Wake up call...

[GatorRomp]

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It was long and slow in the making. But the idea of NOT becoming a pharmacist is becoming more evident to me.

I'm strongly weighing giving becoming a physician a real shot. I know all the negatives (malpractice, years of schooling etc...) about becoming a physician. However, the negatives don't seem to supersede its positives (have your clinic, earning potential, true sense of making an impact in healthcare etc...).

I've said long ago that I wanted to become a clinical pharmacist as a way out of retail industry where pharmacists are reduced to cashiers and no time for food and break. In a drive-thru store, where is a pharmacist finding time to counsel patients? I just think four years of hardcore studying difficult science materials should land pharmacists meaningful jobs that are respected and in which one feels a difference is being made. When the pharmacists start work, they sometimes have to compete with pharmacy technicians who somehow have been there for sometime, but feel they know more (even when the pharmacist is not suggesting he/she knows more). Then if someone wants to become a clinical pharmacist, they are said to want to immitate doctors. The higher hierachy is not really encouraged by your peers. Instead, competition rules the day and most pharmacists' blogs suggest they are unhappy with their jobs.

I am disenchanted with the profession. Ever go on most pharmacy school websites? You'll notice the differrence when the websites mostly have links to navigate the page. In contrast, medical school websites show you things that really pique your interest. I truly dreamed of becoming a pharmacist, and at this point, only financial reasons would prevent me from pursuing medicine.

And you know what that means: I'll be one angry pharmacist with a blog!

 

[Texas PharmDoc]

If you really don't want it, give up your spot in whatever school you were accepted to a person that really wants it.

Either you just recently changed your mind since your interview and acceptance, or you lied your way through the interview to get accepted. If medicine is what you want, then go for it.

 

[wolverex84]

calm down calm down..lol, i think you should really really think this through, you don't want to make huge mistakes or rush into conclusions, yet again, now is the the time to make the right decision before going to pharmacy school, it doesn't make any sense if you are going to be an angry pharmacist.

If medicine is what you really want and you have evaluated the risk, pros and cons of practicing both profession, then i think you should go ahead but go with the intention that you are going to enjoy doing it, you don't want to be another angry physician.

 

[bobanderson214]

If you really don't want it, give up your spot in whatever school you were accepted to a person that really wants it.

Seriously. Is it really that hard?

 

[Maggols]

I've said long ago that I wanted to become a clinical pharmacist as a way out of retail industry where pharmacists are reduced to cashiers and no time for food and break. In a drive-thru store, where is a pharmacist finding time to counsel patients? I just think four years of hardcore studying difficult science materials should land pharmacists meaningful jobs that are respected and in which one feels a difference is being made. When the pharmacists start work, they sometimes have to compete with pharmacy technicians who somehow have been there for sometime, but feel they know more (even when the pharmacist is not suggesting he/she knows more).

Sounds like you've had some bad retail experiences at a drive-thru pharmacy. Although I'm not doubting your claims, I want to emphasize that each pharmacy is different with regards to patients, location, techs, ect. I've never heard of a pharmacist "competing" with a technician, as the pharmacist is always the person in charge. I also don't know where you are getting the idea that pharmacists are reduced to cashiers.. the only pharmacist I've ever heard of cashiering are when they were interns, or if they willingly complete the sale as a part of their consultation. Unless you're in some kind of contract, you'll always be free to switch to a different pharmacy that meets your criteria (such as a pharmacy with no drive through). Also, there are many disciplines of pharmacy other than clinical and retail such as nuclear and compounding.. just to name a few. I don't know about others, but I feel like pharmacists are becoming more and more respected with the increased knowledge needed to become one (including very specific information about drugs that doctors don't even learn).
I think you should reconsider your idea of what a pharmacist is, and if you still come to the same conclusions, then don't pursue it and choose something you will like to do.

 

[luwical]

You don't understand what it means to be a pharmacist. I also doubt that you understand what it means to be a doctor. The difference between a pharmacist and a medical doctor is "a pharmacist looks for the problem, while the medical doctor waits for it." I remember when I walked into a pharmacy to order iron supplement. The pharmacist dude asked me whether I am aware of iron toxicities. When I told him that it was for a relative that has a blood related disease, he was relieved." This is what it means to be a pharmacist. You are a soldier walking in a nation that thinks tylenol is orange juice. Drink and be relieved.

That link to John Hopkins is ridiculous. I hate dreamers. It is not what the world gives you that makes great, it is what you do with what the world gives you. As for me, I cant wait to be pharmacist. The health care field needs some ***** whooping.

 

[GatorRomp]

If you really don't want it, give up your spot in whatever school you were accepted to a person that really wants it.n Either you just recently changed your mind since your interview and acceptance, or you lied your way through the interview to get accepted. If medicine is what you want, then go for it.

LOL Until I decide that being a doctor is what I really want to do, I will relinquish my spot to someone else. During interviews, you have to be yourself. When a relative past away, it was very painful. I would not have studied so hard to lie for my motivation to study pharmacy.

i think you should really really think this through, you don't want to make huge mistakes or rush into conclusions, yet again, now is the the time to make the right decision before going to pharmacy school, it doesn't make any sense if you are going to be an angry pharmacist.

The situation is being evaluated thoroughly. Haste makes waste. I've worked so hard to be here and now I'm ready to give it all up. It's insane. It is a very challenging decision especially if money is lacking. I thank you so much for your careful advice. I will heed to it as I progress through this frustrating situation.

I've never heard of a pharmacist "competing" with a technician, as the pharmacist is always the person in charge.

I am in no way bashing a tech. Believe me when I say that I know of pharmacy technicians who purposefully give new pharmacists a hard time. Case in Point: a friend of mine recently graduated from NOVA. She went up north (perhaps, for better pay), and she had to relocate because it was impossible to work diligently over there because of technicians using some kind of authority (because they are friendly with lead pharmacist). There are more stories.

I also don't know where you are getting the idea that pharmacists are reduced to cashiers.. the only pharmacist I've ever heard of cashiering are when they were interns.

You must not have heard customers asking for pharmacists to ring things they bought in the store. It's pathetic. As a customer, I overheard a pharmacist saying something to have not taking a break since early in the morning. An old man in line, responded something to the effect that he did not deserve a break. Almost as if for the pharmacist to hear.

Interns should ring pharmaceuticals but nothing else for heaven's sake.

By the way: I have the Pfizer pharmacy career guide.

You don't understand what it means to be a pharmacist. I also doubt that you understand what it means to be a doctor. The difference between a pharmacist and a medical doctor is "a pharmacist looks for the problem, while the medical doctor waits for it." I remember when I walked into a pharmacy to order iron supplement. The pharmacist dude asked me whether I am aware of iron toxicities. When I told him that it was for a relative that has a blood related disease, he was relieved." This is what it means to be a pharmacist. You are a soldier walking in a nation that thinks tylenol is orange juice. Drink and be relieved.

In everything, there are always exception to the norm. I wasn't generalizing retail industry per se. It is okay to evaluate careers. In fact, my bringing up these issues show that I actually care about the career of pharmacy. But take a look here. You work in a place that supposedly advocate better health. Yet, WE ARE SELLING THEM LIQUOR, CIGARETTES.

Gee! Talking about a double standard. If your pharmacist had time to explain iron toxicities, very good. I'd like to know how many people get this treatment in a store that have both drive-thru and a busy lobby with people in line for things unrelated to medicine.


That link to John Hopkins is ridiculous. I hate dreamers.

It is your dedication and much dreaming to positive things to come that led you to pharmacy. Congrats!

As for me, I cant wait to be pharmacist. The health care field needs some ***** whooping.

I concur. If you read my posts, you would see that I am pharmacy's strongest advocate and very grateful for the acceptance. I just wish retail would have a major reform. Because I very well may end up there briefly to pay loans back.

 

[luwical]

Even before I thought about becoming a pharmacist, the retail aspect, the most visible aspect of the field, almost turned me away. And I have also thought about what will make the retail aspect more interesting. The most important thing everyone needs to be understand is that retail is a distributive end. You take care of errors and legal requirements only. So, there is less opportunity to use one's knowledge. Remember, nobody likes being lectured. In retail, you are only concerned about two things: give the patient their medications as quickly as possible and talk about only pertinent information. So, any long story should be written and attached to the medication. Imagine a store clerk lecturing you about overcooking vegetables. You would probably respond by saying," freak give me my change."😱

 

[Maggols]

I am disenchanted with the profession.

If you are truly disenchanted with pharmacy before you even start pharmacy school, don't you think your feelings are a bit premature? I've worked over 2 years now in pharmacy, 1 year in retail, and 1 year in hospital. I know that being a tech is completely different than being the pharmacist, but I do know this: If I can handle the job as a technician (ie putting up with all the bs from customers/doctors/nurses/coworkers), and actually enjoy my job, I sure as hell can't wait to get paid 4-5fold more to do less bs work and more of the aspects of pharmacy I enjoy as a healthcare professional. A lot of those experiences you shared in retail do in fact happen, but they occured very rarely at the various places I worked. I realize every pharmacy is different, and that is why you'll have a choice of where to work (granted that the economy is in much better state 4 years from now 😛). My point is... you should find out what made you such a strong advocate of pharmacy in the first place and really focus on those points. There are many retail pharmacists out there that love their jobs, it's just that only the angry ones will complain about it online. Or you could just blow off retail pharmacy all together before you even go to pharmacy school and just dedicate yourself to other pharmacy disciplines. Switching to becoming a physician probably isn't the answer, as you've already come this far and are an accepted pharmacy student. I hope you find your niche in the workplace. Keep an open-minded attitude and you'll be able to overlook the small stuff.

 

[Jdario86]

It was long and slow in the making. But the idea of NOT becoming a pharmacist is becoming more evident to me.

I'm strongly weighing giving becoming a physician a real shot. I know all the negatives (malpractice, years of schooling etc...) about becoming a physician. However, the negatives don't seem to supersede its positives (have your clinic, earning potential, true sense of making an impact in healthcare etc...).

I've said long ago that I wanted to become a clinical pharmacist as a way out of retail industry where pharmacists are reduced to cashiers and no time for food and break. In a drive-thru store, where is a pharmacist finding time to counsel patients? I just think four years of hardcore studying difficult science materials should land pharmacists meaningful jobs that are respected and in which one feels a difference is being made. When the pharmacists start work, they sometimes have to compete with pharmacy technicians who somehow have been there for sometime, but feel they know more (even when the pharmacist is not suggesting he/she knows more). Then if someone wants to become a clinical pharmacist, they are said to want to immitate doctors. The higher hierachy is not really encouraged by your peers. Instead, competition rules the day and most pharmacists' blogs suggest they are unhappy with their jobs.

I am disenchanted with the profession. Ever go on most pharmacy school websites? You'll notice the differrence when the websites mostly have links to navigate the page. In contrast, medical school websites show you things that really pique your interest. I truly dreamed of becoming a pharmacist, and at this point, only financial reasons would prevent me from pursuing medicine.

And you know what that means: I'll be one angry pharmacist with a blog!

Ok, i don't mean to poke fun, but can anyone imagine going on a med school interview and they ask you why you changed your mind from going into pharmacy to medicine and you say:

"Because med school websites look wayyy cooler than pharmacy school websites!"

 

[Transformer]

If you are truly disenchanted with pharmacy before you even start pharmacy school, don't you think your feelings are a bit premature? I've worked over 2 years now in pharmacy, 1 year in retail, and 1 year in hospital. I know that being a tech is completely different than being the pharmacist, but I do know this: If I can handle the job as a technician (ie putting up with all the bs from customers/doctors/nurses/coworkers), and actually enjoy my job, I sure as hell can't wait to get paid 4-5fold more to do less bs work and more of the aspects of pharmacy I enjoy as a healthcare professional. A lot of those experiences you shared in retail do in fact happen, but they occured very rarely at the various places I worked. I realize every pharmacy is different, and that is why you'll have a choice of where to work (granted that the economy is in much better state 4 years from now 😛). My point is... you should find out what made you such a strong advocate of pharmacy in the first place and really focus on those points. There are many retail pharmacists out there that love their jobs, it's just that only the angry ones will complain about it online. Or you could just blow off retail pharmacy all together before you even go to pharmacy school and just dedicate yourself to other pharmacy disciplines. Switching to becoming a physician probably isn't the answer, as you've already come this far and are an accepted pharmacy student. I hope you find your niche in the workplace. Keep an open-minded attitude and you'll be able to overlook the small stuff.

I agree with maggols here. Take some time to think not only about the pros and cons of the two professions but about how these decisions will affect your life style and your family. I personally stayed away from medicine because of the MD lifestyle and the amount of malpractice issues MDs put up with.

Similar to maggols, I've been a pharmacy volunteer, pharmacy clerk, and now a pharmacy technician for a total of 4 years now. I've put up with a lot of bs at both retail and hospital settings.

Like everyone said, every place you work is going to be different. Different customers and different coworkers. For me, what makes all the bs tolerable is being able to work well with people I like and the people I don't necessarily like. All in all, if you don't like the people you work with (like the tech that competes with pharmacists), you should find a new location or learn to work with people you wouldn't normally get along with.

Personally, I think getting out of a profession for the sole reason of not being able to work with a few difficult people is not the best excuse. You will deal with these problems in almost any profession. (especially, the MD profession)

 

[SHC1984]

I totally understand your concern as I am not 100% sure pharmacy is for me either and dealing with idiots everyday at Walgreens isn't helping. LOL..

But as others have say you should definetly think it through carefully before you make a decision. Yes, retail pharmacy sucks at times. Yes, being bothered by idiots while you are trying to get your work done is extremely annoying. And Yes, sometimes in retail you feel like you are not helping society much...(in retail I sometimes feel like I am some high school dropout instead of someone with a degree in chemistry...🙄).

However all careers have its drawbacks. There is no such thing as a perfect job and the economy is getting worst everyday so most people can't afford to be picky. Sure, there are things that aren't perfect about pharmacy but if you look at other jobs and compare it to pharmacy I don't think you will think they are any better. LOL...So the next time some idiot comes up to you and annoys you with a million questions just tell yourself...pharmacy pays well and offers more job stability then most other jobs...and it will help. 🙂

 

[iPLEDGE]

Sorry to hear that. I hope you will find what you are looking for.

 

[misshealthie]

Ok, i don't mean to poke fun, but can anyone imagine going on a med school interview and they ask you why you changed your mind from going into pharmacy to medicine and you say:

"Because med school websites look wayyy cooler than pharmacy school websites!"

Well, at my interview at UCSD, the dean talked about how pharmacists and doctors have overlapping areas of knowledge, but at the same time there are certain areas of expertise in each profession. For example, doctors specialize in diagnosing, whereas pharmacists deal with the treatment. In the future, the area of pharmacogenetics will allow pharmacists to become the go-to experts in "personalized medicines." Also, pharmacists and doctors, along with other health care professionals such as nurses have to work together as a team to help the patients, each contributing his/her own unique perspective. So I think for me, in choosing what I wanted to do, the most important element was considering which part I liked best, the diagnosis or treatment aspect. I've always been interested in learning about medications, so pharmacy is the way to go for me, despite all of the "negative aspects" of the profession the OP brought up. How I see it, all of those negative aspects can be dealt with social change (CHANGE those darn websites LOL, change the setting of the retail pharmacy, address the stereotypes about pharmacy, etc.). If I don't like something, I prefer to think about how it can be changed instead of only sitting there, reacting to it, and then change my career even though I'm really into pharmacy.

FYI there have been posts where those interested in medicine switched to pharmacy, I'm not sure where they are but you can search for them. Take care and let us know what you decide! 😀