Dropped out of pharmacy school

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Kebinsaur said:
So I just dropped out of pharmacy school today after 1 semester. It sucks that this profession is going down hill.
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You made the right choice. As of late, I drop by this forum to reassure myself that my next move is the right thing to do. Get your ducks in a row. Practice explaining in a few sentences why you are switching. When you get to PA school, don't even mention it to your peers. Best of luck!
 
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Apotheker2015 said:
You made the right choice. As of late, I drop by this forum to reassure myself that my next move is the right thing to do. Get your ducks in a row. Practice explaining in a few sentences why you are switching. When you get to PA school, don't even mention it to your peers. Best of luck!
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Are you planning on going to PA school?
 
PAtoPharm said:
You seriously dropped out? Why? Have you decided what your next step is going to be, career-wise? Planning on joining the rest of us in PA/AA school?
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Yup. I never left my current job went I went back to Pharm school, so I'll stay here for now. Not sure what my next step will be, but probably won't go the healthcare route. MBA maybe?
 
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Z-Qualizer said:
Yup. I never left my current job went I went back to Pharm school, so I'll stay here for now. Not sure what my next step will be, but probably won't go the healthcare route. MBA maybe?
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Well, good luck with whatever you decide to pursue. Just out of curiosity, why did you drop out? Job market concerns?
 
28 years ago, I worked briefly with a woman who had done the same thing a few years earlier, and she told me, "Get out now, while you still have brain cells left to think with." :dead: She had already graduated and left that restaurant job for a "real job" and I never saw her again, but if our paths should ever cross again, I'll tell her that I did graduate and didn't regret it - and decided to retire 2 weeks before my 48th birthday. That was almost 6 years ago (wow, how time flies!) and while I'm still licensed, I have no regrets and no desire to go back either, assuming I could.

It's best to realize early on that something is not for you.
 
PAtoPharm said:
Well, good luck with whatever you decide to pursue. Just out of curiosity, why did you drop out? Job market concerns?
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Thanks man. Surprisingly, the job market was not my main reason for dropping out. Had I finished the program, I was willing to do whatever it took to get a job (move, etc.).

I didn't enjoy the curriculum or like the direction the profession is heading in (or trying to). Pharmacists are not physicians (or even PA's) and shouldn't try to be. They were actually teaching us things like... when a "patient" comes into a retail pharmacy to get a refill for their diabetes med... that we should have them sit down, remove their shoes, and physically examine their ankle swelling. Stuff like that just seemed ridiculous to me.

So I decided it wasn't for me, and that it was best to go ahead & drop now, to minimize my losses ($15k now vs $200k later).
 
I had a conversation the other day with a unit clerk at my rotation. He opted out of pharmacy school after being accepted, I congratulated him on dodging a bullet, we spoke about all the ways 6-8 years and $150k could be spent... It left me dreading my decision.

Oh well, here's to 4 final months of sleep deprivation and paying to work my ass off for snobby pseudo-intellectuals while pretending to regard residencies as the holy grail of pharmacy achievement when it comes up every goddamn week on rotation. Oh, to be debt-free and traveling the world with a laptop and a computer science degree...
 
Z-Qualizer said:
Thanks man. Surprisingly, the job market was not my main reason for dropping out. Had I finished the program, I was willing to do whatever it took to get a job (move, etc.).

I didn't enjoy the curriculum or like the direction the profession is heading in (or trying to). Pharmacists are not physicians (or even PA's) and shouldn't try to be. They were actually teaching us things like... when a "patient" comes into a retail pharmacy to get a refill for their diabetes med... that we should have them sit down, remove their shoes, and physically examine their ankle swelling. Stuff like that just seemed ridiculous to me.

So I decided it wasn't for me, and that it was best to go ahead & drop now, to minimize my losses ($15k now vs $200k later).
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Pharmacy school is all about 'fake it til you make it'.
 
Z-Qualizer said:
Thanks man. Surprisingly, the job market was not my main reason for dropping out. Had I finished the program, I was willing to do whatever it took to get a job (move, etc.).

I didn't enjoy the curriculum or like the direction the profession is heading in (or trying to). Pharmacists are not physicians (or even PA's) and shouldn't try to be. They were actually teaching us things like... when a "patient" comes into a retail pharmacy to get a refill for their diabetes med... that we should have them sit down, remove their shoes, and physically examine their ankle swelling. Stuff like that just seemed ridiculous to me.

So I decided it wasn't for me, and that it was best to go ahead & drop now, to minimize my losses ($15k now vs $200k later).
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" remove their shoes, and physically examine their ankle swelling"

eff that. That's the exact reason i didn't go into more competitive fields like podiatrist, optometrist, PA or MD or DO or nursing. I'm not dealing with filthy peasants that come in. I had a GI doc tell me horror stories about the patients that came in without even wiping their a** let alone clearing their bowels. Plebeians stay behind the glass unless you are getting vacc'd. No i will not pet your dog.
 
Leper Messiah said:
pretending to regard residencies as the holy grail of pharmacy achievement when it comes up every goddamn week on rotation.
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It's like pharmacy residency training is the pinnacle of their career and they can never stop talking about it. Meanwhile, physician residency training is just that annoying training they did way back when.
 
Seriously Serious said:
Pharmacy school is all about 'fake it til you make it'.
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No kidding. Heard one of my classmates complained about the lack of communication and poor planning from the administration. Somebody reported her to the admins, and she had to sit down and discuss with them her "attitude" about the program and pharmacy.
 
PAtoPharm said:
Well, good luck with whatever you decide to pursue. Just out of curiosity, why did you drop out? Job market concerns?
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Organizations that are suppose to back up pharmacy aren't doing what they're suppose to do. Cvs pharmacy cutting hours and jobs because of Athena deal. Walgreens buying off rite aid. Walmart closing Sam's club stores. Insurance companies becoming to powerful and are squeezing out every independent pharmacy. Lastly, the threat of amazon going to pharmacy business.
 
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Z-Qualizer said:
Thanks man. Surprisingly, the job market was not my main reason for dropping out. Had I finished the program, I was willing to do whatever it took to get a job (move, etc.).

I didn't enjoy the curriculum or like the direction the profession is heading in (or trying to). Pharmacists are not physicians (or even PA's) and shouldn't try to be. They were actually teaching us things like... when a "patient" comes into a retail pharmacy to get a refill for their diabetes med... that we should have them sit down, remove their shoes, and physically examine their ankle swelling. Stuff like that just seemed ridiculous to me.

So I decided it wasn't for me, and that it was best to go ahead & drop now, to minimize my losses ($15k now vs $200k later).
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Agreed, if I have 1 criticism for this particular school/program (let's just leave things unnamed), it's that some of the professors have their heads shoved deep inside their rectums & there seems to be an overall lack of focus on learning about medication (a lot of self study if you want to do good on boards).

Too much whishy-washy crap like "professionalism" & "pharmacy practice" taught by professors who haven't worked retail/"community" in well over a decade. I'm sorry, if you have time to examine every Diabetics feet in retail, you are definitely doing something wrong (need a course on time management god damnit)
 
RxVampire said:
I'm sorry, if you have time to examine every Diabetics feet in retail, you are definitely doing something wrong (need a course on time management god damnit)
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I would suggest that if you have time to do that you must have a godlike time management skills.
 
Z-Qualizer said:
Thanks man. Surprisingly, the job market was not my main reason for dropping out. Had I finished the program, I was willing to do whatever it took to get a job (move, etc.).

I didn't enjoy the curriculum or like the direction the profession is heading in (or trying to). Pharmacists are not physicians (or even PA's) and shouldn't try to be. They were actually teaching us things like... when a "patient" comes into a retail pharmacy to get a refill for their diabetes med... that we should have them sit down, remove their shoes, and physically examine their ankle swelling. Stuff like that just seemed ridiculous to me.

So I decided it wasn't for me, and that it was best to go ahead & drop now, to minimize my losses ($15k now vs $200k later).
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Lol.

Trust me, the average PA is well below even the C student Pharmacy student.

You lose what you don't practice.

If we could get paid for it, and if our idiot professional organizations hadn't screwed the pooch when we had the chance, we'd absolutely wreck the PA and NP field
 
Z-Qualizer said:
Yup. I never left my current job went I went back to Pharm school, so I'll stay here for now. Not sure what my next step will be, but probably won't go the healthcare route. MBA maybe?
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Not a bad move. Healthcare is not an easy gravy train that people think.

I honestly can't figure out why anyone competitive is still going unless they have significant scholarships or daddy's money. Even then there's much better things to pursue.
 
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wagrxm2000 said:
Where have you been? Did you get into a school/start classes?
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Starting something either this summer or next fall, depending on what my final career decision ends up being (I have options). One thing I have learned is, if you still have an overall competitive GPA as an applicant, qualify for more federal loans, and have no violent/sexual criminal history, there are somewhat well-reputed health professions programs out there that will accept you.
 
CetiAlphaFive said:
Lol.

Trust me, the average PA is well below even the C student Pharmacy student.

You lose what you don't practice.

If we could get paid for it, and if our idiot professional organizations hadn't screwed the pooch when we had the chance, we'd absolutely wreck the PA and NP field
Click to expand...

Seriously? Obviously, you've never worked with/around a surgical PA, or really any PA who has completed a residency. The average PA student also applies and is accepted to PA school with a much higher average GPA than the average pharmacy student (especially the "C" pharmacy students).
 
PAtoPharm said:
Seriously? Obviously, you've never worked with/around a surgical PA, or really any PA who has completed a residency. The average PA student also applies and is accepted to PA school with a much higher average GPA than the average pharmacy student (especially the "C" pharmacy students).
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I question the intelligence of anyone who chooses pharmacy over pa in the past 8 years. His statement probably holds true for those early to mid 2000s grads when pharmacy was the golden goose
 
Z-Qualizer said:
Thanks man. Surprisingly, the job market was not my main reason for dropping out. Had I finished the program, I was willing to do whatever it took to get a job (move, etc.).

I didn't enjoy the curriculum or like the direction the profession is heading in (or trying to). Pharmacists are not physicians (or even PA's) and shouldn't try to be. They were actually teaching us things like... when a "patient" comes into a retail pharmacy to get a refill for their diabetes med... that we should have them sit down, remove their shoes, and physically examine their ankle swelling. Stuff like that just seemed ridiculous to me.

So I decided it wasn't for me, and that it was best to go ahead & drop now, to minimize my losses ($15k now vs $200k later).
Click to expand...

A few of the now-P2 students in my former program that I keep in touch with have sent me a few PowerPoint presentations from the therapeutics courses they've been taking. I'm so glad I got out when I did; there's no way I would've been able to motivate myself to learn such a huge volume of intricate "clinical" content, especially when only ~5% of pharmacists are going to use it on a daily basis. That's the nice thing about PA/AA school - they don't have any illusions about what they are or about what they're trying to be. You get in and learn only what you need to know to be a minimum-competency practitioner in FM, IM, surgery, etc. If you want more than that, you either get an entry-level job working in a specific specialty and gain experience, or you do a residency.
 
med77 said:
No kidding. Heard one of my classmates complained about the lack of communication and poor planning from the administration. Somebody reported her to the admins, and she had to sit down and discuss with them her "attitude" about the program and pharmacy.
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Never question the regime...
 
I'm guessing all PA students are hoping the pharmacy students don't all make the move over. I haven't had an intern yet that couldn't have made it through that PA program.
 
PAtoPharm said:
Seriously? Obviously, you've never worked with/around a surgical PA, or really any PA who has completed a residency. The average PA student also applies and is accepted to PA school with a much higher average GPA than the average pharmacy student (especially the "C" pharmacy students).
Click to expand...

Have you ever been around a practicing clinical pharmacist who completed two years of residency? Even physicians consider them to be at the same level of a fellow and even an attending depending how long they've been around.

Have you been around a community pharmacist fixing all the mistakes every prescriber makes preventing the patient from dying? In my experience PA's and NP's make far more mistakes than MD's.

Obviously, you haven't.
 
AlwaysContrary said:
Have you ever been around a practicing clinical pharmacist who completed two years of residency? Even physicians consider them to be at the same level of a fellow and even an attending depending how long they've been around.

Have you been around a community pharmacist fixing all the mistakes every prescriber makes preventing the patient from dying? In my experience PA's and NP's make far more mistakes than MD's.

Obviously, you haven't.
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The other day I had an NP yell at me on the phone because I called her asking to switch an abx therapy. She was trying to treat both pneumonia and UTI at the same time by prescribing cefpodoxime 300 mg. She wanted to combine the 200 mg dose for pneumonia and the 100 mg dose for UTI. Of course insurance won't cover it and cefpodoxime doesn't even come in 300 mg.

She asked me for alternatives and I mentioned macrobid, bactrim, or cipro for UTI and azithromycin or doxy for pneumonia and she freaked out and told me about how the CDC doesn't recommend fluoroquinolones due to potential serious side effects and that I should know better since I'm a pharmacist. She said that using 2 antibiotics at the same time can cause resistance and that Cipro was a terrible suggestion because it doesn't treat pneumonia (even though I suggested it for the UTI)

Anyways, I told her insurance wont cover cefpodoxime so she should fax over whatever she thinks is an appropriate alternative. She ended up faxing over macrobid and doxy
 
Chriskahn said:
The other day I had an NP yell at me on the phone because I called her asking to switch an abx therapy. She was trying to treat both pneumonia and UTI at the same time by prescribing cefpodoxime 300 mg. She wanted to combine the 200 mg dose for pneumonia and the 100 mg dose for UTI. Of course insurance won't cover it and cefpodoxime doesn't even come in 300 mg.

She asked me for alternatives and I mentioned macrobid, bactrim, or cipro for UTI and azithromycin or doxy for pneumonia and she freaked out and told me about how the CDC doesn't recommend fluoroquinolones due to potential serious side effects and that I should know better since I'm a pharmacist. She said that using 2 antibiotics at the same time can cause resistance and that Cipro was a terrible suggestion because it doesn't treat pneumonia (even though I suggested it for the UTI)

Anyways, I told her insurance wont cover cefpodoxime so she should fax over whatever she thinks is an appropriate alternative. She ended up faxing over macrobid and doxy
Click to expand...

Well, she is right though, FQs for UTI are bad, emkay? 😆
 
Chriskahn said:
The other day I had an NP yell at me on the phone because I called her asking to switch an abx therapy. She was trying to treat both pneumonia and UTI at the same time by prescribing cefpodoxime 300 mg. She wanted to combine the 200 mg dose for pneumonia and the 100 mg dose for UTI. Of course insurance won't cover it and cefpodoxime doesn't even come in 300 mg.
She asked me for alternatives and I mentioned macrobid, bactrim, or cipro for UTI and azithromycin or doxy for pneumonia and she freaked out and told me about how the CDC doesn't recommend fluoroquinolones due to potential serious side effects and that I should know better since I'm a pharmacist. She said that using 2 antibiotics at the same time can cause resistance and that Cipro was a terrible suggestion because it doesn't treat pneumonia (even though I suggested it for the UTI)
Anyways, I told her insurance wont cover cefpodoxime so she should fax over whatever she thinks is an appropriate alternative. She ended up faxing over macrobid and doxy
Click to expand...

How do you guys handle getting yelled at?

I usually talk over them until they shut up, since they're not used to people standing up for themselves, or I'll just hang up on them.
 
Personally I just let them know I do not allow anyone to yell at me and offer to let them speak to my boss if they can't remain civil. I have hung up on people as well. I find it surprisingly unsatisfying though.
 
Chriskahn said:
The other day I had an NP yell at me on the phone because I called her asking to switch an abx therapy. She was trying to treat both pneumonia and UTI at the same time by prescribing cefpodoxime 300 mg. She wanted to combine the 200 mg dose for pneumonia and the 100 mg dose for UTI. Of course insurance won't cover it and cefpodoxime doesn't even come in 300 mg.

She asked me for alternatives and I mentioned macrobid, bactrim, or cipro for UTI and azithromycin or doxy for pneumonia and she freaked out and told me about how the CDC doesn't recommend fluoroquinolones due to potential serious side effects and that I should know better since I'm a pharmacist. She said that using 2 antibiotics at the same time can cause resistance and that Cipro was a terrible suggestion because it doesn't treat pneumonia (even though I suggested it for the UTI)

Anyways, I told her insurance wont cover cefpodoxime so she should fax over whatever she thinks is an appropriate alternative. She ended up faxing over macrobid and doxy
Click to expand...

Personal anecdote: Cephalexin wallops my UTIs, and also works for pneumonia, assuming you're dealing with sensitive organisms.
 
Z-Qualizer said:
Thanks man. Surprisingly, the job market was not my main reason for dropping out. Had I finished the program, I was willing to do whatever it took to get a job (move, etc.).

I didn't enjoy the curriculum or like the direction the profession is heading in (or trying to). Pharmacists are not physicians (or even PA's) and shouldn't try to be. They were actually teaching us things like... when a "patient" comes into a retail pharmacy to get a refill for their diabetes med... that we should have them sit down, remove their shoes, and physically examine their ankle swelling. Stuff like that just seemed ridiculous to me.

So I decided it wasn't for me, and that it was best to go ahead & drop now, to minimize my losses ($15k now vs $200k later).
Click to expand...

Oh, c'mon! What retail pharmacist has the time to do that? We can't diagnose anyway.
 
AlwaysContrary said:
Have you ever been around a practicing clinical pharmacist who completed two years of residency? Even physicians consider them to be at the same level of a fellow and even an attending depending how long they've been around.

Have you been around a community pharmacist fixing all the mistakes every prescriber makes preventing the patient from dying? In my experience PA's and NP's make far more mistakes than MD's.

Obviously, you haven't.
Click to expand...

No, I haven't. Last spring semester (when I was still in pharmacy school), there were only a few clinical pharmacists that worked at the hospital I knew the DOP at, and despite this hospital having a residency program that graduates 12-15 clinical pharmacists per year, it had been over 3 years (at the time) since the hospital had hired one of their own residency graduates. From what I have been told, this is still the case (not necessarily because the upper-level hospital administration doesn't think clinical pharmacists are competent, but because paying for them is the "bane" of the budget office - they used this exact word).
 
PAtoPharm said:
No, I haven't. Last spring semester (when I was still in pharmacy school), there were only a few clinical pharmacists that worked at the hospital I knew the DOP at, and despite this hospital having a residency program that graduates 12-15 clinical pharmacists per year, it had been over 3 years (at the time) since the hospital had hired one of their own residency graduates. From what I have been told, this is still the case (not necessarily because the upper-level hospital administration doesn't think clinical pharmacists are competent, but because paying for them is the "bane" of the budget office - they used this exact word).
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I am oh so sure that the Director of Pharmacy and, at the time, a PY1 were such good friends. I am also so sure that you were so tight with the hospital administration that they would have told you about their budgetary concerns in regards hiring new faculty.

Bro, no one here falls for your bs anymore.
 
AlwaysContrary said:
I am oh so sure that the Director of Pharmacy and, at the time, a PY1 were such good friends. I am also so sure that you were so tight with the hospital administration that they would have told you about their budgetary concerns in regards hiring new faculty.

Bro, no one here falls for your bs anymore.
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Sure, whatever. My family has known the DOP's family for 20+ years (longtime neighbor). Sadly enough, it was an SDN pharmacy forum poster who lives in GA who originally told me via PM that the hospital in question hadn't hired one of its own residents in 3 years. Or, let's say that I'm just making stuff up... I guess it's a coincidence that there are 0 job postings on the hospital's jobs site (or any local jobs forum, actually) for pharmacists and several pages' worth of postings for PAs/NPs/CRNAs. Maybe I should start recording these conversations I have with people? Nah, don't care enough. There are enough posts on here from "verified legit" hospital pharmacists who have remarked on how their own hospital system employers have eliminated zero-reimbursement clinical pharmacy positions and replaced them with PA/NP positions to prove my point on a general level.
 
PAtoPharm said:
Sure, whatever. My family has known the DOP's family for 20+ years (longtime neighbor). Sadly enough, it was an SDN pharmacy forum poster who lives in GA who originally told me via PM that the hospital in question hadn't hired one of its own residents in 3 years. Or, let's say that I'm just making stuff up... I guess it's a coincidence that there are 0 job postings on the hospital's jobs site (or any local jobs forum, actually) for pharmacists and several pages' worth of postings for PAs/NPs/CRNAs. Maybe I should start recording these conversations I have with people? Nah, don't care enough. There are enough posts on here from "verified legit" hospital pharmacists who have remarked on how their own hospital system employers have eliminated zero-reimbursement clinical pharmacy positions and replaced them with PA/NP positions to prove my point on a general level.
Click to expand...

Hospitals in my area are notorious for not hiring their own residents. Residents are for all purposes free labor. Why hire a 6-figure earning pharmacist when you can train your incoming residents to do the same thing in just a few months?
 
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