Are pharmacists useless?

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az_drugdlr

az_drugdlr

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I don't know if I'm the only person with this problem, but I have had several people tell me, "Pharmacy's the stupidest career. Pharmacists make six figures to just stand there all day," or "I want to be a pharmacist because they make a lot of money doing nothing." Has anyone ever told you this? What do you say to bring respect to the profession? If you are one of the people that feels this way, why do you feel so? Thanks!
 
az_drugdlr said:
I don't know if I'm the only person with this problem, but I have had several people tell me, "Pharmacy's the stupidest career. Pharmacists make six figures to just stand there all day," or "I want to be a pharmacist because they make a lot of money doing nothing." Has anyone ever told you this? What do you say to bring respect to the profession? If you are one of the people that feels this way, why do you feel so? Thanks!
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People don't realize that there are pharmacists that don't work in retail.

People don't realize that everyone, including doctors, make mistakes.

People don't realize that robots used to fill can be very unreliable.

No, pharmacists are not useless, and certainly not because the general public is mostly ignorant.
 
az_drugdlr said:
I don't know if I'm the only person with this problem, but I have had several people tell me, "Pharmacy's the stupidest career. Pharmacists make six figures to just stand there all day," or "I want to be a pharmacist because they make a lot of money doing nothing." Has anyone ever told you this? What do you say to bring respect to the profession? If you are one of the people that feels this way, why do you feel so? Thanks!
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I've heard it before and it's usually from people who weren't as fortunate to get accepted into pharmacy school. I couldn't care less about what random people think about what I do. Most of the time there's no convincing those types of people anyway.

I remember an ex-boyfriend of mine asked me why I wanted to be a pharmacist. He actually said to me, "Don't you want to help people? All they do is count pills with a wooden spoon." I tried to explain to him the various duties of other kinds of pharmacists, mainly hospital. His response? "Oh so if you go into hospital maybe they'll give you a metal spoon!"

Looking back on this, I laugh because he was on such a pedestal about doing something that helps people. He's a car salesman now.
 
Trust me, if all pharmacists did was count pills with wooden spoon, they wouldn't get paid 6 figures.

When they say why don't you want to do something to help people say they pay me a bonus to educate a-holes like you.....
 
people are ignorant. you have to just ignore them

a friend of mine goes to optometry school and people think all she does is use a machine to figure out how good/bad your eye sight is and then pick out glasses for you. she complains to me all the time when people react to her saying "i'm in optometry school"
 
Pharmacists are NOT useless, but Jesus, everyone in the Sprint call center is. WTF, is every call center now in Bangalore, India?
 
az_drugdlr said:
I don't know if I'm the only person with this problem, but I have had several people tell me, "Pharmacy's the stupidest career. Pharmacists make six figures to just stand there all day," or "I want to be a pharmacist because they make a lot of money doing nothing." Has anyone ever told you this? What do you say to bring respect to the profession? If you are one of the people that feels this way, why do you feel so? Thanks!
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Nice troll post. But quite the contrary..it's not stupid. How many jobs do you know where you get paid to stand around? Besides 3rd and 4th string professional athletes.. See, we be really smart yo.
 
I personally have not been impressed with retail pharmacists when inquiring about specific drug info beyond the general what's written on the label. one of my close friends is a pharmacist and routinely complains that her job is boring and repetitive, sucky hours. Ive also worked with a clinical research pharmacist, who was pretty knowledgeable but was disappointed to find that he performed mainly auxillary work. However, i do believe that pharmacists can be very valuable and knowledgeable resource if they apply themselves beyond what they are taught in pharm school. If you are happy and satisfied with what youd o though, who cares if people approve of it or not.
 
az_drugdlr said:
I don't know if I'm the only person with this problem, but I have had several people tell me, "Pharmacy's the stupidest career. Pharmacists make six figures to just stand there all day," or "I want to be a pharmacist because they make a lot of money doing nothing." Has anyone ever told you this? What do you say to bring respect to the profession? If you are one of the people that feels this way, why do you feel so? Thanks!
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I usually will just refer them to a couple of pharmacists that make people step back and realize they have no clue what they are talking about (this may include you, so feel free to click the following):

William Evans, CEO of one of the biggest pediatric cancer hospitals in the world (never been held by a non-MD, by the way). He is also a world renowned authority on childhood leukemia:

http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/inde...nnel=01a813c016118010VgnVCM1000000e2015acRCRD

Brian Erstad, the first pharmacist ever to win the Society of Critical Care Medicine's Master Clinician/Bedside Teacher award.

http://www.pharmacy.arizona.edu/facresearch/healthoutcomes/news.php (scroll down)

Also, I agree with the above posters, people are absolutely kidding themselves when they assert community pharmacists just hang around and count tablets/capsules. I have tried to explain it to people on several occasions, but the bottom line is, the general public doesn't know much, and most of them are actually *****s. Even if you could put it in some perfectly digestible, pragmatic sort of way, they wouldn't get it. Oh well. I once spent 23 minutes trying to explain to an acquaintance what an Oncology Pharmacist did, and only after 23 minutes of head nodding, did they decide to throw out, "That sounds interesting, what is Oncology again?" That is when I slam my head on to the table repeatedly.
 
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Pharmacists are just as useless in the healthcare system as parathyroid gland in the body🙄.
 
Well, I'm sure as hell useless. These people probably all just happen to know me and base their opinions off of their interactions with me. My bad, guys.
 
i love you wvu... is wvu going to be good in any sports this year or is counting pills an olympic sport now?
 
Someone who makes such a comment must be ignorant. So you have two options to answer this frivolous comment:
1-If the person is a "good" ignorant ...Then:prof: try to educate them about the profession
2- If the subject is a "bad" ignorant...then either :whistle:ignore or :diebanana:depending on your mood.

What matters is how YOU feel about what your profession because people can find ways to trash about any profession in this world...so just be self confident about what you are doing and ignore the rest of just laugh about it 🙂
 
In all honesty, sometimes I work really hard and other days, its true, - ive made hundreds of dollars maybe thousands reading magazines.
 
Those people who don't know what pharmacists do are also ignorant about how much pharmacists make, so I usually respond, "yeah, it's an awesome career. They pay me 6-figures for just counting by 5's." Then they go 😱. That expression is.. priceless! 🙂
 
Old Timer said:
Trust me, if all pharmacists did was count pills with wooden spoon, they wouldn't get paid 6 figures.
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That is so true!!!!!!!!! 👍👍👍👍
 
Jbuprepharm said:
exactly, best job on earth? back up NFL QB
Click to expand...

Steve Young had it made... highest paid back up. He got so bored..he even went and became a lawyer. Then Montana got beat up a little..and the rest is hitory.

Gary Kubiak had it better...backed up John Elway forever. Now coaches the Texans..
 
Personally I used to have the same mentality before I got accepted into pharmacy school and even a little once I started pharmacy school. I always had the question, what the heck am I doing here? why am I learning all these useless things that I'll probably never learn standing behind a counter?!

It wasn't until I started to work in the hospital as a pharmacy intern that I finally realized the huge role that pharmacists really play (I don't know if I can say the same for retail pharmacists though?).

But in the hospital, quite a few of the physicians want pharmacists to do complete drug work ups on their patients (through the pharm-net database). Pharmacists also have to dose according to lab work, stuff like sodium bicarb infusions/TPN's/warfarin etc. Every drug under the sun can be dosed by a pharmacist at the physicians request (which is beginning to happen a lot more frequently from what I hear).

Also, there is the issue of drug substitutions as well and only the pharmacist can do that. Say a patient is taking a ventolin/atrovent inhaler and all of a sudden the inhalers get discontinued by their manufacturers. The docs can write a new rx with ventolin/atrovent NEBules, but the pharmacist can actually take the existing inhaler dosage and convert it to the nebulizer dosage.

Pharmacists are really useful to the general healthcare of the population, and their roles in society are highly underplayed as nobody can see what really goes on in the basement of the hospital, or even behind the counter of a safeway or (insert retail pharmacy here).
 
Just say - well are physicians useless too then? They just talk to people all day and give their opinion, then write on a piece of paper...
 
SCCpharm said:
Just say - well are physicians useless too then? They just talk to people all day and give their opinion, then write on a piece of paper...
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I like your thinking! 👍
 
who gives a **** what other people think? If it was all that easy, everyone could do it and we wouldn't be paid that well. Even it is that easy as they envision it, I ask how much they make, and then calculate how many years it takes them to make my salary when i graduate. Its a fun little game I play. People are so stupid sometimes
 
Pharmacists are the last gatekeeper for the patient from receiving something potentially dangerous, but then again doctors never make mistakes with their extensive knowledge of drugs, which encompasses one pharmacology class.
 
az_drugdlr said:
I don't know if I'm the only person with this problem, but I have had several people tell me, "Pharmacy's the stupidest career. Pharmacists make six figures to just stand there all day," or "I want to be a pharmacist because they make a lot of money doing nothing." Has anyone ever told you this? What do you say to bring respect to the profession? If you are one of the people that feels this way, why do you feel so? Thanks!
Click to expand...

hi

i dun usually come here becoz i am in vet medicine, i saw the thread title and it caught my eye. i think u need to realise that public is quite ignorant about the all encompassing nature of medicine. my sister is a RN and when she tells ppl she's a nurse, they go "oh so do u clean **** up after a patient poops?" and other such pleasantries. in their mind, the nurse is there to do meager degrading tasks while actual medical work is done by doctors.

similiarly when i tell them i am in vet, they tend to think 'animal doctors' thats all but actual clinical care of animals is a small portion of the job scope. most vets work in food safety, biosecurity, research and development, pharmaceuticals, hospitals etc

i think u should take pride in ur job as a pharmacist, its juz one of the many little known but nonetheless important job that supports the medical system. u can be sure the public will learn of ur importance should one day, all the pharmacist in ur country decide to go on strike...😉

for me i have frens doing pharmacy so i know the importance of pharmacists and i actually planned to do pharmacy but the offer for vet came in first so i took it up. i may plan to do pharmacy after vet school and specialized in veterinary pharmacy
 
Prepharm1214 said:
Pharmacists are the last gatekeeper for the patient from receiving something potentially dangerous, but then again doctors never make mistakes with their extensive knowledge of drugs, which encompasses one pharmacology class.
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You should see the value of pharmacists in rounds either. How many time do patients who are in pain never get pain meds cuz of communication barriers? How many times do dr order antibiotics for cultures that shows VRE? How many times do you see the hyperglycemia and cardiovasular effects of zyprexa? list goes on and on. Even dumb stuff like med reconciliation doesnt work. I also get fustrated on nurses ordering haldol and metoclopramide together and dont stop when i tell them to. I see way too many patients with EPS and parkinson effects!!!! heck, I saw nurses + doctors giving haldol to a patient who was allergic to haldol itself but they thought it was the patient withdrawing from heroin!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
A patient came into the chain pharmacy where I work and was inquiring about this horrible rash that covered his arms and back after taking one dose of Augmentin. The pharmacist was giving him advice, and I was standing and listening. The people in line behind the man got all huffy because they were waiting so long (more than 2 minutes). When I asked what I could do for them, they said, "This man wants a doctor's opinion! He should make an appointment!" This was on a Saturday, by the way... I just wanted to burst out and say, "First of all, his question was originally about a drug reaction. Secondly, we are trained to look at his rash and provide potential solutions. Thirdly, it's Saturday, so he can't see the doctor!" I ended up leaving it at, "Well, we're here to provide advice. What can I do for you?" 😡 The ignorance!

By the way, these people wanted to know if they could get their Klor-Con cheaper at our pharmacy than their other pharmacy. I guess that's what we're really there for...to provide price quotes. Nevermind the guy who has burning, glowing red hives covering his arms and back...😱
 
az_drugdlr said:
A patient came into the chain pharmacy where I work and was inquiring about this horrible rash that covered his arms and back after taking one dose of Augmentin. The pharmacist was giving him advice, and I was standing and listening. The people in line behind the man got all huffy because they were waiting so long (more than 2 minutes). When I asked what I could do for them, they said, "This man wants a doctor's opinion! He should make an appointment!" This was on a Saturday, by the way... I just wanted to burst out and say, "First of all, his question was originally about a drug reaction. Secondly, we are trained to look at his rash and provide potential solutions. Thirdly, it's Saturday, so he can't see the doctor!" I ended up leaving it at, "Well, we're here to provide advice. What can I do for you?" 😡 The ignorance!

By the way, these people wanted to know if they could get their Klor-Con cheaper at our pharmacy than their other pharmacy. I guess that's what we're really there for...to provide price quotes. Nevermind the guy who has burning, glowing red hives covering his arms and back...😱
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Actually, clinically saying. .. if it is a rash that encompasses the arm and back, the guy should be in the ER instead of being in the pharmacy. SJS, or in this case which can qualify as TEN, and anything part of that spectrum is not a joke.
 
Lol...I remember in pharmacy school when we were doing the patho section for dermatology...they'd showed a few pictures of TEN...chick next to me puked in her mouth...tranferred it to her water bottle. Got red-faced, pretended like nothing happened, and I was the only one that noticed. :meanie:

That **** it NASTY.
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
Lol...I remember in pharmacy school when we were doing the patho section for dermatology...they'd showed a few pictures of TEN...chick next to me puked in her mouth...tranferred it to her water bottle. Got red-faced, pretended like nothing happened, and I was the only one that noticed. :meanie:

That **** it NASTY.
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Well of course it is not TEN here or the guy wouldnt be in the pharmacy but such a large area of rash.....
 
Coming from an MD who used to be a pharmacy tech for 4 years before med school and has a pharmacist sister-in-law.
I do believe that the way the US system is set up PharmD is one of the most underutilized degrees. I have a lot of respect for hospital-based pharmacists that help a lot on ICU rounds. At least some of them know their stuff. We simply do not have time to calculate those Vanc doses and keep up to date with all the recently discovered side effects and interactions of the meds that we are using. I know a good thing when I see it.
But retail pharmacy.... c'mon guys. It is what it is. I've worked there, I've seen it all. How often do you see a medication being changed based on your recommendation? Twice a day? How much do you pay for your liability insurance and what does it tell you?
Pharmacy school is a tough school to go through. A lot to learn. I hope that some day we will find a better way to apply all that knowledge. But for now - it is a nice job with six figure income, safe and easy. Enjoy the time with your family. I know a couple of surgeons working 60-80hr weeks to make your paycheck because of the malpractice premiums.
 
I understand where your coming from and its great that you have had pharmacy experience before medical school but I feel that MD's are one of the biggest barriers to pharmacists providing direct care to the patients. Having worked in a hospital before I know first-hand how MD's talk to pharmacists and even how nurses try to belittle them. Its flat out ridiculous to be honest. Pharmacists are treated as 2nd-class professionals only because of what the super-chains have done in the field.

On the other hand, I personally LOVE independent pharmacy because of the counseling/drug management opportunities. I believe pharmacy will eventually be practiced WAY different than what it is today. The drug-ATM's aka InstyMeds machines will eventually replace the majority of our dispensing duties and allow us to work more closely with patients. I have a ton of questions about how all this will work out and how much resistance we will get from the MD's and nurses... especially nurses; Anyone ever notice how they always feel like we are taking their job or something? I always get the feeling that I am intruding on their precious space, but anyway thats another rant for another thread!
 
ZigZag said:
Coming from an MD who used to be a pharmacy tech for 4 years before med school and has a pharmacist sister-in-law.
I do believe that the way the US system is set up PharmD is one of the most underutilized degrees. I have a lot of respect for hospital-based pharmacists that help a lot on ICU rounds. At least some of them know their stuff. We simply do not have time to calculate those Vanc doses and keep up to date with all the recently discovered side effects and interactions of the meds that we are using. I know a good thing when I see it.
But retail pharmacy.... c'mon guys. It is what it is. I've worked there, I've seen it all. How often do you see a medication being changed based on your recommendation? Twice a day? How much do you pay for your liability insurance and what does it tell you?
Pharmacy school is a tough school to go through. A lot to learn. I hope that some day we will find a better way to apply all that knowledge. But for now - it is a nice job with six figure income, safe and easy. Enjoy the time with your family. I know a couple of surgeons working 60-80hr weeks to make your paycheck because of the malpractice premiums.
Click to expand...

Good post.
 
codeman2012 said:
I understand where your coming from and its great that you have had pharmacy experience before medical school but I feel that MD's are one of the biggest barriers to pharmacists providing direct care to the patients. Having worked in a hospital before I know first-hand how MD's talk to pharmacists and even how nurses try to belittle them. Its flat out ridiculous to be honest. Pharmacists are treated as 2nd-class professionals only because of what the super-chains have done in the field.
Click to expand...

This couldn't be further from the truth in my experience, and if it truly is in your case, I think it has to do with the quality of the pharmacist/s more than anything else. Pharmacists who actually bring something to the table when it comes to patient care/therapeutic decision making/research are recognized and utilized most often by senior physicians in my opinion. I wouldn't take a recommendation from most pharmacists if it were being made for my family member. Just sayin'.
 
codeman2012 said:
I understand where your coming from and its great that you have had pharmacy experience before medical school but I feel that MD's are one of the biggest barriers to pharmacists providing direct care to the patients. Having worked in a hospital before I know first-hand how MD's talk to pharmacists and even how nurses try to belittle them. Its flat out ridiculous to be honest. Pharmacists are treated as 2nd-class professionals only because of what the super-chains have done in the field.

On the other hand, I personally LOVE independent pharmacy because of the counseling/drug management opportunities. I believe pharmacy will eventually be practiced WAY different than what it is today. The drug-ATM's aka InstyMeds machines will eventually replace the majority of our dispensing duties and allow us to work more closely with patients. I have a ton of questions about how all this will work out and how much resistance we will get from the MD's and nurses... especially nurses; Anyone ever notice how they always feel like we are taking their job or something? I always get the feeling that I am intruding on their precious space, but anyway thats another rant for another thread!
Click to expand...

First, remember that you are always a service to MD and nursing, not the other way around. Without them, there is no you.

Second, you said MDs are the greatest barrier. While the AMA certainly is, MDs are also the greatest asset to the advancement of pharmacy. MDs are out there to improve patient care, not discourage it. As long as you are doing that, you should be able to work great with the MD.

Pharmacists are NOT treated as 2nd class. There is a difference between somebody taking their fustration out on you because they see you as meek versus somebody who thinks you are a janitor.

Lastly, keep in mind that there is a difference between the medical profession and the nursing profession. I would say that MD, PA, and pharmD are based on the medical field versus nurses that are taught via nursing model. Both equally important models.
 
ZigZag said:
Coming from an MD who used to be a pharmacy tech for 4 years before med school and has a pharmacist sister-in-law.
I do believe that the way the US system is set up PharmD is one of the most underutilized degrees. I have a lot of respect for hospital-based pharmacists that help a lot on ICU rounds. At least some of them know their stuff. We simply do not have time to calculate those Vanc doses and keep up to date with all the recently discovered side effects and interactions of the meds that we are using. I know a good thing when I see it.
But retail pharmacy.... c'mon guys. It is what it is. I've worked there, I've seen it all. How often do you see a medication being changed based on your recommendation? Twice a day? How much do you pay for your liability insurance and what does it tell you?
Pharmacy school is a tough school to go through. A lot to learn. I hope that some day we will find a better way to apply all that knowledge. But for now - it is a nice job with six figure income, safe and easy. Enjoy the time with your family. I know a couple of surgeons working 60-80hr weeks to make your paycheck because of the malpractice premiums.
Click to expand...

Great post.
 
codeman2012 said:
I understand where your coming from and its great that you have had pharmacy experience before medical school but I feel that MD's are one of the biggest barriers to pharmacists providing direct care to the patients. Having worked in a hospital before I know first-hand how MD's talk to pharmacists and even how nurses try to belittle them. Its flat out ridiculous to be honest. Pharmacists are treated as 2nd-class professionals only because of what the super-chains have done in the field.

On the other hand, I personally LOVE independent pharmacy because of the counseling/drug management opportunities. I believe pharmacy will eventually be practiced WAY different than what it is today. The drug-ATM's aka InstyMeds machines will eventually replace the majority of our dispensing duties and allow us to work more closely with patients. I have a ton of questions about how all this will work out and how much resistance we will get from the MD's and nurses... especially nurses; Anyone ever notice how they always feel like we are taking their job or something? I always get the feeling that I am intruding on their precious space, but anyway thats another rant for another thread!
Click to expand...

Stupid post.
 
I don't think that pharmacists are useless, we dispense medications to patients and take the LIABILITY and RESPONSIBILITY that the patient receives the medication that he/she needs to improve their state of health.

having said that, I do have to say that I'm really tired of pharmacists trying to make the profession more convoluted by wanting to get more hands-on experiences with patients. SCREW THAT!!! If i wanted to go bedside, stare at death, blood, excrement ...etc I would go to medical school. I'm proud of having an easy profession that pays REALLY, VERY WELL! Our job doesn't pay "6 figures" because it's extremely difficult, being a pharmacist is NOT rocket-science, we get payed so well because of the liability that goes into handling situations, decisions and chemicals that could easily end someone's life.
 
ItsOverZyvox said:
Stupid post.
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Just by posting "stupid post" on which happened to be my opinion, you in turn just made yourself look ignorant at best.

Anyway, getting back to people who actually contribute something insightful..*cough cough*

I stated something that was evident to me through my own personal experience. I agree, maybe the pharmacists I shadowed were not spectacular or even remotely enthusiastic about their job but I heard a lot of "gossip" amongst the nurses and even found myself in the middle of an uncomfortable conversation about why pharmacists shouldn't be allowed to call themselves "Doctor". In a nutshell they slammed the competency of pharmacists and their general inability to do anything but "hand out" drugs. Yeah, thats something to talk about around a pharmacy student.

I hope that this is not the case nationwide and maybe I will find a hospital that is very accepting of pharmacists and what they bring to the game. I desperately want this because I can not see myself just popping pills in a bottle and hearing a customer b * * * h about why they cannot get their oxy filled 17 days too early. I simply cannot take that my whole life and I could see myself making rounds and doing more direct patient care. Is anyone on this board a licensed Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner? I would love to hear the "daily routine" as well as the relationship with MD's (and nurses!)?
 
codeman2012 said:
Just by posting "stupid post" on which happened to be my opinion, you in turn just made yourself look ignorant at best.
I desperately want this because I can not see myself just popping pills in a bottle and hearing a customer b * * * h about why they cannot get their oxy filled 17 days too early. I simply cannot take that my whole life and I could see myself making rounds and doing more direct patient care. Is anyone on this board a licensed Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner? I would love to hear the "daily routine" as well as the relationship with MD's (and nurses!)?
Click to expand...

Hey knucklehead you followed it up with another stupid post. Get a little perspective will you. They pay me all that money to count pills? Get a life pal. That 's like saying I can not see myself just mixing B vitamins in NSS and hearing a nurse b * * * h about why they cannot get their Dulcolax filled stat. I simply cannot take that my whole life. Community practice is more than the little caricature you drew just like hospital practice is more than the caricature I drew.

I use my clinical skills all of the time and I have direct patient care every day and for you to insinuate otherwise is not only stupid it's insulting. I have probably been practicing longer than you have been alive....
 
Old Timer said:
Hey knucklehead you followed it up with another stupid post. Get a little perspective will you. They pay me all that money to count pills? Get a life pal. That 's like saying I can not see myself just mixing B vitamins in NSS and hearing a nurse b * * * h about why they cannot get their Dulcolax filled stat. I simply cannot take that my whole life. Community practice is more than the little caricature you drew just like hospital practice is more than the caricature I drew.

I use my clinical skills all of the time and I have direct patient care every day and for you to insinuate otherwise is not only stupid it's insulting. I have probably been practicing longer than you have been alive....
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Hmm.. Well thats nice. I have worked retail for a while and there is nothing clinical about it. I work for that 3-letter company that does nothing but buy other chains... Yeah you know, the one who has single-handedly ruined the public's perception of the pharmacist. Pharmacists to the public are nothing more than glorified pill counters and you now its true. Do you enjoy the laughable "Patient Care Initiative"? I love how they try to pass this off as a benefit to the patient. YEAH RIGHT. They couldn't care less about the patient, all they care about is catching a few of the prescriptions that fall between the cracks when the old people "forget" to fill their meds. I am really interested to hear exactly what clinical skills you get to practice at that company.. ? Call the Dr. to verify a sloppy script? Dosage? Oh wait, prior authorization! Now that is very clinical! :laugh: You know retail is a just an easy paycheck, "Knucklehead".


P.S. Do you have an ExtraCare card you want me to scan with your condoms & monistat? HAHA
 
codeman2012 said:
I understand where your coming from and its great that you have had pharmacy experience before medical school but I feel that MD's are one of the biggest barriers to pharmacists providing direct care to the patients. Having worked in a hospital before I know first-hand how MD's talk to pharmacists and even how nurses try to belittle them. Its flat out ridiculous to be honest. Pharmacists are treated as 2nd-class professionals only because of what the super-chains have done in the field.

On the other hand, I personally LOVE independent pharmacy because of the counseling/drug management opportunities. I believe pharmacy will eventually be practiced WAY different than what it is today. The drug-ATM's aka InstyMeds machines will eventually replace the majority of our dispensing duties and allow us to work more closely with patients. I have a ton of questions about how all this will work out and how much resistance we will get from the MD's and nurses... especially nurses; Anyone ever notice how they always feel like we are taking their job or something? I always get the feeling that I am intruding on their precious space, but anyway thats another rant for another thread!
Click to expand...

Nurses talk like that to everybody. Because they can. There is shortage of nurses in the country, they don't graduate enough nurses, nurses don't want to teach because the clinical salary is so much higher, nursing unions in the hospital are dominating, we are swamped by nursing administrators, educators, clinicians... yada, yada, yada. The system is bent out of proportion, trust me we all are in the same boat. Hopefully, as time passes and nursing shortage is resolved, things will change for better. When you can afford to fire one or two at will, things get much more collegial quickly. But for now you just have to make a decision not to take crap from anybody who's signature is not on your paycheck. That's logical, right?

You are upset about super-chains in the pharmacy. You are not alone. We all complain about corporations in medicine, insurance companies, 20 year old account managers telling us how to run the place. Its everywhere. Medicine became business long time ago. Some people get discouraged, some people become leaders in the field and fight it. Some people decide to ignore it and utilize the system to generate maximum possible financial benefit for their practice. As professionals, PharmDs are in a pretty sweet spot in compensation vs responsibility/years in education ratio. Enjoy it while it lasts. Invest it. You will have kids to put through college pretty soon.

Yes, sometimes MDs are "short" with pharmacists. Usually it means that they are also "short" with other MDs, RNs, and families. Or maybe he/she was on for 26hr at that point and cannot think straight anymore. So, don't take it personally. Every hospital will have it's extensive list of *****holes. We all know them, we all ignore them. Med school admission is not a popularity contest. Some of the most intelligent people I know are not exactly Mary Sunshine. Just don't confuse their lack of communication skills with disrespect to your profession. We all know a good thing when we see it. We work long weeks and we are thankful for any help we get.
 
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Michigan Pharmacist License by Endorsement for Canadian Pharmacist
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