Demise of our profession

[VictorOfHungerGames]

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Local Pharmacies Pushed to Brink by Pharmacy Benefit "Monopolies" (PBMs), National Survey Shows

58 percent may close in next two years, says a national NCPA survey Alexandria, VA - A substantial majority of independent pharmacies say they may close their doors in the next two years, and the main culprits are multi-billion-dollar corporate middlemen who are shaking them down for fees on...

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PBMs practice prescription drug price gouging during pandemic | Opinion

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Pharmacy benefit managers are price gouging during pandemic | Opinion

At a time when independent pharmacists are going above and beyond to help customers, PBMs are slashing reimbursements to independents to line their own pockets.

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This is why our profession is so messed up and the reason it will die soon... sigh.

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

don't even feel a bit pitiful. pharmacy deserves to die.

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

don't even feel a bit pitiful. pharmacy deserves to die.

Somewhat true but considering our livelihood depends on it, i think we should have a collective effort of fixing this problem.

 

[mentos]

Only way to fix it is to close all schools today to flatten the curve. Every last one of them. Would probably take 10-15 years for pharmacists to be back in demand if we did this.

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

Only way to fix it is to close all schools today to flatten the curve. Every last one of them. Would probably take 10-15 years for pharmacists to be back in demand if we did this.

for pure pharmacist jobs, yes, schools have to close to maintain right demand supply.

for tangential jobs, the pharmd on my resume only marginally helps, merely a check on job requirement to get pass hr. but does it worth the time and money? hell no.

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

Somewhat true but considering our livelihood depends on it, i think we should have a collective effort of fixing this problem.

pharmacy has left me hate it more and more each day, and I am a fresh grad. so far, I have been contacted for far more "tangential" jobs that pharmd is merely a hr requirement, and not even once for retail or hospital. so considering my livelihood, if pharmacy dies tomorrow, I wouldn't mind a bit, let alone commit to an effort to bail out corrupt pathetic pharmacy schools.

 

[confettiflyer]

Only way to fix it is to close all schools today to flatten the curve. Every last one of them. Would probably take 10-15 years for pharmacists to be back in demand if we did this.

Except after a year or two, chains and hospitals would cry extreme shortage and, in the name of public health, push for the Certified Advanced Pharmacy Technician to start filling roles (and get subsequent board approval).

Think why we have CRNAs and cardiothoracic surgical NPs.


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[mentos]

Except after a year or two, chains and hospitals would cry extreme shortage and, in the name of public health, push for the Certified Advanced Pharmacy Technician to start filling roles (and get subsequent board approval).

Think why we have CRNAs and cardiothoracic surgical NPs.


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There is no shortage. Those things will happen regardless which is why there is no need for 150,000 more pharmDs in ten years.

 

[BMBiology]

Except after a year or two, chains and hospitals would cry extreme shortage and, in the name of public health, push for the Certified Advanced Pharmacy Technician to start filling roles (and get subsequent board approval).

Think why we have CRNAs and cardiothoracic surgical NPs.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN

Techs are high school graduates. I am not saying what we do require intensive education but it requires more than a high school degree.

 

[BMBiology]

pharmacy has left me hate it more and more each day, and I am a fresh grad. so far, I have been contacted for far more "tangential" jobs that pharmd is merely a hr requirement, and not even once for retail or hospital. so considering my livelihood, if pharmacy dies tomorrow, I wouldn't mind a bit, let alone commit to an effort to bail out corrupt pathetic pharmacy schools.

Didn’t you work in a pharmacy before pharmacy school? If you didn’t, then you don’t really have anyone else to blame.

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

Didn’t you work in a pharmacy before pharmacy school? If you didn’t, then you don’t really have anyone else to blame.

I never wanted to be a pharmacist lol.
I went cuz my parents pushed me hard for it and they promised to pay most tuition.

I never gave a damn about schoolwork, skipped god knows how many school days and only worked like 1 shift a week in retail just to get some feel, and I absolutely hated it.

so glad I did that and still get approached left and right for a ton of industry jobs cuz instead of wasting time doing useless pharmacy school work crap, I coded a lot and did a bunch of pkpd simulations and wet lab research work for a prof in the department, and that certainly dramatically improved my employment prospects than cramming meaningless **** anyone can look up in a therapeutic guideline or product monograph in less than 30 seconds.

now I am a freshly minted pharmd, but tbh I am absolutely disgusted with this profession and where it is heading towards, and I will pleasantly take enjoyment from this pathetic profession's downfall LOL.

 

[DagS132]

Its sad that pharmacists depend on undergraduate students to save the profession instead of actually doing something themselves. Even sadder when pharmacists just talk about doing something but never actually do anything year after year.

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

pharmacy is s**t cuz it's so easy. the material is comically easier than my undergrad, and I am talking about a "top tier" school that routinely churns out papers on science and nature.

If I can never study throughout the term and only cram 8 hours the night before oncology final and pass well above the threshold, either I am a genius or the program is a complete joke LOL.

can't imagine how those degree mill programs look like. poor idiots in, poorer idiots out?

pharmacy deserves to die. pharmacy schools deserve to be shut down, period.

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

Its sad that pharmacists depend on undergraduate students to save the profession instead of actually doing something themselves. Even sadder when pharmacists just talk about doing something but never actually do anything year after year.

just let it doom, and I can't be happier LOL.
aren't you tired of hearing all the provider status and expanded scope of practice bullsh*t over and over again? it's a hopeless profession, and let's not pretend it is salvageable.

 

[Hedgehog32]

I never wanted to be a pharmacist lol.
I went cuz my parents pushed me hard for it and they promised to pay most tuition.

I never gave a damn about schoolwork, skipped god knows how many school days and only worked like 1 shift a week in retail just to get some feel, and I absolutely hated it.

so glad I did that and still get approached left and right for a ton of industry jobs cuz instead of wasting time doing useless pharmacy school work crap, I coded a lot and did a bunch of pkpd simulations and wet lab research work for a prof in the department, and that certainly dramatically improved my employment prospects than cramming meaningless **** anyone can look up in a therapeutic guideline or product monograph in less than 30 seconds.

now I am a freshly minted pharmd, but tbh I am absolutely disgusted with this profession and where it is heading towards, and I will pleasantly take enjoyment from this pathetic profession's downfall LOL.

Are you receiving industry offers primarily because of your coding experience?

 

[BMBiology]

I never wanted to be a pharmacist lol.
I went cuz my parents pushed me hard for it and they promised to pay most tuition.

Grow a backbone then. I never get why some people let their parents whip them around.

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

Its sad that pharmacists depend on undergraduate students to save the profession instead of actually doing something themselves. Even sadder when pharmacists just talk about doing something but never actually do anything year after year.

Well it's probably because they've been fat and comfy doing the same thing over and over. Until recently, PBMs started abusing our complacency and started cutting reimbursements. Followed by big corps cutting payroll and adding more work. Along with enticing more schools to open to saturate the market. Now that $#!t's hit the fan, people are panicking.

Good news is that we got several state and federal level law suits against PBMs to control reimbursements and DIRs. Had it not been for the COVID19, the first case in Arkansas should've been heard next week. That case I am told will be the model case for other states to follow and all hell will break lose. Let's hope that's true.

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

Are you receiving industry offers primarily because of your coding experience?

well, most of my classmates don't get similar love from recruiters, so it got to be either coding and/or pkpd work I did during school. It certainly won't be due to pharmd considering the fact some of them have industrial rotations and more "diverse" exp in hospital and retail but failed to get a fellowship or recruiter calls for jobs.

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

Grow a backbone then. I never get why some people let their parents whip them around.

they said they will pay 75-80% of tuition, so from a selfish perspective, going to school and enjoy the time to figure out things didn't sound like a bad deal to me.

tbh, if pharmacy schools give 80% tuition discount today, I bet their application numbers will at least quadruple overnight. why? the risk reward becomes just too good to ignore.

 

[BMBiology]

they said they will pay 75-80% of tuition, so from a selfish perspective, going to school and enjoy the time to figure out things didn't sound like a bad deal to me.

tbh, if pharmacy schools give 80% tuition discount today, I bet their application numbers will at least quadruple overnight. why? the risk reward becomes just too good to ignore.

How is that working out for you?

 

[knight on horse]

I never wanted to be a pharmacist lol.
I went cuz my parents pushed me hard for it and they promised to pay most tuition.

I never gave a damn about schoolwork, skipped god knows how many school days and only worked like 1 shift a week in retail just to get some feel, and I absolutely hated it.

so glad I did that and still get approached left and right for a ton of industry jobs cuz instead of wasting time doing useless pharmacy school work crap, I coded a lot and did a bunch of pkpd simulations and wet lab research work for a prof in the department, and that certainly dramatically improved my employment prospects than cramming meaningless **** anyone can look up in a therapeutic guideline or product monograph in less than 30 seconds.

now I am a freshly minted pharmd, but tbh I am absolutely disgusted with this profession and where it is heading towards, and I will pleasantly take enjoyment from this pathetic profession's downfall LOL.

Nice

tbh I am in the same boat, but a bit far along the low boredom threshold gradient; that and poor sleep.

I wouldn't rub it in too much to the unfortunates except for those midwits with attitude

So, industry looks for coding, eh? Hmmm.. looks like that and brushing up on my writing. Finally, an opportunity to use brains for something in pharmacy.

I mean I did have an in with a pharma president but he retired with his millions (I don't blame him). As should I

Wish all good luck!

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

How is that working out for you?

not bad tbh.

I found my interest in coding and took a ton of courses online, and I will start cs masters at georgia tech in August. I read up on stocks and traded intensively.

I got my pharmd grad confirmation last Friday and job interview for pk scientist position scheduled, and I sold my place last Friday and pocketed 300k profit over last 4 years.

everything else I would say turned out well, except sh*tty pharmacy, which forced me to pull many all-nighters to cram useless **** I will never get to use or help me on jobs.

 

[TheBlaah]

they said they will pay 75-80% of tuition, so from a selfish perspective, going to school and enjoy the time to figure out things didn't sound like a bad deal to me.

You plan on paying your parents back?

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

Nice

tbh I am in the same boat, but a bit far along the low boredom threshold gradient; that and poor sleep.

I wouldn't rub it in too much to the unfortunates except for those midwits with attitude

So, industry looks for coding, eh? Hmmm.. looks like that and brushing up on my writing. Finally, an opportunity to use brains for something in pharmacy.

I mean I did have an in with a pharma president but he retired with his millions (I don't blame him). As should I

Wish all good luck!

If you are a good programmer, jobs come to you tbh, even if when unemployment numbers are thru the roof. I got emails from recruiters from iqvia for multiple remote clinical programmers positions to work on R packages from Genentech clinical projects.

so when pharmacy grads don't get jobs, I think it's time to ask for refund cuz all they teach is some unemployable crap that waste everybody's time.

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

You plan on paying your parents back?

nope LOL. I got scholarships for undergrad so they barely paid anything for that, and when they made the promise they said they didn't want it back lol.

 

[Hedgehog32]

not bad tbh.

I found my interest in coding and took a ton of courses online, and I will start cs masters at georgia tech in August. I read up on stocks and traded intensively.

I got my pharmd grad confirmation last Friday and job interview for pk scientist position scheduled, and I sold my place last Friday and pocketed 300k profit over last 4 years.

everything else I would say turned out well, except sh*tty pharmacy, which forced me to pull many all-nighters to cram useless **** I will never get to use or help me on jobs.

Unfortunately for me, I did basically the opposite as you - I studied endlessly to earn a high GPA, got an intern job in a hospital that I would sometimes work 50+ hrs/week at, and served as president of a campus organization. Unfortunately, it still wasn't enough to differentiate me from the rest of the 15,000+ pharmacy students who will be in my graduating cohort next month. If I could go back, I would've at least made the effort to explore other career-related interests (if not drop out and pursue something else altogether, like PA school). At my age, I was just hoping to be able to look forward to finally being done with school and starting my career.

 

[Hedgehog32]

If you are a good programmer, jobs come to you tbh, even if when unemployment numbers are thru the roof. I got emails from recruiters from iqvia for multiple remote clinical programmers positions to work on R packages from Genentech clinical projects.

so when pharmacy grads don't get jobs, I think it's time to ask for refund cuz all they teach is some unemployable crap that waste everybody's time.

What were the starting salaries for the Iqvia programming positions? Just curious

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

What were the starting salaries for the Iqvia programming positions? Just curious

iqvia is a CRO, so they typically don't pay as well as other drug makers. but considering it was a remote position and pretty much you can do it anywhere anytime and just collaborate with team members on GitHub, 90-100k starting doesn't really sound too bad.

 

[Hedgehog32]

iqvia is a CRO, so they typically don't pay as well as other drug makers. but considering it was a remote position and pretty much you can do it anywhere anytime and just collaborate with team members on GitHub, 90-100k starting doesn't really sound too bad.

It sure sounds a heck of a lot better than the $0k I'm being offered currently, LOL.

How much coding experience would someone need in order to qualify for a position like that? Let's say I get accepted to the MCIT program... would I need to finish the degree first, or would I be eligible for a job like that after just a couple semesters?

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

It sure sounds a heck of a lot better than the $0k I'm being offered currently, LOL.

How much coding experience would someone need in order to qualify for a position like that? Let's say I get accepted to the MCIT program... would I need to finish the degree first, or would I be eligible for a job like that after just a couple semesters?

they wanted someone who can contribute to writing and testing a R package tailor made specifically for Genentech trials. R is a niche scripting language for scientific computing, and I never liked it very much despite I wrote a ton of R code for various data science courses I took. I am a Python guy lol. For MCIT, I think you probably won't be dealing with R at all, instead you will be writing java and c++ codes most the time. So unless you learn it yourself, you won't be taught anywhere in the program.

but in terms of writing R code, I would say R is probably my least-favorite language, as a lot of packages, even those that are highly popular on CRAN, often did a very very poor job for documentation, and it makes code-writing experience far far worse compared to other alternatives like python, sas or even matlab.

if you finish the program, you probably won't even take a look at this kind of jobs ever again. SWEs are paid much more handsomely than these type of CRO clinical programmers jobs.

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

There is no shortage. Those things will happen regardless which is why there is no need for 150,000 more pharmDs in ten years.

This number will drastically drop in about a year or two haha

 

[confettiflyer]

Techs are high school graduates. I am not saying what we do require intensive education but it requires more than a high school degree.

For some reason I’m envisioning a $499 online ed/module program and a $199 test + annual additional CE requirements.

We’ll turn that HS grad technician into a Technician Practitioner in no time!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

For some reason I’m envisioning a $499 online ed/module program and a $199 test + annual additional CE requirements.

We’ll turn that HS grad technician into a Technician Practitioner in no time!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN

In order for someone to work as a retail pharmacist, especially at cvs or wags, 6 months of text book education and 3 months of on site experience would be sufficient lol

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

In order for someone to work as a retail pharmacist, especially at cvs or wags, 6 months of text book education and 3 months of on site experience would be sufficient lol

6+3 months is wayyyyy too much, 1 month accelerated crash course on how to find information and place orders + 1 month of on site experience would be more than enough lol.

 

[mentos]

6+3 months is wayyyyy too much, 1 month accelerated crash course on how to find information and place orders + 1 month of on site experience would be more than enough lol.

Don't forget the PGY-1 in community pharmacy. Do the same work as a pharmacist at 1/3 the pay!

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

Don't forget the PGY-1 in community pharmacy. Do the same work as a pharmacist at 1/3 the pay!

make it 1 + 1 month accelerated crash course, and do the same work for 1/4 of pharmacist pay. Let's open the floodgate looool.

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

Going back to my point and asking the question I always forgot to ask when this topic came up,

Does anyone actually work for PBMs? and can explain why they're trying to purposely kill the profession?

 

[BMBiology]

Going back to my point and asking the question I always forgot to ask when this topic came up,

Does anyone actually work for PBMs? and can explain why they're trying to purposely kill the profession?

Do you own an independent? Did you know how PBMs do business before going into this business?

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

Except after a year or two, chains and hospitals would cry extreme shortage and, in the name of public health, push for the Certified Advanced Pharmacy Technician to start filling roles (and get subsequent board approval).

Think why we have CRNAs and cardiothoracic surgical NPs.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN

Techs are high school graduates. I am not saying what we do require intensive education but it requires more than a high school degree.

For some reason I’m envisioning a $499 online ed/module program and a $199 test + annual additional CE requirements.

We’ll turn that HS grad technician into a Technician Practitioner in no time!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN

You guys realize there are pharmacy technician residencies today, right?

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

Do you own an independent? Did you know how PBMs do business before going into this business?

I do not own it but hoping I will in the near future. Am a PIC for an indie though right now. Owner lets me run it. I did not know anything about how PBMs work before I started working here. Didn't even know what DIRs were. I imagine not many would unless you work at an indie...

 

[TheBlaah]

Grow a backbone then. I never get why some people let their parents whip them around.

Gonna have to agree. Don't understand why people let their parents decide their career paths that will possibly affect the rest of their lives, especially if they're already in their 20's and it's something they have no interest in.

Now their career path this guy took is completely nonsensical now. 4 years of undergrad, possibly 2 years of a masters, 4 years of pharmacy school, and now another 2 years for a CS degree. That's just about a decade of post HS education. Could have made a lot more money by working straight out of high school, especially considering the tuition paid by his parents and the higher salaries in California.

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

Pharmacy does not deserve to die. Pharmacists should be playing an active part in healthcare managing meds, optimizing therapies, stopping the bad doctors from prescribing nonsense, etc. The problem is that the country and most of the world sold their soul to corporate America in the 80's and it's been a downhill train wreck since then. We could live in a world where by law pharmacists and pharmacies are compensated only on outcomes by a single payer system and not prescription volume, but we sadly don't live in that world. We could live in a world where universities are compensated for graduating students who get jobs when they graduate, but we don't live in that world. Things will never change until we collectively force the change. Things may very well get so bad to the point that pharmacists have nothing left to lose and so lash out and actually do something. Why work for these companies when they stop paying you?

Pharmacists should be helpful to a lot of things according to ASHP. But reality is reality, and the reality is pharmacist is the most disposable person in a healthcare team. Hospitals treat pharmacists like garbage. Retail treat pharmacists like damaged goods. If this kind of pharmacy doesn't deserve to die, I don't know what does.

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

Gonna have to agree. Don't understand why people let their parents decide their career paths that will possibly affect the rest of their lives, especially if they're already in their 20's and it's something they have no interest in.

Now their career path this guy took is completely nonsensical now. 4 years of undergrad, possibly 2 years of a masters, 4 years of pharmacy school, and now another 2 years for a CS degree. That's just about a decade of post HS education. Could have made a lot more money by working straight out of high school, especially considering the tuition paid by his parents and the higher salaries in California.

The truth is:
I have been scheduled a Zoom Interview with an oncology biotech IPO-ed last year for a Pharmacokinetic scientist position this Wednesday 11AM PST. If I get hired, they want me to start immediately, remotely at home until the whole COVID-19 lock-down is officially lifted, and I can just start collecting 6 figure paycheck without stepping a foot outside of my room. They can probably subsidize my tuition for GATech CS masters degree too.

by the way, I never applied to this position, the company recruiter reached out to me on Linkedin and offer me a chat. She thought I was the ideal candidate, so she made the appointment with the hiring manager. All within one week.

Well, if you read all of my prior posts, I can assure you that I made hell lot more money than pharmacy school tuition from real estate and stock market lol. You don't have to believe me. Do whatever you wish, and I honestly just don't care. Not everyone does "sensical" things based on your standards. The real "sensical" thing facing all of pharmacy grads and pharmacists right now is that most of them are either underemployed or unemployed, hours getting cut left and right, or treated like a joke by the corporate. I may very well be the outlier, and I am happy with where I am heading right now. What else should I ask for then, when some of IT friends are scared of being laid off and my pharmacy classmates are anxious about their job prospects even for those who matched, yet I am getting opportunities left and right.

If you follow the mainstream, you will be at best mediocre if you try hard. I pulled off some unusual stuff when my pharmacy cohort laughed at me, now guess who is laughing now LOL.

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

You guys realize there are pharmacy technician residencies today, right?

Holy fart it's true! lol good lord...

Implementation of a pharmacy technician residency program in a tertiary care teaching hospital

AbstractPurpose. Leveraging pharmacy technicians to take on advanced roles can enable pharmacists to practice at the highest level of their license. Techni

academic.oup.com

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

Holy fart it's true! lol good lord...

Implementation of a pharmacy technician residency program in a tertiary care teaching hospital

AbstractPurpose. Leveraging pharmacy technicians to take on advanced roles can enable pharmacists to practice at the highest level of their license. Techni

academic.oup.com

I don't speak in hyperboles. Most of what's reality in this profession is stuff you wouldn't think to make up, so that's content enough for me to use without having to sensationalize...

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

I don't speak in hyperboles. Most of what's reality in this profession is stuff you wouldn't think to make up, so that's content enough for me...

Brah... these techs are gonna be more knowledgeable than me lol yet, i make more money. how sad....

 

[Hedgehog32]

The truth is:
I have been scheduled a Zoom Interview with an oncology biotech IPO-ed last year for a Pharmacokinetic scientist position this Wednesday 11AM PST. If I get hired, they want me to start immediately, remotely at home until the whole COVID-19 lock-down is officially lifted, and I can just start collecting 6 figure paycheck without stepping a foot outside of my room. They can probably subsidize my tuition for GATech CS masters degree too.

by the way, I never applied to this position, the company recruiter reached out to me on Linkedin and offer me a chat. She thought I was the ideal candidate, so she made the appointment with the hiring manager. All within one week.

Well, if you read all of my prior posts, I can assure you that I made hell lot more money than pharmacy school tuition from real estate and stock market lol. You don't have to believe me. Do whatever you wish, and I honestly just don't care. Not everyone does "sensical" things based on your standards. The real "sensical" thing facing all of pharmacy grads and pharmacists right now is that most of them are either underemployed or unemployed, hours getting cut left and right, or treated like a joke by the corporate. I may very well be the outlier, and I am happy with where I am heading right now. What else should I ask for then, when some of IT friends are scared of being laid off and my pharmacy classmates are anxious about their job prospects even for those who matched, yet I am getting opportunities left and right.

If you follow the mainstream, you will be at best mediocre if you try hard. I pulled off some unusual stuff when my pharmacy cohort laughed at me, now guess who is laughing now LOL.

So you had your PKPD lab work posted on your LinkedIn profile, right? Just out of curiosity, what does a PK scientist do? Is it a math-intensive job?

Just to offer my unsolicited opinion, I would be inclined to accept the offer. Then you can be in the envious position of actually earning an income (and a high one at that) while you complete the CS program. Meanwhile, I've been getting in touch with hospital DOPs and recruiters on LinkedIn nonstop and have basically been getting told some variation of the same thing by all of them: "I'm afraid we don't have anything," "Our organization doesn't hire pharmacists who haven't completed residency training," "I wish you the best of luck; what's happening in pharmacy simply isn't fair to all of you," and so on.

 

[Hedgehog32]

Gonna have to agree. Don't understand why people let their parents decide their career paths that will possibly affect the rest of their lives, especially if they're already in their 20's and it's something they have no interest in.

Now their career path this guy took is completely nonsensical now. 4 years of undergrad, possibly 2 years of a masters, 4 years of pharmacy school, and now another 2 years for a CS degree. That's just about a decade of post HS education. Could have made a lot more money by working straight out of high school, especially considering the tuition paid by his parents and the higher salaries in California.

I'm honestly not in a much better position. I earned an undergrad degree, wasted a bunch of time, and then ended up in pharmacy school. If I had known that I would've ended up in what's looking to be the (at least somewhat) likely scenario of having to pivot into something else altogether, I could've just done a coding bootcamp 4 years ago and saved an unspeakable amount of time and money. You live and you learn...

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

So you had your PKPD lab work posted on your LinkedIn profile, right? Just out of curiosity, what does a PK scientist do? Is it a math-intensive job?

Just to offer my unsolicited opinion, I would be inclined to accept the offer. Then you can be in the envious position of actually earning an income (and a high one at that) while you complete the CS program. Meanwhile, I've been getting in touch with hospital DOPs and recruiters on LinkedIn nonstop and have basically been getting told some variation of the same thing by all of them: "I'm afraid we don't have anything," "Our organization doesn't hire pharmacists who haven't completed residency training," "I wish you the best of luck; what's happening in pharmacy simply isn't fair to all of you," and so on.

Yes, the recruiter saw what I can do, and even later told me I can learn Phoenix WinNonlin, the proprietary very expensive PKPD modelling industrial standard software on the fly cuz she was confident I am capable of doing so, with all of my CS stuff. The click button type of WinNonlin software would honestly look quite silly lol, based on what I have seen on youtube. I was honestly ready to learn a whole R package, mrgsolve, within 2 days.

Thanks for your opinion. Just to offer my 2 cents. Now I think, it is a perfect time to learn how to code. With this COVID-19 thing never ending, who knows what would happen to the economy after lockdown is lifted? Maybe we are heading straight into another recession. You just never know. If that happens, I would foresee a whole bloody mess even for retail pharmacy. recent grads could be fighting each other to death to just get some hours.

 

[pharmacy_sucks]

So you had your PKPD lab work posted on your LinkedIn profile, right? Just out of curiosity, what does a PK scientist do? Is it a math-intensive job?

Just to offer my unsolicited opinion, I would be inclined to accept the offer. Then you can be in the envious position of actually earning an income (and a high one at that) while you complete the CS program. Meanwhile, I've been getting in touch with hospital DOPs and recruiters on LinkedIn nonstop and have basically been getting told some variation of the same thing by all of them: "I'm afraid we don't have anything," "Our organization doesn't hire pharmacists who haven't completed residency training," "I wish you the best of luck; what's happening in pharmacy simply isn't fair to all of you," and so on.

what a pk scientist do? based on the description, i would need to liaise with CROs with raw plasma or urine data and maybe some prelim pk analyses done by them, and i would either re-rerun pkpd modelling by myself to confirm what they have found to figure out noncompartmental pk parameters with the almight winnonlin lol and interpret the data & give recommendations regarding dosing choices before heading into phase 2 clinical trials. this position reports to the director of clinical pharmacology. also i would be responsible for investigator brochure sections, study reports, manuscripts and summaries for regulatory purposes. i will see what happens.