Is it worth it down the road?

[fusionall]

Hey Everyone,

This is my first post on these forums. Anyways, I am currently a Sophomore studying to become a Pharmacist. I want to get into Retail Pharmacy.

To get to the point, you don't need an economics degree to tell that our country is currently not that great. Most companies are cutting jobs and services are either being outsourced or becoming automated.

By the time I enter Pharmacy school, the economy should have picked up by then. However, I have read about Mom and Pop Pharmacies going under due to competition from mail-order services. I wonder how much longer before these mail-order companies affect other bigger companies such as Rite Aid or CVS.

As technology improves, everything is going to require less and less human contact.

For those of you pharmacists here, do you think it is worth it down the road to become a pharmacist, given our current economic situation and the possibility of being replaced by an envelope/robot?

I really don't want to study this hard only for my job to be replaced by an automated service.

Thoughts?

Thank you.

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[SHC1984]

Well if everything does go to mail order then just work at a mail order. Trust me you will most likely like mail order better than working at a retail like Rite Aid or CVS anyways.

 

[inquirer89]

Pharmacists do so much more than just "push pills", which I think is your current understanding of what we do. Techs and machines have pretty much taken over the automated process of it already. So that allows our job to focus on the patient. It's worth it, you just have to find a niche to make yourself competitive if you're worried about cutting jobs.

 

[fusionall]

@SHC1984

Thanks for your reply. I'll look more into mail-order (sounds dreadfully boring, though).

@ inquirer89

Thanks for your reply.

I know that pharmacists do more than "push pills", but thank you for your concern. Although this is only my second post, I've read the threads here many times before registering and I'd like to think that I have a basic understanding of what pharmacists actually do.

It's just that I wouldn't mind working in retail. From what I read, it seems comfortable enough, even though if it does fit the general public's view of what pharmacists do.

Sadly, with technology and our society advancing the way that it is, I fear that the face-to-face relationship between pharmacists and patients will be compromised, and subsequently, pharmacist jobs will be slashed as a result of that loss in connection. Of course, this is only speculation, but I believe I should try to at least make an educated guess of where the job market is going to be when I enter it in another 6 - 8 years or so if I want a secure job.

Simply, I don't see the point in wasting my time and money in Pharmacy school only to be replaced with some other service. I know that no one can see definitively into the future, but from your personal experience, where do you see the job market 6, 10, 15 years from now? If I'm going to invest time and money into a PharmD, I certainly want a rewarding outcome.

If you don't mind me asking, which "niche" do you see yourself fitting in to make yourself more competitive? Every aspect of health care is getting more competitive to get into and having an insider's perspective will help a lot.

Thanks.

 

[CopToEM]

I know that no one can see definitively into the future, but from your personal experience, where do you see the job market 6, 10, 15 years from now?

I don't think anyone can really give you a concrete answer to that question regardless of how hard they try.

What I can tell you is that it's going to depend largely on your geographic area. In some situations, loss of touch with the patient is occurring and many patients are caring less and less about pharmacist input. I'd imagine this being more so true in urban and metro areas than in small town pharmacies.

In my geographical region, the exact opposite is taking place. The "hometown" pharmacy aspect of days past is coming back in a very big way. One of my buddies opened a Pharmacy at the first of the year and part of his policy is that he meets individually with every new patient to discuss their medications with them.

Another pharmacist in the area just built a new 24-hour pharmacy that's connected to a new 24-hour clinic. The pharmacy doesn't even really look retail. It has a waiting room with couches, a television that plays information about common drugs, and there's private waiting areas where you can sit down with THE pharmacist (notice I didn't say pharmacists).

Of course, like I said, urban areas probably are seeing some resurgence of this but for so many it's all about output to cover the bottom line.

It sounds cliche, but, "be the change you want to see in the world." Go into pharmacy with the mindset that you want to either take over a program or start your own that will not fall by the wayside when it comes to patient management.

That's the beauty of this beast - your own fate and career path is in your hands.

[EDIT]: Oh, another thing, once you're into the field I think it's important to treat yourself as a marketable product. As more and more pharmacists get their licenses it's important to stand out. Build up a relationship with the community, with your patients, with technicians, with hospitals, and with the doctors. Regardless of what the job market forecast turns out to look like you'll have a solid network of colleagues to rely on when the going gets tough.

 

[fusionall]

@CopToPharm

Thank you for your reply. This was more or less along the lines of what I was looking for.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[charfdorn]

I have two thoughts here.

One, eventually all jobs will be replaced with robots and computers. Some day, they'll even have robots to service the broken computers. I don't know what humans will do then. I think the day of being totally replaced by machines in the pharmacy is still many years away. Jobs may become scarcer, but they will still exist and, paradoxically, will probably pay MORE (one pharmacist at 200K is cheaper than three or four at 120).

Two, are you considering this field because you love it or because you want an easy six-figure job? If pharmacists suddenly made only 50 or 60 thousand dollars a year, would you still want to do it? The answer should be yes. If it isn't, you should switch careers. I'm not saying this is the future for sure, but you're better off investing that effort and schooling on an MBA or a computer engineering degree. But if pharmacy is a career you could do for your entire life regardless of pay (provided it still pays the bills), then you should still pursue it. There will be jobs, just maybe not as many and not as cushy as they used to be.

 

[Zyvox]

Every male pharmacist I have ever met who has been working for a least 5 years in a pharmacy says they wouldve never ever ever done it again. The pharmacy I work at is going through some major changes due to technology and software ALL of the pharmacists are pissed and want to quit, but since there are literally no jobs in central florid they're pretty much stuck at a job that gets worse everyday.

Typed this off my phone so 'scuse the grammar

 

[thephoenician88]

You can't be so closed minded as to take what those "male pharmacists you met" decide what's good for the rest of your life. That number of "male pharmacists you met" is probably so small it doesn't even dent the amount of pharmacists working in central florida. I think i know what you're talking about, and yes as corporations try to cut costs changes will happen, but you just have to do the best you can with the power you have, or move to something more rewarding, such as a hospital. Open your own pharmacy for crying out loud.

 

[Zyvox]

You can't be so closed minded as to take what those "male pharmacists you met" decide what's good for the rest of your life. That number of "male pharmacists you met" is probably so small it doesn't even dent the amount of pharmacists working in central florida. I think i know what you're talking about, and yes as corporations try to cut costs changes will happen, but you just have to do the best you can with the power you have, or move to something more rewarding, such as a hospital. Open your own pharmacy for crying out loud.

It really is not what it used to be. There are so many issues with new pilot systems, cutting hours, retail not making as much money etc. As much as I sometimes can't stand retail, working in the basement of a hospital, taking orders from nurses and doing the same thing over and over and over doesn't appeal to me.

 

[fusionall]

@charfdorn

Thanks for your reply.

Initially, I was drawn to pharmacy because I wanted to be in the medical field, but didn't want to make the commitment traditional medical school called for. I also didn't want the stresses of a hospital setting, although I know many doctors don't work in hospitals.

From what I read on these forums, and please correct me if I'm wrong, being a retail pharmacist is quite a comfortable profession. I liked the idea of being able to come home to my future family and actually relax with them instead of having no time at all for recreation and being burdened by the stresses of work.

Also, I wouldn't be telling the complete truth if the salary didn't have an influential role in me determining this field. Just as everyone else, I want the best for my future family, and I intend to try to deliver that to them. I know someone is going to reply to this with a "money doesn't buy everything" bit or a "you shouldn't do it for the money" piece, but last I checked, money makes the world go round. Money doesn't buy everything, but it sure buys a lot.

@ thephoenician88

Thank you for your reply.

How easy would it be for one to open up their own pharmacy? Given this current economy, that doesn't really seem like a feasible idea. Aren't Mom-and-Pop pharmacies across the nation being replaced by mail-order at an alarming rate? How would you even begin to compete with chains such as Rite Aid or CVS?

@ Zyvox

Thank you for your reply.

You've given me a lot to think about. However, I'm still getting my undergraduate degree, so I have time. From your post, I will seriously reconsider staying in my Pre-Pharmacy track.

 

[CopToEM]

Also, I wouldn't be telling the complete truth if the salary didn't have an influential role in me determining this field.

In my humble opinion, anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you. Someone said it better than I did, "If this field paid $30,000.00 how many of us would really be on these forums right now?" Some would, sure, but I can bet that's a VERY small minority.

Find someone who's truly worked paycheck to paycheck and is in Pharmacy. Let them tell you how much the salary had to do with their decision. Once you've put in a few or more years in the real world overworked and underpaid the salary means more and more. It should never be your only reason to go into Pharmacy but there's no harm in it being a motivating factor.

How easy would it be for one to open up their own pharmacy? Given this current economy, that doesn't really seem like a feasible idea. Aren't Mom-and-Pop pharmacies across the nation being replaced by mail-order at an alarming rate? How would you even begin to compete with chains such as Rite Aid or CVS?

It's harder than you'd imagine... but it's not impossible. There is a significant amount of start-up costs involved that are alarming especially since you've just finished taking on $100,000+ in student loans. For a small pharmacy in a rural area my friend ended up sinking about $85,000.00 in start-up costs and that, obviously, is a leased space.

The key in starting your own pharmacy... even business... is to differentiate yourself from the competition. The 24-hour clinic I talked about earlier is ran by a really great Pharmacist. His pharmacy is named after the mascot of the local university. His face, his wife's face, and his kids faces are on every billboard he ever puts up.

Everyone knows him, his business is transparent, and people trust him. With an area overly saturated by corporate pharmacies and mom and pop pharmacies he has won reader's choice in our local newspaper about 6 years in a row now... every year he's been in business.

Again, it's about offering what the mass fillers don't... openness, a 'real person' behind the counter, and hometown feel.





I read in an article, maybe even on SDN, that there are nearly 400 different positions that a pharmacist can take up. Your options are endless. Even if the salary for Pharmacists were to drop down to 50 and 60k a year you have a substantial amount of job availablity compared to other professions you might take up. Regardless of what area you could possibly end up in throughout the United States chances are there's a Pharmacy.

If life's path were to lead you to the rural mountains of Kentucky what do you think a Computer Science degree would get you? Probably a spatula and grease stains if I had to guess! Pharmacy? A position at a rural clinic serving those in poverty.. a salary with meaning.

 

[Project2015]

Every male pharmacist I have ever met who has been working for a least 5 years in a pharmacy says they wouldve never ever ever done it again. The pharmacy I work at is going through some major changes due to technology and software ALL of the pharmacists are pissed and want to quit, but since there are literally no jobs in central florid they're pretty much stuck at a job that gets worse everyday.

Typed this off my phone so 'scuse the grammar

Wait... what is it about being male pharmacists? Could you also elaborate on this new tech/software that's taken so negatively?

 

[IrishRxMan]

CopToPharm hit the nail on the head. The only way the profession of pharmacy is going to be shaped in a positive way is if we as pharmacists do it ourselves. We can't rely on politicians to do anything for us because they simply just do not understand all that we are capable of. My boss has spent more time in Washington and lobbying locally with the US Senators and Representatives in the last six to eight months than he has in the last three years that I've known him. Obama, regardless of what you think of the man, is trying to do some very scary things with health care and doesn't really have a concrete way to pay for them.

I brought up in an earlier post that there were three meetings on health care reform and the one meeting that had pharmacy was including the PBM. PBM is not pharmacy, they are just about money. The backlash the Obama administration received was enormous and they realized they needed to include actual pharmacy organizations. APhA is owns the ONLY private building on the National Mall. They are just down the street from Congress. They have been lobbying for all of pharmacy, independent, chain, hospital and all others, so that our profession is where it needs to go. Join your school's chapter of APhA and get into politics. My boss has said on more occasions than I can remember, "if you're in pharmacy, you need to be in politics."

 

[Jetninjin]

CopToPharm hit the nail on the head. The only way the profession of pharmacy is going to be shaped in a positive way is if we as pharmacists do it ourselves. We can't rely on politicians to do anything for us because they simply just do not understand all that we are capable of. My boss has spent more time in Washington and lobbying locally with the US Senators and Representatives in the last six to eight months than he has in the last three years that I've known him. Obama, regardless of what you think of the man, is trying to do some very scary things with health care and doesn't really have a concrete way to pay for them.

I brought up in an earlier post that there were three meetings on health care reform and the one meeting that had pharmacy was including the PBM. PBM is not pharmacy, they are just about money. The backlash the Obama administration received was enormous and they realized they needed to include actual pharmacy organizations. APhA is owns the ONLY private building on the National Mall. They are just down the street from Congress. They have been lobbying for all of pharmacy, independent, chain, hospital and all others, so that our profession is where it needs to go. Join your school's chapter of APhA and get into politics. My boss has said on more occasions than I can remember, "if you're in pharmacy, you need to be in politics."

You seem to know a lot about this ... j/w, was it APhA who is responsible for convincing Congress to push back the AMP policy for Medicare? Not sure who is the lobbying force behind that. Thanks!

 

[IrishRxMan]

You seem to know a lot about this ... j/w, was it APhA who is responsible for convincing Congress to push back the AMP policy for Medicare? Not sure who is the lobbying force behind that. Thanks!

It's actually a joint venture between NCPA and APhA. More NCPA b/c it would hurt independent pharmacists more than big chains. They would just stop accepting them. We've actually seen it already at the independent I work for. We get prescriptions transferred in from the big three all the time that are medicare patients and it's b/c they don't want to deal with it.

 

[fusionall]

I like how this thread was hijacked and only two users offered decent responses to my original question.

From what I got from the above responses, I need to go out into the boonies, start my own Pharmacy, and get a law degree in order to be a successful Pharmacist in the foreseeable future.

I'd hate to be correct.

Oh, and my definition of success is someone who is monetarily comfortable. Don't get me wrong here. I want to help the patient just as much as the next guy, but I don't want to be poorly compensated either.

Opinions appreciated.

Thanks.