Anyone here a pharmacist?

[miker 5,000+ posts]

Retail pharmacist counsel patients on how to take their drugs, and refill pill bottles. That is pretty much 99% of what they do. They are hired to pump out as many prescriptions as possible in a single business day. Worse environment to be in, but they get paid the most.
Hospital pharmacists get paid slightly less, but the environment isn't always as busy. Obviously that depends on what hospital you work for. County hospitals will be similar to a retail environment.

Either one will take alot of schooling, and it will always be pretty competitive. Its only like that because folks think that it is an easy way to make over $100g's / year...which it is after you finish school.

My experience? The life is stressful, and the money isn't worth a career in retail pharmacy. Look into other aspects of pharmacy like nuclear pharmacy, or something else. They don't get paid anywhere close to what a retail pharmacist would, but you don't deal with the bullshit either. If you want to see what a retail job is like go to your local walgreen's or CVS on a saturday during lunch time. The weekends are usually manned at a bare minimum, and all hell breaks loose.

Good luck man...but don't pick pharmacy because of the money. There are plenty of other jobs out there that pay you just as much. Even if they don't just make sure you give yourself a chance to pick a job you REALLY want.

Thanks. Thats was actually exactly what I wanted to hear.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

I am intrigued by the money, to be honest. I can see it getting pretty old after a while, rushing to do the same shit say in and day out. Which is not very appealing, but the money is the other side of the scale.

I really want to find a place where you can sort careers by wages., so I can find something that interests me a bit more, and gives similar pay, but from what I have looked at, this job interests me the most.

Thanks for being serious guys.

 

[DDeitz 10+ year member]

lots of hot girls are pharmacists where i work...just a little fyi

 

[tRidiot 10+ year member]

I can see it getting pretty old after a while, rushing to do the same shit say in and day out.

Welcome to 95% of the jobs adults do.

Thanks for being serious guys.

I am. Seriously.

 

[Spooby 10+ year member]

lots of hot girls are pharmacists where i work...just a little fyi

There are alot of ugly chicks that work in them too.

 

[Spooby 10+ year member]

Also if there is a pharmacist on here I need a hook up on promethazine with codiene cough syrup.

Stop listening to rap music and go read a book.

 

[Spooby 10+ year member]

I am intrigued by the money, to be honest. I can see it getting pretty old after a while, rushing to do the same shit say in and day out. Which is not very appealing, but the money is the other side of the scale.

Before you try to even consider a job because of the money (pharmacy, military contractor, etc), take a look at how taxes work in your state. Depending on your tax bracket your lifestyle may not even change regardless if your pay was $60,000/year or $100,000/year. At the higher pay rate all you really did was work more, work harder (sometimes I suppose), and paid out more in taxes. Lots of people are stuck in the tax game, and I personally hated it when it happened to me.

 

[chinxtaboi 10+ year member]

nisaznmonk.. you went through pharmacy and decided to leave it? thats lotta effort and work just to leave.. i was prepharm for a bit, but realized the chemistry behind it.. and it wasnt me.

 

[Spooby 10+ year member]

There are lots of tax loopholes though. That's why alot of doctors and lawyers do pro-bono work. You think they're doing that shit totally free? They get to claim that work on their taxes so they actually get paid for the pro-bono work.
Also, you're only supposed to get taxed on your profit. So anything you use to work can usually be written off. Like gas to and from work...A car if your job requires it, etc.

Even with the loopholes and the help of my CPA the difference wasn't worth it to me. Again this is just my opinion because I hated the job, and I realized that slaving over pills wasn't worth my sanity. There are plenty of people who love the field, and who love the money they make. I just wasn't one of them. Oh...and doctors make alot more money and have more free time to donate themselves. A pharmacist is a slave to the retail company they work for.

 

[grizzjwill 10+ year member]

Stop listening to rap music and go read a book.

Has nothing to do with rap music

 

[Spooby 10+ year member]

nisaznmonk.. you went through pharmacy and decided to leave it? thats lotta effort and work just to leave.. i was prepharm for a bit, but realized the chemistry behind it.. and it wasnt me.

Never finished it. I was entering my 2nd year of pharmacy school when I left. I already had a job as a registered pharmacy technician for several years, and was still there while I was going through undergrad, and pharm school. The job sucks and I hated every minute of it. The money was ok (as a pharm student you make almost $25/hour), and the potential to make more was inviting (estimated $50/hour). The people I worked with had a super sour attitude about being pharmacists though, and that did contribute to my decision to leave the field. It didn't help the fact that I didn't like it much to begin with. There is only so much you can do in a retail pharmacy, and in the end it comes down to how many scripts you fill in one day. Thats the biggest reasons why there are so many screw ups when it comes to filled prescriptions these days.

But again this is just my opinion because I have been in the field. There are plenty of others who like the job, and even more who would kill for the shot I had in becoming a pharmacist. I could care less about the industry, and I'm glad I left when I did.

NOTE: If you are good in sales you make ALOT more as a drug rep, and you don't need a specialized degree. Do an internet query for Cardinal Health if you need a place to start your research.

 

[chinxtaboi 10+ year member]

did you go to UofH pharm? heard thats tough program to get into, like only the elite get in.

 

[SQL4Life 10+ year member]

University of Houston is a great school for anything graduate...pharmacy, especially optometry.

Im a pharmacy tech right now working in a pharmacy and i enjoy because i enjoy helping people and just interacting with people. Im getting a bachelors degree in biochemistry right now because it is just very hard to get into pharmacy school nowadays. Example- Out of about 2200 applications for 2006, only like 146 got accepted, and schools only receive a class once a year.

its just so interesting to me the drugs and how it interacts with the body and whatnot

 

[miker 5,000+ posts]

Never finished it. I was entering my 2nd year of pharmacy school when I left. I already had a job as a registered pharmacy technician for several years, and was still there while I was going through undergrad, and pharm school. The job sucks and I hated every minute of it. The money was ok (as a pharm student you make almost $25/hour), and the potential to make more was inviting (estimated $50/hour). The people I worked with had a super sour attitude about being pharmacists though, and that did contribute to my decision to leave the field. It didn't help the fact that I didn't like it much to begin with. There is only so much you can do in a retail pharmacy, and in the end it comes down to how many scripts you fill in one day. Thats the biggest reasons why there are so many screw ups when it comes to filled prescriptions these days.
But again this is just my opinion because I have been in the field. There are plenty of others who like the job, and even more who would kill for the shot I had in becoming a pharmacist. I could care less about the industry, and I'm glad I left when I did.

NOTE: If you are good in sales you make ALOT more as a drug rep, and you don't need a specialized degree. Do an internet query for Cardinal Health if you need a place to start your research.

So what did you switch to?

Anyway, I'm kinda confused about the school. I have been reading about it a bit, and here's my take on it, please tell me if I'm wrong.

You get your 4year, then you apply at a PharmD school, and go there for 2 years? 1 of which is working?

 

[SQL4Life 10+ year member]

try and get a job as a pharmacy tech or shadow a pharmacist to see if u enjoy it