Should I move to US or Canada?

[aussiepharmer]

I am in 4th year right now at my current pharm school in Australia. Due to the bleek future prospects of pharmacists in Australia as well, (even much WORSE than US - please don't ask me why, as the story will go on & on; just PM me if interested) and ridiculously high cost of living here, I have made my final strong decision as a non-Aussie national to move to North America.

However, many of the posts I have read through here sounded quite discouraging. With possible soon-to-be-surplus of pharmacists in US and long-lasting recession, I am now unsure if I will even be able to get a vacancy after getting thru all the hurdles of becoming a US pharmacist.

This is what I'd really like to know:
So HONESTLY, where should I go? I heard Canada is also short of pharmacists but how is the job situation there compared to US?(in terms of salary, supply-demand, working conditions, stress, etc.)

Any helpful advice appreciated!(But I won't accept answers that insult/blame me for supporting the surplus)

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[Pharmavixen]

From the chatter here, I believe our salaries in Canada are somewhat lower than in the US, but it depends; in my province (Ontario), retail pharmacists get paid more the farther they get from Toronto, as there's a critical pharmacist shortage in the north, but no shortage in the city, as retail pharmacy salaries are market-driven.

Though keep in mind that in Canada, we have single-payer health care, and it would kick in 3 months after you (legally) immigrate here. (My American dad says he married my Canadian mum to get the free health care.)

I think our economy is a little stronger than the US right now, though that changes day to day - the plus about the swine flu is it's a break from all the endless hand-wringing about the economy, and who's to blame, etc etc. It's popular up here for us to be smug because for various reasons, our banks are in much better shape than in the States and the EU. But the US is our largest trading partner, and if their economy tanks, I don't see how we would escape - FYI, wherever you decide to settle in N. America.

 

[bigpharmD]

how is hospital practice there

 

[erama]

well aussiepharmer u hit a nerve . I'm actually thinking of immigration but I can't go to US unless I won in the diversiy lottery so I'm thinking of either Canada or Australia but I really can't decide which one is worth the trouble regarding salary , life style of a pharmacist there so I'd really appreciated if u tell me why do u wanna leave australia ? aren't pharmacists here doing okay ?

 

[Farmercyst]

Would licensing be easier if you stayed within the commonwealth? (this may be an ignorant question, but I thought I'd post it anyway.)

 

[Pharmavixen]

I don't think whether it's commonwealth or not has anything to do with it; I know in Ontario (each province has separate licensure), there are requirements depending on what country you're from.

When I was an undergrad, my class saw an influx of a group of Egyptian pharmacists who immigrated here, and had to take the last 2 years of pharmacy school before they could get licensed. I think an Australian would have an easier time, however, probably just having to write the jurisprudence and the licensing exams (and you wouldn't have to write the English exam - one pharmacist I worked with, who had a post-graduate pharmD and had published research papers, including in the New England J Med, was compelled by the Ontario College of Pharmacists to take the English test before they would give her an Ontario pharmacists' license because she did her degrees in Spanish).

 

[aussiepharmer]

well aussiepharmer u hit a nerve . I'm actually thinking of immigration but I can't go to US unless I won in the diversiy lottery so I'm thinking of either Canada or Australia but I really can't decide which one is worth the trouble regarding salary , life style of a pharmacist there so I'd really appreciated if u tell me why do u wanna leave australia ? aren't pharmacists here doing okay ?

Please note that I am NOT an Australian, just an overseas student who has lived in the US for several years. My main reason for wanting to move to US/Canada is that I am getting "home"sick, and the financial support from the earnings as a pharmacist is A LOT more rewarding there than OZ. There's also a surplus of pharmacists in Aus as I said - around 16 pharmacy schools in this country producing excess number of graduates. My 4th year alone at my college has 240 students! And we need to compete with each other to get intern positions after we gradate, and this 1yr intern is a requirement for the license.
Now in terms of the salary, interns earn around AUD$17/hr and roughly $30/hr average for retail pharmacists. Starting salary is about $28/hr for them. Starting salary is around $21/hr for hospital pharmacists(AKA Grade 1 pharmacist). If you take that into account and consider real estate prices in Aus, although falling slightly, they are still in the range of $400k to 500k AVERAGE(Yes, an AVERAGE home). Rental rates are about $350/wk in Melbourne and that's average again, Sydney is even higher. Basically ALL the cities have ridiculously high rental rates. Sadly, unlike America, the suburban areas tend to be quite underdeveloped compared to the North American equivalents. And the cost of living isnt necessarily cheaper than the cities either.
I have a Canadian friend in my year and he's not considering taking the intern year. It's very likely that he'll go straight to Canada to sit the license exam there after he graduates.

Nowadays I am applying for my intern jobs for next year. There is definitely no guarantee that I will be able to get a position despite having paid off from my pockets. The satuaration is severe especially in the cities and even the rural areas aren't that "safe." Hell, I have even seen a couple of ads posted by graduates that they didn't care anywhere in Australia for the internship.

Read the contents in these thoroughly before you make a final wise decision. Hope all the advice helps!

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=618254&highlight=australia -> last post

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?ui...073&topic=3417

 

[genesis09]

I believe pharmacists qualify as a high skilled professional in terms of Canadian immigration. That'll make it easier for you to immigrate.
In the U.S. it is getting hard to find pharmacist jobs. Pharmacists are not always considered to be a profession with a shortage, and thus, it'll be harder for you to get a visa.