Practicing Pharmacists: how has the saturation affected you?

[BMBiology]

If you graduated before 2000, how has the pharmacy saturation affected you?

(1) location
(2) area of practice (retail, hospital, pbm, managed care)
(3) impact of the saturation at your workplace

(1) California
(2) Very specialized field of PBM/managed care
(3) The saturation has not affected me much probably because I work in a very specialized field of pharmacy. My salary has been increasing 3-3.5% a year (salary increase is usually 0-3% depending on your evaluation). However, health benefits have been cut for everyone. New pharmacists in another department are getting 30 hours a week and no benefits. I am probably making at least $6 an hour more than they do. I also hear we are getting more than 5x the number of applications per position. I feel like management is always looking for ways to reduce cost and it would not surprise me if they cut our benefits further. I am glad that I started my career before the saturation. I am hoping for the best.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[squiggles5270]

I found this question very interesting because I am on the opposite end of the spectrum (graduated after 2000). I can speak for students who are affected by the saturation because it effects everything. Back in the day you had job longevity and could move here and their on a whim because you had your degree and their was always a need, now DMs wont even return your phone calls, if they do, they tell you to send your resume, but never get back with you, and you do a shuffle throw an array of names of people representing the company, but no one can give you solid answers. It truly is survival of the fittest. I work in retail now and my store manager is very unprofessional, our weekly sales quota to meet is ridiculously high, and if we don't meet it he cuts hours and "BARKS" about sending people home and does so.

 

[blueclassring]

1 Location-California
2. Retail
3. Inability to switch companies at this point. Floaters at the moment in my area have been floating for over a year and a half. I haven't applied for jobs with other retail outfits, but something tells me jobs aren't available at the moment. Right now, we have a floater position available and it should be filled pretty quickly especially with the glut of pharmacists out there. Our work responsibilities seem to be increasing by the month: Now we're in charge of cleaning our toilets/sinks in our waiting rooms, doing injections, and now we have the added burden of being CLIA waiver laboratory technicians on top of filling 300 rxs/day with mediocre help.

 

[JohnFe]

LOL! I went to almost all the info sessions at SoCal Pharm schools. When I asked them about saturation, they stared at me blankly as if I asked a REALLY stupid question. MY question was like this: "Are you aware of the current pharmacy saturation? What are you doing in terms of job placement for your graduates?"

For kicks and giggles, I mingled with pre-pharmers and when asked about why they choose pharmacy. There answers are job security, easy money and high salary. O.O

Great post though

 

[Deja]

LOL! I went to almost all the info sessions at SoCal Pharm schools. When I asked them about saturation, they stared at me blankly as if I asked a REALLY stupid question. MY question was like this: "Are you aware of the current pharmacy saturation? What are you doing in terms of job placement for your graduates?"

For kicks and giggles, I mingled with pre-pharmers and when asked about why they choose pharmacy. There answers are job security, easy money and high salary. O.O

Great post though

But did they answer your question? lol I know some schools are starting to mention the saturations to the applicants and current students... but they are often established schools... which school did you ask the question at?

 

[PharmA2016]

If you graduated before 2000, how has the pharmacy saturation affected you?

(1) location
(2) area of practice (retail, hospital, pbm, managed care)
(3) impact of the saturation at your workplace

(1) California
(2) Very specialized field of PBM/managed care
(3) The saturation has not affected me much probably because I work in a very specialized field of pharmacy. My salary has been increasing 3-3.5% a year (salary increase is usually 0-3% depending on your evaluation). However, health benefits have been cut for everyone. New pharmacists in another department are getting 30 hours a week and no benefits. I am probably making at least $6 an hour more than they do. I also hear we are getting more than 5x the number of applications per position. I feel like management is always looking for ways to reduce cost and it would not surprise me if they cut our benefits further. I am glad that I started my career before the saturation. I am hoping for the best.

Is it hard working PBM? What needs done to get in? Do you see field expanding? Do you like it there?

 

[BMBiology]

So far it appears the saturation has mainly affected the new grads not so much the pharmacists who have already established their career.

The saturation has mainly hurt pharmacists who graduated after 2000. With all the new schools, it is going to get worse for new grads as these schools will continue to expand and graduate more pharmacists.

 

[Sparda29]

1. Got very lucky with location. 5 positions opened up at the hospital half a mile from my house right when I got my license.

2. Got my preferred setting of hospital.

Only thing was, I didn't get hired here till like September, a whole 4 months after graduation.

 

[BMBiology]

I thought you got the position thru your uncle?

 

[Sparda29]

I thought you got the position thru your uncle?

Nope. My uncle is the chief of staff at a VA in another state. That's where I want to work. Apparently though, he can't make a say in the hiring process until there are interviews conducted.

 

[BMBiology]

Nice

 

[rph3664]

So far it appears the saturation has mainly affected the new grads not so much the pharmacists who have already established their career.

The saturation has mainly hurt pharmacists who graduated after 2000. With all the new schools, it is going to get worse for new grads as these schools will continue to expand and graduate more pharmacists.

It's actually worst of all for experienced people who change jobs for any number of reasons, because employers know they have to pay us more and can't dink us around in ways they can't with less experienced people.

 

[BMBiology]

Yes, I agree. If you move job to job then the saturation will affect you. Hopefully you have established some kind of career.

 

[pezdispenser]

I graduated after 2000 but entered the workforce just as pharmacy was peaking, so I hope you don't mind me posting.

1. Florida
2. Retail
3. I feel that as long as you go with the flow, do what is expected of you, and adapt to change, then your job is reasonably secure and you won't have to worry about a new grad from saturation stealing your job. I have seen many old fashioned pharmacists who were not willing to accept change at my workplace get brutally weeded out. That is, they were outright fired for petty policy violations, given horrible schedules or harrassed about poor performance until they quit. Funnily, some of the fresh meat, er... I mean new grads brought in to replace them couldn't cope well either, and we would see them quit before we even knew their name.

But yes, saturation has definitely shifted the balance of power to the employer's side. Pharmacists can no longer practice however they want and if they don't like their workplace, just flip the boss the bird and walk into another job. It's now, keep your head down, work hard and increase productivity and profitability for the company. Actually that's another attribute I find lacking in new grads because they were taught all this airy fairy bs in school about how they're supposed to use their Drug Expert Skillz to change the world. I'm sorry, but there's no room for that in retail because it's just about the $$.

 

[BMBiology]

People who graduated after 2000 are more than welcome to post! I just wanted to have a general idea to how the saturation has affected us.

 

[rph3664]

Actually that's another attribute I find lacking in new grads because they were taught all this airy fairy bs in school about how they're supposed to use their Drug Expert Skillz to change the world. I'm sorry, but there's no room for that in retail because it's just about the $$.

That was just as true 20 years ago, and a lot of my classmates had some big time culture shock.

 

[grumps]

I graduated after 2000 but entered the workforce just as pharmacy was peaking, so I hope you don't mind me posting.

1. Florida
2. Retail
3. I feel that as long as you go with the flow, do what is expected of you, and adapt to change, then your job is reasonably secure and you won't have to worry about a new grad from saturation stealing your job. I have seen many old fashioned pharmacists who were not willing to accept change at my workplace get brutally weeded out. That is, they were outright fired for petty policy violations, given horrible schedules or harrassed about poor performance until they quit. Funnily, some of the fresh meat, er... I mean new grads brought in to replace them couldn't cope well either, and we would see them quit before we even knew their name.

But yes, saturation has definitely shifted the balance of power to the employer's side. Pharmacists can no longer practice however they want and if they don't like their workplace, just flip the boss the bird and walk into another job. It's now, keep your head down, work hard and increase productivity and profitability for the company. Actually that's another attribute I find lacking in new grads because they were taught all this airy fairy bs in school about how they're supposed to use their Drug Expert Skillz to change the world. I'm sorry, but there's no room for that in retail because it's just about the $$.

Even if Wags came to me on their knees begging me to come back with triple the salary, I would refuse b/c what they are doing is not pharmacy. What good is a big fat salary if I lose my license due to a missed pediatric overdose? What good is the money if my name is plastered on the news b/c I gave an ear drop for an eye problem? What good is the moolah to have that knock on the door on a Sunday evening to be served a wrongful death suit? Yes, all these things were possible when responsible pharmacy was practiced, but now the six-sigma mistake is all too probable.

 

[rph3664]

Even if Wags came to me on their knees begging me to come back with triple the salary, I would refuse b/c what they are doing is not pharmacy. What good is a big fat salary if I lose my license due to a missed pediatric overdose? What good is the money if my name is plastered on the news b/c I gave an ear drop for an eye problem? What good is the moolah to have that knock on the door on a Sunday evening to be served a wrongful death suit? Yes, all these things were possible when responsible pharmacy was practiced, but now the six-sigma mistake is all too probable.

One of my old colleagues referred to it as "Six Sigmoid".

 

[VP_Pharm2004]

1) California
2) Retail
3) Unable to which companies as no one seems to be hiring... Have become a retail b*tch to the company I work for to make ends meet.