What Opportunities are there for Graduated Pharmacists in Today's Market?

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Congrats! you passed the harder test of the two! You can always take the law test in different states. I don't think there is a hard limit on the state law test like there is on the NAPLEX (5). From what I read online FL is a saturated state. Maybe try rural GA or Rural Arkansas or if your up for moving try Northen Cali but their law test is very difficult and clinical.

I’ve always assumed any state MPJE was more difficult than NAPLEX. Of course no personal experience, that’s the consensus I’ve heard from many others including colleagues.

Concerning going to another state though (that was my earlier question I was curious about), OP would have to either withdraw his primary jurisdiction from Florida and burn his cost or sit and try the exam again. The transfer may be refused by his primary state since all exams were not complete.

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I’ve always assumed any state MPJE was more difficult than NAPLEX. Of course no personal experience, that’s the consensus I’ve heard from many others including colleagues.

Concerning going to another state though (that was my earlier question I was curious about), OP would have to either withdraw his primary jurisdiction from Florida and burn his cost or sit and try the exam again. The transfer may be refused by his primary state since all exams were not complete.
in recent time the NAPLEX usually has a lower pass rate I believe.
 
Congrats! you passed the harder test of the two! You can always take the law test in different states. I don't think there is a hard limit on the state law test like there is on the NAPLEX (5). From what I read online FL is a saturated state. Maybe try rural GA or Rural Arkansas or if your up for moving try Northen Cali but their law test is very difficult and clinical.

I dunno man, i thought the law tests were harder on account of the aweful way they set up the questions, mutiple right answers, scaled scoring, it was just terrible. for me anyway,.
 
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Sometimes. As someone that has hired individuals in the past, sometimes having a interview accessible to the public is just a "dog and pony show" and you already know you are going to give the job to co-worker X's cousin but in order to hide the cronyism you need to have mock "interviews" with real people so HR doesn't catch on.

Who really knows if the position is available or not in truth. I would say at least 20% of the job listings are fake and just set up as a formality.

I know, i manage a WM in CO. heres the deal...we have to interview a certain amount of candidates before we can even move forward, so yes you are right in some ways. Sometimes my DM has already chosen someone right off the rip, and he just needs to complete several interviews to show there is no bias or whatever, ya get me? its a company thing to avoid lawsuits. He explained it all to me as we were hiring several staff pharms, and i was included on the interview process. we literally interviewed a candidate he knew would lead to no where....and explained why. Sometimes those jobs show up on indeed. Also, to show the company is open to everyone! lol., yeah right.
 
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Well, Florida probably has one of the worst job markets and salaries, so you may want to consider taking it in other states. But that would also mean having to study for other states.

Also, I was under the impression you couldn't relocate for whatever reason. Have those circumstances changed?

Circumstances have not changed. But if I have to relocate just to be employed, then so be it. I already purchased the score transfer for NY and NC. It is just a matter of affording the score transfer for the other states.
 
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I’ve always assumed any state MPJE was more difficult than NAPLEX. Of course no personal experience, that’s the consensus I’ve heard from many others including colleagues.

Concerning going to another state though (that was my earlier question I was curious about), OP would have to either withdraw his primary jurisdiction from Florida and burn his cost or sit and try the exam again. The transfer may be refused by his primary state since all exams were not complete.

Where can I fact-check this information? I cannot base my future on what the primary state "may" do, especially since your title says: "pharmacy student." It was to my understanding that each state has its own jurisdiction and requirements: you pass the MPJE, transfer the NAPLEX score, take whatever required exams or outstanding requirements there are, then you are granted licensure for that state after a certain processing time (contingent upon meeting all requirements for licensure including passing the exams).
 
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Where can I fact-check this information? I cannot base my future on what the primary state "may" do, especially since your title says: "pharmacy student." It was to my understanding that each state has its own jurisdiction: you pass the MPJE, transfer the NAPLEX score, take whatever required exams or outstanding requirements there are, then you are granted licensure for that state after a certain processing time.

Whom would I ask to address these questions and fact-check your information?

Just look at the convo me and @lord999 were having with the NABP Hyperlink:

https://nabp.pharmacy/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/NAPLEX-MPJE-Bulletin-Feb-2019.pdf

Page #44

Candidates requesting score transfers must complete all the examination requirements that are required by the primary jurisdiction for licensure, including any locally administered examinations. Primary jurisdictions can refuse to allow a candidate’s score to be transferred if the candidate does not complete all of the jurisdiction’s examination requirements.

Contact the Florida Jurisdiction (NABP) and see if they’d refuse you or not to take another test outside of the state. This is something I’d be curious about as well.
 
I know, i manage a WM in CO. heres the deal...we have to interview a certain amount of candidates before we can even move forward, so yes you are right in some ways. Sometimes my DM has already chosen someone right off the rip, and he just needs to complete several interviews to show there is no bias or whatever, ya get me? its a company thing to avoid lawsuits. He explained it all to me as we were hiring several staff pharms, and i was included on the interview process. we literally interviewed a candidate he knew would lead to no where....and explained why. Sometimes those jobs show up on indeed. Also, to show the company is open to everyone! lol., yeah right.
I have a theroretical situation I would like your input on. Say a husband and wife are both pharmacists. The husband works a pharmacist at a chain pharmacy and is good friends with the DM. The wife is unemployed. How hard would it be for the DM to layoff / transfer the current PIC and remove another pharmacist from the store and move the Husband to PIC and place his wife into the store as a FE pharmacist at that store? The DM would just start documenting every little thing to get the PIC fired/laidoff/transferred and slowly reduce the other FE pharmacist's hours till they quit? thanks
 
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I have a theroretical situation I would like your input on. Say a husband and wife are both pharmacists. The husband works a pharmacist at a chain pharmacy and is good friends with the DM. The wife is unemployed. How hard would it be for the DM to layoff / transfer the current PIC and remove another pharmacist from the store and move the Husband to PIC and place his wife into the store as a FE pharmacist at that store? The DM would just start documenting every little thing to get the PIC fired/laidoff/transferred and slowly reduce the other FE pharmacist's hours till they quit? thanks

Well, it sounds like you would have a husband as PIC and wife as staff? if thats what you meant, that would never happen. Nepotism i think they call it? however , they would have to be REAL good friends because if the DM got caught slipping up, he could open the company up for a lawsuit. He could however, have another DM in another market start to performance a staff to put the wife in there away from the husband. Ya know what i mean? im sure these things go on from time to time, but now a days you gotta be oh so careful. If i saw that happening to me, i would document EVERY little thing and if it resulted in unfair termination, i would at least try to bring suit for what was done. Its a shame we have to even talk about these things ya know?
 
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Well, it sounds like you would have a husband as PIC and wife as staff? if thats what you meant, that would never happen. Nepotism i think they call it? however , they would have to be REAL good friends because if the DM got caught slipping up, he could open the company up for a lawsuit. He could however, have another DM in another market start to performance a staff to put the wife in there away from the husband. Ya know what i mean? im sure these things go on from time to time, but now a days you gotta be oh so careful. If i saw that happening to me, i would document EVERY little thing and if it resulted in unfair termination, i would at least try to bring suit for what was done. Its a shame we have to even talk about these things ya know?
it was just a hypothetical mind exercise for fun.
 
I know that the score transfer restriction (careful, reciprocity means something else) was an issue, it was why I selected AZ over MN as MN had a practical that I would have had to take in January due to my graduation being late enough to miss the summer practical (I have a Dave Holmstrom story from the encounter), and I needed to score transfer to IL for Walgreens by that September. AZ being one of the most efficient Boards, I literally had my license the day NABP certified my exam results electronically testing the first possible day I could (24 days), and got my ATT for IL 30 days later.

Reading it for "pleasure", I can change that to "I know". From Page 44 of the Bulletin:
https://nabp.pharmacy/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/NAPLEX-MPJE-Bulletin-Feb-2019.pdf

Candidates requesting score transfers must complete all the examination requirements that are required by the primary jurisdiction for licensure, including any locally administered examinations. Primary jurisdictions can refuse to allow a candidate’s score to be transferred if the candidate does not complete all of the jurisdiction’s examination requirements.

You do not get an easy choice, unfortunately, OP. You must either reattempt the exam, pass, and complete FL's licensing procedures if that is your primary jurisdiction (I assume so based on what you wrote previously). You can switch your primary jurisdiction by cancelling the application, but then the fees are sunk, and you would pay to take again as completely a new application including the first-time fees.

Florida is the primary jurisdiction I chose to reapply for licensure from. I am wondering whether or not to choose another state because of all the conflicting laws here: student loans being only one of them. What I am wondering is if my application period ends, do I have to retake the NAPLEX again with the new application? My application period ends in early May 2019.

I will be calling the NABP and the MQA for some answers. I was wondering what others experienced.
 
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GET ANY JOB does not have to be pharmacy... u can be pharma rep? 60k a year til u get rph job.. whtever local to ur area...
 
GET ANY JOB does not have to be pharmacy... u can be pharma rep? 60k a year til u get rph job.. whtever local to ur area...

For a pharmaceutical representative position, many pharmaceutical companies expect at least 2 years experience and a track record of sales (with or without a certification) before they will even consider you. Not many individuals with a doctorate degree (PharmD) want to work for Verizon or some other company at $15 an hour to gain those skills, especially with those student loans. Why employ a doctorate when a high school or bachelor's degree candidate would be cheaper?

Some money may "seem" better than nothing, but a Verizon sales representative is poor excuse for a job when you can do so much more. It is better to consult instead; at least then you make more money, develop your clients, and the business is yours. There are few stories of individuals being rejected from multiple pharmaceutical companies for many years, then building their own.

The PharmD college I attended does not allow students to develop those critical sales skills, which makes pharmaceutical positions less than desirable. Not one PharmD graduate is employed in those positions at my institution; their "unparalleled student support" may be there (which includes BayCare referrals only) but their pharmacy alumni network and peer support network is weak.

I am giving my alma mater one last attempt before I move on with pharmacy away from their network. The only reason I am choosing to seek them out is because that is what ASHP recommends of new graduates and of newly licensed pharmacists before seeking outside resources. I will be seeking cardiology pharmacy as my main and only goal. I am well aware of the BCCP requirements as they are outlined in the Board of Pharmacy Specialists (BPS) document. Retail pharmacy does not seem like an area that will allow me to gain those skills; the 3 domains for Cardiology Pharmacy are not covered in retail or any community or other initial pharmacy job: mail order, LTCF, etcetera. It is also difficult to transition from retail to hospital as most pharmacists who tried already know.

Here is a job description of a pharmaceutical representative for your reference (Syneos Health):

Job Requirements

Along with a results-oriented mindset, self-assurance and an engaging manner, the ideal candidate has:
• Bachelor's Degree Required
• 2+ years recent successful pharmaceutical sales experience, preferably in Cardiovascular or Diabetes therapeutic categories or relevant specialty product
• Documented proven and consistent track record of achieving sales results in recent years, demonstrated by national and/or regional rankings, awards and goal achievement
• Recent experience in the geography (local market knowledge and existing relationships with target prescribers) preferred
• Ability to travel and possess a valid driver’s license to drive to assigned healthcare accounts, unless otherwise specified.

By the way, your spelling and grammar need tremendous work. The RPH in your title forces me to be cautious.
 
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Correct. This also includes out of the country as well, just until enough money is secured to allow for relocation. Personally, I would relocate out of FL if I had the money to pay for the licensure fees and the score transfer fees. The opioid laws are too tough and the market has not been good for me, even after earning three science degrees including a PharmD. However, I need additional resources to keep the job, having a disability and all. I'm afraid that if I go into retail, I would not be able to meet their high metrics and I will not have a job at all or enough money to choose a different career path as a pharmacist or choose a different career altogether. My peers keep deleting my posts every time the words oversaturation and job are in the same or different sentences, indicating they do not want the Facebook group morale disrupted. So I cannot turn to most of them either.

I do not have a tech license as that also costs money. The change for mandatory requirement for the hospital I used to work for in NY changed in 2011, so I was laid off (among personal reasons I do not wish to discuss). PTCB certification (national and state) costs a lot of money to afford up-front. I was offered a technician position full-time, but the time it would take to hire me would be the same amount of time to earn the pharmacist license if not longer. So I am in my grace period "graciously" waiting until the Authorization to Test (ATT) is granted by the Florida Board of Pharmacy (FLBOP). You also need to graduate from a Pharmacy Technician Program before you are even considered for licensure as a technician; those programs take at least 4 months to 1 year to complete and I have 4 months to get my license. I have 5 months left. FL also separates technician from pharmacist; if you are one, you cannot be the other. The same in NY.

Some graduate intern positions do not require a license right out, but they do want the license within 90 days of hire along with immunization certification proof; at least that is true for Walgreens. Every other place I called (hospital, corporate hospital, nuclear, retail, independent) required the license before consideration (Publix, CVS, HCA, Mayo Clinic, BayCare Health System, and any corner drug store just to mention a few examples). Positions outside of pharmacy do not require a pharmacist license; yes I have searched and applied for those too.
If you could relocate, I would choose the Dakotas, Montana or Idaho. Have you tried Indian Health Service. You will get hospital experience even without residency. Are you part Native American?
 
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