In my situation, Is Pharmacy School worth it?

[rph3664]

Don't do it. It's not worth the time OR the money any more.

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[steveysmith54]

Why would ANYONE want to put themselves into that situation?

I feel like a lot of students are misinformed either by pharmacy schools or even worse their parents. I know that vast majority of practicing RPh would not recommend the profession to their family and close friends. If I am not mistaken, we had a total of ~112K pharm school applications in 2010, now there are ~60K. A lot of students decided to go the PA/NP route, I think their professions are about 3-4 years away from being where we are at.

 

[PharmtoCS]

A lot of students decided to go the PA/NP route, I think their professions are about 3-4 years away from being where we are at.

The job market for NPs is completely saturated in coastal California regions as far as I know. There are too many online schools and not enough clinical placements for students so many can’t even graduate on time. From what I have heard, the vast majority end up in primary care which is the equivalent to our retail pharmacy where you get burnt out easily due to all the BS you deal with on a daily basis.

 

[watchfulwaiting1957]

I have the opportunity to begin pharmacy school at my state school at age 32. I’ll be able to graduate debt free, however I’ll also have nothing extra at graduation. I’ll have a working vehicle, but that’s it. But I’ll also be debt free when I finish.

ive been working for years in another field and am looking for a big career change. I’ve shadowed enough to get accepted, and I really like what clinical pharmacists do in hospitals. So I want to do a residency and aim for that route (not retail). I’ll be turning 37 right after I finish residency.

I know the job market is rough, but is that for those with residencies under their belt as well?

what do you think?

Great post. Is the market "rough" yes. It is extremely bad. Don't take my word for it check out Pharmacists : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
OFC it's all very person specific. I myself am an unemployed pharmacist and have been for many months. I know MANY pharmDs that are living at their parents' home jobless. I do know one pharmacist that owns 14 pharmacies and makes over 1,000,000 USD a year and another that is the CEO of a hospital (probably making 400,000-800,000 USD a year). I would not go into pharmacy for the money currently as there is a good chance it may not pay off financially. But it's possible it could. Much is possible with hard work and effort!

steveysmith54 said:
I feel like a lot of students are misinformed either by pharmacy schools or even worse their parents. I know that vast majority of practicing RPh would not recommend the profession to their family and close friends. If I am not mistaken, we had a total of ~112K pharm school applications in 2010, now there are ~60K. A lot of students decided to go the PA/NP route, I think their professions are about 3-4 years away from being where we are at.

I knew what I was getting into when I went to pharmacy school. I'm not motivated solely by money though. Anyone that is upset with the current state of saturation should only be mad at himself for not doing the research first! I know pharmacists working for Doordash and Uber. Not a great market and I think it will get worse before it gets better.

 

[Always Choose Vanco]

I really like what clinical pharmacists do in hospitals. So I want to do a residency and aim for that route (not retail). I’ll be turning 37 right after I finish residency.

There's a lot of things wrong with your post that I think others covered enough already, but this is a big red flag. You have to understand that the majority (80% or greater) end up in retail. Thats math. Numbers. Hard objective reality. Clinical pharmacy is unicorn. Many probably had the same plan you have of doing residency to not end up in retail. Do you think you're just more special than them? When I was still interning retail during school, we recently hired a staff pharmacist who you could just tell hated being there. she wasn't the social type at all. I remember 1 night she told me she actually went through not only PGY1 but PGY2 and still ended up in retail pharmacy. For me that was when I realized how bad the job market was once I was to graduate. This was like 2 years ago. Luckily she got out. But are those odds you really want to play with? You have to be 100% ok with ending up in retail. If retail is not even on your radar, you're making a huge mistake getting into pharmacy.

 

[BidingMyTime]

I LOVE pharmacy, both hospital and retail, but if I were starting fresh today, no way would I do it. There just aren't enough jobs for everyone. And most pharmacists who apply for a residency, aren't accepted, the applications far outweigh the residencies available.
NP and PA (especially NP) are also going to far surpass saturation within a few years. As mentioned, the vast majority of pharmacists end up in retail, and these days part-time retail, so if you aren't OK with that, don't even consider being a pharmacist.

If you want to be in the medical field, either go RN/BSN or MD/DO (depending on how much time you are willing to invest at your age.) There are certainly careers available outside of medicine, if doc or nurse doesn't float your boat. Lord mentioned Rad Tech, and that could also be a quick investment (2 years for degree) with a solid return, you can go onto specialize in some area and make even more. Dental Hygienists is another solid (but not great....positions well-paid for a 2 year degree, but can be hard to find a job with insurance or full-time hours. Respiratory Techs are always needed, you won't get rich, but it is a solid job.

 

[AONLINE]

Dental Hygienists is another solid (but not great....positions well-paid for a 2 year degree, but can be hard to find a job with insurance or full-time hours.

Dental Hygienists are at a record high on demand right now. Each new grad with zero experience can easily get multiple full-time job offers with full benefits even in a very saturated metro area like the one I'm in. Pay is around $38/hr for a new grad in the metro, I've heard of some experienced hygienists that have successfully demanded $50/hr in private practices in rural areas although that's not very common. Also, in dentistry 32-34 hrs/wk is considered full-time, so the ambitious new grads would often work a full-time job 4 days/wk in one office and pick up another job on the 5th day. My advice to my PharmD friends is to go back to school to get a Hygienist degree.

 

[BidingMyTime]

Also, in dentistry 32-34 hrs/wk is considered full-time, so the ambitious new grads would often work a full-time job 4 days/wk in one office and pick up another job on the 5th day. My advice to my PharmD friends is to go back to school to get a Hygienist degree.

That I wasn't aware of. The dental hygeinists I know only work 32 hours/week, and said that they couldn't find jobs offering more hours than that, I wasn't aware that was considered full-time for them. (kinda like, it was a shock to learn 40 hours/week is considered part-time for lawyers.)

 

[lord999]

That I wasn't aware of. The dental hygeinists I know only work 32 hours/week, and said that they couldn't find jobs offering more hours than that, I wasn't aware that was considered full-time for them. (kinda like, it was a shock to learn 40 hours/week is considered part-time for lawyers.)

Yes, for IP and corporate law attorneys in firms, it's 40 billable hours a week minimum. That's usually 60 real hours a week for an equity partner not including cinq a sept time with client relations. The usual for my wife's firm is 45-50 billable hours per partner which varies by docket and season, and that's average for Big Law. That's why my Big Law $300k and equity hunting partners are envious of pharmacists $180k for a low stakes 40 hours or less of work and low travel. Just remarking though that the pharmacists they know are academic, industry, or insurance pharmacists who average that range. We pharmacists laugh at each others' grass is greener fantasies.

 

[watchfulwaiting1957]

Dental Hygienists are at a record high on demand right now. Each new grad with zero experience can easily get multiple full-time job offers with full benefits even in a very saturated metro area like the one I'm in. Pay is around $38/hr for a new grad in the metro, I've heard of some experienced hygienists that have successfully demanded $50/hr in private practices in rural areas although that's not very common. Also, in dentistry 32-34 hrs/wk is considered full-time, so the ambitious new grads would often work a full-time job 4 days/wk in one office and pick up another job on the 5th day. My advice to my PharmD friends is to go back to school to get a Hygienist degree.

That job is pretty icky though. You have to work on people's teeth that havn't brushed in years. They earn every dollar they get.

 

[DagS132]

That job is pretty icky though. You have to work on people's teeth that havn't brushed in years. They earn every dollar they get.

The word "hygienist" is in the title. Whats next? Putting down the role of the church preacher because you have to preach to a bunch of people that are forsaken?

 

[Hels2007]

We pharmacists laugh at each others' grass is greener fantasies.

I know exactly how good I have it!

 

[wazoodog]

Pharmacy school is worth it if you want to be a pharmacist. There is no other way to be a pharmacist. Some people simply just want to be a pharmacist, regardless of future job outlook or a myriad of other factors. If that's you...then pharmacy school is worth it.

The challenging part is the lack of visibility into what a pharmacist career entails from day to day, and year to year...until you actually become a pharmacist.

 

[watchfulwaiting1957]

Pharmacy school is worth it if you want to be a pharmacist. There is no other way to be a pharmacist. Some people simply just want to be a pharmacist, regardless of future job outlook or a myriad of other factors. If that's you...then pharmacy school is worth it.

The challenging part is the lack of visibility into what a pharmacist career entails from day to day, and year to year...until you actually become a pharmacist.

Well said. I mean, it seems no one is complaining about the lack of opportunity for Doctor of Philosophy of Art History or for a Masters in Psychology. That degree could cost the same amount as a pharmD and it's remuneration may be less than a PharmD. A degree is a degree, it's no promise for future income. I have a friend that got 3 degrees, including a Masters in Psychology from the New School in Manhattan. He then applied to Panera Bread to work there for 15 USD an hour making sandwiches and he was turned down. He was only able to get a well paying job after going to a coding boot camp to learn Node (JavaScript on the sever side).

I don't think pharmacy is unique in becoming more competitive. I think many good jobs in the US are becoming more competitive with all the factorys closing. The lack of well paying blue collar jobs is pushing people into traditionally white collar jobs.

 

[Hels2007]

Pharmacy school is worth it if you want to be a pharmacist. There is no other way to be a pharmacist. Some people simply just want to be a pharmacist, regardless of future job outlook or a myriad of other factors. If that's you...then pharmacy school is worth it.

The challenging part is the lack of visibility into what a pharmacist career entails from day to day, and year to year...until you actually become a pharmacist.

The problem is that of the incorrect expectations resulting in disappointment. For one, people don't really know what a pharmacist's job entails. Then there are those 'unicorns' they see and that's the same thing as with all the other success stories - you see someone who started a business out of their garage and became a billionaire, you don't see thousands of other people who did the same and ended up in bankruptcy. Finally, until very recently pharmacy was a cushy profession, so it's the feeling of 'waaah it's so unfair that people five years older than me had it so easy, why can't I'???

 

[BidingMyTime]

A degree is a degree, it's no promise for future income. I have a friend that got 3 degrees, including a Masters in Psychology from the New School in Manhattan. He then applied to Panera Bread to work there for 15 USD an hour making sandwiches and he was turned down.

A Masters in Psychology is as useless as a Bachelor's in Psychology, PsyD is pretty much mandatory for any job. If your friend has 3 degrees, it sounds like he was degree collecting without actually doing any research into what (if any) jobs those degrees would lead to.