Yet another new pharmacy school...

[ItsOverZyvox]

how bout pharm, NP?

no

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[fhx06]

Put a pharmacy residency in one hand and a doctorate (beyond PharmD) in the other hand and see which one adds more weight to a PharmD.


'nuff said.

So paperwork in one hand and research in the other?

 

[FAMUPharmD09]

Let me add to the new school list for 2010:

Concordia-Wisconsin-projects a class size of 300.

Presbyterian College-NC

University of South Florida

USF is opening in 2011 not 2010. Even though they have a med school, it is a bad idea in my opinion. The Tampa market is so saturated, I'm glad I'm done in May.

 

[fhx06]

USF is opening in 2011 not 2010. Even though they have a med school, it is a bad idea in my opinion. The Tampa market is so saturated, I'm glad I'm done in May.

I think all of Florida is essentially covered: Nova and Palm Beach in the south, LECOM-Bradenton and UF in the central, and FAMU in the north.

 

[FAMUPharmD09]

I think all of Florida is essentially covered: Nova and Palm Beach in the south, LECOM-Bradenton and UF in the central, and FAMU in the north.

Not to mention the UF branch campuses in Orlando, St. Pete and Jacksonville and FAMU branch campuses (only for P4 students) in Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

In terms of economic conditions, this is no doubt a bad time to be opening many pharmacy schools across the nation. Nevertheless, let's also remember that many of the baby boomers are beginning to enter their senior years. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why many new pharmacy schools were given opportunities to open their doors?? There is a projected demand for pharmacists in the next five to ten years.

And what happens after 5 to 10 years or once all the boomers die? Generation Jones and X aren't as large as the Boomers. Also, advances in technology had a tremendous impact on meeting the demands of increasing prescription volume.

It just so happens when the first baby boomers became senior citizens last year, the economy fell apart. The question is do we close pharmacy schools now for the sake of saving our high valued and high salary profession now? or do we let schools open, risk a blow to the profession, yet know the projected demand for pharmacist will be met under good or bad economic conditions??

Retiring boomers did have an impact on the economy. It's been shown that people enter the highest consumption period in their late 40's and 50's. Yet, the number of new pharmacist entering the profession and the demand for new pharmacists must be tightly controlled by ACPE which they failed to do. We went from 69 schools in the country just 10 years ago to 120+ . We will have an oversupply of pharmacists. Yes, I would like to see some schools close and there should be a moratorium on new schools opening.

Under current conditions where more and more families are becoming homeless, and there are more elderly people than ever before, Where do we draw the line between meeting the future demand for pharmacists and in saving our profession?

Excuse me? What's families becoming homeless have to do with meeting the future demand of pharmacists?

Lastly, I see a lot of finger pointing. People are screwing themselves over and screwing the profession and screwing others out of a good job. I see a bunch of pessimistic people who are scared for both good and not so good reasons. It is a scary time. People are loosing their jobs. Going from losing their homes to moving into friend's houses to moving to motels to sleeping in their own cars and tents.

What?

Let's face it. We have a really good life. Even if our salary goes down a little, we are still doing well. I'm not trying to promote socialistic ideas, but to let everyone see that we should try to appreciate what we have right now.

You think you'll have a good life with a $200,000 student loan with no job?

On that note, I heard from older pharmacists who graduated 35 to 45 years ago that back then, the majority of pharmacy students were male and the pharmacist salary then was only 30K to 40K (yes, I understand the buying power and cost of living was different back then). Even so, I still believe most pharmacists are getting paid more now than before.

You heard wrong. In 1995, CA pharmacists made around $55K to $60K, highest in the country. My first pharmacist job in 1995 paid $40K. I made $19.75 per hour. 45 years ago, pharmacist jobs didn't pay 30K to 40K.

I'm not sure about you guys, but I'm ready to take a slight pay cut in terms of allowing a few more new schools to open and eventually, meet the projected future demand for pharmacists. (Yes, I'll do it even with my projected/estimated 160k to 200K loan).

No you won't. Because future demand for pharmacists has been measured in terms of how many new stores Wags and CVS would open. Their expansion plan is coming to an end which means in next few years, they will no longer require new pharmacists for expansion. Instead, they will only need to replace retiring pharmcists only if they have to. Also, they'll rely more on technology to meet the demands of increasing prescription volume.

With an oversupply of pharmacists, you will have very little leverage which means they will slave you and do as they please. It also means they'll have you float to places you don't want to go, force cut in hours, and there won't be much you can do about it because there will be new grads who will bend over and take it up the rear to take your job.

 

[MountainPharmD]

• If I was in college today, I would not be applying to pharmacy schools.
• If I was in pharmacy school today, I would be applying for a residency.
• If I was in retail pharmacy today, I would be looking for a way out.

Just My Opinion.

Sage words of advice. I am looking to get out of retail. Wish me luck!

 

[qwead]

Can someone just change this tread from new schools opening to "the end of pharmacists". So much doom and gloom its depressing, even I am getting sick of this, and I promote the whole lets close new schools and stick it to the man(wags, cvs) mentality, but cmon we are in an economic downturn and look at other professions, I see a dr's office in every corner, and so many np's and pa's taking their jobs, I see new technology that can take business from dentists and optometrists, even accounting and business majors are having a hard time. For gods sake even professional athletes have to get a pay cut. Can't we all be a little optimistic here, if you guys really want to stop these new schools from opening than do something about it rather than sitting in your computer and arguing what needs to be done rather than doing it yourselves.

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

Sage words of advice. I am looking to get out of retail. Wish me luck!

Let me now when you're ready. I come across local opportunities all the time. And nationwide opportunities also.

 

[type b pharmD]

Can someone just change this tread from new schools opening to "the end of pharmacists". So much doom and gloom its depressing, even I am getting sick of this, and I promote the whole lets close new schools and stick it to the man(wags, cvs) mentality, but cmon we are in an economic downturn and look at other professions, I see a dr's office in every corner, and so many np's and pa's taking their jobs, I see new technology that can take business from dentists and optometrists, even accounting and business majors are having a hard time. For gods sake even professional athletes have to get a pay cut. Can't we all be a little optimistic here, if you guys really want to stop these new schools from opening than do something about it rather than sitting in your computer and arguing what needs to be done rather than doing it yourselves.

holy **** i never thought i would hear you say that! well at least we know you're not one of a certain other doomandgloomer's alter-ego's.

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

Can someone just change this tread from new schools opening to "the end of pharmacists". So much doom and gloom its depressing, even I am getting sick of this, and I promote the whole lets close new schools and stick it to the man(wags, cvs) mentality, but cmon we are in an economic downturn and look at other professions, I see a dr's office in every corner, and so many np's and pa's taking their jobs, I see new technology that can take business from dentists and optometrists, even accounting and business majors are having a hard time. For gods sake even professional athletes have to get a pay cut. Can't we all be a little optimistic here, if you guys really want to stop these new schools from opening than do something about it rather than sitting in your computer and arguing what needs to be done rather than doing it yourselves.

Ain't you the dude that started the Wag's POWER threads and offical layoffs?

Actually, I think the opportunities in health system pharmacy are fantastic. My line work is getting busier everyday and we're always looking for quality hospital pharmacists, directors, and clinical managers.

That's why I'm promoting hospital or institutional pharmacy.

 

[MountainPharmD]

You heard wrong. In 1995, CA pharmacists made around $55K to $60K, highest in the country. My first pharmacist job in 1995 paid $40K. I made $19.75 per hour. 45 years ago, pharmacist jobs didn't pay 30K to 40K.

I will remember this for the rest of my life. In 1998 I got a job as a work study student with the VA working in the Pharmacy making $5.15 an hour. At the time the Pharmacists were making $48,000 a year and happy. I thought that was awsome and was all for going into pharmacy.

I clearly remember the day someone brought in an recruiting flyer from Osco drug store offering $60,000 a year and 4 weeks of vacation. Everyone about fell out of there chair. They said that was impossible there was no way they could offer so much money.

Here we are 11 years later and pharmacists are making 100,000 plus. It has to stop eventually. I do not think we will be makeing 200,000 a year 10 years from now.

 

[MountainPharmD]

Let me now when you're ready. I come across local opportunities all the time. And nationwide opportunities also.

September 17th, 2009 my two years of indentured servitude will be over. I cannot wait.

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

I will remember this for the rest of my life. In 1998 I got a job as a work study student with the VA working in the Pharmacy making $5.15 an hour. At the time the Pharmacists were making $48,000 a year and happy. I thought that was awsome and was all for going into pharmacy.

I clearly remember the day someone brought in an recruiting flyer from Osco drug store offering $60,000 a year and 4 weeks of vacation. Everyone about fell out of there chair. They said that was impossible there was no way they could offer so much money.

Here we are 11 years later and pharmacists are making 100,000 plus. It has to stop eventually. I do not think we will be makeing 200,000 a year 10 years from now.

You don't make close to $200K now??

 

[SpirivaSunrise]

That's why I'm promoting hospital or institutional pharmacy.

Hey hey hey now. You left out some other avenues!!!

 

[jpharm445]

Can someone just change this tread from new schools opening to "the end of pharmacists". So much doom and gloom its depressing, even I am getting sick of this,

If it is happening, it does us no good to not discuss it.

Can't we all be a little optimistic here, if you guys really want to stop these new schools from opening than do something about it rather than sitting in your computer and arguing what needs to be done rather than doing it yourselves.

I'm with you on that one. Threads like this have been consistently starting on this forum for a while now. Same comments, same people. I can see that the older pharmacists have no motivation to maintain progress in this profession (thanks), but I don't understand why those that have just started practicing, or are graduating soon, or are currently in residency think that they are somehow safe and therefore content with inaction.

 

[MountainPharmD]

You don't make close to $200K now??

Thats only if you sign a five year contract in Alaska!

 

[qwead]

Sry double post

 

[qwead]

Lol, well I will always have a grudge against wags or any company that places money and personal gain over the very people who work their lights out, ple with families and bills. But I guess enough is enough, I posted the whole power thing to spread the knowledge to people so they every one is informed. I have also been proactive, I have sent letters to the corporate office, to the acpe, I even asked sdn to post an article about the oversaturated market in pharmacy, but all have been dead ends. But this whole thing has taken too much of my time and I have episodes wherein I question if this is for me, but I see the sacrifive that I have made and that's what kepps me going, and I have realized that other things are more important than sdn and pharmacy, like me family, friends and my life.

 

[MountainPharmD]

Can someone just change this tread from new schools opening to "the end of pharmacists". So much doom and gloom its depressing, even I am getting sick of this, and I promote the whole lets close new schools and stick it to the man(wags, cvs) mentality, but cmon we are in an economic downturn and look at other professions, I see a dr's office in every corner, and so many np's and pa's taking their jobs, I see new technology that can take business from dentists and optometrists, even accounting and business majors are having a hard time. For gods sake even professional athletes have to get a pay cut. Can't we all be a little optimistic here, if you guys really want to stop these new schools from opening than do something about it rather than sitting in your computer and arguing what needs to be done rather than doing it yourselves.

Thats awsome!!! qweed the doom and gloom Walgreens Power will kill us all is asking us to change the thread to something more optomistic! That is the funniest thing I have read all day!!!! Go start another thread about POWER!!!!

 

[Quiksilver]

Ain't you the dude that started the Wag's POWER threads and offical layoffs?

Actually, I think the opportunities in health system pharmacy are fantastic. My line work is getting busier everyday and we're always looking for quality hospital pharmacists, directors, and clinical managers.

That's why I'm promoting hospital or institutional pharmacy.

This makes me happy to hear I love both.

Personally more and more each day I think about more post graduate education. A couple people have been pushing fellowships right now. Personally, from a students standpoint, academia and research hold alot of promise (clearly, schools are being built, and they need staff. Research tends to set apart good teachers from bad) and that fellowship is seems to shift from just a good idea to a necessity.

I will remember this for the rest of my life. In 1998 I got a job as a work study student with the VA working in the Pharmacy making $5.15 an hour. At the time the Pharmacists were making $48,000 a year and happy. I thought that was awsome and was all for going into pharmacy.

I clearly remember the day someone brought in an recruiting flyer from Osco drug store offering $60,000 a year and 4 weeks of vacation. Everyone about fell out of there chair. They said that was impossible there was no way they could offer so much money.

Here we are 11 years later and pharmacists are making 100,000 plus. It has to stop eventually. I do not think we will be makeing 200,000 a year 10 years from now.

And this is why there are too many programs, demand could have possibly pushed upwards in that direction of a higher salary. Unfortunately as someone else said there were 70 schools 10 years ago. What the hell happened? It took 150 years to build 70 schools and took another 10 years to build essentially double that. Saturation? Absolutely.




I do wonder how the publics perception of pharmacists will be like if there are pharamcists who are not as trained effectively in some of these schools. will the job be disposable? Will it prove the need to automate the job? Will be as trusted, or will I have more to prove?

 

[qwead]

Okay but promise that you'll comment in it it wouldn't be perfect if mountainpharmd dosent comment on my posts, he's like the turd that just never wants to go down the toilet, ahh mountainpharmd, where have you been my whole life

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

Okay but promise that you'll comment in it it wouldn't be perfect if mountainpharmd dosent comment on my posts, he's like the turd that just never wants to go down the toilet, ahh mountainpharmd, where have you been my whole life

 

[chibipinkbunny]

Oooo, this forum scares me. . . I talked to my dad about it, and he said I'm probably in good shape because I'm going to UCSF. I want to move to Sacramento eventually, and at the moment I've heard that the job market there is not saturated like southern CA, but it may still take time to get a job. What with that new pharmacy school is Sacramento I guess getting a job as a pharmacist there will only get harder. . .Boo California has so many pharmacy schools now I don't even think I can count all of them. 7 schools in CA? Is that the right number. I heard a rumor that they're thinking of opening two more soon. One in Fresno, and one in Oakland. I don't know if that might just be a rumor though.

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

Hey hey hey now. You left out some other avenues!!!

Yo, drug repping is dead...

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

Oooo, this forum scares me. . . I talked to my dad about it, and he said I'm probably in good shape because I'm going to UCSF. I want to move to Sacramento eventually, and at the moment I've heard that the job market there is not saturated like southern CA, but it may still take time to get a job. What with that new pharmacy school is Sacramento I guess getting a job as a pharmacist there will only get harder. . .Boo California has so many pharmacy schools now I don't even think I can count all of them. 7 schools in CA? Is that the right number. I heard a rumor that they're thinking of opening two more soon. One in Fresno, and one in Oakland. I don't know if that might just be a rumor though.

USC
UCSF
UCSD
UOP
Western
Loma Linda
Touro
Cal North?

That's 8.


There were only 3 when I got out. And in 1995, there were no jobs. So out of 150 grads...about 3rd of us went into residency not by choice.

Then Wags explosion started in 1996.

 

[qwead]

Maybe we should ask obama for a bailout to all our school loans and ask him if he can create more jobs for us as well. If GM did it so can we, I foresee a stimulus plan for pharmds

 

[qwead]

September 17th, 2009 my two years of indentured servitude will be over. I cannot wait.

You should have an easy transition from retail to clinical, all those tampon bagging, telling ple where the bathroom, where the cosmetics dept is, and of course all that knowlege you obtained like making sure the eggs go with the bread in a bag will definitely give you a heads up on the competition, mountainpharmd the possibilities are endless.

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

You should have an easy transition from retail to clinical, all those tampon bagging, telling ple where the bathroom, where the cosmetics dept is, and of course all that knowlege you obtained like making sure the eggs go with the bread in a bag will definitely give you a heads up on the competition, mountainpharmd the possibilities are endless.

brutal..

 

[evilolive]

Yo, drug repping is dead...

I love the new names instead: "Medical science liaison"! Or will that soon be smoked too?

 

[Transformer]

And what happens after 5 to 10 years or once all the boomers die? Generation Jones and X aren't as large as the Boomers. Also, advances in technology had a tremendous impact on meeting the demands of increasing prescription volume.

You're right, generation Jones, X and Y respectively may not be as large as the baby boomers. But I'm positive, there will be a higher percentage of senior citizens in ten or twenty years than now. Today, on average, Families are generally having less kids than families twenty or thirty years ago, and the elderly population is increasing and living longer than ever before. So, there must exist a projected demand in health care professionals; especially in Geriatrics services.

Retiring boomers did have an impact on the economy. It's been shown that people enter the highest consumption period in their late 40's and 50's. Yet, the number of new pharmacist entering the profession and the demand for new pharmacists must be tightly controlled by ACPE which they failed to do. We went from 69 schools in the country just 10 years ago to 120+ . We will have an oversupply of pharmacists. Yes, I would like to see some schools close and there should be a moratorium on new schools opening.

Schools that are already opened should not close.

Closing newly opened schools (pre-candidate/candidate status) means punishing current pharmacy students for ACPE's failure to tightly control the number of new pharmacists entering the profession.

Excuse me? What's families becoming homeless have to do with meeting the future demand of pharmacists?

Families becoming homeless shows that our poor economy has affected the job market in every sector of employment. The sudden economic downturn contracted the pharmacy job market despite past projections that there was suppose to be a continuing growth in pharmacist jobs through 2016.

You think you'll have a good life with a $200,000 student loan with no job?

Pharmacists like yourself who graduated ten years ago with only 100K or less loans will have a easier time paying off their loans than the pharmacists who graduate now with an average of 200K plus loans.

You heard wrong. In 1995, CA pharmacists made around $55K to $60K, highest in the country. My first pharmacist job in 1995 paid $40K. I made $19.75 per hour. 45 years ago, pharmacist jobs didn't pay 30K to 40K.

Regardless if I heard right or wrong, pharmacists ten or twenty years ago were paid a lot less money than they are now. Your $19.75 per hour proved my point. It was not too long ago that Pharmacists used to get paid as much as a current highly paid pharmacy tech.

No you won't. Because future demand for pharmacists has been measured in terms of how many new stores Wags and CVS would open. Their expansion plan is coming to an end which means in next few years, they will no longer require new pharmacists for expansion. Instead, they will only need to replace retiring pharmcists only if they have to. Also, they'll rely more on technology to meet the demands of increasing prescription volume.

I would almost never work a full time job for retail pharmacies. I was a non-traditional pre-pharmacy student, and I've experienced working for retail/chain stores. Been there, done that...

With an oversupply of pharmacists, you will have very little leverage which means they will slave you and do as they please. It also means they'll have you float to places you don't want to go, force cut in hours, and there won't be much you can do about it because there will be new grads who will bend over and take it up the rear to take your job.

I get the drift on the saturated retail pharmacy market. This is exactly why I'm definitely going the residency route. (even if some of you don't think I'll make it that far as a student from a new school)

 

[Praziquantel86]

Schools that are already opened should not close.

Closing newly opened schools (pre-candidate/candidate status) means punishing current pharmacy students for ACPE's failure to tightly control the number of new pharmacists entering the profession.

That's the risk that you take when enrolling in a school that isn't yet accredited. The schools are required to be forthright and honest about the fact that they aren't yet a pharmacy school, and the students enroll understanding the risks associated with that.

I chose to attend a fully accredited school so I would never be in the position of having wasted four years of my life for no reason. The ACPE should, but will not, put its foot down.

 

[confettiflyer]

That's the risk that you take when enrolling in a school that isn't yet accredited. The schools are required to be forthright and honest about the fact that they aren't yet a pharmacy school, and the students enroll understanding the risks associated with that.

I chose to attend a fully accredited school so I would never be in the position of having wasted four years of my life for no reason. The ACPE should, but will not, put its foot down.

Right, but there are issues of yanking accreditation simply because "there are too many pharmacists coming out in X number of years." This is where antitrust issues come into play.

I mean, most actions need some sort of catalyst to get it started. Someone should capitalize on the next great dispensing error and use that to convince the powers at be that accreditation needs to be stricter. Too bad big pharma has been attracting all the ire as of late (ie the supreme court case regarding the IV push of promethazine, and that one actor's babies getting the wrong heparin dose).

 

[grizzlesgrizzlies]

What I don't get is that ACPE will get in trouble or be in a "monopoly" lawsuit if they ever decide to pick up their balls and not allow some of these schools to open/have stricter standards, but at the same time when you think about it, the fact that a license to practice pharmacy is a monopoly in itself! c'mon people, not everyone can become a pharmacist!

Oh yeah, there are cases when pharmacy schools did close. Fordham University in NYC used to have a pharmacy program, does anyone know what happened to them?

 

[fhx06]

If the ACPE raise the standards for pharmacy schools, I wonder how many current schools may find themselves on probation.

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

Making the Board Exam more difficult to control licensure of pharmacist may be an option if we're concerned about the quality of education of new schools.

 

[fhx06]

Yeah, which will also affect the quality of all other students in current programs... which may not be a bad thing.

 

[MountainPharmD]

You should have an easy transition from retail to clinical, all those tampon bagging, telling ple where the bathroom, where the cosmetics dept is, and of course all that knowlege you obtained like making sure the eggs go with the bread in a bag will definitely give you a heads up on the competition, mountainpharmd the possibilities are endless.

Holy cow!?!?!? qweed opened up a can whoop a%% on me....

qweed...may you be stuck in the Walgreens power central fill center forever!!!!!

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

Holy cow!?!?!? qweed opened up a can whoop a%% on me....

qweed...may you be stuck in the Walgreens power central fill center forever!!!!!

You got your ass whupped pretty badly.

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

You're right, generation Jones, X and Y respectively may not be as large as the baby boomers. But I'm positive, there will be a higher percentage of senior citizens in ten or twenty years than now. Today, on average, Families are generally having less kids than families twenty or thirty years ago, and the elderly population is increasing and living longer than ever before. So, there must exist a projected demand in health care professionals; especially in Geriatrics services.

Higher percentage of senior citizens doesn't mean there will be a higher number of them. Your logic is false. The projected demand in healthcare you speak of will be met through other means, not only by increasing the number of pharmacists.

Schools that are already opened should not close.

Closing newly opened schools (pre-candidate/candidate status) means punishing current pharmacy students for ACPE's failure to tightly control the number of new pharmacists entering the profession.

Diploma mills should be closed. It won't happen but they shouldn't have opened in first place.

Families becoming homeless shows that our poor economy has affected the job market in every sector of employment. The sudden economic downturn contracted the pharmacy job market despite past projections that there was suppose to be a continuing growth in pharmacist jobs through 2016.

Don't you get it that continued growth of pharmacy jobs has been met by almost doubling the number of pharmacy schools in the past 10 years?

Pharmacists like yourself who graduated ten years ago with only 100K or less loans will have a easier time paying off their loans than the pharmacists who graduate now with an average of 200K plus loans.

Wrong. You think it's easier to pay off 100K loan on 40K salaray compared to 200K loan on $120K salary? Think again.

Regardless if I heard right or wrong, pharmacists ten or twenty years ago were paid a lot less money than they are now. Your $19.75 per hour proved my point. It was not too long ago that Pharmacists used to get paid as much as a current highly paid pharmacy tech.

So you're saying because pharmacist made less money in the past it's ok for current pharmacist to make less money? Where is the logic in this?

I would almost never work a full time job for retail pharmacies. I was a non-traditional pre-pharmacy student, and I've experienced working for retail/chain stores. Been there, done that...

What's your point?

I get the drift on the saturated retail pharmacy market. This is exactly why I'm definitely going the residency route. (even if some of you don't think I'll make it that far as a student from a new school)

Good Luck!

 

[PharmDstudent]

So paperwork in one hand and research in the other?

Basically... A residency is nothing more than a certificate, in my opinion. A residency is not required by all institutions. It is "preferred", but experience is also "preferred".
Has anyone done a job search on their own lately? Geez...

All of these combos would be more effective for "advanced education", in my opinion- PharmD/JD, PharmD/MD, PharmD/PhD, PharmD/ScD, PharmD/MHA, PharmD/MBA, PharmD/MPH, etc.


If you can equate two years of working, per WVU's post, to one year of residency, then why wouldn't you try to get a hospital, "clinical"-esque job and make real money for two years instead of getting paid 1/3 your salary for one year of residency (plus all of the bull**** that goes along with it) and then work 1 year for real money. If you can't get a job, then I understand, but there are jobs out there in areas that are not as saturated or less popular.

Some of the areas that I have looked into are still taking BS Pharms as entry level hospital pharmacists- without residencies.



Someone on this thread talks up residencies and MBA's but does not have either, so boooo yaaaa.

ETA: The financial implications of a residency should make it really easy for people to deny themselves of one.

For example- My debt after pharmacy school will be ~$100k. If I were to be paid $30-40k/year during a residency, then essentially, a residency costs the difference between $30-40k/year and what a institutional/"clinical" pharmacist would make- let's say $100k/year. So, effectively, a residency costs $60-70k, and this is 60-70% of my student loans, which cover undergrad and PharmD.
So... each year of residency costs $60-70k. Do two years of residency, add another $60k. That would total $120k, which is more than I owe in student loans for eight years of college.

 

[Prepharm1214]

Making the Board Exam more difficult to control licensure of pharmacist may be an option if we're concerned about the quality of education of new schools.

I think that would be a good route, but is it really fair for the students? They go through 4 years of pharmacy school and lots of debt only to find out they can't pass their last barrier (which is now more difficult). The punishment should be placed on the school not students.

By this post I am assuming they could pass the older("easier") version of the NAPLEX but not a more difficult newer version.

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

I think that would be a good route, but is it really fair for the students? They go through 4 years of pharmacy school and lots of debt only to find out they can't pass their last barrier (which is now more difficult). The punishment should be placed on the school not students.

By this post I am assuming they could pass the older("easier") version of the NAPLEX but not a more difficult newer version.

I know, actually difficult bar didn't help law.

 

[npage148]

I know, actually difficult bar didn't help law.

States could also play hard ball by only giving out a certain number of licenses a year. So, it would end up pushing people around to places that need pharmacists and keep states at staturation from going overboard.

I work retail part time and I've seen my hours get cut do to new graduates and budget cut-backs.

 

[Quiksilver]

States could also play hard ball by only giving out a certain number of licenses a year. So, it would end up pushing people around to places that need pharmacists and keep states at staturation from going overboard.

I work retail part time and I've seen my hours get cut do to new graduates and budget cut-backs.

this would make it interesting, however, politics would never let this happen. The states would loose out on money

 

[confettiflyer]

Yeah, that probably won't fly. You'd have special interest groups (AARP, PIRG, etc...) arguing that such a move is artificially inflating pharmacy salaries in a time when healthcare costs as a whole should be curtailed.

Best bet is to a) increase the requirements to get into pre-cand status by ACPE and b) find new places for pharmacists to practice, a good # of non-teaching hospitals still don't know what to do with new PharmD's.

 

[RutgersEMSOP10]

States could also play hard ball by only giving out a certain number of licenses a year. So, it would end up pushing people around to places that need pharmacists and keep states at staturation from going overboard.

I work retail part time and I've seen my hours get cut do to new graduates and budget cut-backs.

I really don't like this, partially because I'm in NJ and I'd be screwed (ha), and partially because how would you determine WHO gets the licenses? First come, first serve? THIS is unfair to the students because their actual ability is not measured and they, therefore, have NO control over their future.

The board should be made harder, as someone said earlier. I don't agree that this isn't fair to the students because going to pharmacy school should not guarantee you the right to practice - demonstrating that you have that ability, should.

I will be taking the NAPLEX in 2010 and I have no problem with taking a more difficult test if it means that substandard students will be kept from practicing and sullying our profession - I am confident I know my stuff (or will know it by then, ha).

 

[confettiflyer]

Another issue is you delay the inevitable.... do you really think a student who just spent untold amounts of $$$ and four years of their life will walk away from NAPLEX should they fail to pass it?

Of course not... I think we need to make it harder, BUT what you'd end up doing is boosting test-prep programs and just delaying the inevitable. That student who fails and "decreases" the increase in RPh supply that particular year will just pass the next year.

My suggestion: harder NAPLEX to be instituted in 2011, full "two step" type test (written and practical) to be instituted by 2015 (and give fair warning to all the budding pre-pharms out there). Couple this with stricter ACPE requirements, and this could work.

 

[wellwell]

• If I was in college today, I would not be applying to pharmacy schools.
• If I was in pharmacy school today, I would be applying for a residency.
• If I was in retail pharmacy today, I would be looking for a way out.

Just My Opinion.

If you were in college today, what would you be doing instead?

 

[Farmercyst]

Worst case scenario, if I can't get a decent job, I'll go back to SoCalGas, move up to supervisor and make my 6 figures that way.