UBC Pharmacy 2017 Applicants

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congrats! also, does anyone rmb what phone numbers they requested us to give them? like a home + work, or did they only request one number
 
They called me on my home phone number which caught me off guard cause I swore I gave my cell phone number.
 
ok thanks, ill keep waiting i guess....=/

anybody know what PAIR says about space remaining? it doesnt seem to work for me -_-
 
It's still 220 as of 8:54 pm.

It could be just some students didn't reject the offer but are letting it time out. Regardless, I'm really hoping for you guys.
 
It's still 220/224, hopefully some more good news will be coming soon.
 
Congrats for getting in everyone!

Just thought I would like to share some insight on what's currently going on in pharmacy as a 2013 UBC grad.

Pharmacies are currently hurting right now as a result of the decrease in generic prices. It's quite a substantial loss in the operating revenue and the implementation of medication reviews are not enough to mitigate this loss.

Therefore, there is a lot of cutting back that's happening right now. Independents are suffering the most. But larger chains such as Save On have decreased their hours of operation in their pharmacies.

In terms of the job prospects, it's pretty dismal right now. What is standard right now is causal floater, where you have no guaranteed hours and they send you anywhere BC wide. You can still get a job in Vancouver, but it is quite uncommon. Most people in my class that have chosen to stay have part time or causal floating positions.

There are quite a number of opportunities in the interior, however. Places like Port Hardly and even some Alberta cities are actively sending offers to the UBC pharmacy class. However, I would expect these offers to be filled up next year.

The trend for wages as a new graduate is decreasing if you are planning to stay in the lower mainland. Safeway is offering $36 (BC wide float), Save On is offering $34 (BC wide float, no guaranteed hours) and London Drugs is offering $32. The London Drugs Distinct manger mentioned that new graduates are offered $25 in Toronto. I expect this trend to decrease even further once the first 200 count graduating class starts looking for jobs.

Overall, difficult times lie ahead and it's a strong possibility that you will have to work outside the lower mainland. The saturation of pharmacists is real, especially considering that the class size has increased, but the demand has remained the same or decreased. Regulated technicians have been introduced and they have the authority to handle the prescription checking. The College expects up to 5000 registered technicians by the year 2015 and this is an important factor to consider as well, considering there are about 5000 registered pharmacists in BC. Also, there is quite a significant number of international pharmacy graduates as well that will compete for jobs as well.

I wish you the best of luck in persevering in these tough times.
 
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^you made an account just to post this 1 message?

While it is true that there are pay cuts in the Pharmacist's salary, I've never heard about large chains such as Save On cutting back their hours of operations.
I'm curious as to where you got this information from.
 
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sushimanliu said:
^you made an account just to post this message?
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Yes, and this is because I've encountered many first year students that have an unrealistic expectation about the current status of pharmacy, expecting to cruise through it and land a high paying job with ease.

I believe that knowing the current state will empower them to really develop and focus on their resumes so that they will be the top of their class when applying for jobs in the future.

Residency is about 25 spots a year and if they are serious about getting in, they should start thinking about what kind of skills and level of experience they should have by the end of third year.
 
Strong username to post content ratio.

Edit: what's your situation?
 
He/she's not wrong; he/she's actually pretty accurate.

I was going to write a post on what to make of it all, but I think LatitudeZ's sums it up quite nicely.

LatitudeZ said:
It's a lot more complicated than simple "over-saturation". With our ever-growing population (and increased health knowledge), the demand for drugs will always be there. In fact, there's probably enough demand to accommodate almost all the new graduates. Of course, people are saying Pharmacy Technicians able to do most of what pharmacists can do at a lower salary, and are taking up a lot of the jobs that would've been for pharmacists a decade ago. That's true, but that's not the whole reason why the job outlook isn't so well.

In Canada, we run on a public health care model. This means the government subsidizes most of the prescription drugs we buy. Although you may not buy a lot of prescription drugs, people at an older age depend on so many of these drugs regularly, and it's a lot for the government to pay for. Now, moving along to the pharmacies itself. They make money by stocking generic brand name drugs (Simple example: Rexall's ibuprofen vs Advil). These generic companies will then give a rebate to the pharmacies once they sell it as an incentive (eg. 50%) over selling brand name drugs.

So what does the government do in this case to cut back on spendings? They cut a deal with drug companies and lower the price of generic brand name drugs, especially the common 6 that account for 1/5 of all drug sales (eg. amlodipine, atorvastatin, ramipril...). Now the government doesn't have to spend as much money on drugs (since they subsidize the amount that consumers pay). But how do they make it up to the drug companies? They then lower the rebate percentages (eg. down to 20%) so the drug companies don't lose as much money. So, everyone wins except for pharmacy owners. Because of this harsh decrease in revenue, small pharmacies are out competed by large ones like Shoppers Drug Mart. Large companies then don't see the benefits in opening another pharmacy as it will not generate as much revenue. This leads to staff cuts, work hour cuts, and halts the expansion of more pharmacies in the community.

Now, it sounds pretty bad, but the night is darkest before the dawn (yes I'm a batman fan). Pharmacy as a profession is evolving rapidly (see Blueprint for Pharmacy). Pharmacists are and will be given a much larger role in health care (physical assessments, medication reviews, immunizations, and limited prescribing rights) simply because dispensing drugs just doesn't cut it. So, good news is that the field is evolving very rapidly. Who knows, by the time we graduate, maybe the pharmacy as a profession will be completely different.

As of now, don't worry about it. No one can predict the future, and the present isn't necessarily a representation of the future. Do what you can, work hard, make connections, and learn about the field as much as you can. Start finding a part time job in large pharmacies like Shoppers and when you graduate you'll have a much higher chance of being hired as a pharmacist than other people.

Cheers!
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alternity said:
He/she's not wrong; he/she's actually pretty accurate.

I was going to write a post on what to make of it all, but I think LatitudeZ's sums it up quite nicely.
Click to expand...

Definitely not as bleak as it appears, wages are still decent for certain chains (Rexall, Shopper's Drug Mart, Costco), commonly ranging from $38-45+/hour depending on the chain and location (Vancouver vs NewWest vs Mission). Larger chains are still opening more pharmacies, as are independents, with an official +15 net gain in pharmacies opened vs. closed in BC last year. While lower than previous years, it's a gain nonetheless.
 
Ya many graduates hoping to work in metro areas these days are working as floaters. As WutNow said, the jobs pretty unstable in terms of hours and location. I've been to many local pharmacies, and many pharmacists working there at large chains (eg. Shoppers) only work two or three days of the week. I'm surprised that the pay is still upwards of $30/hr though, seeing as there are practically lineups of graduates wanting jobs. Hopefully when we graduate the profession has evolved enough to open up more spots. Gives me another reason to pursue clinical pharmacy though 😀

EDIT: wow aanickaa, really? $38-45/hr? Wow that's pretty amazing considering my friends from engineering with a master degree are getting paid mid 20s. That's definitely good news!
 
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What I notice with all these "doom and gloom/stay away/watch out" posts about the Future of Pharmacy is that they all have to do with trouble finding a steady full time job in the Lower Mainland... What about Interior BC? Is it really a scary thought for some that they may have to leave the Lower Mainland to find steady work?

Personally, in the end, I'd much rather work in somewhere like the Okanagan or the Central Interior than in the Lower Mainland. This might be cause I'm a rural boy myself, but it's not that bad out there!

Also, would it be safe to say that the people getting good job offers right out of Pharm school are the ones that have good grades, networked well, got involved etc. compared to those that sat back and earned subpar grades, expecting the 90k+ salary and signing bonus job right out of school? If you work hard in school you'll have more job prospects and opportunities.

And like LatitudeZ said way back... we don't know what the future will be like in 4 years. The job market and role of the pharmacist could have a different outlook by the time we graduate.
 
I would assume its the same since its a saturday, I dont think they'll be calling any waitlisters during the weekend? But i could be wrong
 
It's still 220.

Check UBC SSC and under personal info there should 'contact summary'. This may possibly be the phone number they use to contact you with.

Also, when I got the call the caller ID was 'University of British Columbia' and the number was (604)822-xxxx.
 
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thanks guys, yea i dont think they contact pple during weekends
 
May I ask.. What is the situation with the existing pharmacists? Their pay is cut down as well?

If the pay of the new grad is 30-40/hr, will the pharmacies continue to hire experienced pharmacists at higher wage?
 
Anyone know what PAIR says, If wait list still moving? Also could someone link the PAIR website maybe I've been using the wrong one or something

Thanks
 
It's still 220, looks like a few students are taking a while.
 
i'm wondering how long it takes for the offer to expire if it is the case that some people are taking their time..
 
A colleague of mine sums it up pretty nicely.

spudly said:
I'm a 4th year, and as much as I love pharmacy, I would be very apprehensive about applying to the program were I a pre-pharmacy student today. I am not so much worried about job security for myself, as I already signed with a company, but once the program starts pumping out 224 students every year, I think jobs are going to be a lot more competitive and some students may find themselves unemployed or under-employed (with a part time job that only get 20 hours a week and no benefits). That being said, there will always be jobs available, and if you really want to become a pharmacist, I would encourage you to apply. But just know that once you get in, it doesn't suddenly mean you are set for life and don't need to worry about future employment prospects. I really believe in the future that the students getting jobs or at least ideal jobs will be those who are very involved in the faculty and who also maintain decent averages (80% or higher). Those students that think they don't need to be involved at all and get by with a 60% average are going to be screwed come job application time because their resumes will be empty and they will have a hard to differentiating themselves from every other student.

As far as wages go, if you are someone who can't stand the prospect of leaving Metro Vancouver, you really need to consider a different career. Companies are not hiring students right out of school to work in Vancouver and even if you do manage to get a job in Vancouver, the starting wage is currently as low as $34/hr (which I would personally not be willing to work form, especially since the cost of living here is ridiculous). If you are willing to leave the lower mainland, wages are still very competitive, and I would say the average is $47/hr, with many companies offering 5-10k signing bonuses per year and outstanding benefits. For myself personally, I grew up in Northern British Columbia and plan on going back to my hometown where wages are right around the $50/hr mark.

Wages and job security aside, I actually think it is a very exciting time to become a pharmacist. Since I entered the program in '08, there have been more changes to pharmacy practice than in the past 20 years. For example, pharmacists can now "adapt" prescriptions, meaning they can provide renewals (refills), and provide minor changes to regimen and dose without first contacting the doctor. Additionally, we can now give vaccines by IM injection, and in the future should be able to give injections subcutaneously as well (just need the ok from the college). Pharmacists are now being paid to provide medication reviews too. (Check out the college of pharmacists website or the BC pharmacy association website to learn more about the exciting new initiatives that pharmacists are participating in) I am sure many more clinical services will be added in the near future. Starting next year, the faculty will be in their new building at UBC (which looks amazing and I am a tad jealous that I won't be able to experience it as a student). Also, by 2020, it is predicted that the number of seniors in the province will be 4x higher than in 2010. Therefore, demand for pharmacists should increase substantially at that point (just right now it is a bit scary for employment prospects but I think it could have more to do with the economy than simply pharmacy).

I guess my point is that I encourage students to really research the profession and talk to either pharmacists working already, or to students in the program to keep current in the profession.
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Click to expand...
 
aanickaa said:
Definitely not as bleak as it appears, wages are still decent for certain chains (Rexall, Shopper's Drug Mart, Costco), commonly ranging from $38-45+/hour depending on the chain and location (Vancouver vs NewWest vs Mission). Larger chains are still opening more pharmacies, as are independents, with an official +15 net gain in pharmacies opened vs. closed in BC last year. While lower than previous years, it's a gain nonetheless.
Click to expand...

I would wait until a year to recalculate this number, just to see what effect after the one year mark of the introduction of the reduction in generic prices will have. You may get $38-45/hour, but it's likely going to be a casual position, which is the norm right now.
 
How much further away from greater vancouver does one have to move to get a full time job at a good pay? Mission? Squamish? Or even further out?
 
223 now. 😱

Only one can take the final spot. Who will emerge victorious? Stay tuned for the next episode of Pharmacy Ball Z...
 
anybody know if its been waitlister pple though or people who just delayed their registration
 
My friend just got accepted off waitlist!! woohoo

"just" as 3 or so hours ago
 
Still one seat remaining. Good luck to waitlisters on these forums!

I cant even begin to imagine how anxious you guys are.
 
woohoo!! got the last spot! 224/224
 
Congrats saladbar! I guess that's that? PAIR does say 224/224 now...

For those that didn't get in this year from the waitlist or otherwise, UBC already has the information up for 2014 admissions on the pharmacy website. It's all basically the same though as this year, but if you decide to re apply, you apparently don't need reference letters anymore: http://www.pharmacy.ubc.ca/programs/degree-programs/BscP/letters-reference

That'll make the application process next year easier for everyone, but I wonder why they decided to scrap the reference letters?
 
I don't like the fact that they scrapped the reference letters, but I think it is because most references just check off all the "very good" boxes and write generic comments about them. I guess the reference letters, for the most part, aren't very good at differentiating people relative to the cost of the lengthy time they spend having to read it.

Probably would have been better if they changed it to only one reference letter.
 
Or even just a good old fashioned reference LETTER, not form.
 
Eh I don't really see the point of reference letters. They probably don't accurately show how good a candidate is, aside from maybe having a pharmacist who you've worked with doing it. Even then, that work or volunteer experience would show up on the resume section anyway.

Whoever you ask is either going to write good stuff about you or decline to be a reference, it just seems like an extra hoop to jump through that doesn't give much benefit.
 
anybody on waitlist get a confirmation email that all spaces are full? wondering if everyone got them or they are still keeping a few people on the waitlist just in case lol
 
I asked them yesterday. There are several that are indeed kept just in case until September. But I got the confirmation email too.
 
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