Clinical, Retail, or Both?

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I haven't decided yet. I've only worked in retail. I haven't worked in a hospital yet, so I can't compare and decide between the two. Clinical sounds like it could have it's benefits.
 
I most definitely want to work in a hospital environment. I also want to specialize as a clinical psychiatric pharmacist and subsequently pursue a PhD so that I can conduct research in psychopharmacology.
 
Clinical for me.

I'd like to do a PGY1 in Pharmacy Practice and am open about a PGY2.
 
Retail chain for me. I want to work in a rural area, and there arent clinical jobs out there that im aware of. Plus it's harder to work part time in clinical or hospital jobs.
 
I volunteer at a hospital and every pharmacist thats switched from retail to clinical say clinical is much better. But its all personal preference. In hospital they work with compounding more than retail, and u don't need to counsel, it appears that the techs in hospital have more hands-on work to do like running ivs and refills for floors, deliver meds, compounding less than the pharmacist. its very different environment. Its suggested that if you choose clinical it would be beneficial to do residency first..

Anyway, clinical seems to appeal to me more.. Although they get paid a little less they have better benefits than retail.
 
wouldn't it be kinda rough to be working part time while you're doing your residency? you're training full time during the week and then would be working all weekend. you wouldn't have days off to go shopping and to clean up your place.
 
crazybob said:
wouldn't it be kinda rough to be working part time while you're doing your residency? you're training full time during the week and then would be working all weekend. you wouldn't have days off to go shopping and to clean up your place.
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Shopping with what? If I am not mistaken you only get a $35,000-$40,000 stipend for your residency. I would work on Saturdays and some evenings, depending on when my shift ends. I can clean on Sundays and get groceries then. 😛
 
delano2000 said:
Shopping with what? If I am not mistaken you only get a $35,000-$40,000 stipend for your residency. I would work on Saturdays and some evenings, depending on when my shift ends. I can clean on Sundays and get groceries then. 😛
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ONLY $35,000-$40,000??? Really?
 
The residents (meaning graduated and sat for NAPLEX, waiting for CPJE, and completing PGY-1) at my hospital have showed me pay stubs in the low $20/hr neighborhood, constantly complaining that in P2 and P3 they made $10-12/hr more than they do as post-graduates and do three times the work.

So at a 40-hour work week, which is customary for a PGY Resident at my hospital anyway, you're talking about a whopping 40 grand a year. And that's at a huuuuuge hospital in the Bay Area. I can't imagine how something in West Texas, BFE would pay any better. So I think your numbers are about right Delano.
 
Passion4Sci said:
The residents (meaning graduated and sat for NAPLEX, waiting for CPJE, and completing PGY-1) at my hospital have showed me pay stubs in the low $20/hr neighborhood, constantly complaining that in P2 and P3 they made $10-12/hr more than they do as post-graduates and do three times the work.

So at a 40-hour work week, which is customary for a PGY Resident at my hospital anyway, you're talking about a whopping 40 grand a year. And that's at a huuuuuge hospital in the Bay Area. I can't imagine how something in West Texas, BFE would pay any better. So I think your numbers are about right Delano.
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I actually live in south Texas.😛
I figured those numbers were right.
 
Praziquantel86 said:
What ever happened to hospital staffer? There are many, many jobs that aren't clinical OR retail.
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There is also mail order, you can work for pzfier or mckesson etc, go into the business aspect/sales, etc.
 
delano2000 said:
What is the correct figure? 😕
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My stipend was a little under 40K as a PGY-1, and it's a little over 40K as a PGY-2. During my PGY-1, I was required to work every 3rd weekend, but I got paid to do it. (That pay was in addition to the 40K I mentioned above.) As a PGY-2, I'm not required to work weekends, but the option still exists if I want to supplement my income.

Of note, all of my travel expenses and meeting fees are out-of-pocket. The extra money I get from weekends more than makes up for the difference, but it will be a give-and-take anywhere you go. My site is certainly not the norm, as most residencies consider your weekend work as part of your stipend.

Hope this helps!
 
Just wanted to throw out that all facets of pharmacy are (or at least should be) clinical. Retail or hospital (or other non-retail position), not retail or clinical. Sorry, it's just a soapbox issue for me.
 
Neither!!!!! =)

I want to go into the business side of pharmacy, and work at someplace like Kaiser or a PBM. Pharmacoeconomics <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
 
Jetninjin said:
Neither!!!!! =)

I want to go into the business side of pharmacy, and work at someplace like Kaiser or a PBM. Pharmacoeconomics <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
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+mail order, I can't decide which one is better...but I am looking currently looking into those three fields. Anything BUT retail.
 
medicalCPA said:
True. As one isolated example, if I were a pharmacist, I would like Z's job.
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Me, too. That's why I'm looking into moving out there, getting on at one of his hospitals, getting a MBA, and becoming a pharmacoeconomic mastamind...er a director. That's where the real demand is. If you can save a hospital $8 million a year (yes, that happens), they'll keep you around...and give you whatever you need. Psshh...residencies...yeah, do a residency...I'll be your boss some day. :laugh:

But his job kicks ass. He gets paid to sit at home, develop formularies for a bazillions hospitals, fly around the country to tell people how stupid they are and, naturally, how to be less stupid, and apparently still have time to play golf. I'd like for that to be me some day. Minus the golf thing. Golf is lame.
 
@ SHC & WVU ... maybe we shouldn't be telling everyone this lol. We might single-handedly cause the pre-accreditation of 100 new PharmD/MBA programs :laugh:
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
Me, too. That's why I'm looking into moving out there, getting on at one of his hospitals, getting a MBA, and becoming a pharmacoeconomic mastamind...er a director. That's where the real demand is. If you can save a hospital $8 million a year (yes, that happens), they'll keep you around...and give you whatever you need. Psshh...residencies...yeah, do a residency...I'll be your boss some day. :laugh:

But his job kicks ass. He gets paid to sit at home, develop formularies for a bazillions hospitals, fly around the country to tell people how stupid they are and, naturally, how to be less stupid, and apparently still have time to play golf. I'd like for that to be me some day. Minus the golf thing. Golf is lame.
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I think being the CEO of Pzfier or a spot in the Fortune 500 company would be the ultimate job...but the chances are very small so I didn't even list those....
 
I just took the safe way out and started my MBA first while applying to pharm school... That way I can focus on pharmacy 100% once I'm in... God willing! Lol. I'm still undecided though... Obviously I had an idea but I've come to realize that keeping an open mind is the best strategy for me because who knows what things will really spark my interest once I'm actually in pharmacy school. I'm a pretty adaptable person so I can deal with retail. I like costumer service and I think I'd like counseling too. I'm really interested in these pharmacist assisted smoking cessation programs I've been reading about. Smoking is something that I would love to help people remove from their lives if I could. I like the hospital atmosphere too though. I've also been really interested in pharmacogenetics research since I was in high school. UF has opportunities in that field so that's really cool to me.

delano2000 said:
Mmmm...I might need to look into that kinda dual degree program. 🙄

Nah lol. I will still stick to clinical pharmacy (hopefully).
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Tinkerbell22 said:
I just took the safe way out and started my MBA first while applying to pharm school... That way I can focus on pharmacy 100% once I'm in... God willing! Lol. I'm still undecided though... Obviously I had an idea but I've come to realize that keeping an open mind is the best strategy for me because who knows what things will really spark my interest once I'm actually in pharmacy school. I'm a pretty adaptable person so I can deal with retail. I like costumer service and I think I'd like counseling too. I'm really interested in these pharmacist assisted smoking cessation programs I've been reading about. Smoking is something that I would love to help people remove from their lives if I could. I like the hospital atmosphere too though. I've also been really interested in pharmacogenetics research since I was in high school. UF has opportunities in that field so that's really cool to me.
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Well that is good. However, nothing in the business field ever appealed to me. At all!!! That was the reason I stuck in health care. Since I was in the 8th grade I knew I wanted a career in health care. Might go for a Ph.D though after I get my Pharm.D. hopefully. 😀
 
I was the same way... when I was in elementary school my parents bought me one of those memory book things, and there was a page where you wrote about what you want to be when you grow up and I said " I want to be a cientits" lol Obviously I couldn't spell scientist... but I've always been fascinated by science. When I was a little kid I played with plastic dinosaurs and snakes rather than barbies and dolls. lol When I started college I thought I would HATE business, but I took some economics and other business classes for my MBA prereqs and I absolutely loved it. Economics is very similiar to the analytical thinking used in some science classes I think. I took a health economics class and we had a guest speaker come in who got their MD/MBA degree at Duke and that really cemented my choice to go into the dual degree. I just feel like there are so many opportunities out there... and the same goes for PhD. If you LOVE school then why not? As long as you are willing to pay off those loans later on = )
 
Jetninjin said:
Neither!!!!! =)

I want to go into the business side of pharmacy, and work at someplace like Kaiser or a PBM. Pharmacoeconomics <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
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PE people are also clinical pharmacists. Afterall it's not just cost, it's cost per qaly or some other quality related variable. If you don't know your clinical stuff, you'll end up with cheap stuff that doesn't do anything, cheap stuff that's not safe, or a combination of both.
 
Tinkerbell22 said:
I was the same way... when I was in elementary school my parents bought me one of those memory book things, and there was a page where you wrote about what you want to be when you grow up and I said " I want to be a cientits" lol Obviously I couldn't spell scientist... but I've always been fascinated by science. When I was a little kid I played with plastic dinosaurs and snakes rather than barbies and dolls. lol When I started college I thought I would HATE business, but I took some economics and other business classes for my MBA prereqs and I absolutely loved it. Economics is very similiar to the analytical thinking used in some science classes I think. I took a health economics class and we had a guest speaker come in who got their MD/MBA degree at Duke and that really cemented my choice to go into the dual degree. I just feel like there are so many opportunities out there... and the same goes for PhD. If you LOVE school then why not? As long as you are willing to pay off those loans later on = )
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I have taken Economics already and got a B and in all my science classes I have gotten all As. That should show you where my interests lie.:laugh:
 
Tinkerbell22 said:
I was the same way... when I was in elementary school my parents bought me one of those memory book things, and there was a page where you wrote about what you want to be when you grow up and I said " I want to be a cientits" lol Obviously I couldn't spell scientist... but I've always been fascinated by science. When I was a little kid I played with plastic dinosaurs and snakes rather than barbies and dolls. lol When I started college I thought I would HATE business, but I took some economics and other business classes for my MBA prereqs and I absolutely loved it. Economics is very similiar to the analytical thinking used in some science classes I think. I took a health economics class and we had a guest speaker come in who got their MD/MBA degree at Duke and that really cemented my choice to go into the dual degree. I just feel like there are so many opportunities out there... and the same goes for PhD. If you LOVE school then why not? As long as you are willing to pay off those loans later on = )
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A PharmD/MBA degree at my school is only an additional 18k. I think I am going to do it to up my chances at a desk job. I am also more of an business person myself.
 
A B isn't bad... but Economics is usually something you HATE or LOVE... My guess is that most people dislike it. lol

I also grew up in a small town who's economy is 100% driven by hospitality and costumer service... so working in that industry made me like business. I feel like the amount of patient contact and service in pharmacy is a good mix of that plus science.

I think girls may have a tendency to like dealing with people more though.

You are lucky that your MBA is only 18k more SHC1984... I'm doing mine separate and the loans are scary. I'm really looking forward to it though. I start on October 5th! I'm taking Delivering Superior Customer Value, Marketing, and Legal, Ethical, and Social Values of Business. Plus Physics for pharmacy. Random.
 
Farmercyst said:
Just wanted to throw out that all facets of pharmacy are (or at least should be) clinical. Retail or hospital (or other non-retail position), not retail or clinical. Sorry, it's just a soapbox issue for me.
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I agree with you entirely, I just wanted to keep things as easy-to-understand as possible.

I think it was WVU who mentioned that staffing was the most "clinical" job you could have at a hospital, and I couldn't agree with him more. I've been noticing more and more the amount of interventions that the average order-entry jockey makes in a day versus the number that the average clinical pharmacist rounding in the ICU, and its astounding. By no means am I disrespecting or denigrating any particular job, but I definitely think that staffers (the good ones, at least) don't get nearly enough credit when compared to the "clinical" folks.

I think things are a little more blurry in retail. The job can be extremely "clinical" if the pharmacist wants it to be, and I hope that's the way that I would practice. I've also worked with many pharmacists who don't give a rats ass, and the job becomes nothing more than an excessively well-paid cashier/phone-answering service.
 
Can't imagine doing anything other than retail, I like the people interaction. Tried out the hospital side for a while and it just wasn't my cup of tea.

I plan on getting a MBA while earning my Pharm.D. Ultimate goal is to own several pharmacies across one or more states in the years afterwards. Working on obtaining funds to buy my first three sometime in the next five to seven years.
 
delano2000 said:
Well that is good. However, nothing in the business field ever appealed to me. At all!!! That was the reason I stuck in health care. Since I was in the 8th grade I knew I wanted a career in health care. Might go for a Ph.D though after I get my Pharm.D. hopefully. 😀
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Are you interested in bench research or clinical research?
 
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