Having Second Thoughts...

[nemonemo]

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I was recently accepted into a top 10 pharmacy program and am beginning to have some second thoughts. I think I would make a great pharmacist, I have done several personality tests and the top career that comes up is usually a pharmacist or something business related.

When I tell people that I am going to pharmacy school half of the people say... "wow, that's a great field to get into" or "that's awesome!" But... the other half of people say, "oh, you are going to school to count pills?" or "Is that a 2 year program?"

I don't want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and 4 years of my life to only be viewed as a pill counter by the majority of the public. Even my parents think counting pills is all the pharmacists do, they have, however, been supportive. I know that pharmacists do NOT just count pills and they, in fact, do much more. My ultimate goal would be to go into pharmacy administration and be a director of pharmacy at a small hospital, not necessarily a retail pharmacist.

Ultimately, how to I get over the stigma of going to school to be a "pill counter?' I honestly don't know what else I would do.

 

[Charcoales]

yeah prepare to grovel/beg to NPs, PAs, and MDs to change things just for them to ignore you. Or prepare to be threatened and screamed at for numerous reasons in retail.

 

[6GodPharm]

I was recently accepted into a top 10 pharmacy program and am beginning to have some second thoughts. I think I would make a great pharmacist, I have done several personality tests and the top career that comes up is usually a pharmacist or something business related.

When I tell people that I am going to pharmacy school half of the people say... "wow, that's a great field to get into" or "that's awesome!" But... the other half of people say, "oh, you are going to school to count pills?" or "Is that a 2 year program?"

I don't want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and 4 years of my life to only be viewed as a pill counter by the majority of the public. Even my parents think counting pills is all the pharmacists do, they have, however, been supportive. I know that pharmacists do NOT just count pills and they, in fact, do much more. My ultimate goal would be to go into pharmacy administration and be a director of pharmacy at a small hospital, not necessarily a retail pharmacist.

Ultimately, how to I get over the stigma of going to school to be a "pill counter?' I honestly don't know what else I would do.

Haters gone' hate. What people think pharmacists do shouldn't be the reason you choose not to do this career. Making 150k off 40 hour work week base is a lot of money for just counting pills lol Thats what i tell people who don't understand. The thing that should steer you away is that there are just too many pharmacists now. Finding jobs is hard. I feel very lucky and fortunate in the position i'm in where I can work massive OT and make well over 200k a year. For 1 of my stories theres 10 stories where people are still trying to find jobs. I'd research your area and see if there is a need. Walk into some pharmacies and just ask how is staffing in the area.

 

[nemonemo]

Yes, I am aware of the potential job hunt struggles. I am not particular to one city/state, however. I would be willing to move anywhere in the country to get a decent job.

 

[sosoo]

I was recently accepted into a top 10 pharmacy program and am beginning to have some second thoughts. I think I would make a great pharmacist, I have done several personality tests and the top career that comes up is usually a pharmacist or something business related.

When I tell people that I am going to pharmacy school half of the people say... "wow, that's a great field to get into" or "that's awesome!" But... the other half of people say, "oh, you are going to school to count pills?" or "Is that a 2 year program?"

I don't want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and 4 years of my life to only be viewed as a pill counter by the majority of the public. Even my parents think counting pills is all the pharmacists do, they have, however, been supportive. I know that pharmacists do NOT just count pills and they, in fact, do much more. My ultimate goal would be to go into pharmacy administration and be a director of pharmacy at a small hospital, not necessarily a retail pharmacist.

Ultimately, how to I get over the stigma of going to school to be a "pill counter?' I honestly don't know what else I would do.

you're not even a student yet, and already u want to be a director, being on top of countless people? what makes u think u can even pass the minimal competency exam? have u tried counting sheeps instead? or banana? it beats counting pills.

 

[nemonemo]

I have an interest in business models as well as the clinical side of pharmacy. A director position affords me the opportunity to merge both of theses interests into one position. Graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 cum gpa, I don't think I will have a problem on any exams.

 

[BMBiology]

Stop caring what people think. You would be much happier


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[Abby Atwood]

You will probably need to work for a while before stepping into a pharmacy director position. I would also talk to instructors at your school of pharmacy about usual qualifications for those positions. I don't personally know what's looked for, but I assume many directors have had residencies maybe with a focus in informatics. They may also have MBAs. I know one student from my school that took classes in the evening during his 4 years of pharmacy school and got his MBA.

If you are willing to move around and take on challenging positions, I think you will get where you want to go. The new to the position pharmacy directors I've spoken to seem to first obtain jobs in small towns at hospitals where the pharmacy services needed some help. You could make a difference at a place like that. They were later able to use that experience for jobs in and at more desirable locations.

In retail manager positions are generally less preferred compared to staff positions. It may be the same for hospitals, so for all I know you may have an easier time finding a position as a pharmacy director.

Edit/Addendum: People who are familiar with pharmacy practice will appreciate your career choices more. Talk to older adults who regularly use a pharmacy or providers in a hospital with good services. Most patients who frequently utilize pharmacy services have a story about a pharmacist that made a difference in their care.

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

I was recently accepted into a top 10 pharmacy program and am beginning to have some second thoughts. I think I would make a great pharmacist, I have done several personality tests and the top career that comes up is usually a pharmacist or something business related.

When I tell people that I am going to pharmacy school half of the people say... "wow, that's a great field to get into" or "that's awesome!" But... the other half of people say, "oh, you are going to school to count pills?" or "Is that a 2 year program?"

I don't want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and 4 years of my life to only be viewed as a pill counter by the majority of the public. Even my parents think counting pills is all the pharmacists do, they have, however, been supportive. I know that pharmacists do NOT just count pills and they, in fact, do much more. My ultimate goal would be to go into pharmacy administration and be a director of pharmacy at a small hospital, not necessarily a retail pharmacist.
Ultimately, how to I get over the stigma of going to school to be a "pill counter?' I honestly don't know what else I would do.

Do something else if you need a career to validate your ego.

 

[gwarm01]

But... the other half of people say, "oh, you are going to school to count pills?" or "Is that a 2 year program?"

I'm an informatics pharmacist. My latest project is designing the training curriculum for our new EMR implementation, building reports to gather key data for the pharmacy department, and creating scoring systems for antimicrobial stewardship and other clinical pharmacy services that will allow our staff to sort, prioritize, document, and act on their patients without having to dig through countless charts. I have never worked in a retail pharmacy, and I don't work in patient care at all in my primary job.

I still get the jabs about going to school to count pills. When I explain my job to people, they usually react with "oh, I thought you were a pharmacist" or "but didn't you go to pharmacy school? Don't you want to be a pharmacist?"

It never goes away, so you'll just have to stop caring.

 

[hick2672]

Don't go thru pharmacy school!! Turn around and run as fast as you can!


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[steveysmith54]

if you care about people's perception of you and your occupation, pharmacy is proly not for you. Go to medical school. That perception will never go away.

 

[UGAZ]

This reminds me of a couple students doing last year rotation at my hospital a few years ago. They didn't even know what pharmacist job duties were in the hospital nor even had a clue in retails. I was quite shocked at how unprepared these students who were already nearly graduating.

 

[gwarm01]

This reminds me of a couple students doing last year rotation at my hospital a few years ago. They didn't even know what pharmacist job duties were in the hospital nor even had a clue in retails. I was quite shocked at how unprepared these students who were already nearly graduating.

This is why we have to have residencies. Pharmacy schools don't actually teach you how to be a pharmacist. You'd think four years and $200k would at least get you that.

 

[455424]

 

[nemonemo]

I agree with all the comments. At the same time, it's not like we are slummeting to the bottom as pharmacists. Tell the average person that your a pharmacist and instantly you have a certain level of respect. The highest respect, such as a physician? No. But certainly one of the most respected careers you can have.

 

[lord999]

Have you ever worked in a social services field at all? Ever been a manager of minimum wage labor? Most of those highminded plans rarely survive actual work. It's amazing how many times I interview prospective administration fellows and residents (both for pharmacy and for the Senior Executive Service training program in the government) who have never managed real people to get real results. If you manage people, you wouldn't work those questions above in the way you did. You would word them in the sense of what are the organizational behavior structures of the places you could work, public be damned. Most (>95%) of the students that I had that became supervisors and directors were people who I would say are old souls through experience. They've already figured out people (how to read them, how to work them, how to convince them to do what they want), and it did not really matter what field they were in, they were the kind of people who hustled and dealt by their very nature. They do not advertise themselves as such, they just did it.

Grades, aptitude tests, whatever. Those are minimum matters that if you can't even meet that bar, you're hopeless for this sort of work. The real key is whether or not you can convince others that you do have what it takes to do whatever (and I'm careful to say convince rather than actually have what it takes, that's a bonus).

I deal with the overgrown adolescents from all the professions in the District, and it it's always the same. You can have power, money, and respect, but it's not a given. We were once the most respected profession, but that didn't prevent some underclass or overclass customer from being a jerk. It's when you're in the position to be jerks to those customers and cleanly get away with it that you have real power (and I definitely have that now, by intention). As for physicians, respect and $1 get you a cup of coffee. They work for that respect like everyone else, and no one gets the benefit of the doubt anymore in the professions.

 

[npage148]

Do something else if you need a career to validate your ego.

I forgot the name of the poster but he had the panda avatar. He was constantly trying to climb the ladder at the expense of his family. It was a little sad, him rationalizing why the next step was what he needed. Unless you're like top 1% in the county no career will validate your ego and it's destructive to try. Be content with leading a quiet successful life that gives you the means to provide for yourself

 

[Lnsean]

I was recently accepted into a top 10 pharmacy program and am beginning to have some second thoughts. I think I would make a great pharmacist, I have done several personality tests and the top career that comes up is usually a pharmacist or something business related.

When I tell people that I am going to pharmacy school half of the people say... "wow, that's a great field to get into" or "that's awesome!" But... the other half of people say, "oh, you are going to school to count pills?" or "Is that a 2 year program?"

I don't want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and 4 years of my life to only be viewed as a pill counter by the majority of the public. Even my parents think counting pills is all the pharmacists do, they have, however, been supportive. I know that pharmacists do NOT just count pills and they, in fact, do much more. My ultimate goal would be to go into pharmacy administration and be a director of pharmacy at a small hospital, not necessarily a retail pharmacist.

Ultimately, how to I get over the stigma of going to school to be a "pill counter?' I honestly don't know what else I would do.

Most of the jobs are in retail..that is the bread and butter of pharmacy...has always been. There are definitely unicorn jobs out there but you have to be prepared to work wherever you can. This job market isn't great. I wouldn't go into the profession thinking that I'll be a director or some hotshot coming out of school.

 

[gwarm01]

I forgot the name of the poster but he had the panda avatar. He was constantly trying to climb the ladder at the expense of his family. It was a little sad, him rationalizing why the next step was what he needed. Unless you're like top 1% in the county no career will validate your ego and it's destructive to try. Be content with leading a quiet successful life that gives you the means to provide for yourself

That's sad. I had the same mentality during my first job out of school, and all it took was one hairbrained move to realize that wasn't the path the happiness. My career is not who I am, it's just something that I do. That has been a much healthier and far less stressful lens to view life.

 

[Jbrl]

A few questions I have:
1. Did you base your decision to go to pharmacy school partially on these personality tests? What do you mean when you say you're interested in "clinical pharmacy?"

2. How much retail experience have you had? Retail - a customer-facing sector - is where 70% of pharmacy grads go. If you're not prepared for a career that involves the public disrespecting you, pharmacy might not be for you.

3. Why do you want to be a Director of Pharmacy? What comprises an interest in "business models?" Most of their work involves day-to-day operations, healthcare compliance and budgeting. Is that what you mean?

With all due respect to those who posted above - the belief that one merely works to make a living doesn't jive with everyone. It certainly doesn't for me, and it may not for this particular person.

All-in-all, you need to be sure you know what you're getting into. If you're truly interested in healthcare and business models, you don't necessarily need to go through pharmacy school. If you do, you have to be prepared to put your nose to the grindstone to find those opportunities you're looking for and take the apparent disrespect that makes you uncomfortable.

 

[Phart]

I have an interest in business models as well as the clinical side of pharmacy. A director position affords me the opportunity to merge both of theses interests into one position. Graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 cum gpa, I don't think I will have a problem on any exams.

"I have an interest in business models", lol okay....

You will need A LOT more than just good grades to get to where you want to be. You seem like a very driven student and I believe you can reach your goals, but with pharmacy the way it is and the direction it is heading, you will need to seize every opportunity (internships, observerships, volunteering, research, networking, etc.) -- good grades will only get you passed residency screenings. If you are not willing to work your a$$ off, while making decent grades, while holding actual conversations with other human beings, you will end up as another humanoid pharmacist, always regretting your career path.

... and let's say you make it to your destination as a pharmacy director... you will still be on your knees around doctors, nurses, and hospital management constantly (to be fair, so will everybody else).

 

[lane one]

Haters gone' hate.

...because it's worth repeating

 

[rph3664]

yeah prepare to grovel/beg to NPs, PAs, and MDs to change things just for them to ignore you. Or prepare to be threatened and screamed at for numerous reasons in retail.

Assuming you can get a job in the first place.