Advice Appreciated...Target or Residency

[Valproic]

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Im graduating from pharmacy school this may, pharmd/mba from a good school in texas, in a pretty saturated area.

I was offered a position with Target but I feel that I am a strong candidate for a PGY1 residency and will likely match one of my top three.

I like retail and have worked at Wags for the past 3 years, so Target should be a breeze. I have a type B personality and love leaving work at work, i work to live.

Residency, then likely a hospital job after or PGY2 in administration would be a better decision financially (i owe a ton and IBR PSLF would benefit me greatly) as well as provide a better quality of life (i.e more time off and less feeling like corporate slave). But who knows if Ill be able to get a job post PGY1 in the same location as the Target position.

What would you guys do?

 

[MountainPharmD]

Im graduating from pharmacy school this may, pharmd/mba from a good school in texas, in a pretty saturated area.

I was offered a position with Target but I feel that I am a strong candidate for a PGY1 residency and will likely match one of my top three.

I like retail and have worked at Wags for the past 3 years, so Target should be a breeze. I have a type B personality and love leaving work at work, i work to live.

Residency, then likely a hospital job after or PGY2 in administration would be a better decision financially (i owe a ton and IBR PSLF would benefit me greatly) as well as provide a better quality of life (i.e more time off and less feeling like corporate slave). But who knows if Ill be able to get a job post PGY1 in the same location as the Target position.

What would you guys do?

Do a residency. You can always go retail. What is very difficult is to go back and do a residency after working for several years in retail. A residency is something that can never be taken away from you. In the up coming very difficult job market I would want to have as many skills as I can. If you go into retail right out of school that is where you will be stuck.

 

[Its Z]

Woah...never expected this reply out of you....

Do a residency. You can always go retail. What is very difficult is to go back and do a residency after working for several years in retail. A residency is something that can never be taken away from you. In the up coming very difficult job market I would want to have as many skills as I can. If you go into retail right out of school that is where you will be stuck.

 

[meister]

If you already enjoy retail and have the type of personality that would love to never enter a hospital again for the rest of your life then why do you want to do a residency?

Isn't Target the cushiest of retail gigs? I'd say go Target.

 

[PharmDstudent]

Target

Residencies are a gimmick. They don't guarantee you anything in terms of a J O B, which is what you need to pay off D E B T.

 

[J ROD]

First, you have to answer a more important question. Do you want to do retail or be a clinical pharmacist in a hospital?

Target to me is one of the best retail out there so I would think hard about where you want to be.

If you think you probably will want to do both, then do residency first and then look for work.

I work PT at a local hospital on weekends and I am dosing antibiotics, answering TPN questions, and dosing chemo and making it. So, I am making plenty of clinical decisions and I didnt do a residency. So, you can still do stuff without the residency. You just have to be good enough....or balls..

 

[meister]

At our hospital the nutritionists do all the TPN crap. Is it usual for pharmacists to do it or is that uncommon? Or do you wind up fixing all the RD's mistakes?

 

[All4MyDaughter]

At our hospital the nutritionists do all the TPN crap. Is it usual for pharmacists to do it or is that uncommon? Or do you wind up fixing all the RD's mistakes?

Don't call them nutritionists! RD = registered dietician. I have seen people get very testy over the proper title. 🙂

At our hospital, dietary orders all tube feeds but the physicians order TPN. We have about three standard bags that we make so it's simpler. We do get calls when physicians want to do something slightly different and it's up to the IV room pharmacist to take the call, advise the physician and figure out how to have them order it. But we're a small hospital and don't do much TPN to begin with. Never more than 1 or 2 people at a time and much of the time we have 0 patients on TPN.

 

[Dalteparin]

That depends.

You mentioned you're getting a PharmD and an MBA; are you considering management? If you're thinking about becoming a director of pharmacy at a hospital someday, I say do the residency. Many hospitals require DOPs to have at least a PGY-1 (and an MBA, which you'll already have). Even in a purely clinical residency, you'll be able to do an elective rotation in admin and you can see what being a director is really like. (Side note: there are a lot of hospitals out there with director of pharmacy vacancies now, and the numbers are expected to climb over the next few years.)

On the other hand, if you really enjoy retail, Target is one of the best places to be a retail pharmacist. And with an MBA, you'll definitely be able to climb the management ladder if you want to. Some people just don't like hospital practice; if you're one of them, there's no reason for you to do a residency.

 

[Valproic]

Thanks for all the input!

I enjoy hospital pharmacy but in a different way than I enjoy retail. Retail is a cush job and requires little to no work at home but you have to play the corporate game and kiss ass, which kind of bugs me. Hospital pharmacy makes me feel like Im using the knowledge Ive acquired and I really enjoy teaching other students, which is satisfying.

I like clinical pharmacy, but the experiences I have had on rotation do not seem to exist in real life, other than academia. Which would mean PGY2 and a huge paycut as an academic rph.

 

[J ROD]

At our hospital the nutritionists do all the TPN crap. Is it usual for pharmacists to do it or is that uncommon? Or do you wind up fixing all the RD's mistakes?

RDs may call and ask questions....sometimes a MD will call and ask too.

But, we dont write the orders on a reg basis. I just have to answer that wild, crazy crap that nobody has the answer to....

Doing Chemo is much worse....I get really nervous dosing chemo when I have never done that drug before. Right now, I always get another PharmD to check me to make sure I am doing it correctly. And we have a greaet cheat sheet our chemo pharmacists have made that work it during the week FT.

 

[rph3664]

If you like retail and have a nice solid offer from Target, grab it! As retail chains go, they're probably the best.

 

[J ROD]

Thanks for all the input!

I enjoy hospital pharmacy but in a different way than I enjoy retail. Retail is a cush job and requires little to no work at home but you have to play the corporate game and kiss ass, which kind of bugs me. Hospital pharmacy makes me feel like Im using the knowledge Ive acquired and I really enjoy teaching other students, which is satisfying.

I like clinical pharmacy, but the experiences I have had on rotation do not seem to exist in real life, other than academia. Which would mean PGY2 and a huge paycut as an academic rph.

Like I said above, you have to decide where you wanna go.....first.

 

[MountainPharmD]

Woah...never expected this reply out of you....

When I graduated it was no problem getting a hospital job. They hired retail folks all the time because they were desparate to fill positions. Times have changed and so has my opinion. I still think a residency is unnecessary however the oversupply of pharmacists means you need something to set yourself apart. As you well know you cannot get an interview let alone hired at a hospital in the DFW are unless you have a residency and experience. Times they are a changing.......

 

[PharmD RPh]

I'd say goes residency based on your career aspirations. Like mountain said, it's easier to doit now than to go back. Plus even in a tough job market, if you went to a good residency program plus had a pharmd/MBA you shouldn't have a problem finding a job as long as everything else looks good on your resume and you can interview well.

 

[Its Z]

there are a lot of hospitals out there with director of pharmacy vacancies now, and the numbers are expected to climb over the next few years.)

Well, I don't agree that the DOP vacancy number will increase since DOP position can be easily filled everywhere except for few difficult places to hire. But I think what you meant to say is that the DOP turnover happens often. Here's are the considerations.

• DOP is a highly stressful position
• DOP leadership training is very lacking in our industry
• Heath System Administration's expectation of DOP job performance is far more sophisticated than the traditional pharmacy education can meet hence MHA/MBA bridges that gap.
• DOP must be well versed in Operations, Regulatory, Human Resources, Clinical, Financials, and Quality Outcomes to be successful.

Most current DOPs became a DOP by default because previous DOP retired or got tired and quit. Most didn't get properly trained rather learned the job, on the job, ineffectively hence causing a high turnover rate in DOP positions.

Going forward, I see that trend changing as more and more young PharmD/MBA with residencies in Administration are spilling out taking on the leadership roles in hospitals. I expect them to stick around and change the landscape of pharmacy. And do understand when they start to replace retiring hospital staff pharmacists, who do you think they're going to hire?

Bird of a feather flock together.

 

[Its Z]

When I graduated it was no problem getting a hospital job. They hired retail folks all the time because they were desparate to fill positions. Times have changed and so has my opinion. I still think a residency is unnecessary however the oversupply of pharmacists means you need something to set yourself apart. As you well know you cannot get an interview let alone hired at a hospital in the DFW are unless you have a residency and experience. Times they are a changing.......

Like... you didn't see this coming 3 years ago when I used to say this??? Residency's merit should not be questioned..either you learn or get experienced or not, it's a measuring stick that sets you apart from others to enhance your career.

 

[MountainPharmD]

The future of retail pharmacy is not good nor is it going to get better. Wal-Mart, CVS and Walgreens have turned pharmacy into nothing more than the delivery of a product as quickly and cheaply as possible. The current business model with 100k a year Pharmacists on every corner is not quick or cheap. Call me Debbie Downer if you want. I am being realistic. Anyone with any business sense at all can see where retail pharmacy is heading. Think about it for a second. A drug delivery system with 5000 stores has a combined salary load of over to 1.5 billion dollars just in the pharmacy. This is not sustainable.

 

[Its Z]

The future of retail pharmacy is not good nor is it going to get better. Wal-Mart, CVS and Walgreens have turned pharmacy into nothing more than the delivery of a product as quickly and cheaply as possible. The current business model with 100k a year Pharmacists on every corner is not quick or cheap. Call me Debbie Downer if you want. I am being realistic. Anyone with any business sense at all can see where retail pharmacy is heading. Think about it for a second. A drug delivery system with 5000 stores has a combined salary load of over to 1.5 billion dollars just in the pharmacy. This is not sustainable.

Now now... you know there's still a niche to be had in pharmacy. I still haven't given up on my Burger joint pharmacy in a sleepy retirement golf/fishing village yet.

 

[PharmD RPh]

The future of retail pharmacy is not good nor is it going to get better. Wal-Mart, CVS and Walgreens have turned pharmacy into nothing more than the delivery of a product as quickly and cheaply as possible. The current business model with 100k a year Pharmacists on every corner is not quick or cheap. Call me Debbie Downer if you want. I am being realistic. Anyone with any business sense at all can see where retail pharmacy is heading. Think about it for a second. A drug delivery system with 5000 stores has a combined salary load of over to 1.5 billion dollars just in the pharmacy. This is not sustainable.

But one could argue who would spend the time (6-7 years) plus cost of tuition (over 125-200k), plus opportunity cost of that time to go into retail to only make 80k/year. That model doesn't work either. Physicians are seeing the same cuts too and you can argue with less reimbursement to them should equal lower pay, but then who would want to be a physician for a low amount of pay?

 

[Its Z]

But one could argue who would spend the time (6-7 years) plus cost of tuition (over 125-200k), plus opportunity cost of that time to go into retail to only make 80k/year.

Some JDs will kill for 80K year.

 

[MountainPharmD]

Now now... you know there's still a niche to be had in pharmacy. I still haven't given up on my Burger joint pharmacy in a sleepy retirement golf/fishing village yet.

Oh do not get me wrong I still believe there is room for those that want to find a niche. I guess I should qualify my remark as corporate retail pharmacy has a bleak future.

 

[PharmD RPh]

Some JDs will kill for 80K year.

Check out this from money mag regarding jds http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2010/snapshots/55.html

Pharmacists no longer appear on this list..... Given the scenario of law schools this seems like a low blow to us.

 

[MountainPharmD]

But one could argue who would spend the time (6-7 years) plus cost of tuition (over 125-200k), plus opportunity cost of that time to go into retail to only make 80k/year. That model doesn't work either. Physicians are seeing the same cuts too and you can argue with less reimbursement to them should equal lower pay, but then who would want to be a physician for a low amount of pay?

Someone who has spent 6 to 7 years in school and has 200k in student loan debt coming due. CVS will be full of them in a few years as long as CVS hasn't figured out how to eliminate pharmacists completly by then. In fact soon I think you will see new grads fighting over these types of positions.

 

[PharmD RPh]

Someone who has spent 6 to 7 years in school and has 200k in student loan debt coming due. CVS will be full of them in a few years as long as CVS hasn't figured out how to eliminate pharmacists completly by then. In fact soon I think you will see new grads fighting over these types of positions.

I don't think they will be able to get rid of pharmacists completely. Who will give flu shots, do mtm, compound etc? Will they figure out ways for reduction? Probably. But not elimination. Those new grads with 200k debt will probably work for that amount, no doubt, but I highly doubt anyone will choose pharmacy as a career to incur 200k debt for 80k so the supply of people willing to work that way will eventually run out.

 

[Its Z]

you a retail pharmacist?

I don't think they will be able to get rid of pharmacists completely. Who will give flu shots, do mtm, compound etc? Will they figure out ways for reduction? Probably. But not elimination. Those new grads with 200k debt will probably work for that amount, no doubt, but I highly doubt anyone will choose pharmacy as a career to incur 200k debt for 80k so the supply of people willing to work that way will eventually run out.

 

[MountainPharmD]

I don't think they will be able to get rid of pharmacists completely. Who will give flu shots, do mtm, compound etc? Will they figure out ways for reduction? Probably. But not elimination. Those new grads with 200k debt will probably work for that amount, no doubt, but I highly doubt anyone will choose pharmacy as a career to incur 200k debt for 80k so the supply of people willing to work that way will eventually run out.

Hasn't stopped people from going to law school......

 

[MountainPharmD]

I don't think they will be able to get rid of pharmacists completely. Who will give flu shots, do mtm, compound etc? Will they figure out ways for reduction? Probably. But not elimination. Those new grads with 200k debt will probably work for that amount, no doubt, but I highly doubt anyone will choose pharmacy as a career to incur 200k debt for 80k so the supply of people willing to work that way will eventually run out.

Flu shots are a short term way for the company to boost profit. It certainly does not make enough money to pay a pharmacists salary for the whole year.

MTM? Do you know of any corp retail pharmacy that is making enough on MTM to cover a pharmacists salary?

Compounding? Do you know of any corp retail chain pharmacy that compounds let alone compounds enough to cover a pharmacists salary?

Corp retail pharmacy is all about product delivery as quickly and cheaply as possible. Think about it for awhile.....

 

[Its Z]

Hasn't stopped people from going to law school......

Nor does it help 50,000 current US Pharmacy Students, 1,500 US pharmacy residents, and tons more foreign pharmacists trying to get in.

This is why everyone needs to position themselves to protect their investment in education instead of taking a chance.

 

[PharmD RPh]

you a retail pharmacist?

Yes.

 

[PharmD RPh]

Flu shots are a short term way for the company to boost profit. It certainly does not make enough money to pay a pharmacists salary for the whole year.

MTM? Do you know of any corp retail pharmacy that is making enough on MTM to cover a pharmacists salary?

Compounding? Do you know of any corp retail chain pharmacy that compounds let alone compounds enough to cover a pharmacists salary?

Corp retail pharmacy is all about product delivery as quickly and cheaply as possible. Think about it for awhile.....

Isn't that pretty much the basic business model for any company? Have a product you can get as cheap as possible, sell it for the most possible and sell a lot of it? Granted other services don't provide enough income in average to pay a pharmacists salary, but it helps. Have you looked at your company's operating statement to see how much money the store is making? Even with our salaries retail still does quite well. In response to delivery of a product as quickly and cheaply as possible.... That's what our society wants and has become accustomed to and Corp retail has just responded by trying to give customers what they want. Doesnt mean I agree with it, but more so understand it.


To Z. I understand it hasn't kept law students from still trying, but personally I have gad man friends change from law to other professions because of their job market. So while some still choose to gamble on their education with law school there are a lot of ppl that heeded the warnings and chose to do other things. My guess is that pharmacy will get bad in the next 5 years but will respond favorably to the issue as the market tries to correct itself.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

I don't think they will be able to get rid of pharmacists completely. Who will give flu shots, do mtm, compound etc? Will they figure out ways for reduction? Probably. But not elimination. Those new grads with 200k debt will probably work for that amount, no doubt, but I highly doubt anyone will choose pharmacy as a career to incur 200k debt for 80k so the supply of people willing to work that way will eventually run out.

Hasn't stopped people from going to law school......

Plenty of people still go to vet school and incur debt in the 200K+ range. The median salary for a vet is about 80K.

 

[lorain]

Do a residency. You can always go retail. What is very difficult is to go back and do a residency after working for several years in retail. A residency is something that can never be taken away from you. In the up coming very difficult job market I would want to have as many skills as I can. If you go into retail right out of school that is where you will be stuck.

as some1 going through the process, I can personally vouch for this

I have gotten rejections solely on the fact I was going back to residency and they told me 'we arent comfortable with how much knowledge may have been lost in that period'

 

[Its Z]

Long live the one hit wonder Jazz guy Chuck Mangione.. you sound good on all these different gizmos I went through in my lifetime of enjoying music. Chit..I can't believe how much music you can store on a 16GB mini SD card.. and just say no to apple stuff and their inflexible way of sharing music on your own devices..

 

[PharmD RPh]

Plenty of people still go to vet school and incur debt in the 200K+ range. The median salary for a vet is about 80K.

Crazy IMO. That's just like people that go to private universities to pay 120k over 4 years to major in something random like religious studies or history where their earning potential with those degrees aren't going to pay off the amount of debt they incurred as a result. Some vets that own their own practice can make over 200k per year. Its nearly impossible to own your own pharmacy these days. There are only 28 vet schools but 120 pharm schools so I would think finding a job wouldnt be quite as hard either with a better chance of a higher earning potential with a successful practice. Also just googled auburn vet school is about 13k per year tuition. Wish I could go to pharm school that cheap!

 

[KARM12]

Establish your career goals first and then decide.

Residency is not an easy road and neither is being a hospital administrator. You will take work home with you. If you want a job where you will make a lot of money quickly and have it be easy, then you do not want the residency/hospital route.

 

[MountainPharmD]

Isn't that pretty much the basic business model for any company? Have a product you can get as cheap as possible, sell it for the most possible and sell a lot of it? Granted other services don't provide enough income in average to pay a pharmacists salary, but it helps. Have you looked at your company's operating statement to see how much money the store is making? Even with our salaries retail still does quite well. In response to delivery of a product as quickly and cheaply as possible.... That's what our society wants and has become accustomed to and Corp retail has just responded by trying to give customers what they want. Doesnt mean I agree with it, but more so understand it.

You are getting warmer. Think about Pharmacy as a profession not as a business trying to sell widgits. Compare a man who owns a store and sells widgets to a man who owns a pharmacy and is a Pharmacist. What is the difference between the two? Should the pharmacist try and run his pharmacy the same way as the man who runs a store selling widgets?

 

[JimmyDean]

Penis


(legitimate medical term)

 

[p-rog]

Also just googled auburn vet school is about 13k per year tuition. Wish I could go to pharm school that cheap!

UGA's pharmacy tuition is about $13K/year. If you have a 3.0 or better GPA and got in after only two years of undergrad, you can have the state cover your tuition for the first 2-3 years of pharm school too.

I just payed for my last semester of tuition and I paid < $20K in total tuition for my pharmD.

But I'll admit, i would have probably payed $30k a year to go to Mercer if UGA didn't take me at the time. Going forward though, I don't think that would be a smart investment anymore.

 

[PharmDstudent]

UGA's pharmacy tuition is about $13K/year. If you have a 3.0 or better GPA and got in after only two years of undergrad, you can have the state cover your tuition for the first 2-3 years of pharm school too.

I just payed for my last semester of tuition and I paid < $20K in total tuition for my pharmD.

But I'll admit, i would have probably payed $30k a year to go to Mercer if UGA didn't take me at the time. Going forward though, I don't think that would be a smart investment anymore.

Yep. Not smart.

I think we're in for a brutal summer. Budget cuts are going to be worse since reimbursements keep getting cut.

 

[PharmDstudent]

And full-time pharmacist vacancies are going to be a thing of the past in 1 or 2 years.
To anyone who doesn't have a full-time J O B by next May, go luck to you!

 

[joetrisman]

Anyone have any thoughts on what is going to happen to those that can't find positions in the coming years? I've nearly committed in my head to going back and getting a third *sigh* degree - and not a MBA/MPH mind you. However, there's not a lot of interdisciplinary positions out there (trust me, I've looked). Additionally, most people probably won't won't to go into another 4+ years of school. So what's one to do when you are 100k+ in debt and no job prospects? (I'm not looking for work hard to get those spots as I'm more interested in perspectives about the people who won't be landing spots as they will definitely be there)

 

[PharmD RPh]

Anyone have any thoughts on what is going to happen to those that can't find positions in the coming years? I've nearly committed in my head to going back and getting a third *sigh* degree - and not a MBA/MPH mind you. However, there's not a lot of interdisciplinary positions out there (trust me, I've looked). Additionally, most people probably won't won't to go into another 4+ years of school. So what's one to do when you are 100k+ in debt and no job prospects? (I'm not looking for work hard to get those spots as I'm more interested in perspectives about the people who won't be landing spots as they will definitely be there)

Welcome to the student loan bubble. No joke. I expect students to file for financial hardship, default, go back to school or go into another field. Unfortunately student loans are with you for life. They can garnish paychecks if you don't pay them back no matter where you work. My guess is that it will get so bad that prospective students considering pharmacy as a career will do other things. Get out while you still can.

 

[lorain]

Anyone have any thoughts on what is going to happen to those that can't find positions in the coming years? I've nearly committed in my head to going back and getting a third *sigh* degree - and not a MBA/MPH mind you. However, there's not a lot of interdisciplinary positions out there (trust me, I've looked). Additionally, most people probably won't won't to go into another 4+ years of school. So what's one to do when you are 100k+ in debt and no job prospects? (I'm not looking for work hard to get those spots as I'm more interested in perspectives about the people who won't be landing spots as they will definitely be there)

I dont understand why any1 would still go into pharmacy...PA schools seem so much better at the moment, especially with primary care doc shortages

If you are in and working, I guess you are ok as a pharmacist (provided you like your job)

For the rest, I think you have to differentiate yourself, jobs will be available, but the requirements will be more than what a diploma mill grad can fill...= residency/fellowship, 2nd degree?, etc are all worth it long term (assuming you cant find a job you looking for currently)

 

[joetrisman]

Welcome to the student loan bubble. No joke. I expect students to file for financial hardship, default, go back to school or go into another field. Unfortunately student loans are with you for life. They can garnish paychecks if you don't pay them back no matter where you work. My guess is that it will get so bad that prospective students considering pharmacy as a career will do other things. Get out while you still can.

I'm going to go ahead and roll the hard six. Too late in the game to be pulling my bets. I'm just trying to decide if I'd be better of heading straight into grad school after pharm school to get a phd in micro/immuno or if I should do a residency followed by a fellowship that has a heavy emphasis on basic research. With the latter I'd get a masters in bio at some point to increase my credentials in the basic sciences. Like I said, I'm thinking an interdisciplinary position. Ideally, I'd like to do basic research in ID and maintain clinical rounds in ID.

 

[PharmD RPh]

I dont understand why any1 would still go into pharmacy...PA schools seem so much better at the moment, especially with primary care doc shortages

If you are in and working, I guess you are ok as a pharmacist (provided you like your job)

For the rest, I think you have to differentiate yourself, jobs will be available, but the requirements will be more than what a diploma mill grad can fill...= residency/fellowship, 2nd degree?, etc are all worth it long term (assuming you cant find a job you looking for currently)

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2010/snapshots/2.html

So #2 on the list a 94k per year physician assistant might be the way to go and I think you might be able to get done faster than pharm school.

 

[PharmD RPh]

I'm going to go ahead and roll the hard six. Too late in the game to be pulling my bets. I'm just trying to decide if I'd be better of heading straight into grad school after pharm school to get a phd in micro/immuno or if I should do a residency followed by a fellowship that has a heavy emphasis on basic research. With the latter I'd get a masters in bio at some point to increase my credentials in the basic sciences. Like I said, I'm thinking an interdisciplinary position. Ideally, I'd like to do basic research in ID and maintain clinical rounds in ID.

Sounds like a plan. Joint pharmd phd could land you an easy teaching and clinical position. But you'll have to put in that time and pay prob won't be substantially more.

 

[lorain]

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2010/snapshots/2.html

So #2 on the list a 94k per year physician assistant might be the way to go and I think you might be able to get done faster than pharm school.

yep, the only problem is that you have to look at blood, and i know thats a reason a lot of people choose pharmacy since its more hands off then other HC jobs like nurse, PA, doc, etc

 

[PharmD RPh]

yep, the only problem is that you have to look at blood, and i know thats a reason a lot of people choose pharmacy since its more hands off then other HC jobs like nurse, PA, doc, etc

That's part of the reason I chose pharmacy but now with immunizations I have to stab people and sometimes you get that patient on coumadin that's a gusher. So now it doesn't bother me. There was once talks about a pharmacist practitioner that would be a rph and have duties to practice si liar to a pa. I did a rotation once with a pharmd/pa, but when they worked in clinic as a pa they made less than they could as a rph.

 

[lorain]

That's part of the reason I chose pharmacy but now with immunizations I have to stab people and sometimes you get that patient on coumadin that's a gusher. So now it doesn't bother me. There was once talks about a pharmacist practitioner that would be a rph and have duties to practice si liar to a pa. I did a rotation once with a pharmd/pa, but when they worked in clinic as a pa they made less than they could as a rph.

thats right you would make less starting off as a pa....but a full time pa job is better than what rph grads are trying to find these days