4 answers
Jamal
Student
Tinley Park, Illinois
2
Questions
4 answers
Lekisha Griffin
Pharmacist
1
Answer
Rochester, New York
Updated
Lekisha’s Answer
If you are interested in becoming a pharmacist, do your research. The Occupation Outlook Handbook which is produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is a great place to start. Reach out to potential pharmacy schools that you may be interested in applying to. You can also see if there is a job opening in a retail or community pharmacy or even a local area hospital for a pharmacy technician. Working as a pharmacy technician will give you an idea of what pharmacy is like and may help you decide if this is the profession for you. I have been in the pharmacy profession for nearly 25 years. I started as a pharmacy technician and worked my way up. I have been a pharmacist for 16 years.
Pros:
1. There are many career options that you can do as a pharmacist. You can work in retail, hospital, long-term care, government, academia, etc.
2. It does pay well. Pay will vary based on location and practice setting.
3. You can work in more than practice setting. Example some pharmacists may work full-time in retail and part-time or per diem at a hospital.
4. You will make a difference in people's lives and it is a very rewarding career.
Cons:
1. Pharmacy school is very expensive. Students can have debts between 150-250K.
2. You may have to work long hours (12-14 hours).
3. Depending on the practice setting, you will deal with rude patients and/or work with difficult nurses and physicians.
4. If you don't do a residency, you may have a difficult time getting a clinical pharmacist position especially in a hospital.
Pros:
1. There are many career options that you can do as a pharmacist. You can work in retail, hospital, long-term care, government, academia, etc.
2. It does pay well. Pay will vary based on location and practice setting.
3. You can work in more than practice setting. Example some pharmacists may work full-time in retail and part-time or per diem at a hospital.
4. You will make a difference in people's lives and it is a very rewarding career.
Cons:
1. Pharmacy school is very expensive. Students can have debts between 150-250K.
2. You may have to work long hours (12-14 hours).
3. Depending on the practice setting, you will deal with rude patients and/or work with difficult nurses and physicians.
4. If you don't do a residency, you may have a difficult time getting a clinical pharmacist position especially in a hospital.
Chongah Lee
Pharmacist
2
Answers
La Mirada, California
Updated
Chongah’s Answer
I’ve seen a few students who dropped out after attending one or two semesters at pharmacy school. I think asking and researching about the interesting career is a good way to start before you decide to become a pharmacist.
Let’s start with pros!
1. There are many career options within pharmacy. With a Pharm D degree, you can work at drug manufacturers, hospitals, retail pharmacy, long term care, pharmacy benefit manager (this job may offer remote work), specialty pharmacy etc…
2. You have a flexible options about living locations. Whether you live in major city or rural area, there will be a pharmacy where you can work.
3. This job gives you a sense of accomplishment!! You will help people live healthier by answering their questions and concerns. Also, you can get satisfaction as you advise other healthcare professionals.
Now, let’s move on to cons…
1. It’s not really flexible job at least in retail pharmacy. You cannot just leave early even when you have family emergency. You need to wait until other pharmacist comes in to cover the rest of your shift. Otherwise, the pharmacy store cannot remain open without pharmacist. It is not a job that you can just leave and finish your work once you come back.
2. Physically, you can get exhausted after long hour shift (12-14 hours) while standing.
3. From time to time, the work will be very stressful. You have to deal with rude customers in very hectic environment. The pharmacy is not Disneyland which means the patients are not there to enjoy their life.
Those are pros/cons of being a pharmacist. I hope this helped you when considering your job. The most important factor when you choose your career is that you really have to look into yourself and ask what YOU truly want to be. It should not be based on what other people think.
Let’s start with pros!
1. There are many career options within pharmacy. With a Pharm D degree, you can work at drug manufacturers, hospitals, retail pharmacy, long term care, pharmacy benefit manager (this job may offer remote work), specialty pharmacy etc…
2. You have a flexible options about living locations. Whether you live in major city or rural area, there will be a pharmacy where you can work.
3. This job gives you a sense of accomplishment!! You will help people live healthier by answering their questions and concerns. Also, you can get satisfaction as you advise other healthcare professionals.
Now, let’s move on to cons…
1. It’s not really flexible job at least in retail pharmacy. You cannot just leave early even when you have family emergency. You need to wait until other pharmacist comes in to cover the rest of your shift. Otherwise, the pharmacy store cannot remain open without pharmacist. It is not a job that you can just leave and finish your work once you come back.
2. Physically, you can get exhausted after long hour shift (12-14 hours) while standing.
3. From time to time, the work will be very stressful. You have to deal with rude customers in very hectic environment. The pharmacy is not Disneyland which means the patients are not there to enjoy their life.
Those are pros/cons of being a pharmacist. I hope this helped you when considering your job. The most important factor when you choose your career is that you really have to look into yourself and ask what YOU truly want to be. It should not be based on what other people think.
Whitney Rosch
Staff pharmacist
1
Answer
Jacksonville, Florida
Updated
Whitney’s Answer
I have enjoyed being a pharmacist-I have a Pharm.D. so that makes the option of clinical positions and teaching a better option. There are many options for employment , not just hospital or retail (walgreens etc.) I have been in the hospital for all of my career. The pay is good, hours are okay - you do have to be able to work weekends, holidays and nights. The options for part tiem and remote work are available as well. Retail has much more interaction with the public, which is good and bad. I feel that we do get respect in the medical arena and we do have a specific place as good stewards of drug utilization. You have to be good at science, math and reading- it is alot of reading of detailed material and having the ability to retain it.
Michelle Snodgrass
Clinical pharmacist
1
Answer
Sierra Vista, Arizona
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hi Jamal!
My name is Michelle. I am a clinical pharmacist at a 100 bed teaching hospital. I also worked in the retail setting for 10 years.
Pros:
1. You will feel a great sense of accomplishment when you can do something to improve the patient's health. It may mean providing drug education or in my case being able to speak to the doctor directly and change a patient's medications to a better regimen.
2. My schedule is usually 7-330 or 6-2:30. I do have 1 evening per week on call. This allows me more flexibility for family time. Also, as a hospital pharmacist, I typically can get off for doctors appointments by going to my appointment and then coming back and working longer. I know not all hospitals are like this, but mine is. In the retail setting, I'd always have to schedule my appointments on my days off. I could never really get off for appointments or emergencies when I wanted unless there was pharmacist overlap.
3. My pay is very fair. I am in a more rural area, and I know that most retail chains are cutting starting pay because of the huge amount of pharmacists flooding the market ( would not recommend retail for your sanity and self worth).
4. I am able to round with both internal medicine and critical care teams because we are a small hospital. This is very valuable to me because I am able to constantly learn and grow as a professional.
Cons:
1. I don't have very much patient contact time. I do miss being able to chat with patients like I could in the retail setting. That was the most fun part of my day.
2. A few of the doctors at my facility are difficult to deal with, but you will have this anywhere. There will always be people who think they are better than everyone else, sadly. Usually, these people know the least. Luckily, they are few in number.
3. Since I work at a teaching hospital, we have residents coming and going all of the time. This makes it difficult to have people that consistently understand policies and procedures. Things change in between their rotations and then we have to explain all the new changes when they come back. Also, the first month with new residents is hard because they make a lot of ordering mistakes due to a lack of knowledge about the ordering system.
4. If you do not go through a residency program, it is extremely hard to get a clinical pharmacist position in a hospital. Residencies are very competitive, and there are not enough positions for everyone that applies. I'm not sure about the exact statistics, but I believe you have slightly les than a 50% chance of matching with a program. If you are worried about the matching process, I would highly advise doing most of your internship training hours at a hospital pharmacy so at the very least you have experience that will enable you to apply for a staff pharmacist position. Once you are a staff pharmacist, the next thing I would do is become board certified. You will likely be eligible for the BPS first which covers most of the knowledge a hospital pharmacist has to have. Having a board certification helps fast track your ability to step into a clinical role which usually means better pay and more preferred hours.
My name is Michelle. I am a clinical pharmacist at a 100 bed teaching hospital. I also worked in the retail setting for 10 years.
Pros:
1. You will feel a great sense of accomplishment when you can do something to improve the patient's health. It may mean providing drug education or in my case being able to speak to the doctor directly and change a patient's medications to a better regimen.
2. My schedule is usually 7-330 or 6-2:30. I do have 1 evening per week on call. This allows me more flexibility for family time. Also, as a hospital pharmacist, I typically can get off for doctors appointments by going to my appointment and then coming back and working longer. I know not all hospitals are like this, but mine is. In the retail setting, I'd always have to schedule my appointments on my days off. I could never really get off for appointments or emergencies when I wanted unless there was pharmacist overlap.
3. My pay is very fair. I am in a more rural area, and I know that most retail chains are cutting starting pay because of the huge amount of pharmacists flooding the market ( would not recommend retail for your sanity and self worth).
4. I am able to round with both internal medicine and critical care teams because we are a small hospital. This is very valuable to me because I am able to constantly learn and grow as a professional.
Cons:
1. I don't have very much patient contact time. I do miss being able to chat with patients like I could in the retail setting. That was the most fun part of my day.
2. A few of the doctors at my facility are difficult to deal with, but you will have this anywhere. There will always be people who think they are better than everyone else, sadly. Usually, these people know the least. Luckily, they are few in number.
3. Since I work at a teaching hospital, we have residents coming and going all of the time. This makes it difficult to have people that consistently understand policies and procedures. Things change in between their rotations and then we have to explain all the new changes when they come back. Also, the first month with new residents is hard because they make a lot of ordering mistakes due to a lack of knowledge about the ordering system.
4. If you do not go through a residency program, it is extremely hard to get a clinical pharmacist position in a hospital. Residencies are very competitive, and there are not enough positions for everyone that applies. I'm not sure about the exact statistics, but I believe you have slightly les than a 50% chance of matching with a program. If you are worried about the matching process, I would highly advise doing most of your internship training hours at a hospital pharmacy so at the very least you have experience that will enable you to apply for a staff pharmacist position. Once you are a staff pharmacist, the next thing I would do is become board certified. You will likely be eligible for the BPS first which covers most of the knowledge a hospital pharmacist has to have. Having a board certification helps fast track your ability to step into a clinical role which usually means better pay and more preferred hours.