Good pharmacist VS so so pharmacist?

[Avrelian]

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If there are any difference in earnings between so to say "good" pharmacists and "average" ones, like between dentists/MDs?

 

[sdn1977]

I'm curious - what difference is there in earnings between a good dentist/MD and a so-so one? How would anyone know who was not in the business?

As for pharmacists - no ..... there is no difference in earnings - just in potential.

 

[Priapism321]

If there are any difference in earnings between so to say "good" pharmacists and "average" ones, like between dentists/MDs?

My question would be, what in the hell fueled this post? Are you aspiring to be a "so-so" pharmacist? I would advise anyone who has intentions of being an "average" PharmD/MD/DMD/DDS to pursue a different profession (Not to bunch all of these degrees together, just using the original poster's example).

 

[lvp0021]

My director tells me that it requires a lot of people skills for one to be a truely competent PharmD. She says a good pharmD is different from an average one by not in the way he can recite books but in the way he provides care and communicates. And I can tell from observing how she and other good pharmacists in the hospital do their work; especially, when they do the so-called clinical intervention: talking to MD/DO who have HUGE egos and not causing confrontation. Hopefully, I'll learn how to do so during school next year 🙂

 

[imperial frog]

My question would be, what in the hell fueled this post? Are you aspiring to be a "so-so" pharmacist? I would advise anyone who has intentions of being an "average" PharmD/MD/DMD/DDS to pursue a different profession

There's actually nothing wrong with wanting to be an average pharmacist seeing as how it means that you would be performing at an acceptable level of service. Unless you assume that the majority (which makes up the average) of pharmacists are currently performing at a substandard level. It sounds like you want everyone to perform at a superior level...which would only shift the average point causing these super pharmacists to revert to being average again.

 

[Avrelian]

I'm curious - what difference is there in earnings between a good dentist/MD and a so-so one? How would anyone know who was not in the business?

i dont know the numbers, but the word spreads, good and bad one. I personally would rather pay double to a dentist with a good feedback from people I'd trust than a half to a new one noone ever heard of which before. same thing with MDs.
So, no matter how much you know and how good you are, you will make as much as anyone else? Thats sad.

 

[sdn1977]

i dont know the numbers, but the word spreads, good and bad one. I personally would rather pay double to a dentist with a good feedback from people I'd trust than a half to a new one noone ever heard of which before. same thing with MDs.
So, no matter how much you know and how good you are, you will make as much as anyone else? Thats sad.

Well....I'd agree with you, but you are not paying more for that good dentist or less for the bad one, actually. I know because I'm married to a dentist & I definitely know the ones in the area I wouldn't send my dog to.

But...the fees they charge are the same as the fees my husband charges - usual & customary....within a reasonable range of variance. A dentist who is well known for being kind, gentle, has few "failures" in restoration, etc..will often be busy - but so are the dental "mills" (those walk in type offices which cater to those who don't have a regular dentist).

I don't think you give new practioners credit either. A new dentist may be as good as one who has been in practice for awhile - everyone needs to start someplace. Those who are gentle, start gentle - you can tell. Unfortunately, particularly with dentistry, the general public cannot tell an exceptional dentist until they go to another dentist who will make a comment on the quality of the work they've received (which my husband has been very fortunate to have experienced). Otherwise, you just expect that crown, bridge, whatever to fit & stay in place without problems. If you have problems, you know it, but if it is poorly placed, has open contacts, not shaped appropriately, etc....you won't know until years later perhaps.

Likewise, within our profession, you expect the prescription to be filled correctly in all aspects - from checking for interactions to putting the correct expiration date on it. The public often doesn't even know they had a poor pharmacist, but those of us who work in a hospital do when a pt is admitted for a drug reaction/interaction which might have been prevented if their community pharmacist had been more proactive in talking with the patient.

Its just hard for the public to know these things - they just trust us - or not as exhibited by the reaction to recent public pharmacist issues.

We, however, know each other & can evaluate the exceptional pharmacist from that person who doesn't pay close attention to detail.

Our remuneration is based on the time we devote to our job - not how many good "encounters", prescriptions, etc we might have, unless you are the owner of the pharmacy in which case their income is more fee-for-service based - similar to a dentist.

As I said though....an exceptional pharmacist will become known within the small circle of the profession & will have more opportunities available than that person who is not careful, considerate, etc.

Just my opinion.....

 

[greatdeals225]

I think it's just saying, what's the pay difference between a great employee and a so-so employee.... i guess ur pay increase would be less when the annual review comes....altho not significantly less. But why would you risk your job/license and other things to be a so-so pharmacist...

 

[futuredruggist]

My question would be, what in the hell fueled this post? Are you aspiring to be a "so-so" pharmacist? I would advise anyone who has intentions of being an "average" PharmD/MD/DMD/DDS to pursue a different profession (Not to bunch all of these degrees together, just using the original poster's example).

The human who posted might be wondering if they would be compensated in this field according to their abilities.

 

[Dustbunny]

If you're a doctor, you're compensated the same as every other doctor in your specialty by a given insurance company. There are bizarre new (misguided) things like Pay4Performance which are designed to reward "good" doctors but really end up rewarding those who are good at paperwork.

Generally speaking, you are compensated for a specific service, be you a pharmacist (dispensing), doctor (seeing a patient/doing a procedure) or a dentist (doing a procedure). One is compensated based on the service, not on the quality of what is done. So long as you meet the minimum standard, that's all that matters.

In the world of doctors and dentists, the higher your volume, the more money you make. In pharmacy land, the more hours you work, the more money you make. And from a higher-level perspective, the higher your non-medicaid volume, the more money your company makes. (Or you yourself make, if you're an independent.)

How "good" you are (whatever that means) has nothing to do with compensation. What the public thinks "good" means is different than your pharmacy manager thinks "good" means.

 

[meister]

And from a higher-level perspective, the higher your non-medicaid volume, the more money your company makes. (Or you yourself make, if you're an independent.)

This isn't strictly true, as I know my store makes a crapload of money on prescriptions for OTC items such as condoms and infant tylenol for which Medicaid pays but private insurers do not.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Pay correlates directly with how ****ty the job is, discounting geographical variances.

 

[RxWildcat]

I know I want to be a so-so pharmacist when I grow up...