Working 2 Jobs (Hospital + Retail) during Pharmacy School?

[useruseruser]

Is it frowned upon to intern for two different places (hospital + retail)? I want to keep my retail job, because it's super convenient, my co-workers are awesome, and it would mean potential job security after graduation... but I also want take a stab at hospital life. Maybe if I like it, I can use that experience to apply for a residency, you know?

Has anyone done this or know anyone that has done this? I only work like 10 hours a week right now in retail.

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[Rutgers2015]

Ive done it. I think as long as you can handle working the extra hours then it's fine. The only reason I didn't continue with the retail job is because they became more demanding with hours, they paid significantly less, and I didn't see myself wanting to be with the company long term.

 

[owlegrad]

That is what I did.

 

[xiphoid2010]

Its what I did, 16-20 hrs per week between the 2 places during class and picked up extras to hit full time during breaks. So pharmacy school was preety much 4x365 days of straight work/study but I paid my dues and got what I wanted.

 

[Doc Hawaii]

One classmate worked 40+ hrs for all 4 yrs of Pharmacy School. He needed the benefits, but was a tech for 7 yrs prior. His grades were excellent. His secret? He claimed to read package inserts on the toilet daily. From day 1 he was already familiar with most outpatient drugs and doses. Faculty commented numerous times that he knew more than they did.

A fair number of classmates worked both hospital and outpatient jobs all 4 yrs. A couple had 3 jobs (e.g. inpatient, outpatient, and Audio-Visual Tech at the university).

Needless-to-say, they all were offered jobs from their respective employers. Most had multiple offers. Networking, hard work, an excellent positive 'can-do' attitude, going the extra mile, etc. were exhibited by all of them.

If I recall correctly, a clicker survey showed about 1/3rd of our class of 179 had inpatient pharmacy jobs by the 2nd-3rd yr. Classmates worked in Nuclear, AmCare, Pharmacy Administration, Compounding, and Closed-door pharmacies/settings.

Location: Los Angeles/San Bernardino/Riverside/Orange Counties

Although the job market is tough, most everyone has either a residency or job after graduation. Those who did not work, assumed that residency was a cinch, or who did not play well with others are in limbo.

 

[useruseruser]

Oh wow. I'm surprised to hear that many people did this. I feel like many of my classmates work at one place or the other. Never simultaneously. Now I feel motivated to get a hospital job. Haha. Thanks everyone!

I hope job prospects in Northern California look good in 2016, too, Doc Hawaii.

 

[BMBiology]

Although the job market is tough, most everyone has either a residency or job after graduation. Those who did not work, assumed that residency was a cinch, or who did not play well with others are in limbo.

I would take a grain of salt when someone says he has a job offer. It doesn't mean he is getting enough hours and it doesn't mean he is going to work in the city.

Right now it is easy to get an internship in the LA because USC is the only game in town. But soon Chapman will open south of USC and Claremont will open east of USC. These are world class universities with something to prove.

Things are going to be different when you start to look for a pharmacist job. That is when you have to compete with students in California but also students around the country for a job in the big city.

 

[Doc Hawaii]

His job is 40 hrs/wk with Ralphs. Location: Santa Monica,CA on the ocean.

My point? It is possible to work more than 1 job while in school and still pass.

However, we are all different, and not everyone has the same opportunities or abilities. You need to find a formula that works for you. At the end of the day you need a job as there are no free meals (unless you live at home).

Two classmates landed Kaiser outpatient intern jobs in yr 1...and they both turned the offers down. Why? They echoed the same sentiments: that the minimum 20 hrs/wk at Kaiser (including finals week) + pharmacy school was too much for them. Neither landed another Kaiser internship...although both are graduating.

I am not attempting to paint a rosy picture, because quite a few classmates never interned, and I know 1 who volunteered at a compounding pharmacy to complete his 1500 hrs. It's saturated everywhere according to what we have seen and heard. Just do your best.

 

[Fushi.tarazu]

I would take a grain of salt when someone says he has a job offer. It doesn't mean he is getting enough hours and it doesn't mean he is going to work in the city.

Right now it is easy to get an internship in the LA because USC is the only game in town. But soon Chapman will open south of USC and Claremont will open east of USC. These are world class universities with something to prove.

Things are going to be different when you start to look for a pharmacist job. That is when you have to compete with students in California but also students around the country for a job in the big city.

I disagree. There are Western and loma Linda students that are competing for intern job as well. I know a couple intern that went out of state pharmacy that work as an intern in S Cali during their break or summer.

I heard anecdotes from USC interns that according to their class survey, half of the class couldn't find intern jobs and some had to volunteer to make those required hours. This is all happening before those schools you mentioned open up.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[Doc Hawaii]

I recall about 10-15% did not have an intern job in my year based on a clicker survey. I only know of 1 classmate who had to volunteer at a compounding pharmacy, but there may be more. I have no information on other years.

It is very common to compete against/work with interns from Loma Linda, Western, and Roseman. Those students live all over Ventura/LA/SB/Orange Counties, and commute to their respective schools. Jobs are hard to come by, so it's pretty impressive when people are able to land multiple jobs during school. It will only become more difficult with the new schools.

Dr. Jeff Goad, an expert on immunizations/ID, was promoted in his move from USC to Chapman.
http://blogs.chapman.edu/press-room...-pharmacy-appoints-two-new-department-chairs/

 

[BMBiology]

If 10-2

 

[Transformer]

His job is 40 hrs/wk with Ralphs. Location: Santa Monica,CA on the ocean.

My point? It is possible to work more than 1 job while in school and still pass.

However, we are all different, and not everyone has the same opportunities or abilities. You need to find a formula that works for you. At the end of the day you need a job as there are no free meals (unless you live at home).

Two classmates landed Kaiser outpatient intern jobs in yr 1...and they both turned the offers down. Why? They echoed the same sentiments: that the minimum 20 hrs/wk at Kaiser (including finals week) + pharmacy school was too much for them. Neither landed another Kaiser internship...although both are graduating.

I am not attempting to paint a rosy picture, because quite a few classmates never interned, and I know 1 who volunteered at a compounding pharmacy to complete his 1500 hrs. It's saturated everywhere according to what we have seen and heard. Just do your best.

Is it possible to work more than 1 job while in pharmacy school and still pass?

It's definitely possible. At one point, I had 3 intern jobs (Retail, Inpatient, & Manage care) and maintained a competitive GPA. Almost all of my free time was dedicated to studying and napping. And of course, I had no life. All the hard work did pay off after graduation when I had job offers in a very saturated job market.

It's a big sacrifice and it's not for everyone.

As one SDNer used to tag in his/her posts:....... No Sacrifice, No Victory!

 

[Rockinacoustic]

I do it. It sucked when I was doing 15-25 hours a week during second year, but I made some good money and topics came easier to me during school.

It forced me to manage my time better, and i learned my limits of a work/school and life balance. I hope jobs and residencies will appreciate that.

 

[xiphoid2010]

nd if you are going for residency, ability to manage work load and time is what they want to see. Getting that 3.8 GPA while working 20 hrs a week was chanllenging but it no doubt helped match my #1 choice.