In part it really depends on what you want to do. I know several pharmacists that own their own pharmacies and do quite well. I most likely will do the same eventually. One thing you can look into that is quite lucrative is becoming a compounding pharmacist. There is very little compounding done in retail, but as an independent it is a big cash cow for the pharmacist. In addition, several companies are setting up protocols that allow pharmacists to prescribe certain drugs to treat things such as strep throat when a simple test is performed. Furthermore, there are things like diabetes management programs that pharmacists can set up and charge a fee for each client that covers a complete workup of all there medications and therapies. Much of this is new and emerging as pharmacy changes. As pharmacists gain more in the way of limited prescribing rights, this will result in increased compensation and money into the pharmacy. In a retail setting, a portion of that will go to the parent company. As an independent, this will basically be gravy and make owning an independent pharmacy more attractive.
