High Demand Pharmacy Job in 2018

[ImmunoglobulinE]

I know that Pharmacy is saturated in most states and I know many people have warned of the impending doom that has befallen our occupation. However, I am creating this thread to seek help as to any specific place, area, town or city that has a good demand for the pharmacy jobs in the United States in 2018.If you know any specific part of the country, be it BFE, rural, suburban or urban. For example "Bakersfield,California has a decent job market" Please help some new grads out by pointing them out. Thanks in advance. I would appreciate it if you do not reiterate what we already known.

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[DagS132]

my last resort plan was to find a job out in Alaska and move out there.

 

[Rouelle]

Perhaps I’m selfish, but if I knew of a pharmacy utopia with a thriving job market I might question whether it would benefit me to share that information with others and potentially ruin the good thing I’ve got going. (Disclaimer: I do not know of such utopia)

 

[beautifulrobot]

There are still several dozen openings with IHS around the country (they have 31 vacancies for pharmacists listed on their website right now). It isnt necessarily easy to get a job with IHS - you still have to be persistent and know how to successfully navigate the federal hiring system - but there is a demand for pharmacists there.

 

[Gombrich12]

31 open positions nationwide is a rounding error. And I agree with the previous comment, if where I lived had a decent job market I wouldn't be advertising it to new grads.

 

[beautifulrobot]

31 open positions nationwide is a rounding error.

31 postings may be an underestimate of how many vacancies are actually available (some postings are for multiple vacancies, sorry for the miscommunication).

Granted, in FY2017 IHS had 746 pharmacists, so 30-40 vacancies is maybe just 4-5% of the total phamracist workforce in IHS. Nonetheless, in the years I've monitored IHS pharmacist vacancies, there has never been a month where there were no vacancies posted. There is quite a bit of turnover in IHS, and it seems that they always have vacancies. Even if it is not 100s of vacancies at any given time, there are always vacancies. The day IHS pharmacies will be fully staffed is the day that pharmacist saturation has truly reached its peak (and/or the robots have finally taken over our jobs; and/or IHS gets dismantled)

 

[ImmunoglobulinE]

my last resort plan was to find a job out in Alaska and move out there.

If I didn’t have a job offer, I ll rather move across the border to Canada before I move to Alaska lol.

Perhaps I’m selfish, but if I knew of a pharmacy utopia with a thriving job market I might question whether it would benefit me to share that information with others and potentially ruin the good thing I’ve got going. (Disclaimer: I do not know of such utopia)

I can’t help but laugh at the fact that you said “potentially ruin the good thing you ve got going on”. Well if it did come with a referral bonus then perhaps it would benefit you to share. Even if it didn’t come with a referral bonus, and this place truly exist, you know that it would not be the most desirable place to live. Also, most of the people you tell about this so called utopia will be hesistant to move there. Why not help the select few who won’t mind moving to the wilderness, just to make ends meet.

31 open positions nationwide is a rounding error. And I agree with the previous comment, if where I lived had a decent job market I wouldn't be advertising it to new grads.

Would you advertise it to anyone at all? What would you stand to lose, since you already have a stable job.

31 postings may be an underestimate of how many vacancies are actually available (some postings are for multiple vacancies, sorry for the miscommunication).

Granted, in FY2017 IHS had 746 pharmacists, so 30-40 vacancies is maybe just 4-5% of the total phamracist workforce in IHS. Nonetheless, in the years I've monitored IHS pharmacist vacancies, there has never been a month where there were no vacancies posted. There is quite a bit of turnover in IHS, and it seems that they always have vacancies. Even if it is not 100s of vacancies at any given time, there are always vacancies. The day IHS pharmacies will be fully staffed is the day that pharmacist saturation has truly reached its peak (and/or the robots have finally taken over our jobs; and/or IHS gets dismantled)

Federal jobs are known for their very low pay, and long hiring process, which probably explains the high turnover rate. But thanks for the advice.

 

[beautifulrobot]

Federal jobs are known for their very low pay, and long hiring process, which probably explains the high turnover rate. But thanks for the advice.

It pays more than being unemployed. And no doubt the hiring process is long and deters a lot of applicants.

Based on your response, I am not sure what kind of answer you are looking for. Any geographic areas or sectors that have a "high demand" for pharmacists are inherently going to have significant disadvantages in this market of oversupply. There is a reason why they are still "high demand" - low pay, undesireable location, poor/dangerous working conditions, or a combination of all three.

There isn't just one rural geographic area with a high demand for pharmacists (by their nature, rural areas dont have a lot of anything), rather they are scattered throughout the country. You'll have to research each particular area you are interested in to see if there are available positions. If Alaska isn't your jam, based on 2016 BLS data, rural areas in MS, TN, AK, KY, AL, TX and MO may be worth looking into, but I'm not sure of specific regions in each state.

There are several government agencies that have vacancies, including IHS, BOP, and FDA/ORA that you qualify for as a pharmd, but starting pay may be in the 60k-80k range, and are mostly in remote locations (or require lots of travel as is the case with FDA/ORA jobs).

I can almost guarantee there isnt a secret trove of pharmacist jobs that someone is hiding from recent grads. Schools and employers wouldnt let it be kept secret for long. (Although I do still meet pharmacy students and school admins who have never heard of the USPHS Commissioned Corps, so it is possible there is a great job out there that people don't know about. Then again, USPHs isnt actively recruiting for pharmacists right now, but even when we were during peak pharmacist shortage a lot of folks had never heard of us and we kept calling ourselves the Best Kept Secret in pharmacy...).

Anyway, in addition to SDN, i recommend you consult with your school's career center, utilize your local government employment resources, attend professional meetings and schmooze as much as possible, and do some googling in order to find those mysterious high demand jobs.

 

[PA_dud3]

my last resort plan was to find a job out in Alaska and move out there.

I've thought about that once I graduate. It sounds pretty fun. If you can find something in Anchorage or Fairbanks you wouldn't be very bad off. Cost of living in Anchorage is comparable to the lower 48. Climate in Anchorage also isnt as extreme as it's made out to be. I honestly would seriously consider working in Anchorage or Fairbanks. Fairbanks is more expensive, from what I've heard, and also sees colder winters. As of now my plan is to work hospital or retail in a rural part of my state, an area similar to where I grew up.

 

[zelman]

I know that Pharmacy is saturated in most states and I know many people have warned of the impending doom that has befallen our occupation. However, I am creating this thread to seek help as to any specific place, area, town or city that has a good demand for the pharmacy jobs in the United States in 2018.If you know any specific part of the country, be it BFE, rural, suburban or urban. For example "Bakersfield,California has a decent job market" Please help some new grads out by pointing them out. Thanks in advance. I would appreciate it if you do not reiterate what we already known.

I think southern Florida has very high turnover since they pay very poorly. There should always be some openings down there (outside of Miami, of course).

 

[ImmunoglobulinE]

It pays more than being unemployed. And no doubt the hiring process is long and deters a lot of applicants.

Based on your response, I am not sure what kind of answer you are looking for. Any geographic areas or sectors that have a "high demand" for pharmacists are inherently going to have significant disadvantages in this market of oversupply. There is a reason why they are still "high demand" - low pay, undesireable location, poor/dangerous working conditions, or a combination of all three.

There isn't just one rural geographic area with a high demand for pharmacists (by their nature, rural areas dont have a lot of anything), rather they are scattered throughout the country. You'll have to research each particular area you are interested in to see if there are available positions. If Alaska isn't your jam, based on 2016 BLS data, rural areas in MS, TN, AK, KY, AL, TX and MO may be worth looking into, but I'm not sure of specific regions in each state.

There are several government agencies that have vacancies, including IHS, BOP, and FDA/ORA that you qualify for as a pharmd, but starting pay may be in the 60k-80k range, and are mostly in remote locations (or require lots of travel as is the case with FDA/ORA jobs).

I can almost guarantee there isnt a secret trove of pharmacist jobs that someone is hiding from recent grads. Schools and employers wouldnt let it be kept secret for long. (Although I do still meet pharmacy students and school admins who have never heard of the USPHS Commissioned Corps, so it is possible there is a great job out there that people don't know about. Then again, USPHs isnt actively recruiting for pharmacists right now, but even when we were during peak pharmacist shortage a lot of folks had never heard of us and we kept calling ourselves the Best Kept Secret in pharmacy...).

Anyway, in addition to SDN, i recommend you consult with your school's career center, utilize your local government employment resources, attend professional meetings and schmooze as much as possible, and do some googling in order to find those mysterious high demand jobs.

I totally agree with you. Thank you so much for your contribution. The only thing that sucks about federal government jobs for me is the fact that I'm a foreigner and they almost always require you to be a citizen to work for them. But I will look into other resources as well.

I think southern Florida has very high turnover since they pay very poorly. There should always be some openings down there (outside of Miami, of course).

Thanks a lot for the contribution.

 

[DrVader]

I know that Pharmacy is saturated in most states and I know many people have warned of the impending doom that has befallen our occupation. However, I am creating this thread to seek help as to any specific place, area, town or city that has a good demand for the pharmacy jobs in the United States in 2018.If you know any specific part of the country, be it BFE, rural, suburban or urban. For example "Bakersfield,California has a decent job market" Please help some new grads out by pointing them out. Thanks in advance. I would appreciate it if you do not reiterate what we already known.

The problem with such a thread is that even in a large city, you might need a few hundred pharmacists. Over 10k new graduate are produced each year. Every one of them thinks, :I am going into X or I will do Y" as if it is an original thought that no one else will think of. New grads are pouring over the market like a flood, every inch will be touched.

 

[beautifulrobot]

I totally agree with you. Thank you so much for your contribution. The only thing that sucks about federal government jobs for me is the fact that I'm a foreigner and they almost always require you to be a citizen to work for them. But I will look into other resources as well.



Thanks a lot for the contribution.

Gotchya. Sorry for assuming you were a U.S. citizen. Unfortunately i dont have much insight for non-government jobs.

 

[ImmunoglobulinE]

The problem with such a thread is that even in a large city, you might need a few hundred pharmacists. Over 10k new graduate are produced each year. Every one of them thinks, :I am going into X or I will do Y" as if it is an original thought that no one else will think of. New grads are pouring over the market like a flood, every inch will be touched.

Thanks for your contribution. I really respect your opinion. Also thanks for telling us what we already know about how 10k new grads are been poured out every year blah blah blah we know. However, I disagree with you on the fact that every inch has been touched already in 2018. I can tell you that at least half of the people in my graduating class were not willing to move out of their city due to one reason or the other. Also, not every one wants to sacrifice their good metro city life for the rural areas. Even those in the rural area are moving out once they get a better opportunity elsewhere. I think we are still a few years away from every inch been touched.

Gotchya. Sorry for assuming you were a U.S. citizen. Unfortunately i dont have much insight for non-government jobs.

yeah no worries there was no way you would have known but you ve been great help to people out there looking for jobs. The goal of this thread is to look out for each other and look out of the pharmacist profession as a whole.

 

[Mambo#5]

If I didn’t have a job offer, I ll rather move across the border to Canada before I move to Alaska lol.



I can’t help but laugh at the fact that you said “potentially ruin the good thing you ve got going on”. Well if it did come with a referral bonus then perhaps it would benefit you to share. Even if it didn’t come with a referral bonus, and this place truly exist, you know that it would not be the most desirable place to live. Also, most of the people you tell about this so called utopia will be hesistant to move there. Why not help the select few who won’t mind moving to the wilderness, just to make ends meet.



Would you advertise it to anyone at all? What would you stand to lose, since you already have a stable job.



Federal jobs are known for their very low pay, and long hiring process, which probably explains the high turnover rate. But thanks for the advice.

The turn over is due to the remoteness. And, these days there’s not as much turn over as you might think. No comment on the very low pay.

 

[Mambo#5]

31 postings may be an underestimate of how many vacancies are actually available (some postings are for multiple vacancies, sorry for the miscommunication).

Granted, in FY2017 IHS had 746 pharmacists, so 30-40 vacancies is maybe just 4-5% of the total phamracist workforce in IHS. Nonetheless, in the years I've monitored IHS pharmacist vacancies, there has never been a month where there were no vacancies posted. There is quite a bit of turnover in IHS, and it seems that they always have vacancies. Even if it is not 100s of vacancies at any given time, there are always vacancies. The day IHS pharmacies will be fully staffed is the day that pharmacist saturation has truly reached its peak (and/or the robots have finally taken over our jobs; and/or IHS gets dismantled)

That day is quickly approaching. The true number of vacancies isn’t reflected by that site and is much smaller.

 

[DrVader]

Thanks for your contribution. I really respect your opinion. Also thanks for telling us what we already know about how 10k new grads are been poured out every year blah blah blah we know. However, I disagree with you on the fact that every inch has been touched already in 2018. I can tell you that at least half of the people in my graduating class were not willing to move out of their city due to one reason or the other. Also, not every one wants to sacrifice their good metro city life for the rural areas. Even those in the rural area are moving out once they get a better opportunity elsewhere. I think we are still a few years away from every inch been touched.



yeah no worries there was no way you would have known but you ve been great help to people out there looking for jobs. The goal of this thread is to look out for each other and look out of the pharmacist profession as a whole.

Seems like a touchy subject for you.

 

[Saisri_PharmStdnt]

If you're looking for PBM type jobs, look into where they have their call centers, distribution centers, etc.. Phoenix is one example. And while there isn't a plethora of jobs, there are multiple companies that have offices/locations here and they do post openings in both the mail order distribution and call centers (clinical positions) if you look. Some they hire as full time employees, some they hire through temp agencies (to get them in faster) and they turn into permanent positions if you're performing well.

 

[Dolfina]

Get a Pgy1, do a pgy2 in oncology, and there are quite a few options in urban areas. But that would require being competitive enough for a Pgy1, and willing to get paid very little for 60-70 hr weeks for two years. That said I know a few hospitals that are begging for people to go into onc or transplant.

 

[gwarm01]

Get a Pgy1, do a pgy2 in oncology, and there are quite a few options in urban areas. But that would require being competitive enough for a Pgy1, and willing to get paid very little for 60-70 hr weeks for two years. That said I know a few hospitals that are begging for people to go into onc or transplant.

A surprising number of people dislike working in oncology. Fear of exposure on the operational side and fear of the material on the clinical side.

Just make sure you have a genuine interest in the material. You never know when or if oncology will stop being a cash cow.

 

[Dolfina]

A surprising number of people dislike working in oncology. Fear of exposure on the operational side and fear of the material on the clinical side.

Just make sure you have a genuine interest in the material. You never know when or if oncology will stop being a cash cow.

Very true. It takes a special person to do onc (I am not in oncology myself, but have a high number of oncology patients because I work in geriatrics).

 

[ImmunoglobulinE]

Seems like a touchy subject for you.

Ha ha I think it should be for most pharmacist. The fact that if you lose your job, it would be tough to get another job in a preferred location.

 

[TianjinNVhai]

There are still several dozen openings with IHS around the country (they have 31 vacancies for pharmacists listed on their website right now). It isnt necessarily easy to get a job with IHS - you still have to be persistent and know how to successfully navigate the federal hiring system - but there is a demand for pharmacists there.

So I'm wondering by "not easy to get a job with IHS", do you mean it's competitive?

 

[Mambo#5]

So I'm wondering by "not easy to get a job with IHS", do you mean it's competitive?

If you’re Asian apply to IHS in Acoma

So I'm wondering by "not easy to get a job with IHS", do you mean it's competitive?

If you’re Asian apply to Acomita, New Mexico. That director only hires Asians. I’ve seen the staff and it’s also what I hear. Type “pharmacist” in usajobs and New Mexico and look for the Acomita location. It’s about 1.5 hours or 40 min from Albuquerque. You carpool. Give that guy a call and give your resume. He’ll see your Asian name and you’re in like Flynn. The guy in Ship Rock hires only whites or natives(he has no choice on this) There are no other minorities at that facility.

 

[beautifulrobot]

So I'm wondering by "not easy to get a job with IHS", do you mean it's competitive?

Not easy in the sense that it takes a lot of time, persistence, and know-how. IHS hiring policies also present unique challenges, i.e. if a native applies to the job and they meet the minimum eligiblity requirements for the job they get absolute preference, even if they are a terrible fit for the job. So some positions are never filled because the hiring manager would rather not hire anyone than have to hire a native person they dont want to work with.

And yes, in some cases it is not easy because the position is competitive, due to geographic location. Phoenix is much more competitive than Pine Ridge, for example.

 

[TianjinNVhai]

If you’re Asian apply to IHS in Acoma

If you’re Asian apply to Acomita, New Mexico. That director only hires Asians. I’ve seen the staff and it’s also what I hear. Type “pharmacist” in usajobs and New Mexico and look for the Acomita location. It’s about 1.5 hours or 40 min from Albuquerque. You carpool. Give that guy a call and give your resume. He’ll see your Asian name and you’re in like Flynn. The guy in Ship Rock hires only whites or natives(he has no choice on this) There are no other minorities at that facility.

Is this real in 2019?

 

[TianjinNVhai]

Not easy in the sense that it takes a lot of time, persistence, and know-how. IHS hiring policies also present unique challenges, i.e. if a native applies to the job and they meet the minimum eligiblity requirements for the job they get absolute preference, even if they are a terrible fit for the job. So some positions are never filled because the hiring manager would rather not hire anyone than have to hire a native person they dont want to work with.

And yes, in some cases it is not easy because the position is competitive, due to geographic location. Phoenix is much more competitive than Pine Ridge, for example.

I'm look at the pharmacist opening posted on USAJOBS.com for U.S. Army Medical Command in Fortleavenworth, KS which is only one hour from Kansas City, i'm guessing it's super competitive then
And also should I wait until I graduate in May and get license before I apply for these federal jobs? Thanks a lot!

 

[Mambo#5]

Is this real in 2019?

Trump........ Have you heard the kinds of things he’s said?? Is this f***ing real? It’s 2019!!!

Lemme guess, you also believe people are hired solely on their qualifications?

My word, if people say these things, you think their actions speak otherwise? There’s a Chinese proverb:

Watch your thoughts;
They become words.
Watch your words;
They become actions.
Watch your actions;
They become habits.
Watch your habits;
They become character.
Watch your character;
It becomes your destiny.

 

[Mambo#5]

Is this real in 2019?

If you find that hard to believe, don’t work for IHS, there are other more shocking things that you will encounter. Mind you most places are in bumblef**k and in bumblef**k you often have providers who are shady or incompetent to say the least. Just read up on some of the things that happened in the IHS facilities in South Dakota.

Basically if your working on the moon, any thing goes. Same goes for law enforcement in those areas.

 

[beautifulrobot]

I'm look at the pharmacist opening posted on USAJOBS.com for U.S. Army Medical Command in Fortleavenworth, KS which is only one hour from Kansas City, i'm guessing it's super competitive then
And also should I wait until I graduate in May and get license before I apply for these federal jobs? Thanks a lot!

Civilian jobs with the military can be challenging because military spouses have preference. But they don't pay as much as the private sector, so i dont think they are necessarily that competitive. honestly, i dont have much knowledge about civilian jobs with the military so cant offer much advice. But in general, you never know until you apply. (You miss all the shots you dont take.)

When it comes to applying to federal jobs, in general, you have to read instructions carefully, clearly state on your resume/application that you meet the requirements for the job, follow-up frequently with the point of contact for the job, and apply to as many jobs as you can. It is a cumbersome process with lots of opportunities to fall between the cracks. It requires persistence, patience, resilience, and a bit of luck. It is a very different process from the private sector.

In regards to not yet having your license, you could put on your resume that you have an intern pharmacist license and you anticipate having your pharmacist license by such-and-such date. It could take a while for the job announcement to close or for HR to process your application after you submit it, and you can later update your application once you have your license. It can take months until someone looks at your application, so you might as well start the application process even if you don't have your license just yet. Even if they reject your application you can then reapply after you get your license. There's no harm in applying.

 

[Modest_anteater]

I know that Pharmacy is saturated in most states and I know many people have warned of the impending doom that has befallen our occupation. However, I am creating this thread to seek help as to any specific place, area, town or city that has a good demand for the pharmacy jobs in the United States in 2018.If you know any specific part of the country, be it BFE, rural, suburban or urban. For example "Bakersfield,California has a decent job market" Please help some new grads out by pointing them out. Thanks in advance. I would appreciate it if you do not reiterate what we already known.

IF you want to find a place that has good demand just look on Google Maps for a place you would not want to live. It must be rural more than 2-3 hours from an airport nearest walmart supercenter should be 30min to 2 hours away. They are hiring in rural WV in the hardest hit heroin towns (formerly coal towns). These areas are actually pretty dangerous and you should consider getting barbed wire on your fence outside your residence. I would say detroit but demand is actually pretty low there due to Dearborn supplying the inner city with many pharmacists. Rural midwest and rural Mississippi and Alabama are still good. Realize that you may be a significant minority in these areas and not just for your political views. Also south west Texas is good but you must speak Spainish.