Pharmacy Job Market/Outlook

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PharmD1988 said:
congrats. have a couple friends at my mid-western school that are begging to get a job there. if you dont mind me asking is it a full-time/part-time job?
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Maybe you should read that post one more time...;)
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joetrisman said:
My boss at Wags said we aren't hiring this year in at least our market due to the PERX/ESI thing. I still don't graduate for a year but so much for holding an intern position giving you a leg up.
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I have been saying it the past couple of years now. It is going to get very bad for pharmacy graduates. It does not help that pharmacists eat their own. They stab each other in the back all the time and the more malignant people will show themselves in these times. It is going to be a wild bumpy ride.
 
timbutt2 said:
I am co/2012 and live in Chicagoland. I have received an offer letter pending licensure. It is a full-time position. So yes, it's possible to still land a job in Chicago.
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Did you apply to that pharmacy or do they go to schools and select candidates?
 
Money - go where the money goes, regardless of what your profession is. The market has always been this way, and will never change. Just keep this in mind, you will be less stressed and lost.
 
joetrisman said:
Just came across a job ad in Louisville for $38/hr for a rph :rolleyes: Let the goodtimes roll
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I lived in Louisville for a year, it's a nice area, but traffic is insane. Real estate is also hit-or-miss, you're either in a squeaky clean area or you're in a clandestine hovel riddled with meth labs.

It makes for an easy commute to Ohio and Indiana, and is considered one of the powerhouse cities in Kentucky.

Cost-of-living wasn't bad, I'd consider it average. But the weather has absolutely no pattern, so it's not a city to live in if you need your sunshine.
 
Conflagration said:
I lived in Louisville for a year, it's a nice area, but traffic is insane. Real estate is also hit-or-miss, you're either in a squeaky clean area or you're in a clandestine hovel riddled with meth labs.

It makes for an easy commute to Ohio and Indiana, and is considered one of the powerhouse cities in Kentucky.

Cost-of-living wasn't bad, I'd consider it average. But the weather has absolutely no pattern, so it's not a city to live in if you need your sunshine.
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I've been here for 9 years. I really like the city. It has a nice balance between big city advantages while not being too big. But damn if I don't miss living in Chicago.
 
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joetrisman said:
I've been here for 9 years. I really like the city. It has a nice balance between big city advantages while not being too big. But damn if I don't miss living in Chicago.
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Chicago's a nice area, I hear, especially if you're into hustle and bustle. Never been there myself, but I love the suburbs more than the actual city. It's still got action but it's not as crowded. =D
 
joetrisman said:
No worries, he's just another doom and gloomer ;):laugh:
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I am the opposite of doom and gloom right now, I just took a part-time ambulatory pharmacist position. Had my first day last week, it is going to be a great side job. Should offer a nice balance to the inpatient job.:D

I do worry about job opportunities for new grads though...
 
PumpkinSmasher said:
I am the opposite of doom and gloom right now, I just took a part-time ambulatory pharmacist position. Had my first day last week, it is going to be a great side job. Should offer a nice balance to the inpatient job.:D

I do worry about job opportunities for new grads though...
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I was being sarcastic as that seems to be the common comment when someone posts anything negative about the market. Congrats on the jobs though!!! :thumbup:
 
This thread has really saddened me. I have interviews for schools this week, and in fear I will be burdened with loans, with a bleak out look for jobs. ;-(

Not good mojo before these interviews. In away I hope I don't get accepted now so it forces me another route. It just sucks that All the prerequisite don't line up for nursing BSN( nurses are having issues anyways)

There always: MD/ DO/ PA





On another thought this could be all widely because the recession, things could pick up. Whatever the pharmacy union is must suck I can't believe over 20yrs they have barely expanded the profession, and controlled schools opening up. I don't want to used in a retail setting, I want to be utilized in a hospital... Good luck with pipe dream
 
natorx said:
This thread has really saddened me. I have interviews for schools this week, and in fear I will be burdened with loans, with a bleak out look for jobs. ;-(

Not good mojo before these interviews. In away I hope I don't get accepted now so it forces me another route. It just sucks that All the prerequisite don't line up for nursing BSN( nurses are having issues anyways)

There always: MD/ DO/ PA





On another thought this could be all widely because the recession, things could pick up. Whatever the pharmacy union is must suck I can't believe over 20yrs they have barely expanded the profession, and controlled schools opening up. I don't want to used in a retail setting, I want to be utilized in a hospital... Good luck with pipe dream
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Keep on truckin! I think you will be fine, you may just have to move to a rural community. But, I think the natural choice instead of pharmacy would be the MD/DO route. I dont think you would want to be a BSN
 
kvl1027 said:
Keep on truckin! I think you will be fine, you may just have to move to a rural community. But, I think the natural choice instead of pharmacy would be the MD/DO route. I dont think you would want to be a BSN
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there is no denying that there are a good number of pharmacy jobs in rural areas but I am curious regarding physicians also have a difficult time finding jobs in metropolitan areas? Do physicians also have to look for jobs in rural areas or do find plenty in metropolitan/large cities?
 
joetrisman said:
My boss at Wags said we aren't hiring this year in at least our market due to the PERX/ESI thing. I still don't graduate for a year but so much for holding an intern position giving you a leg up.
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[]
 
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lactonerx said:
that doesn't make sense

why are they still offering scholarships to their interns, if they don't plan on hiring any of them?

Even if your district is not going to hire, they are still going to want to keep trained employees in the system and can find you a position in a different district. No?

edit: Why am I working lots of hours during pharmacy school if there is no chance they will hire me when I graduate? Last year they hired on 8 new grads (PT) in my district.
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Having an intern position will give you a leg up, but I don't think it will guarantee employment anymore.
 
PharmD1988 said:
there is no denying that there are a good number of pharmacy jobs in rural areas but I am curious regarding physicians also have a difficult time finding jobs in metropolitan areas? Do physicians also have to look for jobs in rural areas or do find plenty in metropolitan/large cities?
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I would think it would be difficult to find jobs for MD's in major cities as well. I can't speak directly about it, but with the economy in shambles companies are being very conservative.
 
kvl1027 said:
I would think it would be difficult to find jobs for MD's in major cities as well. I can't speak directly about it, but with the economy in shambles companies are being very conservative.
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Actually there is a physician shortage almost everywhere (big cities, suburbs, rural communities, etc) in almost every field ... from primary care to most specialities (there are a few fields that are getting saturated)

The popular cities (NYC, Washington DC, LA, San Francisco, etc) are more saturated but there are still jobs there .... although the salary will be lower compare to working elsewhere

*of course, if your specialty is very specialized, like pediatric electrophysiologist, or interventional neuroradiologist, then you might be restricted in where you work
 
I was talking to my mom who said a neuro-doc took a position at her clinic.

I think in some markets it's not that a doctor can't find a job, but more not find a specific speciality.

This example was San Fran bay area
 
When did you guys actually start applying for jobs when it was your last year in school? I have been applying online (indeed, monster, rxcareercenter etc.)... but haven't heard back from any of them...
 
I applied for hospital jobs in Ohio in March (June 2010 grad). I had phone interviews in March and on-site interviews in April and May. I accepted a job offer the first week of June. This timeline may no longer be relevant!
 
RxQueen2010 said:
I applied for hospital jobs in Ohio in March (June 2010 grad). I had phone interviews in March and on-site interviews in April and May. I accepted a job offer the first week of June. This timeline may no longer be relevant!
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Pretty much my exact timeline, but I am a 2011 graduate. I applied to a lot of hospitals during that time and heard crickets from a majority of them. Ended up interviewing at a handful of places, and chose the hospital position that fit me best.:)
 
PumpkinSmasher said:
Pretty much my exact timeline, but I am a 2011 graduate. I applied to a lot of hospitals during that time and heard crickets from a majority of them. Ended up interviewing at a handful of places, and chose the hospital position that fit me best.:)
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Thanks guys... I guess I'm applying too early...
 
RxQueen2010 said:
I applied for hospital jobs in Ohio in March (June 2010 grad). I had phone interviews in March and on-site interviews in April and May. I accepted a job offer the first week of June. This timeline may no longer be relevant!
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Be real, real careful in Ohio...
 
This thread is great for my post count. Doom and gloom....... :luck:
 
jasonkido said:
This thread is great for my post count. Doom and gloom....... :luck:
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Completely a rumor at this point, but I hear that at Wags is going to push for getting the majority of their pharmacists down to 32h/wk. I don't work at other stores, but I thought as it was there wasn't any overlap at most stores. Maybe changing pharmacy hours?
 
joetrisman said:
Completely a rumor at this point, but I hear that at Wags is going to push for getting the majority of their pharmacists down to 32h/wk. I don't work at other stores, but I thought as it was there wasn't any overlap at most stores. Maybe changing pharmacy hours?
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Come on... I call BS! That's news, or a lack thereof, to me!

pharm B said:
Would current pharmacists lose their full time status, including benefits?

I know one chain hired a grad in 2009 and gave her full time bennies if she works 32 hrs a week, but that was a perk.
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I think WAGs considers you full-time at 30hrs/wk. Wal-Mart? CVS?
 
joetrisman said:
Completely a rumor at this point, but I hear that at Wags is going to push for getting the majority of their pharmacists down to 32h/wk. I don't work at other stores, but I thought as it was there wasn't any overlap at most stores. Maybe changing pharmacy hours?
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We always had 1-2 hour overlap M-F but that was a couple of years ago, so I don't know if the overlap still exists.
 
2-3 hour overlap is the norm at most wags on M-F.
 
joetrisman said:
Completely a rumor at this point, but I hear that at Wags is going to push for getting the majority of their pharmacists down to 32h/wk. I don't work at other stores, but I thought as it was there wasn't any overlap at most stores. Maybe changing pharmacy hours?
Click to expand...

This seems unlikely--what is the benefit if they are paying insurance benefits at 32h/week (or do they :eek: ) Over the past few years & the sudden pharmacist glut, it seems most places are cutting their part-time workers and only employing full-time workers (the rational being, if they are paying benefits, why not get the maximum number of hours out of the person?)


The doubling of pharmacy schools is certainly a big part of the sudden glut, but the economy is also part of the problem. Every single career field is hurting because of the economy, there are no "safe" employment paths.
 
BidingMyTime said:
This seems unlikely--what is the benefit if they are paying insurance benefits at 32h/week (or do they :eek: )
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(You still get benefits over 30h/wk). It's either reduce hours of everyone or lay off up to 25% of the staff which is going to cost money in severance packages. :eek:

Plus it's easy to increase someone's hours from 30 back to 40 if it gets busy rather than hire and train new staff.
 
joetrisman said:
Completely a rumor at this point, but I hear that at Wags is going to push for getting the majority of their pharmacists down to 32h/wk. I don't work at other stores, but I thought as it was there wasn't any overlap at most stores. Maybe changing pharmacy hours?
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Close overnight: 2 RPh lost
Change 8a-10p M-F, 8a-6p Sat, 9a-6p Sun down to 9a-9p M-F, 9a-5p S-S: cut 13 hrs not considering any overlap.

Wags lost about 8% due to Express Scripts. Expenses (staffing) will have to come down too.
 
Totally agree Pez. Anyone else heard this anywhere though? Mine is from a ex-Wags rph that still keeps up heavily with what goes on at Wags. Still not sure how reliable it is but his info is usually good and he'll tell me stuff weeks before I hear it at work.
 
They waited for the January sales figures so they could assess the Express Scripts damage. I think each market is allowed to devise their own cost cutting strategy, especially because the ESI impact varies in each market, so I wouldn't be surprised if you hear different things depending on which part of the country you're in.
 
PumpkinSmasher said:
My hospital just announced indefinite hiring freeze today.
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we've been in a hiring freeze for >2 months now; they aren't even replacing nurses and dieticians that have left.

They also started laying off our techs who were "temporary" status.

They are asking pharmacists to "flex" (paid and use PTO or unpaid) 10-15 hours per month.
 
njac said:
we've been in a hiring freeze for >2 months now; they aren't even replacing nurses and dieticians that have left.

They also started laying off our techs who were "temporary" status.

They are asking pharmacists to "flex" (paid and use PTO or unpaid) 10-15 hours per month.
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Are unicorns exempt?
 
BidingMyTime said:
This seems unlikely--what is the benefit if they are paying insurance benefits at 32h/week (or do they :eek: ) Over the past few years & the sudden pharmacist glut, it seems most places are cutting their part-time workers and only employing full-time workers (the rational being, if they are paying benefits, why not get the maximum number of hours out of the person?)


The doubling of pharmacy schools is certainly a big part of the sudden glut, but the economy is also part of the problem. Every single career field is hurting because of the economy, there are no "safe" employment paths.
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If this is really the case, this is going to perpetuate the job shortage. All of these Wags Pharmers are going to be looking for PT work and who wouldn't hire a couple of part-timers. I am sure there are some non-compete clauses in contracts and what not, but I would have to find some extra work if I was cut to 32/week.
 
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