Someone recently wanted to get some insights about hospital vs retail pharmacy work. This is a question that I have been contemplating for quite some time but never got around to it. SDN1977 referred the OP to a previous threat titled 'Convince me' started by Zpack. Instead of trying to shed some light into differences etc... that particular threat OP, Zpack, started another silly thread in this OP's thread. Turkey here, turkey there... I was so turned off that I did not search for this thread 'convince me'. People forget that SDN is after all a source of info for future professionals. It is okay to 'chill', but please answer the questions asked by the OP who is after all, in search of some information. Also, I notice that in the MD forum, future med students generally care and are more passionate about their future field than here. It's a shame because I myself am trying to decide between the two. I must say that I'm turned off by the whole pharm site (some people ruined it for me, yet I'm determined to read some good advice). Check pharmacy blog... there are only '1' blogger. Last entry somewhere in August.
YEA! CONVINCE ME!
Since you've referred to me time after time after time....what exactly do you want to know?
I'm 50+ - I DON'T blog!!!!
I've been a hospital pharmacist in the days of the best of what all of you refer to as clinical pharmacy. I've begun IV Additive programs, started home health IV programs, worked with developing therapeutic substitutions, aminoglycoside dosing protocols, vancomycin review & dosing protocols, have been & still am an ICU/OR pharmacist part-time, do retail part-time, I've taught in both pharmacy & technician schools.
What do you want from me??? I am VERY passionate about my profession & my past & my future as a pharmacist. You will NEVER (nor will Zpak) ever find a pharmacist who has more fervor for the profession than I.
But....it is not my job to conivince you. You cannot adopt my passion - I developed that all on my own, as did the others previous posters referred to. We found what became our passion.
Do you want one of us to tell you that yes - choosing hospital pharmacy will be the best choice you could make. Because you want someone else to convince you to take one path or another, you'll end up working the evening shift as a pharmacist checking pyxis fills which is mind-numbing, in my personal opinion. However - it could be what stimulates you. How would any of us know??? But...unless you make that choice yourself & take responsibility for it - you'll blame everyone except yourself.
Do you want some actual patients I have had personal experiences with? Oh...could be the young woman, who has now been dead nearly 15 years, who had a congential malingnant tumor of her ovaries, discovered when she was about 13- bad karma! She was treated with radiation which fried her femoral veins & arteries which resulted in poor circulation to her lower limbs & abdomen. Ultimately, she required tpn, which was very new at that time (1979). We were able to get a long term port in her in & initiated a 3-in-1 tpn (our/my first) so she could have a somewhat "normal" life at home. Both her limbs were slowly amputated over time - below the knee, above the knee, at the hip, etc.....was it horrible medically? yes! was it rewarding pharmaceutically? - yes! was it an experience which should convince you one way or the other - no....these happen these days every single day of the year now. We now assume that routine tpn & home tpn or chemo or pain control are done without question.
When I taught in pharmacy school - I found most of the students wanted a particular grade - not a particular knowledge base. I don't know if that has changed or not - I don't teach there anymore. When I taught techs - they were marking time - just wanting to fulfill the requirements so they could get a $15/hr job. That doesn't mean that either don't have passion - you'll find that in medicine - as a matter of fact.....I just met a few in my daughter's MII class.
I don't do that kind of work anymore....I'm either in the ICU with severely ill pts or the OR......or....I'm in the retail side. And, yes, Requiem....I am upset when folks don't see that as a "clinical" side. Who, other than us, will ever help these folks understand their medications, what they do, what they won't do? How are we ever going to get this job done unless we get ourselves released from these insane requirements chains put on us (blinking clocks, rxs/time, etc) insurance issues, etc....
So...DOPharmMD - what else do you want????? pm me if you want more information! But.....you must convince yourself - not us. We already made the choice & the consequences of the choices is yours alone - not ours!
Now she really won't think we're a serious bunch...
