Why pharmacy?

[DoeAdeer]

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An anonymous poll on prime motivation behind entering the field of pharmacy

 

[SHC1984]

An anonymous poll on prime motivation behind entering the field of pharmacy

Money + dentistry had too much blood so I had to leave it. 🙂

 

[crazybob]

I'd be doing something else if I thought only about income.

 

[owlegrad]

Hard to remember what I was thinking now. I knew a pharmacist, he recommended it. Easier than becoming a doctor, still good money. Pretty awesome job compared to many.

lol @ Humanitarianism and prestige

 

[DoeAdeer]

Hard to remember what I was thinking now. I knew a pharmacist, he recommended it. Easier than becoming a doctor, still good money. Pretty awesome job compared to many.

lol @ Humanitarianism and prestige

😕

 

[Notecard]

Being a dentist seemed boring to me.
Drugs are cool.
Blood used to freak me out but I've grown out of that in the last year. Who knows maybe I should have applied to med school. We'll see in 2 years.

 

[owlegrad]

😕

If you want to be a humanitarian, go build houses for habitat for humanity or something. If you want prestige...I have no idea, but it ain't pharmacy! 😆

 

[kcwang]

If you want to be a humanitarian, go build houses for habitat for humanity or something. If you want prestige...I have no idea, but it ain't pharmacy! 😆

But I suck at building houses =[

 

[owlegrad]

But I suck at building houses =[

Then you are no humanitarian.

 

[Poetic Silence]

Pharmacy offers none of the above, with the possible exception of humanitarianism and that's only if you go the extra mile and join Peace Corps or Doctors Without Borders or the like.

 

[kcwang]

Then you are no humanitarian.

I guess I will have to give it a new definition then =P

 

[DoeAdeer]

Don't forget to reply if you choose "Other." 🙂

 

[rxlea]

I love pharmacy.

 

[358265]

Let's face it. Almost 50% of this poll (so far) went into the profession for money. Most of my classmates would agree. If it wasn't for a relatively high paying six-income figure (this will definitely change in the next decade), many would become pessimistic of where the profession is heading and what the day-to-day job really entails. Oh wait, on a second thought, this is true for most people nowadays...

 

[owlegrad]

Let's face it. Almost 50% of this poll (so far) went into the profession for money. Most of my classmates would agree. If it wasn't for a relatively high paying six-income figure (this will definitely change in the next decade), many would become pessimistic of where the profession is heading and what the day-to-day job really entails. Oh wait, on a second thought, this is true for most people nowadays...

Your ability to read poles is lacking.

At the time you posted this, 33% of the responses were for income. It was tied for first place (10 each with aptitude), so maybe that was why you thought it was 50%?

EDIT: The percentages are right next to the bar graph.

 

[AlPacino]

Been doing it for years and and it would make me happy to be a pharmacist.

 

[Buk Lau]

I'm mostly going into pharmacy because I don't PRACTICALLY see myself doing anything else. I think medical school takes too long and might be a tad bit too stressful; I also don't want to look at people's teeth all day as a dentist. But yes, money does play a factor in my choice of career - I would be stupid if it didn't. But at the same time, all I want is a comfortable life, not some crazy wage. Pharmacy is an interesting profession to me and I love learning about drugs and how they affect the human body. I wish we would learn more about the chemistry of drugs in pharmacy school - I heard it's less chemistry than might have been thought.

 

[Rx MPLS]

I wish we would learn more about the chemistry of drugs in pharmacy school - I heard it's less chemistry than might have been thought.

Perhaps it depends on the school, but I feel like I'm seeing plenty of drug chemistry in my courses...

 

[jonw]

Needs an "it's interesting" option 🙂

 

[Poetic Silence]

How about a "Lifestyle" option? The pay only becomes decent when you realize you aren't on call like a PA or NP with similar wages.

 

[hello sammi]

I love chemistry, but I wanted to work with people - I didn't want to work in a lab. The medical profession has always appealed to me, but I just wasn't sure how I could fit in. Once I found out that pharmacy was, in essence, a chemistry degree I was sold 😀

 

[Incitatus]

If you want to be a humanitarian, go build houses for habitat for humanity or something. If you want prestige...I have no idea, but it ain't pharmacy! 😆

I actually said this as a joke at my interview for UT Austin CoP. Neither interviewer foind it exceptionally funny beyond giving me a polite smile. 😛

 

[dancingallday]

There are a few different fields that are "interesting" to me, and many that are not. Pharmacy is the one "interesting" field that I think I can really make a decent career out of, so pharmacy it is. Definitely not in it for the riches or prestige.

 

[joetrisman]

Grew up in my father's independent and it seemed like the natural progression after getting a bio degree

 

[NickW9682]

Money. Anyone who says their trying to better humanity and blah blah blah can suck it. Youre full of S***.

 

[confettiflyer]

1) like healthcare; don't like touching people
2) six figures working 40hrs a week, livable $$ working PT hours = awesome work/life balance
3) 4 years + 1 year residency significantly less time than becoming a practicing MD
4) drugs are interesting stuff

 

[NickW9682]

1) like healthcare; don't like touching people
2) six figures working 40hrs a week, livable $$ working PT hours = awesome work/life balance
3) 4 years + 1 year residency significantly less time than becoming a practicing MD
4) drugs are interesting stuff

5) (the realistic one) staring at a computer screen with little human interaction for hours on end.

 

[SHC1984]

6) Some pharmacist get to work from HOME. I don't know any doctors or dentist that get to work from home....

Plus have I mention NO blood or people interaction? That's the reason why I went into it. Six figures AND NO PEOPLE??!! Good deal! 🙂

 

[SHC1984]

5) (the realistic one) staring at a computer screen with little human interaction for hours on end.

+1

 

[confettiflyer]

5) (the realistic one) staring at a computer screen with little human interaction for hours on end.

Nah...you interact with your fellow pharmacists, techs, and nursing looking for missing doses causing your phone to blow up.

 

[rxlea]

Nah...you interact with your fellow pharmacists, techs, and nursing looking for missing doses causing your phone to blow up.

I hate it when the phone blows up! 😀

 

[Poetic Silence]

Nah...you interact with your fellow pharmacists, techs, and nursing looking for missing doses causing your phone to blow up.

I thought it was stubborn medical assistants you peeps had the pleasure of lengthy conversation over the telephone with.

 

[rxlea]

I thought it was stubborn medical assistants you peeps had the pleasure of lengthy conversation over the telephone with.

oh no. don't bring that one up again! 😀

 

[confettiflyer]

I thought it was stubborn medical assistants you peeps had the pleasure of lengthy conversation over the telephone with.

yah for the retail folks

i'm more concerned with the roaming black hole that wanders around the wards eating doses

 

[rxlea]

yah for the retail folks

i'm more concerned with the roaming black hole that wanders around the wards eating doses

This. I did a quality improvement project on missing medications. Interesting findings...it appears there is more than one black hole. I'm debating whether or not to do a follow up study.

 

[confettiflyer]

This. I did a quality improvement project on missing medications. Interesting findings...it appears there is more than one black hole. I'm debating whether or not to do a follow up study.

This may require involvement from CERN.

 

[rxlea]

This may require involvement from CERN.

Hahahaha. I think you're right...or at least the help of some experienced hospital interns/residents 😉

 

[confettiflyer]

Hahahaha. I think you're right...or at least the help of some experienced hospital interns/residents 😉

My gut tells me it's multifactorial. I'm thinking:

1) Patient goes from unit --> floor or vice versa, meds don't follow
2) Nurse borrows a dose from another patient triggering a missing med
3) Med isn't delivered "fast enough" if it's not in an automated dispensing cabinet (pyxis) -- expectation adjustment required.
4) Improper routing by pharmacy -- ie approval w/ no dispensing function (rare)

What'd your findings say anyway? My university's hospital had a dedicated "missing dose" pharmacist manning a dedicated missing dose hotline...that freakin' bad.

 

[rxlea]

My gut tells me it's multifactorial. I'm thinking:

1) Patient goes from unit --> floor or vice versa, meds don't follow
2) Nurse borrows a dose from another patient triggering a missing med
3) Med isn't delivered "fast enough" if it's not in an automated dispensing cabinet (pyxis) -- expectation adjustment required.
4) Improper routing by pharmacy -- ie approval w/ no dispensing function (rare)

What'd your findings say anyway? My university's hospital had a dedicated "missing dose" pharmacist manning a dedicated missing dose hotline...that freakin' bad.

All of the above are factors and #4 was extremely rare. The additional factors were 1) not requesting refills or 2) not having the refill there in time (bag runs dry)- ESPECIALLY for continuous infusions. Oh and the last factor- diversion. Sadly.

The institution I did the study at does have a designated employee to take requests.

I thought of a few interventions that are promising based on the data and would significantly reduce workload burden. My next endeavor is to implement it and record data (the aforementioned follow up study) but that would be a lot of work for just me. The final task would be to take that data and translate it into numnbers- money- to uh... convince administration 😀

Want in? LOL

PS I heart quality improvement.

 

[confettiflyer]

Want in? LOL

PS I heart quality improvement.

I'll get back to you on that, haha... I love processes and am intrigued by things like Six Sigma and Japanese manufacturing ideas being integrated into pharmacy workflow.

And IV's running low = chronic problem. Some nurses are great at it...others not so much. Our guideline is 2hrs before a bag runs dry call us...but when epidurals are dry and a nurse forgets, as much as you want to punish them, I super expedite it anyway cuz it's not the pt's fault.

"Hi I need a refill on XXXX's epidural stat...it's almost dry!"
"Why didn't you call us earlier?"
"I was busy...it's busy up here"
"We're busy too."

 

[rxlea]

I'll get back to you on that, haha... I love processes and am intrigued by things like Six Sigma and Japanese manufacturing ideas being integrated into pharmacy workflow.

And IV's running low = chronic problem. Some nurses are great at it...others not so much. Our guideline is 2hrs before a bag runs dry call us...but when epidurals are dry and a nurse forgets, as much as you want to punish them, I super expedite it anyway cuz it's not the pt's fault.

"Hi I need a refill on XXXX's epidural stat...it's almost dry!"
"Why didn't you call us earlier?"
"I was busy...it's busy up here"
"We're busy too."

We've managed to address that issue at my institution 😀

Now I'd have to try to get it to work at this other place 😉