does a pharmacist still study after work?

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after getting a license and a full time job, do pharmacist still have to study?
I'm thinking because me, a programmer, still have to keep on learning the technology, also sometimes there's a computer error that I have to think through at night after work. So when I go home after work, sometimes my mind is still attached at work.
does this happen to pharmacist too? does pharmacist still think about work at home?

 

[ZpackSux]

not me

 

[psychoandy]

after getting a license and a full time job, do pharmacist still have to study?
I'm thinking because me, a programmer, still have to keep on learning the technology, also sometimes there's a computer error that I have to think through at night after work. So when I go home after work, sometimes my mind is still attached at work.
does this happen to pharmacist too? does pharmacist still think about work at home?

One of the pharmacists I work with goes to 70+ CEs a year (usually only for free food). Continuing education is required to maintain licensure.

But studying is a bit of a stretch...most pharmacists i know want to go drinking, golfing, or do some other social activity. Gotta do something other than work all the damn time...

 

[sdn1977]

No...I don't study as you think of it. I read a lot & when a completely new drug group gets introduced...I often have to read lots. But, I don't ready it with the idea of having to answer test questions - more for making the drug fit within the treatment of a disease state.

I also have to keep up with changes in treatment of disease states - for example, tx of htn has changed dramatically since when I graduated & now. That has been the case for many diseases....so yes...I read a lot.

However...I rarely read pharmacy material after work. I give myself that time to unwind, catch up with my family.....

When I was new to the profession...I used to run things over and over in my head & would find myself waking up at night thinking about something that troubled me (I HATE neonatal tpns!).

 

[per protocol]

If I have trouble falling a sleep I get Koda-Kimble or Goodman and Gilman's

 

[cycloketocaine]

Well, kind of. I think pharmacy is an everyday learning experience, and that's part of the reason that I love it so much!!! There ARE things that you take home in your brain, but I think that's true with any profession. Now, as for actual "studying", like sitting down with some books, my pharmacist does it once a year the day before his CE is due. 😉

 

[pharmboy30]

no, I don't study, but I get alot of magazines and newsletters I skim for new information.
I go to alot of CE dinner programs for free food and booze.

 

[museabuse]

after getting a license and a full time job, do pharmacist still have to study?
I'm thinking because me, a programmer, still have to keep on learning the technology, also sometimes there's a computer error that I have to think through at night after work. So when I go home after work, sometimes my mind is still attached at work.
does this happen to pharmacist too? does pharmacist still think about work at home?

One of the great things about pharmacy(especially retail), is that you mostly get paid by the hour and when you are done with your job... you are done. You don't have to take your work home with you. You don't have to stay up with all the new meds to do your work, but it does help to read the magazines and news letters that come in the mail. Any studying or learning can be done while on the job.
I was a programmer and I hated that I was salary and had projects and deadlines that sometime had me working 80 hours a week, especially with all the useless meetings I had to attend. I also hated that by the time you learned a new language and became good at it, your project was over and you had to now learn the newest language or database. I also like that I am not in a cubicle all day long. I also like the fact that you don't need to kiss anyones ass to get a raise, most chains pay all pharmacists the same and everyone get a raise at the same time. The only time you have to kiss ass if you want to be more than a pharmacy manager.
So to answer you question, no you do not need to think about your work once you leave the pharmacy.

 

[LVPharm]

The level at which pharmacists engage in "studying" depends on what their practice setting is. I'm a clinical pharmacist in managed care. Since I work principally with the prior authorization department, I frequently have to deal with new drugs before they have been reviewed by P&T for addition to our formularies. That forces me to keep up with the medical literature in order to assess whether non-formulary drug requests are clinically appropriate, and ultimately whether we will pay for them. Part of how I keep up is to attend "lunch n' learns" with drug company "clinical educators" on a weekly basis, to sit in on our national P&T meetings, and go to live CE events. The free food at swanky restaurants is a plus, though! 😉

 

[DownonthePharm]

You have to stay current with new technology/discoveries, but the extent is dependent on your scope of practice, and its not really "studying" so much as keeping informed.

Free food sounds good...I hear a lot of the CE are at nice places. 🙂