What Do You Hate/Like Most About Pharmacy

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I graduated from pharmacy school 17 yrs. ago. Worked retail for 6 yrs. then left for another career outside of pharmacy, recently returned to pharmacy for the money.

All of my friends hate it. They don't feel like they're helping people and don't feel appreciated because all they get is aggravation.

Here's what I hate:
* insurance BS
* rude customers
* always on the go, no breaks
* no pension
* constant pressure to get it done NOW! (is it done yet?:eek:)
* chest pains from pressure
* forgot a lot of stuff learned in Rx school, don't use it

Here's what I like:
* Money
* Money
* Money
* less hours and still make decent money to live on
* starting to get some respect (OH, you're a pharmacissssssst?)

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Maybe your friends should be doing something else if they hate it so much they probably aren't going to be much help to their patients. Anyways....
What I like:
Variety of opportunities
Constantly learning
Helping people

What I dislike:
Stress can get high at times but thats about all I can complain about
 
Other than money, why did you leave your other career?
 
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Basically all the negatives you listed are why I can't work retail when I'm done, I worked retail for about 3 1/2 years and it definitely can get to you. What I like is the diversity of career options within pharmacy now, I really really like direct patient interaction (when it pertains to medication issues, NOT insurance!!!).
 
Other than money, why did you leave your other career?

Other degree required a master's, not something I was interested in pursuing so it was that or pharmacy. Only got a BS in pharm, no mandatory pharmD otherwise I'd have stayed with the other career.

What else is there out there besides retail where you can work 2 days a week and make a decent living?
 
Anyone who works as a pharmacist for the money shouldn't complain about their job. It's all about the money, right?
 
Anyone who works as a pharmacist for the money shouldn't complain about their job. It's all about the money, right?

Right! If the one reason a pharmacist is in the profession is because he or she can "get real paid" (as my close friend Beck once said in song...good times:thumbup:), fair enough. Just keep in mind when that pharmacist complains about all the negative things that come along with the job that he or she IS GETTING PAID large sums of money to perform it. If becoming a pharmacist and going into retail pharmacy was the most fun and easiest career path in the world, everybody would want to do it and you wouldn't get paid jack squat...supply and demand. Then the Mr. I-Hate-My-Job pharmacists out there would really be complaining, because not only would they hate their job, they wouldn't be making any money either.

I'm not so supremely idealistic to think that everyone is in the profession only because they want to help others...I myself will happily admit that I love the fact that in a couple of years I will probably be making close to or more than 100K/year. But I guarantee that with that kind of salary I will not become one of those people that *beaches* and moans about how much their job sucks every day. If you have the brains to get into pharmacy school and become a pharmacist, you are pretty blessed the way I see it. I wish more people would be thankful for the opportunities they have been given rather than complain endlessly...life is too short to be so negative.

(I struggle to keep from using this rant against one of the pharmacists I work with almost everyday. She's in it completely for the money, yet it doesn't seem to be enough to make her happy.....why not quit and find something else that will make you happy?)
 
(I struggle to keep from using this rant against one of the pharmacists I work with almost everyday. She's in it completely for the money, yet it doesn't seem to be enough to make her happy.....why not quit and find something else that will make you happy?)

Because some people are only happy when they're complaining. People like that are never satisfied....and they aren't fun to be around.

I'm in pharmacy for the money.
 
Because some people are only happy when they're complaining. People like that are never satisfied....and they aren't fun to be around.

I know people like that. Very annoying. If you are going to complain, at least do something to change your life. Otherwise, shut the hell up and keep doing what you're doing.

I like pharmacy for the diversity. As a first year student, there are several different career choices that I am still considering. I will probably change my mind several times before I graduate.

I also like that my pharmacy school is in my home city. I know it sounds silly, but I am close to family here. If I were to go to med school, I would have to leave my family and friends for a few years.

If I were in it for the money, I would go to med school and probably specialize in infectious diseases. Don't get me wrong. I like that I will be pulling in close to 100K as a pharmacist. But I could make more as an ID doc.
 
I know people like that. Very annoying. If you are going to complain, at least do something to change your life. Otherwise, shut the hell up and keep doing what you're doing.

I like pharmacy for the diversity. As a first year student, there are several different career choices that I am still considering. I will probably change my mind several times before I graduate.

I also like that my pharmacy school is in my home city. I know it sounds silly, but I am close to family here. If I were to go to med school, I would have to leave my family and friends for a few years.

If I were in it for the money, I would go to med school and probably specialize in infectious diseases. Don't get me wrong. I like that I will be pulling in close to 100K as a pharmacist. But I could make more as an ID doc.

You can still do pharmacy & ID, it's actually something I'm considering (along with toxicology)
 
You can still do pharmacy & ID, it's actually something I'm considering (along with toxicology)

Oh yeah...I am thinking about doing a PGY 2 in ID. I just meant that you can make more as an ID MD versus ID PharmD. The point was that I am choosing PharmD because it is what I want, versus making the big bucks I would make as an ID MD.
 
Oh yeah...I am thinking about doing a PGY 2 in ID. I just meant that you can make more as an ID MD versus ID PharmD. The point was that I am choosing PharmD because it is what I want, versus making the big bucks I would make as an ID MD.
I was reading somewhere on the allopathic forum that it's difficult to find an ID job after an MD does the residency. I tried to pull up the thread, but I can't find it.
The money is there for MDs, but the jobs are probably less available than we would expect.
 
Dislike: Ignorant *** customers.
Like: Really going out of my way to help someone in need. Let's me stroke my ego. The money is NOT good for me right now ($11.25/hr tech); however, I go home feeling good about myself and that's worth a lot.
 
Like:
-Opportunities that the profession has given me and will continue to give me
-Being able to help my patients
-Being able to explain to people outside of the profession what clinical pharmacy is and why it is important

Dislike
-Dealing with insurance ( I am a hospital gal the whole way)
-Going to school for it (This wil come of the list in a couple of months, but I am currently jaded after this last semester)
 
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