Anyone LEAVE PHARMACY? What do you do know, and how'd you get there?

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nyastlc

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I am burnt out, and just don't want to practice anymore being a pharmacist (I've worked in retail, hospital, and mail order) . My mental, physical, and emotional health is a mess... and I can not for-see myself doing this for another 30+years... I am fortunate enough to have paid off my student loans, but have barely any savings..

I am unfazed at this point in getting a drastic pay cut, for the sake of sanity.. To those who left the profession, what do you do now?
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nyastlc said:
I am burnt out, and just don't want to practice anymore being a pharmacist (I've worked in retail, hospital, and mail order) . My mental, physical, and emotional health is a mess... and I can not for-see myself doing this for another 30+years... I am fortunate enough to have paid off my student loans, but have barely any savings..

I am unfazed at this point in getting a drastic pay cut, for the sake of sanity.. To those who left the profession, what do you do now?
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Barely any savings... sounds like you need to just prioritize your health and mental wellbeing for a while, while you stack cash via pharmacy work. Focus on hobbies and things you enjoy doing, eating healthy, exercising, sleeping ~8hrs/night for 3-6 months and you'll be in a better place. If not, seek a doctor's help or get counseling.
 
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You're burnt out even in hospital and mail-order? I went from retail to LTC (pretty similar to mail order) and I feel like I'm on vacation.
 
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They are hiring tour guides for downtown Baltimore for 15 bucks an hour. Sounds like an interesting job, if it weren't for the pay.
 
297point1 said:
Holy smokes - welcome back! Where have you been hiding?
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My account got deactivated for a while for some reason, and I was too lazy to reactivate it. It's been active for the past few months though, I just haven't posted much. Life has been busy.
 
I can tolerate pharmacy because I don't have any pain in my feet or back and I don't get any headaches. Also, I been on a medication that makes me apathetic to life so I don't feel sadness or angry. If I stop the med I get angry quickly if someone is already angry or if someone is not doing their job correctly.
 
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nyastlc said:
I am burnt out, and just don't want to practice anymore being a pharmacist (I've worked in retail, hospital, and mail order) . My mental, physical, and emotional health is a mess... and I can not for-see myself doing this for another 30+years... I am fortunate enough to have paid off my student loans, but have barely any savings..

I am unfazed at this point in getting a drastic pay cut, for the sake of sanity.. To those who left the profession, what do you do now?
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I have worked with pharmacists who left pharmacy just to return. To answer your question, who cares what the next step is like if you so unhappy now. The uncertain can generate anxiety. I an easily see burn out in retail, but hospital? I would do some soul searching first and figure out what about pharmacy you don't like than choose a new career path then move on without looking back. Life is too short.
 
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Pharmacy is much easier to tolerate once you have the security (mostly financial) to know you can just quit any time. It sucks when you have loans or expenses that tie you to a position.
 
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Xenophylia said:
Pharmacy is much easier to tolerate once you have the security (mostly financial) to know you can just quit any time. It sucks when you have loans or expenses that tie you to a position.
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Totally agree. With financial security comes flexibility. Feel burnt out from your job? Going part-time/prn there or elsewhere becomes a viable option.
 
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No job is worth ruining your health or your life. I found that out the hard way 9 years ago, right about now; I haven't practiced since, a decision for which I've had 100% support, although I'm still licensed.

I was noodling around on the websites of the states where I'm licensed, and I was quite surprised at who some of the people are who are no longer practicing, or even licensed.
 
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Have you looked into getting an ice cream truck? Everyone loves ice cream.
 
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I've definitely felt the burnout at times and agree with others who suggest aid in mental health (CBT, mood regulating meds, sleep, diet, exercise). I have always been pretty good on diet, exercise, and sleep but regret not utilizing CNS (chronic) mood altering medications (SSRI, NDRI, etc.) sooner in my career to managing stress.

Have not left the profession but will agree with others to acquire and learn new skills on the side as a backup plan (pharmacy is actually my second degree...I am always looking for new and creative ways to incorporate my background in technology, engineering, and chemistry into my everyday life and even pharmacy to set myself aside from others)
 
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RxAndroid said:
I've definitely felt the burnout at times and agree with others who suggest aid in mental health (CBT, mood regulating meds, sleep, diet, exercise). I have always been pretty good on diet, exercise, and sleep but regret not utilizing CNS (chronic) mood altering medications (SSRI, NDRI, etc.) sooner in my career to managing stress.

Have not left the profession but will agree with others to acquire and learn new skills on the side as a backup plan (pharmacy is actually my second degree...I am always looking for new and creative ways to incorporate my background in technology, engineering, and chemistry into my everyday life and even pharmacy to set myself aside from others)
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Exercise and good diet make sense to me but I wouldn't stay in this field if I had to chemically alter my brain. It would be akin to taking nitro to deal with chest pain.

I get my mind right by coaching myself.
 
johnpharm01 said:
Exercise and good diet make sense to me but I wouldn't stay in this field if I had to chemically alter my brain. It would be akin to taking nitro to deal with chest pain.

I get my mind right by coaching myself.
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Yeah, chemically altering the brain might not be right for everyone...with mental health being a very subjective subject, drugs have about the same magnitude of effect as CBT when evaluating using questionnaire scaling (the two combined outweigh each alone). The drug route is obviously going to require more patience (but can be more convenient in terms of cost and not being burdened with regular appointments)
 
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Switch to part-time.

Exercise every day and eat healthy meals.

Scour the streaming services for new shows to binge on.

Make sure to get enough sleep and have a regular schedule. Invest in a new mattress and pillow if you have to (it makes a huge difference)

If no change after a couple weeks, see a doc and check if your thyroid is good and maybe get put on an SSRI.
 
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Have yet to see a single pharmacist who has transitioned into entirely different career path. Problem with pharmacy is people have been making very comfortable salary on a very comfortable schedule for many years. So, it’s impossible to develop any outside skills due to lack of motivation (I have it good; why would I bother learning anything else?). We make upper-middle class salary but not enough for really early retirement ie. < 50.

So now that things are unbearable, people are “thinking” about leaving pharmacy and hoping to do something else one day but that day unfortunately never arrives. All of us will stay where we are or change jobs within the same field until we get completely pushed out by the circumstances ie. when no longer be able to pay off loans on rph salary.

Until then, all this talk of retirement or changing entire field is just nonsense. Bottomline we won’t make change unless we are forced to.
 
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johnpharm01 said:
Exercise and good diet make sense to me but I wouldn't stay in this field if I had to chemically alter my brain. It would be akin to taking nitro to deal with chest pain.

I get my mind right by coaching myself.
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This kind of stigma discourages people from seeking mental help. Like you are some sort of b!tch if you need help with mental health.

Depression is real and it can be controlled by mediations in majority of circumstances. I would retract this comment if I were you.
 
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Chrish said:
This kind of stigma discourages people from seeking mental help. Like you are some sort of b!tch if you need help with mental health.

Depression is real and it can be controlled by mediations in majority of circumstances. I would retract this comment if I were you.
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Situational depression due to employment in a particular field could be solved simply by finding another job. Why would I take drugs just to continue to be employed in one job. It would be like being an NFL player who takes Percocet to deal with the pain of past injuries and to allow them to continue to play. Sorry drugs aren't the solution to every problem. If being a pharmacist is so stressful you need to medicate to be one, it's time to move on.
 
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If people were that mentally strong in general there wouldn't be an "opioid abuse crisis" in the U.S. and people wouldn't be having mental freakouts related to the last year (i.e., coping with muh Bill Gates conspiracy and muh China)
 
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I left retail for industry. In the last 3 companies I worked at, I can think of 16 pharmacists - 14 of who left retail, 1 who came straight from an industry fellowship, and 1 was a foreign educated pharmacist who never worked retail in the US. Out of the 14 who did retail in addition to many other former pharmacists I know at other companies, none have any wish to return. Out of the 14 - most of them did under 3 years of full-time retail before getting out, 1 managed to get out after 15+ years of retail.

If you want to leave bad enough, it's possible and can turn out well. The longer you're in retail though, it is harder especially if you have a family and you have to make some room for a temporary paycut and uncertainty. Its also harder because you're generally expected to develop and have more varied experiences with increasingly responsibility to talk about the longer you've worked - in retail i guess you have to be super proactive and really go out of your way to do that. Chances for better quality of life are almost always expensive until they pay off.
 
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I was definitely headed in the direction of mental breakdown or heart attack if I remained in retail. I got out after 10 years. Took a pay cut but my life became infinitely better the second I walked out of that store for the last time.
 
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wazoodog said:
I left retail for industry. In the last 3 companies I worked at, I can think of 16 pharmacists - 14 of who left retail, 1 who came straight from an industry fellowship, and 1 was a foreign educated pharmacist who never worked retail in the US. Out of the 14 who did retail in addition to many other former pharmacists I know at other companies, none have any wish to return. Out of the 14 - most of them did under 3 years of full-time retail before getting out, 1 managed to get out after 15+ years of retail.

If you want to leave bad enough, it's possible and can turn out well. The longer you're in retail though, it is harder especially if you have a family and you have to make some room for a temporary paycut and uncertainty. Its also harder because you're generally expected to develop and have more varied experiences with increasingly responsibility to talk about the longer you've worked - in retail i guess you have to be super proactive and really go out of your way to do that. Chances for better quality of life are almost always expensive until they pay off.
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Wazoodog, you should make a post on how these pharmacists were able to transition from retail to pharma.
 
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I'm thinking of just continuing a path of aggressive retirement savings. Then I hope to transition to working only part time or leaving for another type of part time job once I have enough saved to make sure my retirement won't be totally terrible.
 
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I’m pretty close to FIRE so I’ll be leaving in the distant near future :)
 
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johnpharm01 said:
Situational depression due to employment in a particular field could be solved simply by finding another job. Why would I take drugs just to continue to be employed in one job. It would be like being an NFL player who takes Percocet to deal with the pain of past injuries and to allow them to continue to play. Sorry drugs aren't the solution to every problem. If being a pharmacist is so stressful you need to medicate to be one, it's time to move on.
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Yes if NFL player is making a living by playing, there is nothing wrong with prolonging his career if he decides to take Percocet for his pain. He should just leave his $10 mil a year job to do what? Birdwatching? That’s the decision he has to make; not outsiders.

Depression is multifaceted disease. I can’t speak for OP but it’s usually caused by combination of factors including personal life issues, poor health and job-related stress. I doubt it anyone would have to take meds just because they are stressed at work.

I don’t know if you meant it that way, but it came out as being weak if you need to take anti-depressant which is ignorant. It’s a personal decision to continue with the job or find another “less stressful” job (if that even exists).
 
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There are many examples of elite NFL players quitting abruptly while still having a 'viable' career and thus not maximizing their income potential from their NFL career. Health is more important than money esp if you were multiple All-Pro

Most famous one was Barry Sanders, but there was also Kuechly, Luck, Calvin Johnson, Tiki Barber.

Chris Borland famously played his rookie season then quit

 
samven582 said:
Wazoodog, you should make a post on how these pharmacists were able to transition from retail to pharma.
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I created a post a while back:
Thread 'Getting out of retail pharmacy to industry'

The way each one of them made the transition is pretty much covered in there. Pretty much all of them (and myself) took a contractor job as a first step into industry from retail - not one landed a permanent role as their first industry job. As for how each person found out about the contract role itself, most did some diligent searching on the web and cold emailing the recruiter. A few found out about that first contract job posting through a connection or network, or even by keeping in touch with their pharm school post-grad (the school's APPE coordinators are sometimes contacted by pharma partner sites about opportunities). Interestingly, at least a few got the interview but didn't get an offer at first...but they were kept in mind and reached out to a couple months later asking if they were still interested.

Of the 14, I think 13 were able to land a permanent job either at the same company or another...within 6 to 18 months. One left before the contract was up to take another contract role in a better position at a bigger company, before eventually landing a full time at a small biotech.
 
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Chrish said:
Yes if NFL player is making a living by playing, there is nothing wrong with prolonging his career if he decides to take Percocet for his pain. He should just leave his $10 mil a year job to do what? Birdwatching? That’s the decision he has to make; not outsiders.

Depression is multifaceted disease. I can’t speak for OP but it’s usually caused by combination of factors including personal life issues, poor health and job-related stress. I doubt it anyone would have to take meds just because they are stressed at work.

I don’t know if you meant it that way, but it came out as being weak if you need to take anti-depressant which is ignorant. It’s a personal decision to continue with the job or find another “less stressful” job (if that even exists).
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Probably how/why Prince, Michael Jackson others became addicted to narcotics, propafenone. While medical decisions are private, people's private decisions impact others. Nobody lives in a bubble. Antidepressants have risks. There are a ton of jobs out there.
 
mentos said:
Teach us!
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I'm not Pronounce Doxazosin (edited to add the correct name), but the general drift is save as much as possible and spend as little as possible. ;)
 
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I recommend listening to the podcasts or signing up at The Happy PharmD | Helping Pharmacists Create Inspiring Work and Lives Probably can help your situation. I am working as a clinical trial manager /project manager and medical writer now without needing experience. 3 weeks vacation and WFH are some of the benefits and the stress level is gone. Get to be home with the kids so much more now.
 
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mentos said:
Teach us!
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Honestly, nothing crazy, but basically
1. Get out of school debt free (hallelujah to scholarships and public university in-state tuition)
2. Be single
3. Live a frugal life
4. Invest income
Out of school, I always wanted to retire in my 50s but COVID-19 has really changed my perspective on life, and thanks to the bullish market, I’ve started to seriously consider retiring in my 40s now. We will see if the market will continue to corporate
 
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Pronounce Doxazosin said:
Honestly, nothing crazy, but basically
1. Get out of school debt free (hallelujah to scholarships and public university in-state tuition)
2. Be single
3. Live a frugal life
4. Invest income
Out of school, I always wanted to retire in my 50s but COVID-19 has really changed my perspective on life, and thanks to the bullish market, I’ve started to seriously consider retiring in my 40s now. We will see if the market will continue to corporate
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What do you invest in? Just index funds?
 
Well, you can always mentally check out and just show up, do the job, and leave. Don't kill yourself to be the best or to perform impossible tasks. I don't know how secure your job is, but I have worked with plenty of people who do the bare minimum and have survived for years. I'm not saying to be a slacker that makes life hard on everyone else, but acknowledge that you have limits and don't try to exceed them.
 
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samven582 said:
Are their services worth it?
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Hi, sorry for the late replay. I believe it would be safe to assume so. Also, paying a small fee outweighs years of regret and anxiety. Never hurts to do a trial run for a month to see how things work with their life coaches who were previous pharmacists etc.
 
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Is mail order that bad? I can see burned-out from retail and maybe even hospital but thought mail order is the lesser devil.
 
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rph3664 said:
No job is worth ruining your health or your life. I found that out the hard way 9 years ago, right about now; I haven't practiced since, a decision for which I've had 100% support, although I'm still licensed.

I was noodling around on the websites of the states where I'm licensed, and I was quite surprised at who some of the people are who are no longer practicing, or even licensed.
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They may have left the state and be licensed in a different state though. Just because they are not licensed in one state doesn't mean they arn't licensed in a different state
 
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watchfulwaiting1957 said:
They may have left the state and be licensed in a different state though. Just because they are not licensed in one state doesn't mean they arn't licensed in a different state
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Not the ones I looked at. They still live here but aren't licensed.
 
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nyastlc said:
I am burnt out, and just don't want to practice anymore being a pharmacist (I've worked in retail, hospital, and mail order) . My mental, physical, and emotional health is a mess... and I can not for-see myself doing this for another 30+years... I am fortunate enough to have paid off my student loans, but have barely any savings..

I am unfazed at this point in getting a drastic pay cut, for the sake of sanity.. To those who left the profession, what do you do now?
Click to expand...
Pharmacy field is disappearing , get out while you can. AI and super computers will replace pharmacist in efforts to reduce health care costs
 
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