PLEASE HELP! Need help finding a job in philadelphia

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dreamshappen

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Any pharmacists working in Philadelphia please help and provide me with any tips and feedback. I am unable to relocate currently as I have ties to the area (house, kids, spouse). Please help me! I am desperate. To make matters worse, my husband was just notified that he will be laid off in 2 weeks. I am trying to remain strong and calm but it is very hard and stressful. PLEASE HELP!
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Good luck...Philly has no jobs, that's why I moved out to the West Coast.
Try CHOP? They're always hiring.
 
Hmm get out of Philly while you can. Market is horrible here for you pharmacists sorry to say. too many damn schools here!
yes give chop a try if you want, but I hope you understand the "work culture" there. that is all I will say about that......
 
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Can someone tell me more about the work culture at CHOP?
 
trailerpark said:
Can someone tell me more about the work culture at CHOP?
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I can't tell you anything specific, but I've heard bad things about it from multiple people, like 16 hour shifts in the IV room, etc. Also pharmacy is very compartmentalized (where only a few people get to really do "clinical" things) there. These are just some examples. The things I've heard made me decide that I'd rather move across the country for a clinical position than work as a staff pharmacist there. I know someone who finished my residency program a year after me who could not relocate so she took a staff job there. She seems to strongly dislike it, but not so much that she is ready to quit without finding another job, so it seems like it's at least somewhat tolerable.

I know nothing about clinical specialist positions at CHOP. The only thing I ever heard about those is that they have to be on call.
 
dreamshappen said:
Any pharmacists working in Philadelphia please help and provide me with any tips and feedback. I am unable to relocate currently as I have ties to the area (house, kids, spouse). Please help me! I am desperate. To make matters worse, my husband was just notified that he will be laid off in 2 weeks. I am trying to remain strong and calm but it is very hard and stressful. PLEASE HELP!
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How much loans do you have? Resume?
 
bacillus1 said:
I can't tell you anything specific, but I've heard bad things about it from multiple people, like 16 hour shifts in the IV room, etc. Also pharmacy is very compartmentalized (where only a few people get to really do "clinical" things) there. These are just some examples. The things I've heard made me decide that I'd rather move across the country for a clinical position than work as a staff pharmacist there. I know someone who finished my residency program a year after me who could not relocate so she took a staff job there. She seems to strongly dislike it, but not so much that she is ready to quit without finding another job, so it seems like it's at least somewhat tolerable.

I know nothing about clinical specialist positions at CHOP. The only thing I ever heard about those is that they have to be on call.
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good job bacillus. we'll let u take the fall for opening your mouth lol. just kiddin. you hit the main points that I have heard too from someone who worked there and did quit. I will say no more.....
 
I'll back him up...CHOP is horrible...stay away from them.

Also the tri-state area is super saturated with all the schools in philly/pa. I'd move.
 
yea Philly barely has any job at the moment. You might want to travel to suburb near phily
 
Thanks everyone. I applied to CHOP and received a generic email about them deciding to go with another candidate. I did not even get an invite to interview. I will look into the burbs. I wish, I could relocate but the kids and school starting and family, I do not know if that is possible.

Thank you all!
 
2 years ago philly was saturated. a friend left philly after graduation for jobs elsewhere. she too had family ties in Philly, and even today she keeps driving back to visit. but jobs in Philly are almost nonexistent.
 
There is a person who is in Philadelphia, PA who works as a medical writer with a Pharm D. because he cannot find any pharmacist jobs. He makes $70k with $150k debt.
 
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If I had a kid...which I never will...I would never take them to CHOP. It always cracks me up when the rich suburbanites bring their kid with some rudimentary issue down there so they can sit around for 4 hours and be seen by some random resident. Or they could just rolls past a suburban hospital and be in and out with an actual board certified physician. They want "the best" for little Timmy.

As for jobs, there have been quite a few pharmacists I know go to closed door, hospice/long term care type of facilities in the suburbs.
 
Its almost impossible to find a job here without connections
 
Judgment Dragon said:
There is a person who is in Philadelphia, PA who works as a medical writer with a Pharm D. because he cannot find any pharmacist jobs. He makes $70k with $150k debt.
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Ahh I was kinda thinking of doing that. I thought medical writers would make more.
 
VeeSee said:
Its almost impossible to find a job here without connections
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Yes this is a painful reality in this city. Not just for pharmacists. My buddy just finished her PA program and quickly found a job off the strength of her former research boss. He is an MD/PhD and sees patients twice a week. He recommended her. Someone else recently finished law school and already found a job working with her dad, an already established attorney.
Philly can be a harsh city if you can't manage to get powerful people to like you. I know its sounds really bad, but it seems to be the case here🤔
OP, how is the search going in the burbs?
 
 
I'm currently unemployed pharmacist here looking for a job as well in the tri-state area (NY) as well. The market is tough for sure
 
 
bacillus1 said:
HUP and all UPHS hospitals always have a lot of applicants, tried to apply there before.
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Yea, you better look really good on paper or know someone in management from the inside otherwise your app is going in the dust bin.
 
You need to go on mercyhealth.org. They are hiring 4 pharmacists right now for their Mercy Fitzgerald hospital. For some reason their job Posts do not show up on indeed under philadelphia.
 
medhead22 said:
You need to go on mercyhealth.org. They are hiring 4 pharmacists right now for their Mercy Fitzgerald hospital. For some reason their job Posts do not show up on indeed under philadelphia.
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Whoa, they even have a rare clinical opening! Too bad I strongly dislike critical care, otherwise I'd be all over that. Hope the positions are current though...I've applied to Mercy before and they never got back to me.
 
bacillus1 said:
Whoa, they even have a rare clinical opening! Too bad I strongly dislike critical care, otherwise I'd be all over that. Hope the positions are current though...I've applied to Mercy before and they never got back to me.
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From what I know, they are pretty current openings. Just like anywhere else, sometimes you hear back, sometimes you dont. Thats the name of the game. But its worth putting yourself out there.
 
dreamshappen said:
Any pharmacists working in Philadelphia please help and provide me with any tips and feedback. I am unable to relocate currently as I have ties to the area (house, kids, spouse). Please help me! I am desperate. To make matters worse, my husband was just notified that he will be laid off in 2 weeks. I am trying to remain strong and calm but it is very hard and stressful. PLEASE HELP!
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ha. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

I live in the Philly suburbs. the whole area is really over over saturated. took me 3 years to finally land a decent job in the suburbs...still not the dream hours but I know that will come in time. At least it is a workable/"good company to work for" job in the area i want to live!!!! Try either Rite Aid, CVS, or CHOP (i heard those companies are horrible but I know they are constantly hiring cause no one wants to work there!). Or just move and get your experiences. Personally I live in the suburbs but traveled about an hour every day one way to Allentown to work for more than a year before landing my current gig. Some of my friends live in N.E. Philly and they do the same commute to the Pottstown area/Reading, PA. There is no way around it....either you move/commute very far (40-50miles one way)/ or switch careers.

I can attest that being a pharmacist now in a metro area isn't worth it unless your "set". The pharmacy students/prepharm students that think "they are different" are just delusional! You think it is bad now....wait 5 more years.
 
PharmaCompScigrad said:
ha. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

I live in the Philly suburbs. the whole area is really over over saturated. took me 3 years to finally land a decent job in the suburbs...still not the dream hours but I know that will come in time. At least it is a workable/"good company to work for" job in the area i want to live!!!! Try either Rite Aid, CVS, or CHOP (i heard those companies are horrible but I know they are constantly hiring cause no one wants to work there!). Or just move and get your experiences. Personally I live in the suburbs but traveled about an hour every day one way to Allentown to work for more than a year before landing my current gig. Some of my friends live in N.E. Philly and they do the same commute to the Pottstown area/Reading, PA. There is no way around it....either you move/commute very far (40-50miles one way)/ or switch careers.

I can attest that being a pharmacist now in a metro area isn't worth it unless your "set". The pharmacy students/prepharm students that think "they are different" are just delusional! You think it is bad now....wait 5 more years.
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I am broadening my radius. I have an interview coming up but the position is part time and requires a 1.5 hr commute. Its so sad what our profession has come to.
 
Pennsylvania has 7 pharmacy schools pumping out grads, most of whom do not want to live in Pennsyltucky (anywhere in PA that's not Pittsburgh or Philly). Competition is fierce and jobs are scarce in Philly. I was unemployed for 4 months before I found my current position. My advice is to apply to every job posting available even if the job isn't exactly what you want to do. Once you're trained, you can quit and get a job in a better location.
 
IWantTheGenetic said:
Pennsylvania has 7 pharmacy schools pumping out grads, most of whom do not want to live in Pennsyltucky (anywhere in PA that's not Pittsburgh or Philly). Competition is fierce and jobs are scarce in Philly. I was unemployed for 4 months before I found my current position. My advice is to apply to every job posting available even if the job isn't exactly what you want to do. Once you're trained, you can quit and get a job in a better location.
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:laugh: Pennsyltucky ehehehe.
 
dreamshappen said:
I am broadening my radius. I have an interview coming up but the position is part time and requires a 1.5 hr commute. Its so sad what our profession has come to.
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I am sorry to hear that!!! I really hope things work out for you!! Maybe Delaware or NJ licensure might help.
 
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