Why Pharmacy is a great profession...

ZpackSux · Apr 25, 2005

1. You can get a job anywhere in the country.
2. It pays well.
3. It's a doctorate degree.
4. You can work part time.
5. Malpractice insurance is $150 per year.
6. Rare on call.
7. Options are plentiful.
8. You can own your own business and have someone else run it.
9. You can own a chain.
10. There are more female students.. good for the guys.

You guys add to it.

yatzek · Apr 25, 2005

easy access to drugs (if you are ill 🙂

ChemAngel · Apr 25, 2005

- your techs do all the nasty work
-you can sleep/read a magazine/do your nails in the back and nobody will notice
-it's cool to be called doctor

tupac_don · Apr 26, 2005

ChemAngel said:
- your techs do all the nasty work
-you can sleep/read a magazine/do your nails in the back and nobody will notice
-it's cool to be called doctor

Drawbacks

1) Yea you have designation of a doctor, but you are not a real doctor, and only pharmacy students would call you a doctor if you are in an academic setting, nobody else really.

2) You do have advanced education, but your job is more or less quality control, making sure that right drug goes to right pt and that doctors don't make fatal mistakes, not a ton of brain work.

3) You get to work on the cash register and you do fill, depending on where you work and how good your techs are.

4) You realize, that you are just a keeper of drugs for pts, and you are the only person standing b/w them and their Vicodin, Percocet, Morphine, and they don't like to wait.

5) Although you are an "expert" in drugs, it's theoretical for most part, and you might know more theory than a general doctor or intern, but specialist, know more than pharmacists hands down.

6) Hours are defiently good and the pay and that is probably the saving grace of pharmacy.

More cons, but I just dont' have time to write them now.

DHG · Apr 26, 2005

tupac_don said:
.....

More cons, but I just dont' have time to write them now.

Gee, that's tragic, I was so enjoying your condescending attitude. Can't contain my excitement until you post the rest 🙄

Sorry if you didn't mean it that way, but it comes off a little, um, tactless.

"not a lot of brainwork" and "you get to do the register" (yea! I get to play on the register, yea!) came to mind. If you aren't a troll and you are genuinely wanting to participate in a discussion, you may want to work on your communication skills. Last I heard, those were pretty important for being a Doctor. If yours don't improve, I certainly wouldn't want you as my Doc.

EYESURG · Apr 26, 2005

tupac_don said:
Drawbacks

1) Yea you have designation of a doctor, but you are not a real doctor, and only pharmacy students would call you a doctor if you are in an academic setting, nobody else really.

2) You do have advanced education, but your job is more or less quality control, making sure that right drug goes to right pt and that doctors don't make fatal mistakes, not a ton of brain work.

3) You get to work on the cash register and you do fill, depending on where you work and how good your techs are.

4) You realize, that you are just a keeper of drugs for pts, and you are the only person standing b/w them and their Vicodin, Percocet, Morphine, and they don't like to wait.

5) Although you are an "expert" in drugs, it's theoretical for most part, and you might know more theory than a general doctor or intern, but specialist, know more than pharmacists hands down.

6) Hours are defiently good and the pay and that is probably the saving grace of pharmacy.

More cons, but I just dont' have time to write them now.

I am both a pharmacist and newly graduate of medical school. Each field has thier own pros/cons. You just have to decide which one fits your personality. BTW, physicians too stand b/w their patients and thier Class II,III, & IV! They are both good professions. You just have to know what you like.

baggywrinkle · Apr 26, 2005

ZpackSux said:
1. You can get a job anywhere in the country.

I have spent my career doing exactly that. The beauty of pharmacy once you have mastered it is you can pick up and blow away secure in your ability to put bread on the table where ever you choose to land. When I lived in Southwest Colorado I was able to earn a decent living during a three year extended ski vacation. Now I am in Washington preparing to explore my wooden boat building - Horatio Hornblower fantasy and when that is done Alaska beacons. Along the way I turned down international opportunities in Saipan, Saudi Arabia, and Australia.

Initially on graduation you might look forward to a career, but later Pharmacy is a means to other ends. When I lived in Texas I learned to fly gathering over 700 flight hours becoming a flight instructor teaching others to fly. During my time as a flight instructor I flew a physician from Pueblo to Denver. This was intended to be an instrument refresher trip for him, but he was so damned busy on the phone that I got to fly the entire trip. Which brings up another point. In pharmacy when you are done you are DONE What good is $400,000 a year if you do not have the time to enjoy it?

Sosumi · Apr 26, 2005

tupac_don said:
Drawbacks

1) Yea you have designation of a doctor, but you are not a real doctor, and only pharmacy students would call you a doctor if you are in an academic setting, nobody else really.

5) Although you are an "expert" in drugs, it's theoretical for most part, and you might know more theory than a general doctor or intern, but specialist, know more than pharmacists hands down.

That depends on where you work. I work in an underserved population, and these people see and call the pharmacist as "doctor" all the time. They really trust and value her opinion because she's so accessible, and it's often harder for them to see a medical doctor.

Yeah, so a specialist knows more about the drugs they use than a general pharmacist. You're discounting board certified pharmacists like my professors who specialize in infectious diseases, cardiology, and psychiatry and actually teach the medical residents about the use of drugs in those areas.

Other pluses:

-You don't have to get your hands dirty with bodily fluids or touching patients.

-A big reason why there are so many female students in my school are the hours: they can work just 20 hrs/week so they can have time to raise kids and still get paid decently.

DrugDealer · Apr 26, 2005

baggywrinkle said:
Along the way I turned down international opportunities in Saipan, Saudi Arabia, and Australia.

Hey, baggywrinkle, could you elaborate on this? Are there specific companies that recruit for overseas? How does licensing, etc. work?

baggywrinkle · Apr 26, 2005

rxgal8 said:
WOW !!!!! I'm jealous 🙂

Don't be I earn a quarter of that. That is physician's pay but he is tied to his electronic leash

baggywrinkle · Apr 26, 2005

DrugDealer said:
Hey, baggywrinkle, could you elaborate on this? Are there specific companies that recruit for overseas? How does licensing, etc. work?

Yes, there are. Just watch the classifieds in the professional rags. Pharmacy Week, for example. I have seen the position in Saipan come and go several times over the years. It is hardship duty. Low pay relative to the States incudes a housing allowance and you are stuck on an Island 7x14 miles and all the comforts of home are shipped in - there were only two ships a year so the hospital had a truely closed formulary (!) But if you are a diver you won't find a better place to spend your off time and you are within hopping distance of Japan Thailand and Australia. Saipan is an American territory so you just need a valid license and the desire to actually show up. Saudi only required a valid license. Australia would require formal immigration and two years of training/apprenticeship to tune in to their English based system. Worth doing if you are a sassy 27 y/o.

rxgal8 · Apr 26, 2005

baggywrinkle said:
Don't be I earn a quarter of that. That is physician's pay but he is tied to his electronic leash

Oh yah I totally agree. We have much better hours and I wouldn't want to take my work home, like physicians who are on call, etc.

WVUPharm2007 · Apr 27, 2005

but specialist, know more than pharmacists hands down.

That's about the funniest thing I've heard all day. If I had a nickel every time a 'specialist' wrote for brand only synthroid....

Now how about this: A Pharmacist that has completed a two year residency in a specific area. Does a specialist know more abut pharmacotherapy than said pharmacist?

baggywrinkle · Apr 27, 2005

WVUPharm2007 said:
Now how about this: A Pharmacist that has completed a two year residency in a specific area. Does a specialist know more abut pharmacotherapy than said pharmacist?

Playing devils advocate here, the specialist actually might since he can witness first hand the impact of therapy which he/she has administered. It is one level of learning to read about it but it is much deeper learning to actually experience it. For example, When I was a nursing assistant my nurse and I came across a woman who appeared dead. Pupils the size of dimes clammy waxy skin. White/green color. But wait, she wasn't dead she was still breathing...four times per minute. She had been given a percocet and twenty minutes later was still whining about the pain so the medication nurse administered a demerol injection. Twenty minutes later both drugs peaked and she darn near died. The charge nurse gave her narcan out of the crash box and 15 minutes later she was sitting up smiling. This event happened well over twenty years ago yet it is so crystal clear in my memory it is like it was yesterday. My point? You cannot get that intense experience from a book.

Bottom line. Never get into a pissing match with a practitioner on his own turf, unless you are very sure of what you speak. Your knowledge is broader, but his is deeper.

bananaface · Apr 27, 2005

A good pharmacist will have the balls to get into the pissing match when necessary, though. This is not a profession for a passive person.

tupac_don · Apr 28, 2005

WVUPharm2007 said:
That's about the funniest thing I've heard all day. If I had a nickel every time a 'specialist' wrote for brand only synthroid....

Now how about this: A Pharmacist that has completed a two year residency in a specific area. Does a specialist know more abut pharmacotherapy than said pharmacist?

Maybe you misunderstood me. I meant that a specialist doctor withing his sphere of specialty, say in oncology will know more than a pharmacist about cancer drugs, but not neccessarily about hypertensives (staff pharmacists). Also doctors will know more practical knowledge of drugs in terms of their effect on the body, and what they seen from expereince, whereas the pharmacists knowledge will be based theoretically and from studies. Now keep in mind a doctor is not gonna ask a pharmacist for the dose or how the drug works. What he will ask is bioavailability issues, formulary issues, switch from IV to PO agent, or whether something can be compounded. But on the whole unless a pharmacy clinical specialist is truly an expert in certain field of drugs and does extensive research, they might know more than the specialist and then only about drugs.

Also keep in mind, that doctors see how these drugs work in the body, whereas the pharmacists don't. Pharmacists knowledge of drugs is mostly theoretical and what the doctor, tells him on rounds. Pharmacists, does not do a physical exam on the pt, he doesn't really have a personal experience with the way the drug works.

Now pharmacists are very useful in little thing, like you just mentioned right brand, generic name, but really doctors, don't care about that stuff. They are more interested in right drug, right pt, right outcome.

Don't misunderstand that I am trying to belittle pharmacists or anything along those lines, just saying that if you truly want to be an expert, you need the diagnostic knowledge in addition to pharmacotherapeutic knowledge. And I think that most doctors have better than rudimentary knowledge of drugs, wheareas to flip the situations, I am not sure that most pharmacists have a very strong anatomical or pathophys. knowledge of diseases being treated in a particular specialty.

tupac_don · Apr 28, 2005

baggywrinkle said:
Playing devils advocate here, the specialist actually might since he can witness first hand the impact of therapy which he/she has administered. It is one level of learning to read about it but it is much deeper learning to actually experience it. For example, When I was a nursing assistant my nurse and I came across a woman who appeared dead. Pupils the size of dimes clammy waxy skin. White/green color. But wait, she wasn't dead she was still breathing...four times per minute. She had been given a percocet and twenty minutes later was still whining about the pain so the medication nurse administered a demerol injection. Twenty minutes later both drugs peaked and she darn near died. The charge nurse gave her narcan out of the crash box and 15 minutes later she was sitting up smiling. This event happened well over twenty years ago yet it is so crystal clear in my memory it is like it was yesterday. My point? You cannot get that intense experience from a book.

Bottom line. Never get into a pissing match with a practitioner on his own turf, unless you are very sure of what you speak. Your knowledge is broader, but his is deeper.

\

Exactly!

tupac_don · Apr 28, 2005

Sosumi said:
That depends on where you work. I work in an underserved population, and these people see and call the pharmacist as "doctor" all the time. They really trust and value her opinion because she's so accessible, and it's often harder for them to see a medical doctor.

Yeah, so a specialist knows more about the drugs they use than a general pharmacist. You're discounting board certified pharmacists like my professors who specialize in infectious diseases, cardiology, and psychiatry and actually teach the medical residents about the use of drugs in those areas.

Other pluses:

-You don't have to get your hands dirty with bodily fluids or touching patients.

-A big reason why there are so many female students in my school are the hours: they can work just 20 hrs/week so they can have time to raise kids and still get paid decently.

Yea your professors are academically knowledgable, but do they watch the pts rxn to the drug, do they see first hand how the drug works in the body. Somehow I doubt that. And you even said "actually teach medical residents" well yea, b/c medical residents are by definition doctors in training. I mean you don't consider a lion cub as feirce and as strong as a full grown lion. Just like you don't consider a medical resident up to par to an attending. Medical residents, actually know very little about drugs, particularly when they start out, but as they mature, they soon overtake a pharmacist and his knowledge.

As far as you saying that pharmacists don't get "dirty with bodily fluids". Very true, but at the same time that gives them distance from pt care. How can a pharmacist call himself an expert in drugs when he doesnt' see first hand how a drug works in the body. That's like reading to fly an airplane, but never actually having flown one.To do this, you have to be in the trenches, besides the pts when they are at their best and their worse. Also doctors themselves don't deal that much with bodily fluids, unless you are an ER doc or you are a surgeon. Nurses and PCA's deal much more with bodily fluids than doctors or PA's for that matter.

P.s. I use to think just like you as a student, and wondered why pharmacists don't have more autonomy in terms of prescribing drugs, but as you go on to
real world, you will see that a doctor is in much better position to make decisions about drug tx than a pharmacist is. They just seem to have a much more intimate and in depth understanding of pts then pharmacists do. And how wouldn't you if you are in a hospital for 30hrs, whereas as a Rx you leave after 8hrs. Doctors seem to see the big picture, when using drugs in terms of the pt and their disease state. Whereas pharmacists only see, the drug part.

baggywrinkle · Apr 28, 2005

tupac_don said:
Doctors seem to see the big picture, when using drugs in terms of the pt and their disease state. Whereas pharmacists only see, the drug part.

You are comparing apples and oranges. Docs are big picture guys and pharmacists sweat the details. We worry about stability, compatability, palatabilty, cost, compliance, and interactions. We delve into areas that physicians are only peripherally aware of such as botanical, herbal, and homeopathic medicine. We are autonomous, always have been and in the
State of Washington at least, always will be - protected by the legislature.
Illinois & Missouri can just go fish. They are heaven in your rear view mirrow.
If you doubt our autonomy, try and force me to fill a narcotic written by you for your wife.

tupac_don · Apr 28, 2005

baggywrinkle said:
You are comparing apples and oranges. Docs are big picture guys and pharmacists sweat the details. We worry about stability, compatability, palatabilty, cost, compliance, and interactions. We delve into areas that physicians are only peripherally aware of such as botanical, herbal, and homeopathic medicine. We are autonomous, always have been and in the
State of Washington at least, always will be - protected by the legislature.
Illinois & Missouri can just go fish. They are heaven in your rear view mirrow.
If you doubt our autonomy, try and force me to fill a narcotic written by you for your wife.

Baggywrinkle,

I actually agree with what you say, I think that based on your posts that you are an experienced pharmacist who has been around the block for some time and from what I can gather worked both retail and hospital. I think you understand the situation perfectly. As far as me saying pharmacists don't have autonomy, more presicely I meant, that pharmacists don't have "real" autonomy in terms of tx. If you want to change a drug, or alter tx or anything along those line, you have to page the doctor and ask for his permission. Which I wish pharmacist had more training and more autonomy in that area, almost along the lines of PA's or even NP's. Now having the right to refuse to fill a narcotic is a whole different ball game. I mean by definition pharmacists are autonomous practitioners by definition, they are not controlled by physicians or boards that govern physicians. My whole pt is that clinically they really don't have autonomy, pharmacist cannot alter tx, cannot do substitutions from one beta blocker to another. I really meant clinically pharmacists cannot do anyting tx wise without clearing it with the doctor first.

There is no issue as far as refusing to fill a narcotic, or telling the doctor that something is not on the formulary and that it wont' be filled. That pharmacists can defiently do.

Lexian · Apr 28, 2005

I agree with points raised by both Tupac and Baggywrinkle (I feel really weird writing that by the way).

While I would love to see the role of the pharmacist expand, the lack of true clinical experience really cuts us short and puts us in the position where we cannot see the "big picture" in terms of treatment sometimes. For clinical pharmacists this might be different, but it's still a fairly new field and I think we're still years away from seeing how clinical pharmacists are impact patient care. Perception of the profession is something I think everyone can agree needs to change, but that will take time.

Trancelucent1 · Apr 29, 2005

tupac_don said:
Baggywrinkle,

I actually agree with what you say, I think that based on your posts that you are an experienced pharmacist who has been around the block for some time and from what I can gather worked both retail and hospital. I think you understand the situation perfectly. As far as me saying pharmacists don't have autonomy, more presicely I meant, that pharmacists don't have "real" autonomy in terms of tx. If you want to change a drug, or alter tx or anything along those line, you have to page the doctor and ask for his permission. Which I wish pharmacist had more training and more autonomy in that area, almost along the lines of PA's or even NP's. Now having the right to refuse to fill a narcotic is a whole different ball game. I mean by definition pharmacists are autonomous practitioners by definition, they are not controlled by physicians or boards that govern physicians. My whole pt is that clinically they really don't have autonomy, pharmacist cannot alter tx, cannot do substitutions from one beta blocker to another. I really meant clinically pharmacists cannot do anyting tx wise without clearing it with the doctor first.

There is no issue as far as refusing to fill a narcotic, or telling the doctor that something is not on the formulary and that it wont' be filled. That pharmacists can defiently do.

If you work for the VA, clinical pharmacists have the right to write/change prescriptions without paging the Doc. Many clinical pharmacists have their own pts that they see on a regular basis as well.

Also, I know of a few pharmacists in local hospitals who the doctors go to for questions on tx. They are well respected and have made a good name for themselves. They are also "younger" pharmacists. I think that this is a good sign of change. As long as you're knowledgeable and you go in there and show that, then I think you'll be treated differently (at least by some of the younger docs). I know exactly what I want to do and I hope to be as well respected as some of the pharmacists that I know.

chocoholic · Apr 29, 2005

baggywrinkle said:
Illinois & Missouri can just go fish. They are heaven in your rear view mirrow.

What does that mean?

baggywrinkle · Apr 30, 2005

chocoholic said:
What does that mean?

As I understand it they are two of the three states contemplating mandatory dispensing legislation for practicing pharmacists. Reason enough for me to pull up stakes and move had I been living there. With any luck FDA will put Plan B over the counter and take the wind out of their sails

baggywrinkle · Apr 30, 2005

Trancelucent1 said:
I know exactly what I want to do and I hope to be as well respected as some of the pharmacists that I know.

You will be awesome

You will know you have arrived when that cranky old coot who would never speak to you calls you Doc

rxgal8 · Apr 30, 2005

baggywrinkle said:
As I understand it they are two of the three states contemplating mandatory dispensing legislation for practicing pharmacists. Reason enough for me to pull up stakes and move had I been living there. With any luck FDA will put Plan B over the counter and take the wind out of their sails

Illinois, Missouri, and .... (what's the third state?)
Oh god, Plan B as an OTC :scared:

Trancelucent1 · Apr 30, 2005

baggywrinkle said:
You will be awesome

You will know you have arrived when that cranky old coot who would never speak to you calls you Doc

haha and only 3+ years to go, unless I do a specialty residency then 4+. Oh the joy!!

ZpackSux · Apr 30, 2005

You guys suck.. I had it up to #10 why Pharmacy is a great profession. Then the next person suppose to put up #11 why pharmacy is a great profession.. not a pissing match of who knows more about drugs and why one profession is more clinical than the other.

Heck, if knowing indepth pharmacotherapy makes pharmacy great, then memorize Depiro and read all published medical jounals and memorize it.

I wanted to hear what being a pharmacist makes your life more fulfulling... not knowing more about drugs.

Dr.BadVibes · Apr 30, 2005

ZpackSux said:
1. You can get a job anywhere in the country.
2. It pays well.
3. It's a doctorate degree.
4. You can work part time.
5. Malpractice insurance is $150 per year.
6. Rare on call.
7. Options are plentiful.
8. You can own your own business and have someone else run it.
9. You can own a chain.
10. There are more female students.. good for the guys.

You guys add to it.

I have a problem with 8 and 9. With chain stores taking over the pharmacy world, how do pharmacists think that they can own their own business? The days of ma and pa pharmacy stores are long gone.

Also, I have never in my entire life heard someone refer a pharmacist as doctor....

bananaface · Apr 30, 2005

There are plenty of indies out there. Many offer extended services such as compounding and medical supplies. The average owner of an indie makes 300K per store per year. Of course there is quite a bit of variability. People said 20 years ago that ma and pa stores would die any moment because of chains. They are still just fine. You get personalized service and a relationship there that many people cannot find in a chain.

ZpackSux · Apr 30, 2005

Dr.BadVibes said:
I have a problem with 8 and 9. With chain stores taking over the pharmacy world, how do pharmacists think that they can own their own business? The days of ma and pa pharmacy stores are long gone.

Also, I have never in my entire life heard someone refer a pharmacist as doctor....

Independent pharmacists are doing well, thank you.
Nowhere in my post did I mention pharmacist being a doctor.

I could add... 11.. don't have to work in people's mouth.. but I won't.

baggywrinkle · May 1, 2005

Dr.BadVibes said:
I have a problem with 8 and 9. With chain stores taking over the pharmacy world, how do pharmacists think that they can own their own business? The days of ma and pa pharmacy stores are long gone.

Also, I have never in my entire life heard someone refer a pharmacist as doctor....

It happens just often enough and the people who say it mean it 😳

ilovepharmacy · May 1, 2005

Dr.BadVibes said:
How do pharmacists think that they can own their own business? The days of ma and pa pharmacy stores are long gone.

Also, I have never in my entire life heard someone refer a pharmacist as doctor....

Long gone? HA! I am proud to say that my parents have owned a "ma and pa pharmacy" for 10 years now.. and it sits right across the street from a Rite-Aid! And down the street from us is another indie pharmacy :laugh:

The 300K salary hits the mark. Unlike chain stores, indie owners have the liberty to get as creative as they want and offer anything! They can contract out to nursing homes, provide DME products, have more time for consultation services, etc. Like bananaface said, you can get the personalized service that the majority of chain stores just cannot provide. And that, my friend, will never go out of style.

BTW, go be a pharmacist and then you'll hear many people call you a doctor.

🙄 Dr.BadVibes.. you give me bad vibes..

DrugDealer · May 1, 2005

ZpackSux said:
You guys suck.. I had it up to #10 why Pharmacy is a great profession. Then the next person suppose to put up #11 why pharmacy is a great profession.. not a pissing match of who knows more about drugs and why one profession is more clinical than the other.

#11...You get to wear that nifty little white coat. And it stays white.

ZpackSux · May 1, 2005

DrugDealer said:
#11...You get to wear that nifty little white coat. And it stays white.

hmm... I haven't worn a white coat since my 4th year rotations.. don't own a coat now.

Sosumi · May 1, 2005

12. You get to make your old professors squirm when they have come to your pharmacy to pick up their medicine.

13. You get to meet all sorts of interesting people from other states and countries (at least in the two downtown pharmacies where I work).

14. You get to meet a few famous people too. (I got to meet a very rich man recently who's recognizable if you're into sports).

Anotsu Kagehisa · May 1, 2005

Here's what I don't get about being a pharmacist. Whether you work at the worlds best hospital pharmacy or the local CVS/Walgreens....aren't pharmacists just basically glorified order takers? I.e. some tells them (an MD or nurse or whomever) what to put in a bottle? Sure, its important to know about interactions, etc....but computer programs could likely do just as well. Any pharmacists or aspiring phamacists around to challenge my assumptions? Pharmacists don't actually develop drugs or help to do so, seems like they are just there to run a drug store, which doesn't even require a college degree. Sorry if it seems like I'm just playa hatin' here...

bananaface · May 1, 2005

Anotsu Kagehisa said:
Here's what I don't get about being a pharmacist. Whether you work at the worlds best hospital pharmacy or the local CVS/Walgreens....aren't pharmacists just basically glorified order takers? I.e. some tells them (an MD or nurse or whomever) what to put in a bottle? Sure, its important to know about interactions, etc....but computer programs could likely do just as well. Any pharmacists or aspiring phamacists around to challenge my assumptions? Pharmacists don't actually develop drugs or help to do so, seems like they are just there to run a drug store, which doesn't even require a college degree. Sorry if it seems like I'm just playa hatin' here...

There is no sense in replying to the meanderings of a banned troll.

tupac_don · May 2, 2005

Anotsu Kagehisa said:
Here's what I don't get about being a pharmacist. Whether you work at the worlds best hospital pharmacy or the local CVS/Walgreens....aren't pharmacists just basically glorified order takers? I.e. some tells them (an MD or nurse or whomever) what to put in a bottle? Sure, its important to know about interactions, etc....but computer programs could likely do just as well. Any pharmacists or aspiring phamacists around to challenge my assumptions? Pharmacists don't actually develop drugs or help to do so, seems like they are just there to run a drug store, which doesn't even require a college degree. Sorry if it seems like I'm just playa hatin' here...

You do have a point, but it's not as simple as you make it. Yes pharmacists are basically quality control when it comes to drugs. As a pharmacist you are overtrained, to perform a job efficiently and effectively. Your main job is to promote safety, so that the right drug gets to the right pt, without any problems, preventable adverse events and in a timely manner. And actually I guarantee you that level of care would decrease without pharmacists screening for drug interactions, questioning orders and doses. However, like you said, it is in some way a glorified order taker, b/c you do 4 years of pretty intense study, to basically make sure that right drug is dispensed. But I guess the rationale is that they would rather train someone adequately overtrain them if you will, so that they can handle the job quickly and efficently. And don't kid yourself, although the order entry/processing can be assembly like style without much brain work, you have to really pay attn to little details to avoid errors. I just wish that pharmacists are used more clinically and maybe allow most of the "quality control type" work to technicians. But really in that case you would have to have technicians have at least some degree, which I don't see happening any time soon. So for now, that's just the way it is. Hope that answers your q.

baggywrinkle · May 2, 2005

tupac_don said:
And don't kid yourself, although the order entry/processing can be assembly like style without much brain work, you have to really pay attn to little details to avoid errors. .

Hours and hours of tedious repetition punctuated by moments of sheer terror.
Boring is good. Trust me on that.

It amazes me how people sell retail short. Time management. People management. Prioritization. Conflict resolution. It isn't always fun but these people need you. They might not know it and most likely won't appreciate it, but if you doubt it go home sick one day and watch the panic. These people need you and they will challenge you in ways you could never dream of or prepare for. Your education will be barely adequate.

bananaface · May 2, 2005

tupac_don said:
Hope that answers your q.

That troll has been banned multiple times using multiple accounts. The comments were made to incite conflict, nothing more. The less attention we give it, the less incentive it has to return.

Dr.BadVibes · May 2, 2005

When i said the days of "ma and pa" pharmacies were way gone, i was referring to starting one up from scratch today. The OP was making it sound like a pharmacist today could open up a new pharmacy with no problems.....that is a huge financial risk where odds favour failure more than success.

Dr.BadVibes · May 2, 2005

ZpackSux said:
Independent pharmacists are doing well, thank you.
Nowhere in my post did I mention pharmacist being a doctor.

I could add... 11.. don't have to work in people's mouth.. but I won't.

I could also add 12. Is able to tell people what aisle the Tostitos are or where to find the cases of Coke that are on sale....but I won't. 😀

Dr.BadVibes · May 2, 2005

ilovepharmacy said:
BTW, go be a pharmacist and then you'll hear many people call you a doctor.

🙄 Dr.BadVibes.. you give me bad vibes..

I still dont know where you guys are gettging this whole, pharmacists are referred to as doctors from....i have never called a pharmacist a doctor and I have never once heard anyone refer a pharmacist as a doctor....

and for ilovepharmacy, I would rather be a dentist where EVERYONE calls me doctor.....

baggywrinkle · May 2, 2005

Dr.BadVibes said:
I would rather be a dentist where EVERYONE calls me doctor.....

When I'm in the mood to pay large amounts of money to have pain inflicted on me I'll come see you. "It's your PROFESSIONALISM *I* respect" (Bill Murry Little Shop of Horrors)

Does Poutine promote healthy gums? Ehh?

Dr.BadVibes · May 2, 2005

baggywrinkle said:
Does Poutine promote healthy gums? Ehh?

MMMMMMMMm......poutine!! Im suprised you know about that!! 😛

rxgal8 · May 2, 2005

Dr.BadVibes said:
I would rather be a dentist where EVERYONE calls me doctor.....

Geez...why are you so stuck up on being called a "doctor"? Does it really make a difference when it comes to treating your patients? Btw, I'd much rather be on a first-name basis with my patients than being called "doctor ...." 😛

Dr.BadVibes · May 2, 2005

rxgal8 said:
Geez...why are you so stuck up on being called a "doctor"? Does it really make a difference when it comes to treating your patients? Btw, I'd much rather be on a first-name basis with my patients than being called "doctor ...." 😛

Actually im not stuck up on being called doctor at all....if Im not mistaken, the people replying on this thread got all excited about being a pharmacist and being referred to as doctor and that kinda shocked/amused me.

As for patients, I totally agree with you....especially in my field where patients are usually scared of me, I would think that by introducing myself by my first name would ease them during their appointment and that is exactly the atmosphere Im gonna do my best to create.......

Sosumi · May 2, 2005

Where are you getting your information that most start up pharmacy businesses fail? Reading the Pfizer digest and conversations with people who have recently and successfully opened up their pharmacy prove otherwise. The main reason many don't is start up costs and the lure of easy money working in chain retail. The failure rate is minimal, especially compared to every other business.

I don't see anyone in this thread getting all excited about being called doctor -- just that the degree is a doctorate. And just because YOU never heard about a pharmacist being called doctor doesn't make it fact. It's like I've never personally heard anyone refer to their dentist as doctor doesn't mean that it's true neither.

ZpackSux · May 2, 2005

Dr.BadVibes said:
I still dont know where you guys are gettging this whole, pharmacists are referred to as doctors from....i have never called a pharmacist a doctor and I have never once heard anyone refer a pharmacist as a doctor....

and for ilovepharmacy, I would rather be a dentist where EVERYONE calls me doctor.....

If you wanted to be called a "doctor," you really should go to med school not dental school....since being called a doctor seems important to ya. The OP (me) said nothing about a pharmacist being referred as a "doctor."

Why Pharmacy is a great profession...

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