What are the negative aspects of pharmacy?

[sunshine9]

i'm a new member here so first of all, HI everyone! i was looking through the interview feedback and there is a popular question....what are the negative aspects of pharmacy?...to me personally i dont think there is a negative aspect in pharmacy.....can u guyz please post ur views on this. thanks soo much

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[Farmercyst]

I thought I'd give this question its own thread. I moved it from the USC students thread to give a larger audience. I figured it would help as a potential interview question.

 

[velvet75]

I have worked in a retail pharmacy for 5 years and there are a few negative aspects about pharmacy for Pharmacists. The ones I observed are that you sometimes have to work 12 hour shifts and sometimes you don't even get a lunch because it's too busy. And sometimes you may be the only RPh on duty so it is difficult to take breaks and even go to the restroom. Plus, some patients have been known to yell at you and even to throw stuff at you (such as a bottle of pills). Also, you may be become a little overwhelmed with trying to complete several tasks at once..such as verifying prescriptions, counseling patients, plus having 3 to 4 doctors or patients waiting on the phone to speak to you. (One time I worked with a RPh that was a new grad freak out, and have a panic attack. She ran out of the pharmacy to compose herself and left me ALONE to deal with the mess. She eventually came back but talk about pressure for me.) These are just a few negative aspects I can think of for now. Hope it helps...

 

[toyaboobear]

it seems to me that walgreens is taking over the world and inevitably going to ruin independent pharmacies.

 

[doublehh03]

it seems to me that walgreens is taking over the world and inevitably going to ruin independent pharmacies.

that will be true. i have talked to a few owners of independent pharmacies and they claim that in the future, the retail stores are gonna OWN.

 

[sunshine9]

thanks for the suggestions everyone!

at an interview can we say that...pharmacists have to work 12 hour shifts sometimes and multitask and that i count that as a negative aspect because then won't it sound bad?? i'm not sure but wouldn't it be better to say something that is not really a huge negative point right? becuz else the interviewer might be like then why are going into pharmacy if u dont like working 12 hours???


also if we say walgreens is taking over then would that count as a sufficient answer? i mean dont we have to pick out something about the profession itself??

 

[toyaboobear]

personally if an interviewer asks me this question i'm not going to say walgreens is taking over the world.
i would say that it would be extremely difficult to hear about your elderly patients dying.

 

[Mentis]

Well, I would probably say something like, pharmacists don't really get the respect they deserve since it's still just a blooming field, particularly in the clinical setting. You have to tread lightly with a question like this. Answering it incorrectly could really make them question why you are in this field, so this is the kind of question that can make or break you. If you don't go with what I suggested, just make sure not to mention any "real" negative, like the long hours and the amount of standing you have to do, because you will have to deal with those regardless, and you don't want to seem like you're not right for the job.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

I might say something about....

Declining reimbursements from insurance companies.
Not enough emphasis on patient care in some chain pharmacies (pushing short wait times at the expense of one-on-one with patients).
The drive thru sucks.
I don't look good in white.

 

[senzabee]

I answered this and mentioned the lack of respect also. But whatever you answer, including lack of respect, you should have examples to back it up and really be able to tell them how and why it is a negative part of pharmacy.

 

[Farmercyst]

thanks for the suggestions everyone!

at an interview can we say that...pharmacists have to work 12 hour shifts sometimes and multitask and that i count that as a negative aspect because then won't it sound bad?? i'm not sure but wouldn't it be better to say something that is not really a huge negative point right? becuz else the interviewer might be like then why are going into pharmacy if u dont like working 12 hours???


also if we say walgreens is taking over then would that count as a sufficient answer? i mean dont we have to pick out something about the profession itself??

You might look at some of the posts in the Pharmacy forum to gauge what they talk about. (but don't post this there) In amongst the posts about finding jobs and clinical rotations you'll find some of these negative aspects.

There's the thread regarding the oxycontin robberies in Orange County, CA (poor security).

If you look at the threads regarding independent pharmacy (they are older) you'll notice as mentioned above it's getting harder to find a niche where independents can survive.

Look at the regulatory aspects. There are some big changes taking place in how federal government regulates information release, accuracy of drug orders, and other red tape being heaped on pharmacies. They have to figure out how to deal with it. Start adding in medicare part D and you'll see that especially in regulatory area, pharmacy is a rapidly changing field and you've got to adapt or get left behind.

Of course you could always go with face to face contact with some rather unpleasant, malodorous people who think you should wait on them hand and foot, catering to their every need while they hound you about insurance verification, asking for their personal information, asking why you can't give them oxycodone instead of tylenol#3. (Stress of dealing with the public I'd call it)

Mobility can be tough if you're coming in from out of the country, moving out of the country or trying to transfer from a state that doesn't give or accept reciprocity in licensing. (CA/NY come to mind)

I'm sure there are more.

 

[sputnik25]

I have worked in a retail pharmacy for 5 years and there are a few negative aspects about pharmacy for Pharmacists. The ones I observed are that you sometimes have to work 12 hour shifts and sometimes you don't even get a lunch because it's too busy. And sometimes you may be the only RPh on duty so it is difficult to take breaks and even go to the restroom. Plus, some patients have been known to yell at you and even to throw stuff at you (such as a bottle of pills). Also, you may be become a little overwhelmed with trying to complete several tasks at once..such as verifying prescriptions, counseling patients, plus having 3 to 4 doctors or patients waiting on the phone to speak to you. (One time I worked with a RPh that was a new grad freak out, and have a panic attack. She ran out of the pharmacy to compose herself and left me ALONE to deal with the mess. She eventually came back but talk about pressure for me.) These are just a few negative aspects I can think of for now. Hope it helps...

I've worked as a bar tender the last several years and you just decribed my job in a nutshell. Just replace bottles of pills with glasses of beer. Sounds like I will be able to handle some of the problems with pharmacy. Seriusly I just had some A-hole dump a vodka martini all over the bar top because it was not strong enough. Recipe for a Vodka matini? Chill on ice a spac=sh of vermuth and serve in a glass. can't get much stronger then straight alchohol. I can only hope that is is better than that, but if not at least I will be paid more.

 

[NDGirl]

I've worked as a bar tender the last several years and you just decribed my job in a nutshell. Just replace bottles of pills with glasses of beer. Sounds like I will be able to handle some of the problems with pharmacy. Seriusly I just had some A-hole dump a vodka martini all over the bar top because it was not strong enough. Recipe for a Vodka matini? Chill on ice a spac=sh of vermuth and serve in a glass. can't get much stronger then straight alchohol. I can only hope that is is better than that, but if not at least I will be paid more.

I totally agree. I've been a bartender for the last year and a half. I thought I was the only one who thought that bartending and pharmacy were similar, just replacing the alcohol with pills! It's good to know I'm not the only one

 

[Rumplestiltazepam]

I totally agree. I've been a bartender for the last year and a half. I thought I was the only one who thought that bartending and pharmacy were similar, just replacing the alcohol with pills! It's good to know I'm not the only one

I found a good shirt for the two bartenders.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/BARTENDER-T-SHI...ryZ15687QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[cycloketocaine]

I might say something about....

Declining reimbursements from insurance companies.
Not enough emphasis on patient care in some chain pharmacies (pushing short wait times at the expense of one-on-one with patients).
The drive thru sucks.
I don't look good in white.

Or, the white is easily stained by my 2 year old slinging her breakfast across the table at me.

 

[Zeke1955]

Without having worked officially in pharmacy, I was going to say that the PharmD does, for the most part, over-train students for the community pharmacy setting. So many people whom could flourish into fine community pharmacists but simply do not have "what it takes" to complete the PharmD, can be turned away from the profession.

 

[sputnik25]

I found a good shirt for the two bartenders.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/BARTENDER-T-SHI...ryZ15687QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Good Shirt

 

[koercive]

most of the topics above relate to working retail.. anyone know of anyone or is anyone working for a corporation on the business aspect of pharmacy?

 

[Farmercyst]

most of the topics above relate to working retail.. anyone know of anyone or is anyone working for a corporation on the business aspect of pharmacy?

The regulatory ones I mentioned fit in both. The rest were primarily retail. I'll see if I can find the thread that brought up some hospital stuff.

 

[Farmercyst]

Found and bumped.

Here's the acronyms from the post I was specifically referring to from ZPakSux

1. CPOE
2. BMV
3. JCAHO MM 4.10
4. EMAR
5. and staffing..

If you keep reading the thread you'll notice most of them can be googled easily. He who researches retains.

 

[fidelio]

Pharmacy people, please don't be offended. An actual Professor from a Pharmacy School told me some of the cons of pharmacy. Here they are:

1. Pharmacy is inflexible. Especially when it comes to independent pharmacies or retail.
2. It can get boring over time or even strenuous.
3. Pharmacy is very much like doing Pharm tech work, but has more schooling.

Personally, Pharmacy is ok. To say that Pharmacy doesn't have flaws... maybe you need to start searching for some before you get into it. So it's good that you ask.

 

[futuredruggist]

The pharmacy profession has an image problem. To generalize, the public and other health professionals are unaware of the level of skills and knowledge that PharmD training provides. The result is underutilization and lack of respect. The pharmacist community must do a better job of public education. The PBS documentary called Unsung Heroes is a great start.

 

[Lurkerkat]

The pharmacy profession has an image problem. To generalize, the public and other health professionals are unaware of the level of skills and knowledge that PharmD training provides. The result is underutilization and lack of respect. The pharmacist community must do a better job of public education. The PBS documentary called Unsung Heroes is a great start.

Agreed. Almost no one is aware of the switch over from the Bachelors in Pharmacy to the Doctor of Pharmacy or have any idea how much education is needed to be a pharmacist. Even fewer are aware that pharmacists go through residencies and fellowships, and have a role outside of the retail setting. I think some people just see pharmacists as people who count pills, put them in bottles, stick a label on it, and then evilly jack up the drug prices because they're all evil tools of the drug industry.

 

[sunshine9]

thank you sooo much everyone for ur suggestions!! they are definitely very helpful! please keep posting your views

 

[sunshine9]

and thank you soo much farmercyst for putting this on a separate thread that way a lot more people could reply

 

[redrose0786]

i'm a new member here so first of all, HI everyone! i was looking through the interview feedback and there is a popular question....what are the negative aspects of pharmacy?...to me personally i dont think there is a negative aspect in pharmacy.....can u guyz please post ur views on this. thanks soo much

at my usc interview they asked me this question and I told them that from my experience the negative aspect is that the pharmacist at the in patient pharmacy did not have any interaction with the patients. I just taked about how we need to focus more on the patient.

 

[doublehh03]

lack of diversity

my area has a lot of hispanic patients and most of the time they don't understand the counseling they receive, but b/c of the language barrier, they just don't ask for a repeat. then they come to the techs/clerks and ask for help.

 

[Leb]

Would the adcoms specify problems in what branch of pharmacy? or they will always ask about the negative aspects of any branch?

 

[Farmercyst]

Would the adcoms specify problems in what branch of pharmacy? or they will always ask about the negative aspects of any branch?

Mine generically mentioned "pharmacy", no further specifications. This was at USC also. Since I had mentioned I had intentions to work in the hospital, I mentioned hospital specifically. You can tweak it to your liking as long as you do answer the question.