Opportunities for Pharmacists in Canada

Hi,
i am a pharmacy student in US and planning to move to Canada in future. I wanted to know what are the future prospects for pharmacists in Canada? Is there a shortage or surplus of Pharmacists? Please help by providing information

I had a job lined up in Ottawa a few months ago, but the McGuinty government drastically decreased the reimbursement given to pharmacies for generic drugs. As such, a few billion was taken out of the pharmacy industry and jobs have dried up. I know of several interns for Shoppers' Drug and Rexall whose postgraduate internships and jobs were taken back.

That's Ontario. BC is planning on doing this, too. The other provinces to follow suit. If you finish soon, you might be able to try something in Alberta as they are the most conservative province and the least likely to stymie business.

If you do convince someone to hire you, it's actually pretty easy for US graduates. Just get a job guarantee, apply for a visa, do a few months of internship, take their version of the NAPLEX and MPJE, and you are good to go.

Keep in mind "our version of the NAPLEX and MPJE" has an "oral clinical skills evaluation" as well, so be prepared for that. Check out the PEBC website.

I'm not sure if you even need to "apply" for a visa, I think you just get all of your forms in order with the job guarantee, and get the visa over a couple hours at the border on your way up.

There can be a catch-22 though with getting a job guarantee before you're eligible to work in Canada, but not being able to get the eligibility without the job guarantee.

Just like everywhere else on the planet, there's less demand in areas where people want to live (ie: big cities), and more demand in places where people don't want to live. If you "must live in Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal", don't bother coming unless you can bring something special to the table, and even then, you'll probably have to take a hefty pay cut.

BC's changes went through in negotiation with their pharmacists, as opposed to Ontario's, which went through by government fiat (far scarier).

There's always someone hiring somewhere, what can you offer over the other applicants?

Get ready for some big adjustments if you come here: A couple hundred illegal immigrants makes national front page news for days, murders at least make front-page local news, daytime running lights, mandatory counselling, expensive everything, etc. If you want to read about baseball news, best to sign up for Baseball Weekly or whatever.

SomeGuy said:

Keep in mind "our version of the NAPLEX and MPJE" has an "oral clinical skills evaluation" as well, so be prepared for that. Check out the PEBC website.

I'm not sure if you even need to "apply" for a visa, I think you just get all of your forms in order with the job guarantee, and get the visa over a couple hours at the border on your way up.

There can be a catch-22 though with getting a job guarantee before you're eligible to work in Canada, but not being able to get the eligibility without the job guarantee.

Just like everywhere else on the planet, there's less demand in areas where people want to live (ie: big cities), and more demand in places where people don't want to live. If you "must live in Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal", don't bother coming unless you can bring something special to the table, and even then, you'll probably have to take a hefty pay cut.

BC's changes went through in negotiation with their pharmacists, as opposed to Ontario's, which went through by government fiat.

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How's Edmonton with jobs? That town is badass. The biggest damn mall I have ever imagined...

WVUPharm2007 said:

How's Edmonton with jobs? That town is badass. The biggest damn mall I have ever imagined...

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No real idea, but probably poor: Most cities with a pharmacy school end up being the most saturated with people moving in from out-of-town and staying there for whatever reasons.

From what I've read, Alberta has the most progressive pharmacy regulatory environment in Canada.

You can almost always swing some kind of "7 days in some place you've never heard of, 7 days off at home wherever that may be" gig, but it's not for me.

PS: If you move here, and you're in to TV, best to smuggle in a DirecTV receiver, the cable/satellite here is unbelievably terrible. Be careful with reception in the higher latitudes though.

nyliu2012 said:

Hi,
i am a pharmacy student in US and planning to move to Canada in future. I wanted to know what are the future prospects for pharmacists in Canada? Is there a shortage or surplus of Pharmacists? Please help by providing information

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AHHHH. Stay Away! You are gonna bring the American saturation here. AHHHHHH

Is that to say it's not already saturated in Canada? Places like Ontario seem pretty terrible for work. I went on metropolis and monster.ca and there was like 10 jobs there, half of them were not even applicable to new graduates because they wanted French speaking or at least 3 yrs experience. There are tons of Canadian graduates already applying for these jobs in droves so I'm not sure it will be easy. I'm sure there are jobs in Canada but you probably have to go to places where most people don't want to live.

What WVUPharm2007 said is probably most helpful. The situation in Ontario and soon BC is terrible. I'm sure it would be a lot easier to move to places like Texas and get a job there rather than hoping that the PEBC deems you worthy and that some Canadian employer will take you in. There is also the issue of discrimination - Do you have Canadian experience?

Thur taken our jerbbs! Git out greenback! We dun want you heeerrr!!

quartel said:

I went on metropolis and monster.ca and there was like 10 jobs there, half of them were not even applicable to new graduates because they wanted French speaking or at least 3 yrs experience. There are tons of Canadian graduates already applying for these jobs in droves so I'm not sure it will be easy.

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I wouldn't put too much weight toward Workopolis and Monster: Most companies hire based on direct applications to them or through word of mouth. It doesn't make sense to externally advertise postings for $$$ when everyone knows who you are anyway.

Hit up ocpinfo.com and start visiting all of the independents around where you want to work.

Coincidentally enough, today I received an unsolicited list of job postings from a company I interviewed with a couple years ago, so there are positions out there.

Thanks for all the help and info 🙂