Non-retail jobs for PharmD?

[jjoeirv]

If I detest the idea of working in a retail pharmacy, then are there plenty of job opportunities in pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies for those who hold a PharmD? How difficult would it be to get those non-retail jobs?

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[WVUPharm2007]

There are industry jobs that you could find as a pharmD, though not as interesting or rewarding as one you could get with a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry. Though the laymans assumtion is that a pharmacist works in a CVS, there are clinical jobs where you work in a hospital and do nothing but consults all day. You can even do a residency in just about any area a physician could do a residency in and become a specialist pharmacist. The bottom line is that retail is by far not the end game. Take a look at these "Career guides":

Berlex careers in pharmacy

http://berlex.com/pdf/CareersinPharmMechanical.pdf

Pfizer career guide-

http://www.pfizercareerguides.com/

If you are interested in biotech, you could go to graduate school after pharmacy school and perhaps get a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics.

 

[MALA]

I have to tell you from what I have seen firsthand, is that with a PharmD. you can "waltz" right into any pharmaceutical or biotech company - oh how they love science majors-really, there are soooo many open doors!! So I wouldn't worry if you don't want to do the retail/hospital thing. Come on over- it's great you work 9-5 and get weekends/holidays off. And the pay is pretty great too!
I work for Merck and Becton Dickinson is right down the road from me and few towns over is Pfizer.....NJ has tons of pharma companies. But I would imagine Cali would have great opportunity there as well.

 

[Sinderella]

Is it very easy to get into a residency program? My goal is to become a clinical pharmacist, but I am not sure how to go about it.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Depends on what you want to specialize in, really.

 

[Sinderella]

Are there any specializations that are always easy to get into? I was thinking maybe Psychiatric medicine or even pediatrics. is there a radiology specialty for pharmacists?

 

[jdpharmd?]

Originally posted by Sinderella
Are there any specializations that are always easy to get into?

 

[LVPharm]

Originally posted by Sinderella
Is it very easy to get into a residency program? My goal is to become a clinical pharmacist, but I am not sure how to go about it.

I encourage you to take a look at the ASHP residency information site: http://www.ashp.org/rtp/index.cfm?cfid=303154&CFToken=52727512

There are two types of residencies available to pharmacy graduates: pharmacy practice residencies, and specialized residencies. The one most graduates take is the pharmacy practice residency. It's a one year residency that is often (but not always) prerequisite to a specialized residency. Unless you want to do something really specialized like drug information, to work as a purely clinical pharmacist a one year pharmacy practice residency is pretty much all you need. The oncology clinical specialist at UMC here in Vegas (who also taught my oncology class) only did a one year pharmacy practice residency at University of Kentucky. He never did a specialized oncology residency.

ASHP uses a "matching program" for pharmacy practice residencies, similar to what is done with medical school graduates. Even when the match is complete, there currently are enough residencies to fulfill demand...pretty much everyone who wants a residency can get one.