Considering pharmacy; need advice; recent grads?

[Keoney]

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I have been a CPhT for a long time and recently decided that it's time for me to do more. I was totally set on pre-pharmacy and then pharmacy school. I was motivated, excited, and ready for the challenge...Until I started talking to the pharmacists at work. They totally thrashed on my dream.
First of all, I was counting on that as a newly hired pharmacist, a lot of places would offer (at least partial) tuition reimbursement.
My pharmacists have informed me that this is simply not the case anymore. A recent grad/new pharmacist told me that there are just too many pharmacy schools and too many pharmacists and the days of sign on bonuses, including tuition reimbursement, are gone. true??
And then I was informed that because pharmacists are no longer in demand, you're forced to take whatever cruddy job/shift/etc that comes along.
Is this truly the case?
Is the market over-saturated with pharmacists?
One pharmacist told me that pharmacy is NOT the way to go. The schooling takes too much time, incurs too much debt, and the job is misery.
So now I am in serious turmoil. Can anyone offer advice? Is pharmacy still a good option? Or is it truly over-saturated?

 

[358265]

Tuition reimbursement is rare. The last time I saw it offered at some of the chains here was last year. Indeed, times have changed. If pharmacists are telling you not to go to pharmacy school, what is that telling you?

 

[RN2RPh]

Yes, pharmacy is indeed saturated in metropolitan area. However, if you are willing to work in remote or "under-served" area, then there are still plenty of jobs for you.

"Tuition reimbursement" ??? Never heard of it (except if you join the military or the Indian health service)

"the job is misery" ??? Really?? Well, as long as I don't have to wipe any butts on my shifts and make an average of 100k/year, I am OK with that "miserable job"

 

[YelloLola]

Does tuition reimbursement happen at all? That's the first I heard of it.

 

[Keoney]

Yes, a lot of the hospitals in my area had been offering to pay a large chunk of tuition for new pharmacists. A student I talked to several months ago said his sister (pharmacist) chose to work at a hospital across town because they paid off more of her tuition (about 70k) than our hospital offered her. I didn't ask him how long ago that was. I (stupidly) assumed that was the norm haha.
But ok, I guess those days are really gone.
I had actually been interested in Indian Health Services...Hmm...

As far as misery, these pharmacists advising me have never enjoyed their jobs, so it's hard to know if I should put much weight in what they're telling me.

Thanks everyone for the input.

 

[YelloLola]

I would say take their opinions with a grain of salt. Did they say what the commitment was for them to pay $70k back?

 

[Keoney]

He did say but I can't remember. I am thinking five years, but I could be totally off.

 

[The Recoverer]

This post is ridiculous. A LOT of people have been in your shoes and honestly, I feel sorry for you if you had to work with professionals who hated their jobs. Everyone is going into pharmacy for different reasons. if you really had a passion for the profession, then you would not worry about what might happen 6 or 7 from now.

Seriously, if EVERY single student worried about job outlook years before they even started, then no one would get anywhere.

you need to move from interest to commitment. if you have any doubts, then this profession is probably not for you. There will be great pharmacy students who come out and are unable to find a job, and some students who will be hired as soon as they become licensed. There are so many factors in the job market. And in all honesty, utilizing the opinions of a couple of pessimistic pharmacist to come to a confusion only shows shallowness on your part.

If you worked your butt off, I am positive you'll find a job as a pharmacist when you graduate. Besides, not sure what area you're from, but each area has a different need. Some areas are saturated and some are not.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but people need to stop being so wishy washy on choosing a career just because they talked to some people and think their assumptions about the job market 4 years into the future are going to be 100% accurate. my head hurts. geez

 

[The Recoverer]

Is this truly the case?
Is the market over-saturated with pharmacists?
One pharmacist told me that pharmacy is NOT the way to go. The schooling takes too much time, incurs too much debt, and the job is misery.
So now I am in serious turmoil. Can anyone offer advice? Is pharmacy still a good option? Or is it truly over-saturated?

Also I am not sure where you are getting this idea of tuition reimbursement. I had a couple of friends who recently graduated and I have also worked with a few newly grad pharmacists. This seems like it doesn't happen anymore.

but i guess EVERYONE on this planet is the same. so since one pharmacist said her job is miserable, it will probably be miserable for you too.

 

[Keoney]

This post is ridiculous. A LOT of people have been in your shoes and honestly, I feel sorry for you if you had to work with professionals who hated their jobs. Everyone is going into pharmacy for different reasons. if you really had a passion for the profession, then you would not worry about what might happen 6 or 7 from now.

Seriously, if EVERY single student worried about job outlook years before they even started, then no one would get anywhere.

you need to move from interest to commitment. if you have any doubts, then this profession is probably not for you. There will be great pharmacy students who come out and are unable to find a job, and some students who will be hired as soon as they become licensed. There are so many factors in the job market. And in all honesty, utilizing the opinions of a couple of pessimistic pharmacist to come to a confusion only shows shallowness on your part.

If you worked your butt off, I am positive you'll find a job as a pharmacist when you graduate. Besides, not sure what area you're from, but each area has a different need. Some areas are saturated and some are not.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but people need to stop being so wishy washy on choosing a career just because they talked to some people and think their assumptions about the job market 4 years into the future are going to be 100% accurate. my head hurts. geez

It's not ridiculous. There are a lot of other factors at play and I can't afford $200k in student loans and 10 years of my life if my job prospects look like dog crap. So sorry to offend you, super tech, but I am in my thirties and I have to be smart about my choices because I cannot afford to start over if "this pharmacy thing" just doesn't pan out. It's stupid NOT to worry about the job market and who better to talk to than pharmacists? They have insight that I don't have. Like government contracts changing on a local military base and many pharmacists there losing their jobs, the closing of compounding pharmacies, and the issues that they and their colleagues see and deal with regarding the profession.
But thanks for your advice.

 

[Keoney]

Also I am not sure where you are getting this idea of tuition reimbursement. I had a couple of friends who recently graduated and I have also worked with a few newly grad pharmacists. This seems like it doesn't happen anymore.

but i guess EVERYONE on this planet is the same. so since one pharmacist said her job is miserable, it will probably be miserable for you too.

I'm getting the idea from 15 years in a pharmacy and talking to pharmacists and students. We've covered this already and obviously there's no longer a need for incentives such as this, because there are tons of recent grads willing to take whatever job, wherever.

And it was a "he" not a "she" and he has never liked his job. That doesn't factor in for me, I was just curious about how other pharmacists felt in regards to the job/job market.

 

[mustang sally]

Pretty much what they say is true.

I guess to say the job is misery is a little extreme. You just have to find the right job for you; however, this is more difficult to do these days due to market saturation. If you are happy being a retail pharmacist, it might be easy to find a position. If you want to do something more, it could involve PGY-1, -2, moving to undesirable areas of the country, etc. etc.

 

[The Recoverer]

It's not ridiculous. There are a lot of other factors at play and I can't afford $200k in student loans and 10 years of my life if my job prospects look like dog crap. So sorry to offend you, super tech, but I am in my thirties and I have to be smart about my choices because I cannot afford to start over if "this pharmacy thing" just doesn't pan out. It's stupid NOT to worry about the job market and who better to talk to than pharmacists? They have insight that I don't have. Like government contracts changing on a local military base and many pharmacists there losing their jobs, the closing of compounding pharmacies, and the issues that they and their colleagues see and deal with regarding the profession.
But thanks for your advice.

I'm getting the idea from 15 years in a pharmacy and talking to pharmacists and students. We've covered this already and obviously there's no longer a need for incentives such as this, because there are tons of recent grads willing to take whatever job, wherever

And it was a "he" not a "she" and he has never liked his job. That doesn't factor in for me, I was just curious about how other pharmacists felt in regards to the job/job market.

Keoney, I sincerely apologize for my conclusions. Just personally, I have worked with 8 different pharmacists in retail and community settings and they were all very optimistic, enthusiastic, and happy about their jobs. 😕

But i guess that's partially due to the fact that they actually have jobs. Good luck to you and I hope you make the right choice. I am known to make hasty conclusions.