pharmacy students against retail

[gablet]

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In my first week of class I have often heard pharmacy students say, "When I graduate, I'll do anything but retail."

The ones that I am referring to are first year students. Is this a common way of thinking or does this opinion subside in the later years?

 

[crossjb]

I don't understand the bashing of retail pharmacy. I'm working for a pharmacist now who has worked retail for 6 years now. He's relatively young, 31, and absolutely loves his job. He's excellent with customers -- good and bad -- and goes out of his way to help out the various pharmacy techs -- myself included. A lot is one's attitude.

 

[ForgetMeNot]

In my first week of class I have often heard pharmacy students say, "When I graduate, I'll do anything but retail."

The ones that I am referring to are first year students. Is this a common way of thinking or does this opinion subside in the later years?

It seems to be a common way of thinking, especially during schooling. However, quite a chunk of pharmacy jobs are in the retail sector. And not all us retail pharmacists are all cranky about our jobs. 😀

 

[dgroulx]

In my first week of class I have often heard pharmacy students say, "When I graduate, I'll do anything but retail."

The ones that I am referring to are first year students. Is this a common way of thinking or does this opinion subside in the later years?

I've changed my mind with what I want to do several times throughout schooling. You'll learn so much more about pharmacy as you progress through school. If you want to help patients with their drug choices and make a difference in someone's life, then retail is the best place for that.

While I was working in a hospital, I only saw patient charts. While working retail, I helped people make choices when they couldn't afford all their meds. I also offered lower price alternatives. Most of the doctors in my area just prescribe whatever the sales rep dropped off that week.

 

[gablet]

See. Now this is the beauty of pharmacy. You can do both retail and clinical, or one or the other! Is PSAR (Pharmacy Students Against Retail) sort of like MADD?

lol. possibly SPAR - students of pharmacy against retail

I personally want to do retail when I graduate. However, I am only a P1, so I realize that I'll learn so much more, so I understand that my opinion might change.

 

[pharmaz88]

In my first week of class I have often heard pharmacy students say, "When I graduate, I'll do anything but retail."

The 'party line' at CPG, if you haven't noticed already, is that retail pharmacy will soon be dead and they are preparing you for the jobs that don't yet exist. (eg: MTM)

LOL... retail pharmacy may slow down, as more PBM's force mail-order refills upon members, but it will never die. (at least not in our working careers.)

 

[Jeddevil]

In my first week of class I have often heard pharmacy students say, "When I graduate, I'll do anything but retail."

The ones that I am referring to are first year students. Is this a common way of thinking or does this opinion subside in the later years?

It seems to me, at least at MWU, that retail isn't cool, that you need to work anywhere else to help the patient and make a contribution to society. I don't buy into it, never did. These are probably the same students who will say in their interviews that "I want to become a pharmacist to help the patient" and that money doesn't matter. That is noble, but 95% of us do things because they will pay for our lifestyles. If you can help people along the way, yippee, but don't act like you don't care about the money.

They will change as they spend more time there and get tired of hearing the same old "retail is dead" line.

 

[DownonthePharm]

Its probably the same kind of mentality as the medical students that go "Ill just die if I have to do family practice..." Retail isnt flashy or sexy, you arent likely to get famous doing it, but it is good work and you still help a lot of people.

 

[npage148]

At UB, there is the same sort of feeling. I found alot of it comes from the teachers bashing retail. They tell you how its all bad and your a bad pharmacist if you do retail. All you do is sit a a computer and check things and ring up beer and junk food. Plus you are overworked. They really dont tell you about helping people at all in the retail setting. They just pound home the idea that you will be trained to be clinical so you HAVE to be clinical or you are a waste. Well, they dont say it excatly like that but you get the idea. As I progressed through, I realized that teachers live too much in the idea that a pharmacist needs to live up to greatness.

Honestly i think many teachers have chips on their shoulders about being in pharmacy and being looked down upon by the medical world and community. THey think they need to prove how amazing they are to everyone and retail is not a way to do it. Once i got past my first year and worked all summer at rite aid, i learned tha retail isnt as bad as it was made out to be. Plus there are major benifits that other feilds dont have. Your pay is the best, you have the most options in where you want to live, and it has the most patient interaction

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

When has patient interaction ever become a benefit o0. Most of the people that I know likes to hide behind the pharmacy rather than be in the front.

 

[crossjb]

Once i got past my first year and worked all summer at rite aid, i learned tha retail isnt as bad as it was made out to be. Plus there are major benifits that other feilds dont have. Your pay is the best, you have the most options in where you want to live, and it has the most patient interaction

You nailed it. 👍

When has patient interaction ever become a benefit o0.

When you directly effect the life of patient, that's when. It happens frequently. I've seen pharmacists thanked numerous times in a retail setting both by patients and children of elderly patients for the care they put into their work and their patient's welfare. In that way, pharmacists are very much like doctors. There are those that excel at patient interaction and those that cringe at the very thought of it.

 

[npage148]

When has patient interaction ever become a benefit o0. Most of the people that I know likes to hide behind the pharmacy rather than be in the front.

Interaction as in me talking to Mr. Bill about his medication and life, not in Mr. Bill's viagra and cardura topped with nitro causing a Cardiac event and killing him