This is my 26th year of community pharmacy practice. Independent, nursing home, chain pharmacy. That guy is just an angry unhappy person. Life is what you make it. If you want to be that guy, be that guy. I suggest you be yourself.
Most of my professors worked retail part time to keep their hands in it, but most were Pharm D's at the hospital affiliated with the school. They never disparaged community practice nor encouraged people to go into that branch of practice.
I have had great working relationships with many physicians. They would usually take my advice, but if they disagreed I got a valid reason. Of course I did get reported to the state board for practicing medicine without a license when I had the temerity to suggest a patient speak to the doctor about his therapy. Of course when the state board inspector tried to get a statement out him he refused to speak to her and all charges were dropped. And by the way the patient switched physicians. And by the way, if they don't give a good reason why, I won't fill their Vicodin prescription.
As for making a difference in people's lives. It happens all of the time. Just last week a Guy came in (very poor area) and filled Advair with a copay of $75.00 and Proventil HFA for a copay of $50.00. He was unable to afford the medication. I was able to determine his plan would pay for Albuterol w/o HFA and Asmanex. I called the doctor, got it switched and the called the patient. The wife was very pleased. They would have had to forgo something else in order to pay the copay each month. Is it earth shattering, no sometimes little thing's aren't. Look at
this as an example. I also saw a regular patient once, who did not look good, and was renewing her NTG with increasing frequency. I filled it with the condition she go home and call her doctor. I told her if she did let me know what the doctor said, I would call the doctor and let him know what was going on. Two days later she had angioplasty.
As far as using the skills I was taught in school. I use them all of the time. So will you if you want to....
I could go on and on. You can be any kind of pharmacist you want. Do you care enough to be a good one?
