Pharmacy Job Market/Outlook

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dudecoolname said:
Well, that sucks. Good luck with those interviews.

You're doing your job searching in Denver currently?
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Thanks! Yes and expanding outward slowly. The closer to Denver, the better, but I may end up being a couple of hours away by car. It would be better than the alternative of being a couple of hours away by plane.
 
Hi All,

Just wanted to put in my opinion, I too graduated 6 months ago, licensed in CT in good standing, and NO job, (also sent out hundreds of resumes, also went on a few interviews where the jobs went to more experienced pharmacists), I am now pursuing another license (a NY one, didn't really think that one through because no jobs in NY either).

It's extremely sad, my loans are now in deferment because I'm unemployed, and after so many years of studying and everyone thinking that there would be so many jobs for pharmacists, to not be able to find one 6 months after graduation!

I am willing to move to a lot of places, and I have applied all over the US, but I have found that places do not consider you unless you have a license for that state, so even though I am willing to move, I am not willing unless I have a job, and can't have a job without a license first...

Do I just accumulate licenses and keep paying fees for them? 😱

Really sad pharmacist job outlook..
 
RxBallerina said:
Hi All,

Just wanted to put in my opinion, I too graduated 6 months ago, licensed in CT in good standing, and NO job, (also sent out hundreds of resumes, also went on a few interviews where the jobs went to more experienced pharmacists), I am now pursuing another license (a NY one, didn't really think that one through because no jobs in NY either).

It's extremely sad, my loans are now in deferment because I'm unemployed, and after so many years of studying and everyone thinking that there would be so many jobs for pharmacists, to not be able to find one 6 months after graduation!

I am willing to move to a lot of places, and I have applied all over the US, but I have found that places do not consider you unless you have a license for that state, so even though I am willing to move, I am not willing unless I have a job, and can't have a job without a license first...

Do I just accumulate licenses and keep paying fees for them? 😱

Really sad pharmacist job outlook..
Click to expand...

i'm in nj, so i see a bunch of ny listings. there were a few that are very new grad friendly in upstate ny, so keep looking!
 
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I might be completely off-base here, but does anyone else think that part of the reason why the number of pharmacy jobs dried up very quickly is due to the recession? After all, in slower economic times, companies aren't expanding, which translates fewer new positions. In addition, older pharmacists may be unable or unwilling to retire, since retirement savings took a big hit during the collapse. This would mean that there are fewer replacement positions. Anyone care to weigh in?
 
hye345 said:
I might be completely off-base here, but does anyone else think that part of the reason why the number of pharmacy jobs dried up very quickly is due to the recession? After all, in slower economic times, companies aren't expanding, which translates fewer new positions. In addition, older pharmacists may be unable or unwilling to retire, since retirement savings took a big hit during the collapse. This would mean that there are fewer replacement positions. Anyone care to weigh in?
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Sure. Those are a few reasons. Also, patients' discretionary incomes have changed, insurance reimbursements have declined, and more pharmacy schools have opened up.
 
RxBallerina said:
Hi All,

Just wanted to put in my opinion, I too graduated 6 months ago, licensed in CT in good standing, and NO job, (also sent out hundreds of resumes, also went on a few interviews where the jobs went to more experienced pharmacists), I am now pursuing another license (a NY one, didn't really think that one through because no jobs in NY either).

It's extremely sad, my loans are now in deferment because I'm unemployed, and after so many years of studying and everyone thinking that there would be so many jobs for pharmacists, to not be able to find one 6 months after graduation!

I am willing to move to a lot of places, and I have applied all over the US, but I have found that places do not consider you unless you have a license for that state, so even though I am willing to move, I am not willing unless I have a job, and can't have a job without a license first...

Do I just accumulate licenses and keep paying fees for them? 😱

Really sad pharmacist job outlook..
Click to expand...

this is what you have to do

i think you need to move, get work experience, and hope you can move back to where you live in a higher position

but for entry level rph positions, you have to be willing to move right now and scoop up that opportunity
 
twester said:
Thanks! Yes and expanding outward slowly. The closer to Denver, the better, but I may end up being a couple of hours away by car. It would be better than the alternative of being a couple of hours away by plane.
Click to expand...

If you're willing to commute to Scottsbluff, Nebraska (about a 3-hour drive from Denver), they are dying for pharmacists and pay top dollar. My dad is a pharmacist there and can hardly get any time off due to a lack of pharmacists. There are only 2 in his pharmacy. You could still live in Denver and work a day or two/week or even monthly; they'll take whatever they can get. Wyoming is just as bad.
 
medium rare said:
If you're willing to commute to Scottsbluff, Nebraska (about a 3-hour drive from Denver), they are dying for pharmacists and pay top dollar. My dad is a pharmacist there and can hardly get any time off due to a lack of pharmacists. There are only 2 in his pharmacy. You could still live in Denver and work a day or two/week or even monthly; they'll take whatever they can get. Wyoming is just as bad.
Click to expand...

i would recommend this

3 hr is not a bad drive at all

i took a job that is about 4 hrs away from where im originally from....i still go home on weekends if i want to, its not bad....but the job is great clinical experience and something to build upon for the future
 
RxBallerina said:
Hi All,

Just wanted to put in my opinion, I too graduated 6 months ago, licensed in CT in good standing, and NO job, (also sent out hundreds of resumes, also went on a few interviews where the jobs went to more experienced pharmacists), I am now pursuing another license (a NY one, didn't really think that one through because no jobs in NY either).

It's extremely sad, my loans are now in deferment because I'm unemployed, and after so many years of studying and everyone thinking that there would be so many jobs for pharmacists, to not be able to find one 6 months after graduation!

I am willing to move to a lot of places, and I have applied all over the US, but I have found that places do not consider you unless you have a license for that state, so even though I am willing to move, I am not willing unless I have a job, and can't have a job without a license first...

Do I just accumulate licenses and keep paying fees for them? 😱

Really sad pharmacist job outlook..
Click to expand...
If you're willing to go "anywhere" apply for this job...the pay looks low but it doesn't factor in your housing allowance which is quite generous and averages out to what you would make on the low end of retail currently

http://armycivilianservice.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/302205200
 
we just had a recruiting fair here at school (which I have no idea why---I believe it was just PR for the companies)... oh my hell it was depressing. Walgreens said last year in 150 stores there was 25 spots open, this year 2, he said do the math on next year. No one was hiring, and we had all the chains there. Ya....so naturally I asked about residencies (last thing I wanna do)....sure the hospitals will do them...but there is ABSOLUTELY NO guarantee of a job... one of the guys who works for a large chain of hospitals in my area said "there is NO guarantees in pharmacy anymore"....PA school here I come
 
I have been practicing for 10 years-5 of which in management. yes it is very tough now!.Cost containment is the name of the game now and the Pharmacists are the highest cost labor segment in the industry. Technology, central fill and possible law changes may keep the job situation as is. it is economics, after all, and the demand curve is tapering off. I cannot figure why we have so many Pharm schools in FL, but the schools are milking revenue.
Students-consider making yourself unique or a doctoral program. A Pharm D with an MBA or J can open doors. IN this new era the professionals that will succeed are those that are interdisciplinary; trust me on this as I am fresh out of an executive MBA and this is the market demand. They need professionals who can straddle the scientific, economic and legal lines. Pharmacy background, despite the job outlook, is quite rigorous and very impressive and makes for one highly educated individual. marry that to another discipline.
I am combining my MBA and Pharmacy degree to try to get into a Health Policy PhD program. Pharmacy as we know it is changing-you need to change with it
 
CuriousPharmD said:
Does anyone know anything about the job market in the chicagoland area...i have been trying to get a part time/per diem job in the area and it seems impossible...are the retail stores here completely saturdated?? i have no idea...any help/info on this would be totally helpful...thanks!
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I live 3 hours away from Chicago. The pharmacy I work at has had fill-in pharmacists from Chicago. When I asked one (a new grad) why he was driving 3 hrs to work an 8hr shift, he said it was because he couldn't get a job in Chicago.

With 5 schools of pharmacy, there is no question that Chicago is completely saturated with pharmacists.
 
BidingMyTime said:
I live 3 hours away from Chicago. The pharmacy I work at has had fill-in pharmacists from Chicago. When I asked one (a new grad) why he was driving 3 hrs to work an 8hr shift, he said it was because he couldn't get a job in Chicago.

With 5 schools of pharmacy, there is no question that Chicago is completely saturated with pharmacists.
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thanks for getting back to my point!

that is pretty pathetic...you would think people would stop trying to get into pharm school since there are no jobs out there...it is amazing to me that people dont research their career decisions more thoroughy and extensively...

back to my original question...does anyone know of part time/per diem pharmacist positions that are available in the chicagoland area...pm me if you do pls....if you do i can possibly help out with some full time spots....i know of some openings in chicago...thanks again!!!
 
medium rare said:
If you're willing to commute to Scottsbluff, Nebraska (about a 3-hour drive from Denver), they are dying for pharmacists and pay top dollar. My dad is a pharmacist there and can hardly get any time off due to a lack of pharmacists. There are only 2 in his pharmacy. You could still live in Denver and work a day or two/week or even monthly; they'll take whatever they can get. Wyoming is just as bad.
Click to expand...

I'd go to Scottsbluff, but there is no position there either.
 
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CuriousPharmD said:
thanks for getting back to my point!

that is pretty pathetic...you would think people would stop trying to get into pharm school since there are no jobs out there...it is amazing to me that people dont research their career decisions more thoroughy and extensively...

back to my original question...does anyone know of part time/per diem pharmacist positions that are available in the chicagoland area...pm me if you do pls....if you do i can possibly help out with some full time spots....i know of some openings in chicago...thanks again!!!
Click to expand...

Can't really say there's no jobs, it all depends on where you want to live. If the above poster is working somewhere where they need fill in pharmacists from 3hr away, then I would assume there's probably jobs out there. Seems like most pharmacists are from the city/burbs though, so they'd rather die than take a job away from that. I kind of prefer the opposite.
 
While I was completing my rotations last year, I was hearing that pharmacy was oversaturated, but I didn't have any idea it was to this extent. I would caution anyone in their last year that it is never too early to start looking for a job. Even if you aren't sure what you want to do (which was how I felt), just get to applying anyway because having something is much better than having nothing.
 
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from the lack of posts about job availability in chicago seems to indicate to me that there are zero jobs in the chicago area....and with 5 schools in the area...2 of them opening with their inagural class this year seems to be getting only worse...yay!!!
 
CuriousPharmD said:
from the lack of posts about job availability in chicago seems to indicate to me that there are zero jobs in the chicago area....and with 5 schools in the area...2 of them opening with their inagural class this year seems to be getting only worse...yay!!!
Click to expand...

Walgreens is opening a new store in Chicago on State and Randolph (under the Joffrey Ballet studios).
 
Since the job market sucks should I just do the bare minimum in school to get a C? I have no plans whatsoever to apply for a residency.
 
Hello2011 said:
Since the job market sucks should I just do the bare minimum in school to get a C? I have no plans whatsoever to apply for a residency.
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thats what i did and i got a job no problem....actually if i was you i would probably drop out and choose a different career path...
 
There was a piece on the evening news the other night about a school in western NY, they said the class of 2011 all had job offers before the graduated. Were they lying?
 
At what point do you think that the school from which you graduate will start to have a much greater impact on your desirability? From this site more then most, I have heard many schools called joke schools or diploma mills and from that I gauge there are in the bad to OK range, with maybe a few as "rigorous and good." But at the same time, I have heard of very little distinguishing between hiring rates of programs or anything of the like.
 
bmkleinb said:
At what point do you think that the school from which you graduate will start to have a much greater impact on your desirability? From this site more then most, I have heard many schools called joke schools or diploma mills and from that I gauge there are in the bad to OK range, with maybe a few as "rigorous and good." But at the same time, I have heard of very little distinguishing between hiring rates of programs or anything of the like.
Click to expand...

You heard right. A passing NAPLEX score is a passing NAPLEX score, regardless of where you got your PharmD at.
 
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Corpseman said:
So, what is the unemployment rate for pharmacists?
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Not high, contrary to what this board may indicate. I'm at a school in downtown Chicago (as saturated as it gets), and I think in last year's class of 160ish, there's approximately 3 people without a job or residency. Obviously they didn't all stay in the area, but I suppose that's not the point. Whether the school you go to matters and how the market will change going forward is yet to be seen, but don't expect 50% unemployment rates anytime soon.

I expect this post to be firmly contradicted by a few of our classic posters here, but eh, whatever.
 
Regarding whether the school matters:

I spoke with my "mentor" who helps fill 8 PGY1 slots at a major residency program, and their ranking system does not account for what school a candidate graduated from.

Needless to say I wish it did!
 
It's more of a regional than nationwide situation i.e. no one out of the area will likely know the difference between say, UCSF and UNC. But (and I can only speak for Illinois) preceptors and potential employers here are pretty much in agreement that everything being nearly equal, the student from UIC or Midwestern will have an edge over the student from Chicago State.
 
I'm curious about job markets other than working at a hospital or retail stores as pharmacists. Well, first of all, I'm an international student and I've been continuously reminded that trying to get a job at retail stores or hospitals is "pretty difficult." How about working in the industry, i.e pharmaceutical companies? Also, does one need to have a PhD to go into academic medicine?

Thank You
 
I am an international student too, and as far as I have been able to find out, once you have the degree, because there is a need for pharmacists, you will be able to get a job SOMEWHERE. I mean, as long as you perform well in school, you can at least get a residency which pays a decent amount, after which you could start working at that hospital.
My master plan is to just get married to my current boyfriend and get a green card mwuhahah!

Seriously though it should not be a problem. As internationals we will always have a harder time in getting jobs etc but if you are good, they will except you.
 
Pharmatope anywhere? these people need you to answer their questions. 🙂
 
hello
this may seem a little off topic but i think it some what fits in this thread.
I am graduating this year in May and starting to worry about the job outlook etc. Where I am confused it that every time i do a job search on indeed I see so many openings for pharmacist in my area( a city with few pharm schools) and yet people keep saying there are no jobs. Are these postings just postings and there are no real jobs?
Another thing I have noted is that almost everyone I know from last years graduating class from my school has found a job somewhere in this area. so are there actually enough jobs for pharmacists in the end?
I am just really worried and confused so please can someone shed some light on this...
 
Whats the best website for pharmacist jobs?? Am getting worried about not having any offers after graduation
 
Times have changed and you should seriously reconsider your career options. Students with residencies are starting to land "staff" jobs instead of clinical positions. PGY2's aren't finding jobs at their preferred sites... CVS losing xScripts contract... haha. Get out while you can.
 
Many of the recent grads I talked to say that the trend (esp. in more populated areas in Southern California) is that a lot of students are underemployed.. meaning that they are not finding full-time jobs. I don't know the exact statistics of how many people are unable to find full-time, but times are changing..
 
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ExpressMaiL said:
Times have changed and you should seriously reconsider your career options. Students with residencies are starting to land "staff" jobs instead of clinical positions. PGY2's aren't finding jobs at their preferred sites... CVS losing xScripts contract... haha. Get out while you can.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you mean Walgreens?
 
cck3 said:
I'm curious about job markets other than working at a hospital or retail stores as pharmacists. Well, first of all, I'm an international student and I've been continuously reminded that trying to get a job at retail stores or hospitals is "pretty difficult." How about working in the industry, i.e pharmaceutical companies? Also, does one need to have a PhD to go into academic medicine?

Thank You
Click to expand...

oktobre21 said:
I am an international student too, and as far as I have been able to find out, once you have the degree, because there is a need for pharmacists, you will be able to get a job SOMEWHERE. I mean, as long as you perform well in school, you can at least get a residency which pays a decent amount, after which you could start working at that hospital.
My master plan is to just get married to my current boyfriend and get a green card mwuhahah!

Seriously though it should not be a problem. As internationals we will always have a harder time in getting jobs etc but if you are good, they will except you.
Click to expand...

SHC1984 said:
Pharmatope anywhere? these people need you to answer their questions. 🙂
Click to expand...

ExpressMaiL said:
Times have changed and you should seriously reconsider your career options. Students with residencies are starting to land "staff" jobs instead of clinical positions. PGY2's aren't finding jobs at their preferred sites... CVS losing xScripts contract... haha. Get out while you can.
Click to expand...

koercive said:
Many of the recent grads I talked to say that the trend (esp. in more populated areas in Southern California) is that a lot of students are underemployed.. meaning that they are not finding full-time jobs. I don't know the exact statistics of how many people are unable to find full-time, but times are changing..
Click to expand...

fluorometholone said:
Perhaps you mean Walgreens?
Click to expand...

Hello2011 said:
I'm so sick of hearing Giant eagle commercials on the radio saying how gladly they will take express scripts after anouncing Walgreens losing them. What a viper's nest.
Click to expand...

We have a totally awesome megathread for this. Moving. 👍
 
ExpressMaiL said:
Times have changed and you should seriously reconsider your career options. Students with residencies are starting to land "staff" jobs instead of clinical positions. PGY2's aren't finding jobs at their preferred sites... CVS losing xScripts contract... haha. Get out while you can.
Click to expand...

I'm at a hospital in Miami. Our last resident ended up not only taking one of those god awful and dreaded "staff" positions, but it was the 3pm - 11pm shift. So much for her clinical training. Our residency director told our current resident not to quit her part time Walgreens job because employment can't be guaranteed come next year. Honestly, I think the only point of a PGY-1 at this point is for someone who wants to get into a hospital environment but has had no previous experience (as a tech or in some other professional field) and has no connections. The PGY-2 really seems to be the only thing now that is going to guarantee you a purely "clinical" role but the problem is you might have to move 2000 miles across the country to get that specialty position.
 
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CYP3A4 said:
I'm at a hospital in Miami. Our last resident ended up not only taking one of those god awful and dreaded "staff" positions, but it was the 3pm - 11pm shift. So much for her clinical training. Our residency director told our current resident not to quit her part time Walgreens job because employment can't be guaranteed come next year. Honestly, I think the only point of a PGY-1 at this point is for someone who wants to get into a hospital environment but has had no previous experience (as a tech or in some other professional field) and has no connections. The PGY-2 really seems to be the only thing now that is going to guarantee you a purely "clinical" role but the problem is you might have to move 2000 miles across the country to get that specialty position.
Click to expand...

LOL are you sure that isn't one of the "clinical positions" that involves 100% staff work. I love to see the duped new grads at the interviews. One of those "I thought I was going to go on rounds and do exotic dosing and protocols, but you're telling me that you want me to just shut the **** up and verify orders in the basement for 8 hours straight?" looks is just priceless...
 
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