The future of pharmacy

[Sean Shukoor]

Hi,

I am a junior in college and I have recently been thinking about pharmacy as a profession. The more I learn about the profession, the more I am fascinated by it and the more I want to get more interested in it..i.e. learn about it. but however there is one BIG problem...

I was recently talking to a pharmacist who is the pharmacy manager at my local walgreens and this is what he basically said about the field:

Make sure you do your homework before you decide on a profession. The pharmacy profession has taken a huge hit because of the economy (he later clarified that he was only talking about the retail sector), the future looks bleak for pharmacists, especially new grads. More and more pharmacy schools are opening up and I don't understand why..there will be a lot of pharmacy grads produced each year and all of them will be looking for jobs in this weak economy. Unless there is massive retirement of older pharmacists, it seems like there will be a lot of competition. I don't want to discourage you either, things may change for the better in the future, but I am just informing of the current outlook on the profession.

My face went from too

Well, given that it is coming from a pharmacy manager at walgreens, I think the guy knows what he is talking about...right?

What should I make of this? do you think his points are valid and should they decide my future?

Well on a more positive note, he agreed to come and let me shadow him at the pharmacy

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[nicolemsm]

Hi,

I am a junior in college and I have recently been thinking about pharmacy as a profession. The more I learn about the profession, the more I am fascinated by it and the more I want to get more interested in it..i.e. learn about it. but however there is one BIG problem...

I was recently talking to a pharmacist who is the pharmacy manager at my local walgreens and this is what he basically said about the field:

Make sure you do your homework before you decide on a profession. The pharmacy profession has taken a huge hit because of the economy (he later clarified that he was only talking about the retail sector), the future looks bleak for pharmacists, especially new grads. More and more pharmacy schools are opening up and I don't understand why..there will be a lot of pharmacy grads produced each year and all of them will be looking for jobs in this weak economy. Unless there is massive retirement of older pharmacists, it seems like there will be a lot of competition. I don't want to discourage you either, things may change for the better in the future, but I am just informing of the current outlook on the profession.

My face went from too

Well, given that it is coming from a pharmacy manager at walgreens, I think the guy knows what he is talking about...right?

What should I make of this? do you think his points are valid and should they decide my future?

Well on a more positive note, he agreed to come and let me shadow him at the pharmacy

Don't let anybody steal your dreams. There is a voice within us that knows we have something special and unique to give to the world. But in this world there will be dream "stealers," dream snatchers and dream killers that will squash your dream, extinguish and snuff it out of existence. And they tell you out of the good intention of their hearts. They will tell you it is not possible. You will get burnt. The end.
​

 

[Sean Shukoor]

I understand, but the guy is a really nice guy and I have known him for about 5-6 years now..never really knew he was the pharmacy manager until I mentioned to him about my career choices. I think he is a well-wisher of mine.

I don't think he would stab me in the back.

Maybe he was just being realistic drawing from the knowledge from his own little world..well he is the pharmacy manager..I don't know

I was pretty much set on pharmacy..now I am like arrghhh....

 

[crazybob]

Hi,

I am a junior in college and I have recently been thinking about pharmacy as a profession. The more I learn about the profession, the more I am fascinated by it and the more I want to get more interested in it..i.e. learn about it. but however there is one BIG problem...

I was recently talking to a pharmacist who is the pharmacy manager at my local walgreens and this is what he basically said about the field:

Make sure you do your homework before you decide on a profession. The pharmacy profession has taken a huge hit because of the economy (he later clarified that he was only talking about the retail sector), the future looks bleak for pharmacists, especially new grads. More and more pharmacy schools are opening up and I don't understand why..there will be a lot of pharmacy grads produced each year and all of them will be looking for jobs in this weak economy. Unless there is massive retirement of older pharmacists, it seems like there will be a lot of competition. I don't want to discourage you either, things may change for the better in the future, but I am just informing of the current outlook on the profession.

My face went from too

Well, given that it is coming from a pharmacy manager at walgreens, I think the guy knows what he is talking about...right?

What should I make of this? do you think his points are valid and should they decide my future?

Well on a more positive note, he agreed to come and let me shadow him at the pharmacy

They opened more schools expecting the baby-boomer generation to be retiring, causing a possible shortage of healthcare professionals. That also increases the number of patients in the community, so there is a greater need for pharmacists.

The economy may be weak, but people are still making doctors visits and buying prescription drugs. As long as pharmacy sales are increasing, there will be more positions available for pharmacists.

Saying that the future of pharmacy doesn't look so great when many pharmacists and students are working hard is like saying that global warming is going to take over and mentioning it over and over again to people who are making efforts to be more environmentally friendly.

If you're worried about the future of this profession, you should be talking to economists and presidents of the companies instead of asking pharmacists and pharmacy students. We cannot give you accurate answers about the future and we don't need any discouraging words about how our future doesn't look very bright. Economists would be better able to tell you about the trends in a recession and how likely and how fast we are going to recover. The presidents of the companies will be able to tell you about the jobs related to pharmacy and if there have been increases or cuts in the number of positions.

 

[nicolemsm]

I understand, but the guy is a really nice guy and I have known him for about 5-6 years now..never really knew he was the pharmacy manager until I mentioned to him about my career choices. I think he is a well-wisher of mine.

I don't think he would stab me in the back.

Maybe he was just being realistic drawing from the knowledge from his own little world..well he is the pharmacy manager..I don't know

I was pretty much set on pharmacy..now I am like arrghhh....

Honestly, I think it's just the times... every profession is taking a major hit. I don't think anyone is safe. If you really love pharmacy you shouldn't let a job shortage sway you away at all. The economy can take a turn for the best any second (highly debatable though with this health care junk) If I were you, I would head to the Pharmacy forums, read these links http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=639184
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=690656
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=678126

Honestly, I think he's just using a scare tactic. Plus retail isn't the only form of pharmacy... Have you looked into other areas of pharmacy versus retail?

 

[Sean Shukoor]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it

I just hope that I can ignore all this cynical talk and continue to pursue my interests

 

[crazybob]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it

I just hope that I can ignore all this cynical talk and continue to pursue my interests

That's what you should be doing. If you're worried about money, go into business.

 

[Argentium]

no one is certain about the future of pharmacy and no one should be confident in their "guesses." it could easily be a good future or a bad one. healthcare reform is right around the corner and its such a big question mark that no one can predict the future right now.

 

[Nontradinky]

Let me go ask my good buddy Nostradamus what he thinks and I'll get back to you.

I mean lets face facts here, nobody knows the future. It's all just guesswork. For all we know giants space squids could attack the planet and force humans to mop up their ink trails for the rest of eternity. That would surely put a damper on pharmacist job security....

 

[luv2jump]

From what I have been told/heard/researched, it is becoming more and more difficult for grads to get jobs, especially in the retail setting. The market is saturated, and if you want a job with Walgreens as a pharmacist, you're going to have to go extremely rural. Even UIC has opened another campus in Rockford (more rural than Chicago, clearly) to help gear students more towards this rural setting. The first group of baby boomers will be eligible for Social Security in 2011, so given their age, their need for prescription drugs will definitely increase. The opening of so many pharmacy schools in recent years has obviously contributed to the market saturation as well. After talking with various pharmacists and students in their fourth year of pharmacy school, a residency is definitely a good option, and probably the best option for most students. While the market is definitely saturated, there is SO MUCH that you can do with pharmacy outside of sitting in a Walgreens or a CVS (personally, that's what drove me to pursue this degree). Ultimately, it's up to you to decide if you want to go for a pharmacy degree or not, but I believe that if you do have a PharmD, you WILL be able to find a job. It may not be ideal for the time being, but you will not be out of work. You should really consider looking into all of the various aspects of pharmacy to get a better understanding of the profession and what it requires and how many different routes you can pursue with a PharmD. Don't let one retail pharmacist kill your desires or your dreams.

 

[Passion4Sci]

The future for every profession is pretty bleak if you want to put it that way. Not even general practitioners fresh out of med school can just pick where they want to work. A very good friend of mine is finishing his rotations right now and he is concerned with finding a job in the L.A. area so he can be near his family... No one has it easy in the post-credit-boom era, and I think if you have to choose a "safety" plan and you're good at the material AND it interests you, pharmacy is definitely as "safe" as it gets.

Not even traditional safeties like police and fire and other first responders are safe anymore... we laid off a handful of cops and fire fighters a week ago here.

 

[PharmDCandidate2014]

Hi,

I am a junior in college and I have recently been thinking about pharmacy as a profession. The more I learn about the profession, the more I am fascinated by it and the more I want to get more interested in it..i.e. learn about it. but however there is one BIG problem...

I was recently talking to a pharmacist who is the pharmacy manager at my local walgreens and this is what he basically said about the field:

Make sure you do your homework before you decide on a profession. The pharmacy profession has taken a huge hit because of the economy (he later clarified that he was only talking about the retail sector), the future looks bleak for pharmacists, especially new grads. More and more pharmacy schools are opening up and I don't understand why..there will be a lot of pharmacy grads produced each year and all of them will be looking for jobs in this weak economy. Unless there is massive retirement of older pharmacists, it seems like there will be a lot of competition. I don't want to discourage you either, things may change for the better in the future, but I am just informing of the current outlook on the profession.

My face went from too

Well, given that it is coming from a pharmacy manager at walgreens, I think the guy knows what he is talking about...right?

What should I make of this? do you think his points are valid and should they decide my future?

Well on a more positive note, he agreed to come and let me shadow him at the pharmacy

He is correct. With retail, 20 applications for 1 position might actually be GREAT odds. Seems like 40-60 applications is a better ballpark.

Not sure why ADI is posting demand > supply for California - a lot of the bad news seem to come from our fellow Caifornians.

 

[PharmtoCS]

He is correct. With retail, 20 applications for 1 position might actually be GREAT odds. Seems like 40-60 applications is a better ballpark.

Not sure why ADI is posting demand > supply for California - a lot of the bad news seem to come from our fellow Caifornians.

I've heard that Central California is already saturated even though it is considered an undesirable place to live. It doesn't help that a new school, California Health Sciences University, just started their first class.

 

[ExpressMaiL]

Is the OP around?

 

[SanMateoRph]

i hope the op didn't apply to pharmacy school. by the way if central california is saturated, then it definitely cannot be good for the good cities like sf, la, and oakland. and other states as well wouldn't look that great