Living in Washington D.C.

[coffee4drug]

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I am thinking about starting a new life in Washington D.C. But as someone who has never lived outside of California, I would appreciate input from people who know about living there.

First, is it very difficult to find a pharmacist job in D.C.? And what is the average pharmacist salary there? I heard the cost of living in D.C. is quite high, and I wonder how affordable it is for a pharmacist to live there.

Also, which neighborhoods are recommendable to do a house/apartment search? It would be ideal to live in one that has well-developed public transportation so that little to no driving is necessary to get around for fun.

Thank you ahead for your input!

 

[owlegrad]

i am thinking about starting a new life in washington d.c. But as someone who has never lived outside of california, i would appreciate input from people who know about living there.

First, is it very difficult to find a pharmacist job in d.c.? and what is the average pharmacist salary there? i heard the cost of living in d.c. Is quite high, and i wonder how affordable it is for a pharmacist to live there.

Also, which neighborhoods are recommendable to do a house/apartment search? It would be ideal to live in one that has well-developed public transportation so that little to no driving is necessary to get around for fun.

Thank you ahead for your input!

$52.03/hr

Edit - Source: BLS/OES Statistics. Not as good as anicdotal evidence, but I don't know anyone in D.C. so it will have to do.

 

[pharm B]

This is anecdotal, but I had some friends working in D.C. who made sure to live in VA and just do the commute, due to the cost of living.

 

[RX CARE]

The cost of living in D.C is ridiculous, and I am actually on my way out mostly for that reason. If your finances are together, then you would probably not mind. The pay is typical....54-55/hr, but yes, there is some sort of saturation here. It is gonna take a while if you moving into town anew. The most thriving upscale living area in DC right now is Columbia Heights, and I recommend it....it is also very accessible and has a lot of ammenities and shops, stores..etc...but then again...like I said..prepare to shed some $$$....which is prob alrite for a pharmacist who don't mind spending some extra....

 

[mustang sally]

Keep in mind that you can also get the full DC experience living in one of the cheaper suburbs. The metro extends pretty well out into the suburbs so public transportation is okay (depends on how the trains are running that day).

IMO, there is too much crime in DC and the public school system there is awful if you have any kids.

Definitely try to get housing as close as possible to your job because the commute is godawful.

There are lots of fun things about living in/near DC but a lot of bad aspects also. PM me if you have any questions.

 

[coffee4drug]

Thanks for all the useful info!

I guess the first thing to do before moving is to look for a job in a suburb area close to the metro that is still accessible to its convenient transportation system.

It seems that D.C. is indeed quite saturated after finding out the surprisingly few number of pharmacy stores belonging to the chain i work for there and the lack of openings after I call a couple of local stores to ask about hiring.

Nevertheless, the thought to moving to D.C. still excites me. I really don't appreciate the driving inconvenience of where I live now, where time and gas are wasted just to go pretty much anywhere.

 

[ucrx]

Nevertheless, the thought to moving to D.C. still excites me. I really don't appreciate the driving inconvenience of where I live now, where time and gas are wasted just to go pretty much anywhere.

If this is a concern, you will have to live near a metro. Time and gas (especially time) are wasted to go many places here if you attempt to drive.

 

[stevephhs016]

Ugh, I bang my head on my steering wheel every day with the commute. I live in NoVa

 

[ucrx]

Ugh, I bang my head on my steering wheel every day with the commute. I live in NoVa

I'm in Montgomery County, MD. I just started taking the metro to work. It may cost more and take longer, but MUCH less frustrating. Luckily it really isn't crowded that early in the morning 🙂

 

[aboveliquidice]

I'm moving to DC on Monday 🙂 - focusing on Bethesda, Rockville, silver springs areas for housing. All are near the metro lines (as in across the street). Licensing is as simple as getting reciprocity, passing the DC MPJE, and paying cash. Cost of living is HIGH!!! And rush hour traffic can be just as bad. If this is the reason you dislike Cali, I wouldn't relocate. That being said, living in an east-coast city is very different than the west. You should do it once (bucket list), even if you pay more to do so.

Let me know when you are looking to move. My wife and I are about to learn everything first hand, and I'd be happy to share my experience...

 

[coffee4drug]

I'm moving to DC on Monday 🙂 - focusing on Bethesda, Rockville, silver springs areas for housing. All are near the metro lines (as in across the street). Licensing is as simple as getting reciprocity, passing the DC MPJE, and paying cash. Cost of living is HIGH!!! And rush hour traffic can be just as bad. If this is the reason you dislike Cali, I wouldn't relocate. That being said, living in an east-coast city is very different than the west. You should do it once (bucket list), even if you pay more to do so.

Let me know when you are looking to move. My wife and I are about to learn everything first hand, and I'd be happy to share my experience...

Thanks, I hope you and your wife will live an adventurous life there.

I will surely benefit from hearing about your experience in DC, especially I am a new grad like you (class of 2010). BTW, do you buy a place directly there or rent first? I am asking this because the rent seems quite high that it may be better to take out a loan and buy an apartment instead.

 

[stevephhs016]

How difficult is it to get licensed there? job satisfaction?

Licensing process not too bad.

Satisfied with my job so far.

 

[genesis09]

I just visited DC, and everything was so expensive. It made downtown Chicago look cheap. The prices for similar items at restaurants were 10-20% higher than here in Milwaukee. Definitely live near the Metro. It is much nicer than the CTA.

 

[aboveliquidice]

Thanks, I hope you and your wife will live an adventurous life there.

I will surely benefit from hearing about your experience in DC, especially I am a new grad like you (class of 2010). BTW, do you buy a place directly there or rent first? I am asking this because the rent seems quite high that it may be better to take out a loan and buy an apartment instead.

Definitely renting for the first year... my residency was delayed for officer training, so I'll be there for about one and a half years at the least. It's difficult to find the perfect place to live in just ten days (the time I've been alloted). We plan to live very urban, as neither one of us has had the true city-life experience. Rent is expensive, but using craigslist has helped us narrow our search and maintain the location / crime level we desire.

 

[KARM12]

Definitely renting for the first year... my residency was delayed for officer training, so I'll be there for about one and a half years at the least. It's difficult to find the perfect place to live in just ten days (the time I've been alloted). We plan to live very urban, as neither one of us has had the true city-life experience. Rent is expensive, but using craigslist has helped us narrow our search and maintain the location / crime level we desire.

Sorry to hear you had to delay residency. Good luck!

 

[aboveliquidice]

Sorry to hear you had to delay residency. Good luck!

Thanks... I'll be a year behind my peers, but delaying is allowing me to have a proper marriage ceremony/honeymoon and staff for 6 months.

 

[ucrx]

Licensing process not too bad.

Satisfied with my job so far.

Pretty much the same. I heard the DC MPJE was one of the more difficult, but I don't think it was much worse than others.

OP- where are you looking to work, retail? hospital?

 

[coffee4drug]

Pretty much the same. I heard the DC MPJE was one of the more difficult, but I don't think it was much worse than others.

OP- where are you looking to work, retail? hospital?

Retail, I have no residency experience.

 

[ThePlantation]

You'll want to get a Maryland and/or Virginia license also.

 

[maria1oh]

I have heard that DC is a really nice city but there are some really bad parts and also nearby in Baltimore. Some retail pharmacies have those big thick glass wall windows so when you ring out a customer you have to slide their rx under the window area kind of like when you buy subway ticket. They do this because they are so paranoid about people coming in and shooting at them.

 

[ucrx]

FOR DC Pharmacist

I am considering working in DC or VA when I graduate next year

Are there any other resources in preparing for the law exam? I have visited the DC Board of Pharmacy website and it is a over 400 page pdf document on pharmacy law. Someone else posted in the exam and licensing portion of the forum and no one has responded .. that is why i ask this question here.

How did you pharmacist study for the DC Pharmacy Law? I am hoping that someone has filtered down that huge PDF file?

I read a federal law book (I forgot which one) and skimmed through the DC law PDF, reading sections I thought were more important.