Community or Hospital Pharmacy?

[Shimmery]

Hi everyone,

I graduate in a month or so and I thought by now I would have already made the decision to which "path" I wanted to take, either community or hospital....but apparently I haven't yet.

I know that there are more fields you can pursue rather than these two, but these are the majority from what I've experienced during my APPE.

I've had 2+ years in retail and no experience at all in a hospital (only exposure I had was during APPE).

Both have their PRO's and CON's but what's bothering me really is to see which field can help me "grow" so that If I move/transfer I would be competitive among other people applying for jobs in the future.

I do not plan on doing a residency as my loans aren't going to pay themselves and thus why I need to start working.

Any insight?

Thanks.

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[Reirrac]

Work experience seems to be the biggest factor on getting an interview. Since you have limited hospital experience, that will make things more challenging if you want a hospital job.

From what I've heard personally from pharmacy managers, doing a residency is highly recommended and makes you competitive relative to other applicants. I've heard of hospitals in remote and underserved areas willing to hire fresh graduates, but who knows how things has changed?

From your work experience and your future plans, community pharmacy seems to be the path of less frustration.

 

[KidPharmD]

If you have waited this long to decide on a post graduation career, you have almost waited too late for most of the jobs expected to be filled by new grads.

I don't know why new-grads all seem to think that they are committing themselves to a life long career with their first job. Take the job you can get, and then decide if you really want to try to get into the other field. Then you will already have a job to support you while you look for work.

You will be hard pressed to get into hospital with no real experience and no residency, but if you can get there it is easier to go from hospital to community than the other way around.

 

[RxMonkey]

I am still in school and have yet to feel the full effects of saturation on the job market. That being said, I believe the general concensus will be something along the lines of "Take whatever you can get".

Hospital jobs appear to be more coveted and, therefore, more competitive . Without a residency or additional hospital experience, you will have a hard time finding a hospital job right out of school. So this decision has probobly already been made for you. Sorry.

Apply to everything. If you do find yourself in the happy predicament of having to chose between the two, go with hospital. As KidPharmD said, It is a lot easier to transition from clinical to retail.

Best of luck!

 

[PumpkinSmasher]

I would apply for positions in hospital and retail and see what you are able to get. The reality is that the job market is tight so you are likely going to be going to retail because of lack of experience and residency. I think if you are unsure, it is better to start in hospital initially if you are able to find a job. It is easier to transition to retail from hospital than vice versa.

I went into inpatient hospital right out of pharmacy school and then transitioned to ambulatory pharmacy. I have worked as a PRN pharmacist in retail over the years but the extra money just wasn't worth it to me anymore. To each their own.

 

[Shimmery]

Work experience seems to be the biggest factor on getting an interview. Since you have limited hospital experience, that will make things more challenging if you want a hospital job.

From what I've heard personally from pharmacy managers, doing a residency is highly recommended and makes you competitive relative to other applicants. I've heard of hospitals in remote and underserved areas willing to hire fresh graduates, but who knows how things has changed?

From your work experience and your future plans, community pharmacy seems to be the path of less frustration.

I do live in an undeserved area so that's what I was initially thinking in trying to get a job within a hospital and go from there. I know that the first thing I should worry about it is passing the NAPLEX/MPJE first before I even think about trying to find a job.

If you have waited this long to decide on a post graduation career, you have almost waited too late for most of the jobs expected to be filled by new grads.

I don't know why new-grads all seem to think that they are committing themselves to a life long career with their first job. Take the job you can get, and then decide if you really want to try to get into the other field. Then you will already have a job to support you while you look for work.

You will be hard pressed to get into hospital with no real experience and no residency, but if you can get there it is easier to go from hospital to community than the other way around.

It's more of trying to be situated in an environment you're comfortable with rather than trying to find out later on that you don't like what you're doing and then try to find another job that does meet your needs.

What you say though makes sense in trying to find a job first - regardless of what it is - and then see if there are any other job openings. I guess my problem with this route is that once you do get a job, you'll be accustomed to the pay and not leave from that workplace.

I would apply for positions in hospital and retail and see what you are able to get. The reality is that the job market is tight so you are likely going to be going to retail because of lack of experience and residency. I think if you are unsure, it is better to start in hospital initially if you are able to find a job. It is easier to transition to retail from hospital than vice versa.

I went into inpatient hospital right out of pharmacy school and then transitioned to ambulatory pharmacy. I have worked as a PRN pharmacist in retail over the years but the extra money just wasn't worth it to me anymore. To each their own.

I'll see what I can do when the time comes.

 

[kendrick lamar]

How much experience does one need for a staff job at a hospital? I have no work experience but have done two of my APPEs at the largest hospital in my surrounding area (Internal Med, Am Care) and have had another APPE at a medium sized hospital. I plan to take a two month break before looking for a job for personal reasons but am hoping that the hospital I did my APPE it may have openings, but really, if I could find a staff job out of state, that would be preferable.

And I don't think you should care if you aren't decided by now, I have really no clue what I'm doing but I know for sure I don't want to do retail

 

[Trent Steele]

If you have waited this long to decide on a post graduation career, you have almost waited too late for most of the jobs expected to be filled by new grads.

I don't know why new-grads all seem to think that they are committing themselves to a life long career with their first job. Take the job you can get, and then decide if you really want to try to get into the other field. Then you will already have a job to support you while you look for work.

You will be hard pressed to get into hospital with no real experience and no residency, but if you can get there it is easier to go from hospital to community than the other way around.

https://i.imgur.com/Wzlm9xX.gif

 

[gwarm01]

How much experience does one need for a staff job at a hospital? I have no work experience but have done two of my APPEs at the largest hospital in my surrounding area (Internal Med, Am Care) and have had another APPE at a medium sized hospital. I plan to take a two month break before looking for a job for personal reasons but am hoping that the hospital I did my APPE it may have openings, but really, if I could find a staff job out of state, that would be preferable.

And I don't think you should care if you aren't decided by now, I have really no clue what I'm doing but I know for sure I don't want to do retail

It's hard to say. The requirements really vary depending on the region or whichever hospital's management. I managed to get three different offers for inpatient jobs in a saturated market coming fresh out of school, but I had three years of intern experience in a hospital. The hardest part was just getting an interview. So many places set a PGY1 / 1 year of work experience as the minimum now, which I really don't agree with. I was lucky enough to encounter a few health systems that didn't buy into that rhetoric, and instead realized that it was important to find someone who was enthusiastic about the position. You can always teach the skills of the job, but you sure as hell can't teach personality. If you get an interview just try to relax and act like a decent, friendly human being. You'd be surprised how far that can get you.