give my three reasons why opening D'Youville pharmacy in one of the most saturated regions of the country is a good idea.
I personally am an individual who thinks that it is great to see more and more individuals wanting to get into the field of pharmacy. Yes, I have read the reports on "oversaturation" of the job market, I am not blind. To me however it comes down to pure optimism and long term outlook. Call me silly but I feel that pharmacists will always be needed, and with the increase in pharmacist, there will be more job fields that a person with a PharmD can puruse. I have always been a firm believer that just because you grad. and become licensed to practice pharmacy does not mean that you just pop into a pharmacy or hospital and say okay my education is done and this is where I am to be for the rest of my life.
These newer schools provide opportunity that some of the more established professions may not. I will be the first to admit that a more established school that has a great reputation would be of harder nature to be accepted into then one that is newly open. 100 percent agree. But within that process I feel that there are so many factors that go into such that leave many qualified and capable individuals left out of pursuing their dream of pharmacy. I take Buffalo for example. I had always wanted to apply to UB, felt great about their program, however, the CC I attend does not offer A&P and made it with my life, work, and personal situations impossible to complete upon attending. With that in mind, D'Youville had the pre-reqs that fit what I had taken and it was a perfect opportunity for me to stay close to home, and obtain an education. Another example is many of the schools in the South that I had been looking to apply to did not take community college classes and made it so I was again, not allowed to apply. I don't want it to be taken wrong in the sense that I do not recognize that there are schools that have a level of prestige and are of a higher tier. All I ask in return is to see however that newer pharmacy schools, if opening with honest and progressive intentions, are not harming a market that in my opinion will only increase down the road.
As I said, maybe it is my childhood optimism, but I do not fear the market forever being saturated. Being the field of pharmacy, and a medical field of such, I do truly believe that in time more and more opportunities will be provided to those with a PharmD degree.
The newer schools give more individuals opportunity to achieve their dream of becoming a pharmacist. There are plenty of qualified prospective students that choose to go to a newer school for a variety of reasons. And not everyone who goes to these more prestige schools says "I went to a top 10 school, look at me and look at how much "smarter" I am".
Having worked in a pharmacy for quite a few years, and seeing different pharmacist come and go, I can be the first to say that when a customer comes in the last question out of their mouth is, "So where did you get your degree from?".
It is a topic that stirs up much debate, but in my opinion, if you apply yourself NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO, then it does not matter where you are to get your degree from. A degree is a degree. Many pharmacist who I know have their degree and want nothing more now that they have their job. Just because they attended a top tiered school, does not mean they will have the drive and ambition when out of school.
I feel that individuals on here are pitting against one another saying how these newer schools are bad beacuse they are afraid of competition. Why should ANY of you worry if you are so confident that if a situation arises and are paired up against someone who goes to D'Youville, and you having gone to such and such would have no problem overtaking them?
Uncertain where I will go at this point and time, I can with confidence say before ever reading this thread that opening newer schools made me happy to see that more and more people are wanting to go into a profession that helps others, and has potential to have endless opportunity. Yet again, my reason for wanting to become a pharmacist may be vastly different from the next persons on here. I have always felt that compassion, caring, knowledge, and willingness to help are all factors that go into becoming a pharmacist. In my eyes only one of those factors can be taught, the rest, are in the values within a person.
Whether a top tier school, or a "Diploma Mill", I'll take my chances come the day I am licensed and sit next to someone who is of a higher tier school and are getting ready to go into an interview. For I will have the confidence to make sure the last issue
any potential employer is worried about is where I went to school. They rather will see me as a licensed, degree granted indivudal reaching out to do what they have been working for and wanting their entire life.