning of Jan.

It seems like you guys aren't satisfied unless there are 100 job openings for every new grad. Come on! I think competition is necessary, and I doubt competition for pharmacists is ever going to get ugly (like it is for JDs now) let alone bad. You guys really are freaking out. I've never heard of a pharmacist looking for work and not finding a job eventually, whereas so many others are out of jobs now.

On top of it, those of you who are already pharmacists/in pharm school/applying soon don't even have to worry because you don't have the competition yet - maybe the kids who graduate in 10-15 years will, but that's their problem!

We need more nursing schools, more medical schools, more vet schools (now THAT'S what's lacking in CA), etc. Healthcare is unique in the sense that when there is a job opening, it's CRUCIAL to fill it, whereas most other positions have wiggle room and duties can be combined, a person can be given multiple responsibilities, etc. So, I wouldn't even worry about pharmacists losing jobs or any of that...as long as the population is aging and as long as US consumer culture becomes more drug-obsessed pharmacists will have jobs, and probably many job options. BAM!

Yeah there are jobs, but the perks of of breathing and possessing a pharmacy degree are slipping away. We want the hire w/o being interviewed + new BMW 335i + $30K sign on bonus + benefits.
 
Yeah there are jobs, but the perks of of breathing and possessing a pharmacy degree are slipping away. We want the hire w/o being interviewed + new BMW 335i + $30K sign on bonus + benefits.

LOL well-said. Honestly, people don't have jobs now...people who were both making jack and people who were making bank are standing in lines at soup kitckens. I work as a scientific recruiter right now and I've seen resumes come through where I wonder....wow, THIS person is looking for work? You guys need to be a little more grounded and REEEELAAAAXXXXXXXX. Are you guys the kind of people I'm going to have to call my co-workers? Sheesh.
 
To play devil's advocate Jackie, I think one of the biggest complaints that never gets voiced is that if you graduate and get licensed, and can't find a job, then you're looking down the barrel at ~$100,000 in debt with no way to pay for it.

If you go to truck driving school and have $4,000 in debt and can't find a job, no big deal. For most professions, if you have $$ in debt and can't find a job, it makes people nervous. Many things that people compare pharmacy to (it's bad for everyone!) neglect this fact.

It isn't exactly air-tight but it's something to consider, especially as a pre-pharmacy student. :D
 
To play devil's advocate Jackie, I think one of the biggest complaints that never gets voiced is that if you graduate and get licensed, and can't find a job, then you're looking down the barrel at ~$100,000 in debt with no way to pay for it.

If you go to truck driving school and have $4,000 in debt and can't find a job, no big deal. For most professions, if you have $$ in debt and can't find a job, it makes people nervous. Many things that people compare pharmacy to (it's bad for everyone!) neglect this fact.

It isn't exactly air-tight but it's something to consider, especially as a pre-pharmacy student. :D

well, IBR really makes this point rather moot. cause if you got a job as a mcdonalds fry cook and paid the $15 a month minimum on your loans you wouldnt really be required to ever pay them down until they are forgiven
 
well, IBR really makes this point rather moot. cause if you got a job as a mcdonalds fry cook and paid the $15 a month minimum on your loans you wouldnt really be required to ever pay them down until they are forgiven

McDonald's won't hire you because you're way over-qualified. People with bachelor's degrees have a hard time getting hired at fast food restaurants due to the fact that the employers know that the second you did get a nibble, you'd drop them like a hot potato.

I don't know enough about IBR to really debate the matter anyway.
 
You don't have to tell McDonalds you have a degree. It's not NASA, they're not going to veirfy your educational background.
 
Honestly why is everyone such a hater? I think it's good to open up new pharmacy schools, especially in California. Ya CA has a lot of schools but it's a huge @$$ state, probably the size of the east coast and we have some of the most populated cities (LA, SF, SD) and the population is exponentially growing. People who open schools aren't dumb, they only do it if they project the need. I just searched my zip code in indeed.com and there are 762 pharmacist openings in my area (LA area) - and no, it's not like the first page is pharmacists and the rest are random - every job until the last page is for a pharmacist. Even if only HALF of those are valid for whatever reason, that's still over 350 pharmacist jobs posted right now, recently after holiday time, which is the slowest hiring season. Hardly anyone posts jobs around Dec/beginning of Jan.

It seems like you guys aren't satisfied unless there are 100 job openings for every new grad. Come on! I think competition is necessary, and I doubt competition for pharmacists is ever going to get ugly (like it is for JDs now) let alone bad. You guys really are freaking out. I've never heard of a pharmacist looking for work and not finding a job eventually, whereas so many others are out of jobs now.

On top of it, those of you who are already pharmacists/in pharm school/applying soon don't even have to worry because you don't have the competition yet - maybe the kids who graduate in 10-15 years will, but that's their problem!

We need more nursing schools, more medical schools, more vet schools (now THAT'S what's lacking in CA), etc. Healthcare is unique in the sense that when there is a job opening, it's CRUCIAL to fill it, whereas most other positions have wiggle room and duties can be combined, a person can be given multiple responsibilities, etc. So, I wouldn't even worry about pharmacists losing jobs or any of that...as long as the population is aging and as long as US consumer culture becomes more drug-obsessed pharmacists will have jobs, and probably many job options. BAM!

:thumbup:
 
Honestly why is everyone such a hater? I think it's good to open up new pharmacy schools, especially in California. Ya CA has a lot of schools but it's a huge @$$ state, probably the size of the east coast and we have some of the most populated cities (LA, SF, SD) and the population is exponentially growing. People who open schools aren't dumb, they only do it if they project the need. I just searched my zip code in indeed.com and there are 762 pharmacist openings in my area (LA area) - and no, it's not like the first page is pharmacists and the rest are random - every job until the last page is for a pharmacist. Even if only HALF of those are valid for whatever reason, that's still over 350 pharmacist jobs posted right now, recently after holiday time, which is the slowest hiring season. Hardly anyone posts jobs around Dec/beginning of Jan.

It seems like you guys aren't satisfied unless there are 100 job openings for every new grad. Come on! I think competition is necessary, and I doubt competition for pharmacists is ever going to get ugly (like it is for JDs now) let alone bad. You guys really are freaking out. I've never heard of a pharmacist looking for work and not finding a job eventually, whereas so many others are out of jobs now.

On top of it, those of you who are already pharmacists/in pharm school/applying soon don't even have to worry because you don't have the competition yet - maybe the kids who graduate in 10-15 years will, but that's their problem!

We need more nursing schools, more medical schools, more vet schools (now THAT'S what's lacking in CA), etc. Healthcare is unique in the sense that when there is a job opening, it's CRUCIAL to fill it, whereas most other positions have wiggle room and duties can be combined, a person can be given multiple responsibilities, etc. So, I wouldn't even worry about pharmacists losing jobs or any of that...as long as the population is aging and as long as US consumer culture becomes more drug-obsessed pharmacists will have jobs, and probably many job options. BAM!
:thumbup: According to BLS gov...we have a huge shortage of pharmacists now and it's getting worse in future. We need at least 300,000 pharmacists in the next 10 yrs or so...so pharmacists are so in demand...no worries!
 
Passion4Sci - Yes, I agree with that. But any degree today that leads to a high-paying salary is costly and is associated with risk. Think about how much $$$ MBAs and JDs make, but how HUGE of a risk they're taking with that degree. I've never even considered applying to law school or business school, and not because of subject matter but I don't want to deal with that risk. Med school and pharm school are pretty risk-free.

If you don't find a job as a pharmacist, you can still go into clinical research for the drug development process or regulatory affairs for pharmaceutical companies. I still think there are other job opportunities for that pharmD, just like not all RNs are nurses or all MDs are doctor - they can work for medical device, pharmaceutical, clinical research companies, universities, etc, etc.

And how is this as a worst case scenario? You can work temp jobs here to there, not make 100k, but lets say 50-70k which is still very decent and only work a few days a week - max :) :) :) You might even be able to ONLY work holidays, get double pay, that would probably still meagerly sustain you LOL
 
Didn't read the link but have to go with A&C because B can't be right, as no one in Southern California says "I-5", they only say "The 5", which means B cannot be correct. C is correct as well, because, who the hell takes the bus? A&C.

yup, this is correct. darn, i was hoping for more out-of-state people to answer to see if my question had the ability to discern in-state vs. out of state.
 
and the population is exponentially growing. People who open schools aren't dumb,

Disagree -- CA's population is growing but not at its previous rates. We didn't gain any congressional seats this census, 1st time in a long time.
Agree -- people who open schools see $$$$ with an infinitely optimistic pre-pharm population.

I just searched my zip code in indeed.com and there are 762 pharmacist openings in my area (LA area) - and no, it's not like the first page is pharmacists and the rest are random - every job until the last page is for a pharmacist.

Did you not read our discussion about how job listing does not equal job opening? Worst way to read the market is job listings.

On top of it, those of you who are already pharmacists/in pharm school/applying soon don't even have to worry because you don't have the competition yet - maybe the kids who graduate in 10-15 years will, but that's their problem!

If you're a pre-pharm, you're probably 5 years away or more from hitting the job market...seeing how much has changed in the previous 5 years, you've got a lot more to worry about.

I went from having more residency slots than applicants as a pre-pharm to only ~50% of applicants matching as a P-3. The market, in its fits and starts, is unable to properly absorb PharmD's.

So, I wouldn't even worry about pharmacists losing jobs or any of that...as long as the population is aging and as long as US consumer culture becomes more drug-obsessed pharmacists will have jobs, and probably many job options. BAM!

Agree -- we're not losing jobs/getting laid off, but..
Disagree -- We're entering the age of austerity...no one wants to pay for anything extra. The upside is...pharmacists save money, so we'll have a niche to play there.

In other words...it's complicated. I still think you're overtly optimistic...this is why I have a backup plan (alternate/unrelated business) and will be able to survive on PT pharm work or at a reduced salary taking advantage of IBR.
 
Confettiflyer - Yes, I am on the optimistic side, but it's within reason.

1 - It doesn't matter if the population is aging faster or slower - as long as it's growing, it's growing...The point is, baby boomers are getting old, which also means a lot of pharmacists will be retiring on top of all the other reasons for more need of pharmacists.

2 - Yes I know indeed isn't an ideal gauge but it's reasonable, especially if I reduce the number of job openings by HALF, which is being very generous. That still leaves 350+ spots in a 25 mile radius.

3 - I'm not worried about my future 5 years from now. I am articulate, bright, smart, and aggressive and I have no problem having some competition for a job application. I have personality unlike a lot of people in the sciences so I know I can take them on :laugh:. In fact, if I chose to pursue most any other career I would have more to worry about since most other jobs are way more competitive (ie, 100 applicants for 1 position)

And in reality, NO JOB is stable these days. Technology is exponentially advancing - who knows what things will be like 30, 50, 70 years from now? Maybe by that time there will be drug vending machines that eat prescriptions and have a computer system of your record and warn you of drug interactions! I'm going to watch half you guys change your career plans now that I mentioned that possibility, ha.

The point of my original posting was to get everyone to relax and not have a stroke every time a new school opens. Live a little peeps:love:
 
I can't tell if Jackie B is seriously this optimistic OR just trolling. :laugh: The job market is terrible. There are like 30+ applicants for ONE job position...and it's getting worst and worst every year. You can't seriously be this optimistic.
 
I can't tell if Jackie B is seriously this optimistic OR just trolling. :laugh: The job market is terrible. There are like 30+ applicants for ONE job position...and it's getting worst and worst every year. You can't seriously be this optimistic.

Source, please. Maybe only in the most god-awful saturated areas.
 
I can't tell if Jackie B is seriously this optimistic OR just trolling. :laugh: The job market is terrible. There are like 30+ applicants for ONE job position...and it's getting worst and worst every year. You can't seriously be this optimistic.

Definitely NOT in the bay area, and you'd be hard pressed to find a metro. area more saturated than the CA bay.

There's a hospital in the bay, for example, still looking for a Director of Pharmacy for goodness sake.

It's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be, especially on this board. Remember, negative people gravitate toward the 'net to complain. I'm not saying it's all sugar 'n' spice out there and you definitely won't see a lot of BMWs being offered for signing bonuses but 30+ RPhs all lined up for one job? Maybe one time, maybe for one position. But you can't tell me that for every single pharmacist opening in the United States that there are 30+ applicants for each one. Nah.
 
Definitely NOT in the bay area, and you'd be hard pressed to find a metro. area more saturated than the CA bay.

There's a hospital in the bay, for example, still looking for a Director of Pharmacy for goodness sake.

It's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be, especially on this board. Remember, negative people gravitate toward the 'net to complain. I'm not saying it's all sugar 'n' spice out there and you definitely won't see a lot of BMWs being offered for signing bonuses but 30+ RPhs all lined up for one job? Maybe one time, maybe for one position. But you can't tell me that for every single pharmacist opening in the United States that there are 30+ applicants for each one. Nah.

I really don't know what to believe anymore. I believe It Z the most b/c I think he is the most reputable person to give advise on the job market and he saids it's not very good. My preceptor said the same thing...other then that I am not very sure. I know it's not as good as before, but I do not know how bad it really is. I would ask It Z if I really want info! LOL...

Yeah we had 30+ applicants for a job in Atlanta GA, my friend was piss when she didn't get the job. :rolleyes: I am not sure about all the other jobs though...I would imagine maybe 10+ per job? I am not sure.
 
ive been saying the job market was **** since 2008. around that december you could tell. yet, all the schools and everyone here on the boards claimed it was not.

look at Mike (WVU), all the nonsense he went through. people would say "you arent trying hard enough to get a job". all outsiders casting their judgement. the market has been bad for a while and will get much much much worse.
 
ive been saying the job market was **** since 2008. around that december you could tell. yet, all the schools and everyone here on the boards claimed it was not.

look at Mike (WVU), all the nonsense he went through. people would say "you arent trying hard enough to get a job". all outsiders casting their judgement. the market has been bad for a while and will get much much much worse.

Actually, he said he could have gotten a job in Texas in a second if he wanted to. It all usually comes down to relocation.
 
I can't tell if Jackie B is seriously this optimistic OR just trolling. :laugh: The job market is terrible. There are like 30+ applicants for ONE job position...and it's getting worst and worst every year. You can't seriously be this optimistic.

LOL yes I suppose I am optimistic, but only in the sense that I believe that if I work hard, get a degree, and apply myself that I'll end up with a job. It's not like I'm a high school drop out expecting to land a career as the Prez of Harvard University (now THAT would be optimistic).

I'm not concerned about too many PharmD's being pumped out because Americans don't get science and you can't just turn into a pharmacist because "you want to" - you need that aptitude for science, you need to pass difficult pre-reqs and continue to learn science at the graduate-level. The medical field will always have a shortage of qualified candidates because we're too dumb as a society to be able to produce them! Sad but true. People might want to jump on the boat because they like the pay, etc but O-Chem will weed them out :smuggrin:

I recently joined this forum to get support and learn more about the field but I dunno how I feel about all this negative energy :thumbdown:
 
I recently joined this forum to get support and learn more about the field but I dunno how I feel about all this negative energy :thumbdown:

Negativity on SDN? Surely you jest? :laugh:

But seriously it's the price of admission. I don't think you can find people IRL who are as negative as people are on here. You get used to it.
 
I live in Orange County area and it's a miracle if you can land a job in this area at this time. Even at some hard-to-staff areas like Bakersfield, jobs are starting to dry up. You won't even be guaranteed to secure a job there as before. Good luck, class of 2011 and after...:(
 
Definitely NOT in the bay area, and you'd be hard pressed to find a metro. area more saturated than the CA bay.

There's a hospital in the bay, for example, still looking for a Director of Pharmacy for goodness sake.

It's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be, especially on this board. Remember, negative people gravitate toward the 'net to complain. I'm not saying it's all sugar 'n' spice out there and you definitely won't see a lot of BMWs being offered for signing bonuses but 30+ RPhs all lined up for one job? Maybe one time, maybe for one position. But you can't tell me that for every single pharmacist opening in the United States that there are 30+ applicants for each one. Nah.

Being a pharmacy director is the most vulnerable position to be laid off. In fact, I've worked with 4 different directors at my hospital within 3 yrs time frame. Also, the nasty thing is you can't even be qualified to be a pharm director unless you have zillions of experiences in hospital. I've never seen a new grad being a pharm director...
 
I can't tell if Jackie B is seriously this optimistic OR just trolling. :laugh: The job market is terrible. There are like 30+ applicants for ONE job position...and it's getting worst and worst every year. You can't seriously be this optimistic.
Jackie B is only trying to justify her decision. Wait until she owes $150K...! Lol
 
Yeah we had 30+ applicants for a job in Atlanta GA, my friend was piss when she didn't get the job. :rolleyes: I am not sure about all the other jobs though...I would imagine maybe 10+ per job? I am not sure.
That happened here. 30+ were graduating and working for Walgreens and only 6 were hired. Then they stopped hiring pharmacy students...
 
That happened here. 30+ were graduating and working for Walgreens and only 6 were hired. Then they stopped hiring pharmacy students...

The only thing I know is it is damn hard to land a summer internship. I just called Target about their summer internship program and the recruiter told me they are hiring ONE person for the summer internship in the Atlanta GA area. They told me they usually have four but since three are returning they are only going to hired ONE for the summer. He also told me there are like over 60+ applications for the ONE position since there are THREE pharmacy schools in the Atlanta area. :rolleyes:

I also applied for Walgreens. The recruitor told me as of right now he isn't hiring but he told me to contact him again in Feb...by then he will know for sure. Walgreens only have 10 summer interns a year and I have to wait and see how many are returning for the summer...they might hired 1 or 2 or NONE depending on how many returns. :rolleyes:

Damn, it is hard to land a summer internship. I don't see how anyone can get their hours done with this kind of ****. :thumbdown:

I just want a summer internship, not a million dollars!!! is it really that damn hard to get? I have never in my life had to work this hard to get something. :eek:
 
Jackie B is only trying to justify her decision. Wait until she owes $150K...! Lol

I remember when YOU use to be opiministic about the pharmacy profession. You mention it wasn't hard getting a hospital position or something like that...I guess now we all know the truth.

I honestly do not know how bad it will get in the future, but I know it isn't going to be GREAT like it was 10 years ago. :(
 
I remember when YOU use to be opiministic about the pharmacy profession. You mention it wasn't hard getting a hospital position or something like that...I guess now we all know the truth.

I honestly do not know how bad it will get in the future, but I know it isn't going to be GREAT like it was 10 years ago. :(
It wasn't bad 8 months to a year ago. I think a lot of retail pharmacists quit and went to work at hospitals. No flu shots!
Hospital jobs used to be a joke... No one wanted to work at a hospital, not even my fellow gradutes.
 
It wasn't bad 8 months to a year ago. I think a lot of retail pharmacists quit and went to work at hospitals. No flu shots!
Hospital jobs used to be a joke... No one wanted to work at a hospital, not even my fellow gradutes.

I see. My friend is a P4 right now. She just got a job offer from Target and she accepted. She told me she HATES retail and she even hates dealing with people MORE than me! lol...but she told me she is taking a retail positions b/c she owes 200K and retails usually offer around $60 an hour while the two hospitals that are hiring are only offering $37 an hours! Damn thats a HUGE difference!!! almost HALF the pay!!! I didn't know the pay difference between retail and hospital was so GREAT!!! I thought it was only a few dollars difference!!! :eek:
But that won't stop me. I won't owe a lot of money when I get out so I am still going to do hosptial or mail order. There is no way in hell I would put myself in retail hell. LOL...
 
Hospitals here pay considerably more than 37/hr. In fact, that's pretty awful.

That said, many people would rather have $37/hr with the superior working conditions and benefits that a hospital job usually offers. *shrug*
 
Hospitals here pay considerably more than 37/hr. In fact, that's pretty awful.

That said, many people would rather have $37/hr with the superior working conditions and benefits that a hospital job usually offers. *shrug*

Invariably, this will be the trend going forward. Its the simple concept of supply and demand. That said, I have worn a lot of different hats over the years with crazy/ fun summer jobs and I have found retail pharmacy to be the MOST dissatisfying of them all.

The only hypothesis I have is that to joeschmoe down the street, you are the un-appointed middleman between him and his medications. Why you cant just pour it out the bigger bottle into the smaller bottle within 5 minutes is beyond them. Hence, naturally he will be frustrated, right off the bat. That in and of itself makes life harder for the pharmacist.

Most of the other professionals are viewed as the saviors/ helpers... Nurses, doctors, dentists etc. We are the flipside of that same coin. Again, this is the view of the layman (87.654% of the population).
 
Last edited:
Hospitals here pay considerably more than 37/hr. In fact, that's pretty awful.

That said, many people would rather have $37/hr with the superior working conditions and benefits that a hospital job usually offers. *shrug*


I would definitely take the less pay to work in a hospital. I think I would do it even if it's that much of a difference (altough I don't think it's like that here in LA). I'd rather work in a hospital so I can get myself involved in research and continue to learn. I think it'd be interested to work in clinical trials (if for whatever the reason the PharmD doesn't work out for me, I would like to go into clinical research management with just the BA).

I'm sorry for you guys who live in saturated areas. I'm in Los Angeles and the market seems to be great here. Like I said, I searched indeed and there are a LOT of openings (search my zip code: 91040 - within 25 miles). The only pharmacy schools we have in the area are USC and Western....if you go 100-150 miles south you run into UCSD and Loma Linda which don't produce many students each. The next closest one is Univ of Pacific which is frickin 350 miles up north. LA, OC, SD, Riverside....and somewhat Ventura county....these are frickin jam-packed counties in Southern California that continue to grow.

The point of this thread was to comment on the new schools in CA. I searched indeed for the number of pharmacist openings in the whole state and there's about 3,650. Let's be extremely generous and say 2,000 of them are real/valid. How many pharm students does CA produce every year right now? 500ish? If that's the case, every new grad this year already has 4 jobs waiting for them EACH.
 
I would definitely take the less pay to work in a hospital. I think I would do it even if it's that much of a difference (altough I don't think it's like that here in LA). I'd rather work in a hospital so I can get myself involved in research and continue to learn. I think it'd be interested to work in clinical trials (if for whatever the reason the PharmD doesn't work out for me, I would like to go into clinical research management with just the BA).

I'm sorry for you guys who live in saturated areas. I'm in Los Angeles and the market seems to be great here. Like I said, I searched indeed and there are a LOT of openings (search my zip code: 91040 - within 25 miles). The only pharmacy schools we have in the area are USC and Western....if you go 100-150 miles south you run into UCSD and Loma Linda which don't produce many students each. The next closest one is Univ of Pacific which is frickin 350 miles up north. LA, OC, SD, Riverside....and somewhat Ventura county....these are frickin jam-packed counties in Southern California that continue to grow.

The point of this thread was to comment on the new schools in CA. I searched indeed for the number of pharmacist openings in the whole state and there's about 3,650. Let's be extremely generous and say 2,000 of them are real/valid. How many pharm students does CA produce every year right now? 500ish? If that's the case, every new grad this year already has 4 jobs waiting for them EACH.

The "pre-pharmacy" status best explains your views.
 
I'm sorry for you guys who live in saturated areas. I'm in Los Angeles and the market seems to be great here. Like I said, I searched indeed and there are a LOT of openings (search my zip code: 91040 - within 25 miles). The only pharmacy schools we have in the area are USC and Western....if you go 100-150 miles south you run into UCSD and Loma Linda which don't produce many students each. The next closest one is Univ of Pacific which is frickin 350 miles up north. LA, OC, SD, Riverside....and somewhat Ventura county....these are frickin jam-packed counties in Southern California that continue to grow.

OMG. You wait and see young grasshopper.. wait and see..
 
LOL yes I suppose I am optimistic, but only in the sense that I believe that if I work hard, get a degree, and apply myself that I'll end up with a job.

Yeah....all those unemployed lawyers out there sure didn't work hard at all and haven't applied themselves...

One thing I've learned...hard work doesn't equal success. *Smart* work = success. Working smart is knowing what the conditions are before you enter what it is you're getting into, and knowing how to weigh the risks from the benefits.
 
Top