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newgradpharmd

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  1. Pharmacist
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How are other new grad pharmacists finding the job market?
 
for old grads who hate their job and wanna find a new place it sucks too
 
is it still like that everywhere in the US?

seeing as how jobs are right now, would it be better for me to:
1) take a retail job offer right after graduating from pharmacy school?
2) or do a residency for a year or two and take a job as a clinical pharmacist
 
Crazybob, I would say to do either option #2 or 'option #3:' find a staff hospital position when you graduate and if later you want to go strictly clinical, either A: get board certified or B: go to residency then (the only reason I say this option is that if for some reason the economy stays in the pits for the next two years you *may* have trouble finding jobs even after two robust years of residency, though I feel that with either of the credentials mentioned (BCPS, or res.) you are a leg up on the competition (esp. w/ a residency)). Plus, if you are willing to relocate on top of that I feel you will have no problems finding something decent. The problem I feel with retail is that several of the larger players are so corporatized that you may be more disposable to them (and yes I know that many hospitals are merging etc, but I still feel that they are better toward their employees as a whole when you consider benefits, time off, etc)
Bottom line is do whichever setting you feel fulfillment and enjoyment because there are good and bad in all the settings of pharmacy. Same for residency, don't just do it soley for the purpose of job security, but for career advancement in an area of focus you would desire to be in regardless of potential employment scenarios.
 
like real estate........its all about location, location, location......

i had 6 offers on the table when i graduated from pharmacy school a couple years ago.......

after working for previous employer for over a year, i decided to look around and immediately applied and got hired at my current position.......

btw.......im in the los angeles area......
 
jawnly211 said:
like real estate........its all about location, location, location......

i had 6 offers on the table when i graduated from pharmacy school a couple years ago.......

after working for previous employer for over a year, i decided to look around and immediately applied and got hired at my current position.......

btw.......im in the los angeles area......
Click to expand...

maybe that has something to do with it?


and maybe you just had a lot to offer? it might've still been tough for "average," "middle of the pack" graduating students.
 
I recently turned down a $190K per year job... CA...
 
StaviZFingerZ said:
I recently turned down a $190K per year job... CA...
Click to expand...

😱 How come? found a job that pays MORE than 190K per year? what kind of job was it????
 
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SHC1984 said:
😱 How come? found a job that pays MORE than 190K per year? what kind of job was it????
Click to expand...


Because I like what I do..and am not looking for a new job nor do I want to move...
 
🙄 well, my first job out of RX school, I took a hospital evening shift 2:30pm to 11:00pm job at $19.75 per hour in 1995. Worked every other weekend and worked my ass off...
 
StaviZFingerZ said:
🙄 well, my first job out of RX school, I took a hospital evening shift 2:30pm to 11:00pm job at $19.75 per hour in 1995. Worked every other weekend and worked my ass off...
Click to expand...


Yeah, working on the weekends does suck big time! Lets hope mail order pharmacies are all closed on the weekends. LOL...
 
StaviZFingerZ said:
🙄 well, my first job out of RX school, I took a hospital evening shift 2:30pm to 11:00pm job at $19.75 per hour in 1995. Worked every other weekend and worked my ass off...
Click to expand...

First job out of RX school in 1982: $12.50 per hour. Every other weekend....

Salaries 1982-1995 $12.50 to $19.75 +58%
Salaries 1995-2008 $19.75 to $55.00 +178%

It's been a nice ride......
 
I'm graduating this year and currently applying for jobs...

just wondering in your experience how long did it take for you guys to get responses from your employer after submitting your application?

(and what year did u graduate)?
 
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Darqueness said:
I'm graduating this year and currently applying for jobs...

just wondering in your experience how long did it take for you guys to get responses from your employer after submitting your application?

(and what year did u graduate)?
Click to expand...


Ok, I'll play.

3.5 years of extensive and advanced hospital experience while in Pharmacy school. I wanted to do retail and applied to Walmart, Longs, and Savons. I couldn't even get an interview with Walmart and Savons. Longs interviewed me and turned me down.

No hospital jobs were available in the area.

I ended up moving out of state and begged to get a hospital evening job at a county facility.

That was 1995.
 
I refused to even interview for a retail job. I sent out my name to a few recruiters.

I'd rather not work than do retail and contribute to their destruction of the profession. So I waited for a few months, checking the local hospitals religiously for openings.

Then a hospital I did a rotation at had me called. They called me in early June after they saw my name on a list a recruiter had and they told me to fill out their online application. About 2 weeks later I interviewed...they told me they were prolly gonna hire me...4 weeks of background checks, etc, etc...I started in mid-July. That was '08.
 
Old Timer said:
First job out of RX school in 1982: $12.50 per hour. Every other weekend....

Salaries 1982-1995 $12.50 to $19.75 +58%
Salaries 1995-2008 $19.75 to $55.00 +178%

It's been a nice ride......
Click to expand...

I am sure the student debt went from nothing at all in 1982 to 150K in 2008! :laugh: Most people didn't have to take out loans back when it was only a BS degree. The good old days. :laugh:
 
StaviZFingerZ said:
Ok, I'll play.

3.5 years of extensive and advanced hospital experience while in Pharmacy school. I wanted to do retail and applied to Walmart, Longs, and Savons. I couldn't even get an interview with Walmart and Savons. Longs interviewed me and turned me down.

No hospital jobs were available in the area.

I ended up moving out of state and begged to get a hospital evening job at a county facility.

That was 1995.
Click to expand...


Walmart turn you down? I didn't think it was possible to get turn down by Walmart! LOL... 😱
 
SHC1984 said:
Walmart turn you down? I didn't think it was possible to get turn down by Walmart! LOL... 😱
Click to expand...

This was before the retail explosion which occured in 1996.

Then again, I'm glad I couldn't get a retail job. I'm kinda happy with my current status.
 
Contacted my then-future (still-current employer) in February of 2007...I was graduating in May of that year. Knew who I wanted to work for, and asked them where they had an opening. They gave me a list of about 8 places (my top choice - Dallas, had just been filled, so I went with choice # 2). Had several phone interviews, they flew me out for an onsite visit/interview, and I was made an offer on the spot.

Fast-forward 2 1/2 years, and I'm doing the interviewing now. Interviewed 11 technicians over the past few days, and in the process of opening up a pharmacist req too.
 
StaviZFingerZ said:
This was before the retail explosion which occured in 1996.

Then again, I'm glad I couldn't get a retail job. I'm kinda happy with my current status.
Click to expand...

Thats true...you would be working at Walmart right now had they hired you back then...your life would have been hell if that was the case. I can't even shop there I don't see how anyone can work there! :laugh:
 
SpirivaSunrise said:
Fast-forward 2 1/2 years, and I'm doing the interviewing now. Interviewed 11 technicians over the past few days, and in the process of opening up a pharmacist req too.
Click to expand...


I knew you didn't do any real work...
 
SpirivaSunrise said:
Contacted my then-future (still-current employer) in February of 2007...I was graduating in May of that year. Knew who I wanted to work for, and asked them where they had an opening. They gave me a list of about 8 places (my top choice - Dallas, had just been filled, so I went with choice # 2). Had several phone interviews, they flew me out for an onsite visit/interview, and I was made an offer on the spot.

Fast-forward 2 1/2 years, and I'm doing the interviewing now. Interviewed 11 technicians over the past few days, and in the process of opening up a pharmacist req too.
Click to expand...

Nice! having a job that doesn't deal with angry nurses and/or customers is always a huge plus! I bet your job is the least stressful! 👍👍👍
 
SHC1984 said:
Nice! having a job that doesn't deal with angry nurses and/or customers is always a huge plus! I bet your job is the least stressful! 👍👍👍
Click to expand...


Oh..I highly doubt Spiri has an easy job...I bet she deals with weird people and situation all the time.

If you want a job with little interaction, get a job at a home infusion pharmacy compounding IVs.. in an IV room all day.
 
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StaviZFingerZ said:
Oh..I highly doubt Spiri has an easy job...I bet she deals with weird people and situation all the time.

If you want a job with little interaction, get a job at a home infusion pharmacy compounding IVs.. in an IV room all day.
Click to expand...

Good point...whenever you have to deal with people its always stressful...I just figure since she is doing the interviewing most people would be desperate for the job and therefore be extra NICE to her since she is doing the hiring...but yeah whenever you have a job that deals with people (anyone) it automatically increases the stress level up 10 notches. :laugh: IV and mail order is what I am looking at currently.
 
SHC1984 said:
Good point...whenever you have to deal with people its always stressful...I just figure since she is doing the interviewing most people would be desperate for the job and therefore be extra NICE to her since she is doing the hiring...but yeah whenever you have a job that deals with people (anyone) it automatically increases the stress level up 10 notches. :laugh: IV and mail order is what I am looking at currently.
Click to expand...

Isn't it wonderful how different people are? I would turn homicidal if I were shut in the IV room or mail order facility with the same people and same things all the time. I like working with people a lot more than working with machines and inanimate objects... with people, you can tell people what you want, and with reasonable guidance (sometimes, minimal guidance) they will give you a reasonably good product. With machines, it will give you exactly what you put in, so it's all weighing on you and you have to do a lot more yourself. Bleh... 😛
 
Hels2007 said:
Isn't it wonderful how different people are? I would turn homicidal if I were shut in the IV room or mail order facility with the same people and same things all the time. I like working with people a lot more than working with machines and inanimate objects... with people, you can tell people what you want, and with reasonable guidance (sometimes, minimal guidance) they will give you a reasonably good product. With machines, it will give you exactly what you put in, so it's all weighing on you and you have to do a lot more yourself. Bleh... 😛
Click to expand...

I know what you mean. If my ENTIRE life was spent in an IV room or a mail order office I would go crazy too. A person needs to have fun and socialize with friends, and do what you actually LIKE doing (that would be laying on the beach and reading a novel for me...if I had the money I would do that for the rest of my life! :laugh:) Its not like a mail order pharmacist NEVER have fun and have no life. They are only in a office AT WORK. When they get off of work or when they are ON VACATION they can do whatever they please. So its not like your job is your life....you can still have friends and talk to people on your own time. LOL... I see my job as a job and not my entire life. I like talking to people too, but not while I am trying to work. When I am working I like to concentrate on what I am doing. Listening to nurses yelling or patients complaining about pointless crap isn't why I went into this profession. So thats how I see it....on my days off I can hangout and interact with whomever I want, so while I am at work I think peace and quiet is the most valuable asset. 👍
 
SHC1984 said:
I know what you mean. If my ENTIRE life was spent in an IV room or a mail order office I would go crazy too. A person needs to have fun and socialize with friends, and do what you actually LIKE doing (that would be laying on the beach and reading a novel for me...if I had the money I would do that for the rest of my life! :laugh:) Its not like a mail order pharmacist NEVER have fun and have no life. They are only in a office AT WORK. When they get off of work or when they are ON VACATION they can do whatever they please. So its not like your job is your life....you can still have friends and talk to people on your own time. LOL... I see my job as a job and not my entire life. I like talking to people too, but not while I am trying to work. When I am working I like to concentrate on what I am doing. Listening to nurses yelling or patients complaining about pointless crap isn't why I went into this profession. So thats how I see it....on my days off I can hangout and interact with whomever I want, so while I am at work I think peace and quiet is the most valuable asset. 👍
Click to expand...

Agreed. I too would be very happy making or supervising making IVs all day. Not everyone chooses a profession based on making it their entire life. A Job is a job, and sitting or standing calmly in a quiet room producing products for $50 an hour is not bad at all
 
type b pharmD said:
Agreed. I too would be very happy making or supervising making IVs all day. Not everyone chooses a profession based on making it their entire life. A Job is a job, and sitting or standing calmly in a quiet room producing products for $50 an hour is not bad at all
Click to expand...

How about mail order? would u consider that too?
 
SHC1984 said:
How about mail order? would u consider that too?
Click to expand...

yeah, i probably would. I would enjoy the customer service aspect on the phones. But I probably would get antsy without being able to do something physical. Making IVs is my favorite part of working as a tech/intern.. but as of now, i dont know how much pharmacists actually make .. do home infusion pharmacists actually make the IVs or just supervise?

However you probably have to live in cities or metro areas to do these kinds of jobs and I'm hoping to move rurally after i graduate. So most likely i'll end up doing some kind of low volume rural retail place , or maybe a small county hospital. Both would be relaxed enough for me . And regardless of what WVU says about rural hospitals, he isnt talking about a real small hospital. Ive worked at a hospital with an average census of 25, and it was real laid back.
 
type b pharmD said:
yeah, i probably would. I would enjoy the customer service aspect on the phones. But I probably would get antsy without being able to do something physical. Making IVs is my favorite part of working as a tech/intern.. but as of now, i dont know how much pharmacists actually make .. do home infusion pharmacists actually make the IVs or just supervise?

However you probably have to live in cities or metro areas to do these kinds of jobs and I'm hoping to move rurally after i graduate. So most likely i'll end up doing some kind of low volume rural retail place , or maybe a small county hospital. Both would be relaxed enough for me . And regardless of what WVU says about rural hospitals, he isnt talking about a real small hospital. Ive worked at a hospital with an average census of 25, and it was real laid back.
Click to expand...

I am not sure about the IVs either, but supervising would be even better! :laugh: As for living...I will live anywhere with hot weather. I have some preferences but I will do what I have to do to get a relaxing, QUIET, job.
 
StaviZFingerZ said:
This was before the retail explosion which occured in 1996.

Then again, I'm glad I couldn't get a retail job. I'm kinda happy with my current status.
Click to expand...


really? I couldn't tell...

(just joshing...good on ya)
 
SHC1984 said:
Good point...whenever you have to deal with people its always stressful...I just figure since she is doing the interviewing most people would be desperate for the job and therefore be extra NICE to her since she is doing the hiring...but yeah whenever you have a job that deals with people (anyone) it automatically increases the stress level up 10 notches. :laugh: IV and mail order is what I am looking at currently.
Click to expand...

especially when you don't have people skills because you're out of touch with reality and have relied on your looks to avoid meaningful communication with others.
 
SHC1984 said:
Good point...whenever you have to deal with people its always stressful...I just figure since she is doing the interviewing most people would be desperate for the job and therefore be extra NICE to her since she is doing the hiring...but yeah whenever you have a job that deals with people (anyone) it automatically increases the stress level up 10 notches. :laugh: IV and mail order is what I am looking at currently.
Click to expand...


You seriously didn't think that dealing with people is part of the deal?
 
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naseuy said:
You seriously didn't think that dealing with people is part of the deal?
Click to expand...

Nope, I have always thought of pharmacy as a profession that offers a wide variety of opportunities. Listening to nurses screaming and patients complaining is NOT your only option. :laugh: I am currently talking to two pharmacists that's working at mail order pharmacies. One of them is working from HOME. Gotta love that. Don't even have to get out of bed, much less deal with annoying people all day. 😉
 
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