careers

[PharmDalt]

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[PharmEcon]

Since you've never had retail experience before, it could be your mistakes are just because you are new to it. I have worked with quite a few techs and pharmacists when they first started in retail and no one got everything right from the get-go. I know I didn't when I first stepped into a pharmacy. There is always a learning curve.

That being said, getting hired in the first place might be the trickier part with no experience.

 

[BMBiology]

i only recommend doing an MBA if you already have plenty of work experience like in management. Without it, I don't think an MBA has much value.

 

[PharmEcon]

i only recommend doing an MBA if you already have plenty of work experience like in management. Without it, I don't think an MBA has much value.

To add to this: from what I understand unless you get it from a top 5 school, it probably does not make sense to do it. Better route would be to find an employer that will pay for your MBA (or at least tell you that they will hire you for a particular position with one), especially so you can get one from a program that your employer likes, but this is really an option for after having started working, so probably isn't very useful.

 

[samisab786]

I am a sixth year pharmD student currently on rotation at a chain. I've got some pretty interesting rotations lined up for the rest of the year. My concern at the moment is that it is highly unlikely that I'd find a job after graduating as I have zero work experience and no professional involvement. Overall, my resume is very inadequate to find something besides in retail (hospital, fellowship, residency etc). And speaking of retail, from my 2 rotations, it's pretty clear that it's not for me: def don't have the sharpness for it and I make mistakes left and right so even if I am lucky enough to land a retail job, i'd probably end up getting sued a lot, or worse, hurting someone. So all that leaves me with only one option: going to back to school (well, or finding an alternate and relatively less competitive path in pharmacy), and my question is going back to school for what? an MBA or masters in public health perhaps? or even med school (which was the initial plan btw), though I'd have a tough time getting in? anything that can add to my pharmd? All suggestions/answers appreciated.

Is retail something you think you'd like to do? If it is, don't worry about the mistakes just yet. It's your first time, and you are bound to make some errors. I am a sixth year, like you, and I tend to feel clueless on my chain rotations at times because I too don't have a job, but I think it's something you pick up over time and shouldn't worry just yet. Also, without having a job, I heard getting a residency is hard but you can still get a job working as a hospital pharmacist.

Maybe you can also consider a fellowship and try industry? I don't know how important having a job is for industry, but it seems like an interesting way to apply your expertise and knowledge on drugs in a different setting.

 

[TheBlaah]

Is retail something you think you'd like to do? If it is, don't worry about the mistakes just yet. It's your first time, and you are bound to make some errors. I am a sixth year, like you, and I tend to feel clueless on my chain rotations at times because I too don't have a job, but I think it's something you pick up over time and shouldn't worry just yet. Also, without having a job, I heard getting a residency is hard but you can still get a job working as a hospital pharmacist.

Maybe you can also consider a fellowship and try industry? I don't know how important having a job is for industry, but it seems like an interesting way to apply your expertise and knowledge on drugs in a different setting.

He already stated that his stats are very inadequate for a fellowship. Also, fellowships I feel are somewhat more difficult to get than residencies since they depend more on your networking skills as well.

As for the mistakes the OP is making, do you believe it's because of the pace of the job or the inexperience? Because those of those factors can be rectified. However if the errors are due to carelessness, almost every job a pharmacist can do has the possibility of hurting someone. Something I would consider is Pharmacy Benefits Manager, though I personally have no experience with that.

 

[Travex]

I am a P4 as well so I know where you are coming from. I have been working part-time at a retail chain for 4 years and I still made mistakes when I did my first rotation at a different retail. Learning a new system is difficult. For the first few weeks I screwed something up at least once a day. It takes getting used to! Luckily the pharmacists were careful so no mistakes reached the patient that I was aware of (except a few ez-cap vs. safety cap). I think the most important thing is to pace yourself. Double check yourself. If you feel unsure, triple or quadruple check it. If you're new, it's better to make the patient wait longer than to screw something up...

Although, like you, I don't have the credentials to do anything other than retail... And I don't really want to deal with patients/insurance on a daily basis either. So if anyone has any suggestions for alternate careers, I would love to hear ideas as well. To OP, I wouldn't suggest going the medschool route btw. You need a strong resume with volunteering, leadership roles, research, etc. PA might be more accessible and it's only 2 years.