Calling it quits

[pharm201456]

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Has anybody on this forum called it quits after the first year of pharmacy school? I just finished my first year and I'm working as an intern this summer in a retail setting and I absolutely hate retail. In addition, I have yet to meet one pharmacist that actually likes what they do, what does that say about the future of the profession. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

[doublehh03]

Has anybody on this forum called it quits after the first year of pharmacy school? I just finished my first year and I'm working as an intern this summer in a retail setting and I absolutely hate retail. In addition, I have yet to meet one pharmacist that actually likes what they do, what does that say about the future of the profession. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

You have yet to meet it, but I have met plenty of pharmacists who have enjoyed retail (CVS). My current PIC is a phenomenal pharmacist, and he absolutely loves his job, which makes the job environment a complete joy.

I have had hospital rotations at prestigious hospitals where pharmacists do A LOT of clinical work, but also A LOT of secretarial work. I have met peds pharmacists who absolutely hate their jobs and would trade it for anything. They are salaried, and yet they work 60+ hours a week in the hospital.

There are pros and cons to every work environment that you are put in, and it's up to you to decide how do you make of the work environment.

People blame corporates like CVS for bringing down the profession. But when I float around these stores as a grad intern, I really see the difference b/t a great pharmacist, and a whiny pharmacist--bad one.

Now don't get me wrong. There are cons to working for CVS (the constant pressure to be quick/fast...), but there are cons to every work environment.

I think if more retail pharmacists are more like my PIC, retail pharmacy would be moving forward in the right direction. Sure he's a very fast pharmacist, but he REALLY makes his time for patient counseling, esp when this pharmacy serves the geriatric population. And doing it his way doesn't interfere with how he meets CVS' scores and things like that.

 

[mustang sally]

I almost quit after my first year because I couldn't stand my summer IPPE rotations, then after that I couldn't stand my retail job...I am still here chugging along, going to graduate next May .

I don't really know where I'm going with this, but I guess if the only plan you ever had to do was retail I would probably rethink your situation. If you are willing to entertain other career paths in pharmacy, then maybe it's worth it to keep going. It's up to you to decide if the debt load and another three years of schooling will be worth it for whatever it is you think you might want to do with the degree. But I agree that retail is awful (at least it was for me, I met many pharmacists who said they were happy at Wags).

P.S. If you do decide you want to quit, I would say get out ASAP while your debt load is hopefully still reasonable. Once you add on another year, it pretty much feels like there's no turning back.

 

[BrightLight]

I hated retail when I was a pharmacy student too, partly because I was immature and partly because I had too glamorous a view of what a pharmacist could do. But now I am an actual practicing retail pharmacist who realizes it's what you make out of your job to help your clients, I love my job.

 

[jasonkido]

In my experience the people who love their job in retail are generally "people person." I know quite a few people who love people even in a retail setting. However, I am not one of them and that is why I quit cvs after a few years. It became particular stressful when I worked as a pharmacist with cvs so I quit and interviewed for a long term care job that was 3 hours away from home. And now I love being a pharmacist.

What I am trying to say is that you should take mustang's advice and check what else is out there. Hospital, LTC, and clinical are the main fields I think you should look into. You have a couple of months left to decide whats best for you before you invest in another year. Good luck

 

[DRxUGS]

I loved working in independent retail pharmacies. I worked at one throughout school and did a couple of rotations at some others. I also had a rotation at a chain retail pharmacy and I hated it. It was too much micromanagement.

I always thought I'd end up in retail, but there were very few jobs in the area I was considering. So now I'm a hospital pharmacist in my hometown and I absolutely LOVE it!

 

[PumpkinSmasher]

I loved working in independent retail pharmacies. I worked at one throughout school and did a couple of rotations at some others. I also had a rotation at a chain retail pharmacy and I hated it. It was too much micromanagement.

I always thought I'd end up in retail, but there were very few jobs in the area I was considering. So now I'm a hospital pharmacist in my hometown and I absolutely LOVE it!

I always thought about independent pharmacy as well and I still think about it. Had great rotation with an independent and worked for one as a tech.

I am working for a hospital in my home metro area and really excited about it! Who knows though, one day years from now if the opportunity presents itself I may take the plunge into independent pharmacy!

 

[spacecowgirl]

I always thought I'd end up in retail, but there were very few jobs in the area I was considering. So now I'm a hospital pharmacist in my hometown and I absolutely LOVE it!

Me too! Except I thought I'd end up in amb care, not retail (I completely a PGY1 amb residency). I love being a pharmacist in my hometown hospital!

There are many pharmacy settings; don't discount the profession based on one.

 

[taloddar2002]

Do NOT quit!

After my first year EPPE rotation in retail pharmacy I had major regrets about going into pharmacy school. I hated almost every second I was there. The great thing about pharmacy is there is a great deal of variety within the profession -- you need to find out which setting is best suited for you.

Experience is invaluable in pharmacy, especially now that a Pharm.D with a pulse does not guarantee you a job right after school. If you don't enjoy retail you aren't stuck there forever. Try to make the best of the situtation and learn as much as you can while you are there. Even though you many not feel like you are learning a lot, you'll be amazed how much more you pick up compared to your classmates who do not to work during pharmacy school.

I'm currently a PGY1 resident in hospital pharmacy and I love what I do.

Hang in there it will get better!

 

[rxlea]

The great thing about a PharmD degree is that it enables you to work in a variety of practice settings... Not every setting is going to be a good fit for you and that's OK. You will come across other experiences that may help you discover your ideal practice setting. I know that going into pharm school that I was dead set on hospital pharmacy but after my IPPE this summer at an independent pharmacy in a rural location, I realized that I need to have a much more open mind about where I might end up. If you genuinely like the role of a pharmacist but just didn't like that one setting, then keep at it. There is so much more out there to experience.

 

[pfaction]

Has anybody on this forum called it quits after the first year of pharmacy school? I just finished my first year and I'm working as an intern this summer in a retail setting and I absolutely hate retail. In addition, I have yet to meet one pharmacist that actually likes what they do, what does that say about the future of the profession. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

I'm one of the worst people to ask, but absolutely do not quit. It's retail. Everyone F'N hates retail. Then insert what taloddar said.

 

[R xxx]

I didn't have any retail experience when I entered pharmacy school. I just knew I wanted to work in the hospital setting. I hated pharmacy school and the busywork we had to do. I hated most of my rotations because every few weeks, I was again in a new situation and it is stressful to be in a new environment. But the thought of quitting never crossed my mind. What else would I be doing if I didn't become a pharmacist? That being said, I absolutely love being a pharmacist now. It is such a good feeling when you are able to answer questions and know what you're doing to help people. I hated retail when I first started, but now I don't even mind it. I even enjoy fixing insurance rejections. I also didn't really like my hospital job in the beginning, but now I absolutely love it. The key is to make your work environment stress-free. I think that once you know what you're doing and are good at it, you will enjoy it more.

 

[owlegrad]

I didn't have any retail experience when I entered pharmacy school. I just knew I wanted to work in the hospital setting. I hated pharmacy school and the busywork we had to do. I hated most of my rotations because every few weeks, I was again in a new situation and it is stressful to be in a new environment. But the thought of quitting never crossed my mind. What else would I be doing if I didn't become a pharmacist? That being said, I absolutely love being a pharmacist now. It is such a good feeling when you are able to answer questions and know what you're doing to help people. I hated retail when I first started, but now I don't even mind it. I even enjoy fixing insurance rejections. I also didn't really like my hospital job in the beginning, but now I absolutely love it. The key is to make your work environment stress-free. I think that once you know what you're doing and are good at it, you will enjoy it more.

Something is wrong with you.

 

[R xxx]

Something is wrong with you.

Must be 🙄

 

[beastykato]

Keep in mind that hospital and retail are only two of the possibilities your degree will offer you. I haven't even started a PharmD program yet, so I don't know what the job market is like; however, you can also work for pharma. companies and do R&D, safety, and just straight business tasks (project leaders, liaisons) and tons of other stuff I'm sure. You may be required to attain an MBA or similar degree to get a job on the business end but I'd say for the salaries I hear that they make at my company it's well worth it.

I'll echo what above posters said about enjoying the retail experience though. Your coworkers can make or break you. CVS made life hell for us much of the time, but we made it through and enjoyed our work many days because we had fun and joked around and just had a good attitude about it. I worked with a couple really good pharmacists though. The one guy was so good I hope I'm just like him when I get out, he was always happy no matter who came in and caused problems, always encouraged me, gave me my LOR's for school, and always wanted to teach the interns and myself new things.

 

[pfaction]

however, you can also work for pharma. companies and do R&D

I think a lot of pharmaceutical companies are a) not hiring, b) hiring PharmD/PhD's. I think regular PharmD's may do minimal clinical work.

 

[nafcillin]

dont' quit on account of a few bitter pharmacists. There will always be unhappy people no matter which field you chose. I worked with some of the most bitter, angry and mean pharmacists and hated every minute of it when i was interning. They would go out of their way to make my life miserable. Anyway, point being I am still here and I am relatively happy.

I have a good job, supportive coworkers and a stimulating environment. The thing about pharmacy is that there are many different jobs you can get and many different work environments and it's constantly changing. Don't give up so soon.

 

[crazybob]

Something is wrong with you.

Liking some parts of retail is wrong?

I know it depends on the company and the location, but some places are ok and not too busy to the point where you can enjoy what you're doing even if it's at a chain.

Fixing insurance rejections isn't a hassle if you want to learn how it works and everything.

 

[owlegrad]

Liking some parts of retail is wrong?

I know it depends on the company and the location, but some places are ok and not too busy to the point where you can enjoy what you're doing even if it's at a chain.

Fixing insurance rejections isn't a hassle if you want to learn how it works and everything.

False! It is always a hassle to fix insurance claims and should never, ever, ever be enjoyed. If you enjoy fixing ins rejections something is wrong with you. It is as simple as that.

 

[PumpkinSmasher]

False! It is always a hassle to fix insurance claims and should never, ever, ever be enjoyed. If you enjoy fixing ins rejections something is wrong with you. It is as simple as that.

👍 Agreed. Fixing insurance rejections is a waste of pharmacist time, this work should be delegated to technicians.

 

[owlegrad]

👍 Agreed. Fixing insurance rejections is a waste of pharmacist time, this work should be delegated to technicians.

It is a waste of anyone's time!

 

[gambit78]

I say to look at other options as well. YOu can do the bare bones amt of pharmacy or the most clinical of positions...

Most pharmacists I met really don't like retail but I met one guy who loved CVS, but only for smaller towns. He said the techs were the best as they weren't transient (students, those doing tech in meantime while trying to major in something else) and that he would have enough staffing. The smaller town staffing knew their customers very well so it was easier to explainto them why insurance was baffling/higher copay/etc, and that the pharmacy wasn't out to get them.

I've heard pharmacies hiring techs ONLY to do insurance claims/fixing them all day, etc.

There have been others who had the luxury of working just part-time to leave them to do other stuff (be a personal trainer, write, volunteer) so they didn't get burned out.

Then there's long-term care pharmacy where they promote: Not having to deal with insurance, no patient-to-patient interaction haha, a regiment day-shift with weekends off.

It is so ironic that you have to be a people person in pharmacy nowadays. I recall growing up, I would never ever see the pharmacist as the cashier/tech would ring up my sale (before counseling days). At one outpatient pharmacy, the pharmacist would be up near the ceiling behind their counter while the cashier/tech was at eye level in the front. There was one day a few yrs ago, I randomly walked into a Walgreens and it was an older pharmacist and a younger tech. This pharmacist was only ten feet away from me and he was relaying to the tech to tell me where I could find the closest compounding pharmacy. WTF. He couldn't tell me?

 

[Chris co2012]

👍 Agreed. Fixing insurance rejections is a waste of pharmacist time, this work should be delegated to technicians.

Well... assuming you have techs...

 

[Charlottefromca]

False! It is always a hassle to fix insurance claims and should never, ever, ever be enjoyed. If you enjoy fixing ins rejections something is wrong with you. It is as simple as that.

I don't think people enjoy fixing the insurance problems persay.. but fixing a problem in and of itself can be rewarding, at the end of the day you are helping the patient get their medication.

 

[owlegrad]

I don't think people enjoy fixing the insurance problems persay.. but fixing a problem in and of itself can be rewarding, at the end of the day you are helping the patient get their medication.

Up thread a poster said he enjoyed resolving ins rejections. My posts have been in response to that post.

 

[Ackj]

Up thread a poster said he enjoyed resolving ins rejections. My posts have been in response to that post.

I like to refill the vials and take the garbage out, so I'd say we're in the same boat.

 

[armorking]

I like to refill the vials and take the garbage out, so I'd say we're in the same boat.

ROFL...I felt the same way at the end of the day as a tech. This thread made me realize I still have a long way to go...

 

[owlegrad]

I like to refill the vials and take the garbage out, so I'd say we're in the same boat.

That's not so bad. It takes all kinds I guess.

 

[Chris co2012]

The only thing I don't enjoy is taking information from a new patient. And I also hate it when baby-mommas can't remember which last name their kids have on our profiles. We had a lady who named her kids Taishalisha or some crap and she couldn't remember what meds were on which child (out of 4)... I told the more experienced tech to deal with this woman because it was hard to understand her while her tented windows were 3/4 rolled up at the drive-thru.

...go figure.

 

[momoneythenu]

Is this a real post? Working in general is a pain. All i have to say is welcome to reality... Quitting because you didnt find it perfectly easy and satisfying.. I get comic relief from this site.

 

[Ackj]

ROFL...I felt the same way at the end of the day as a tech. This thread made me realize I still have a long way to go...

You're right, I guess that's the real reason those tasks seem positive. Insurance rejects have no hidden upside 😀

 

[owlegrad]

You're right, I guess that's the real reason those tasks seem positive. Insurance rejects have no hidden upside 😀

After thinking about this for some time I have thought of one upside to ins resolving. Sometimes the operators sound hot.

I cannot think of any other upside. I guess you can use it as an excuse to ignore other tasks? But they will likely be waiting for you when you are finished with that so...no.