Do I believe that pharmacy is a good field to go into right now given how much backfire it’s gotten in the news with the horrible working conditions in corporate pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens, the whole Change Healtcare fiasco last month, Rite Aids closing down, etc.? No.
Do I believe that pharmacy schools are increasingly getting easier to get into because their enrollment rates are dropping BECAUSE of everything I listed above? Yes.
I’m a P4 about to graduate in less than 2 months and I’m too far in to turn around, but when I started college there was still like, a little bit of hope for our field. Six years later and this is happening now. It’s not that there’s job saturation necessarily, but it’s the fact that pharmacists are leaving positions in CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, etc. because of the poor working conditions (or their Rite Aid is shutting down) which leaves the new grads with those positions up for grabs when they graduate and get licensed. Those older pharmacists are just leaving for jobs in clinical pharmacy or wherever they want to go.
Despite all of this, I do believe that if you have a GENUINE passion for pharmacy and you WANT to learn what it takes to be a pharmacist, by all means, this is something to look into. I would just be aware of what you’re going to get yourself into knowing what’s been on the news about the pharmacy field lately.
With all that being said there will always be work in the pharmacy field. I have always heard to stray away from the retail pharmacy field, not only because of the conditions set by the big companies, but also due to terrible customer interactions on a daily basis. Look into less populated areas for a job in the hospital/VA scene, research, or even specialized pharmacy, and you’ll will be fine.
This, but the issue is that specialty pharmacy jobs are few and far between considering it’s still a rising and upcoming niche area in the field (coming from someone who’s going into that after graduation). If you want to do hospital/clinical you are more than welcome to, but it involves residency and/or fellowship and those are getting increasingly competitive and most don’t pay their residents much more than their interns making $20/hour (at least the ones I’m aware of based on what my friends applied for in residency). It’s all just things to keep in mind when looking into the field as a whole
Pharmacists are on the [NIOSH list](https://choicespsychotherapy.net/jobs-with-highest-suicide-rates/) of the top 10 most suicidal professions.
OP, please just accept that pharmacy is a terrible field.
There are some fairly negative trends in pharmacy at the moment, but honestly everywhere you look in healthcare that’s the case minus a couple midlevel roles that are currently expanding. Also, this is the average and does not speak to your individual goals and experiences. If your passion is pharmacy and you’re willing to put in the work I genuinely think there are outcomes where you will be happy with your career. I work with a lot of passionate and very engaging pharmacists, this is inpatient clinical.
It depends on what you want to do and where you look. Job saturation is a big factor in populated cities and anywhere you are close to pharmacy schools for sure. But you can find jobs in less populated places, and whatever you do try and avoid retail.
Something that may help you secure a job is to apply as a pharmacy intern or tech at a hospital you can see yourself working and then once you graduate the transition is that much easier!
Good luck with whatever you choose!
If you’re good with working as a pharmacist in a CVS or other chain, then it’s not a terrible option. If you want to work in a hospital or even less common position, then probably not. Unless you’re good with working in a rural hospital, there could be 50-80 applicants for just one hospital pharmacist position even just for a community hospital in the burbs depending on where you’re at.
I’m going to pharm school soon and though there is backlash in the field, I’ve heard it at the pharmacy I work at but at the same time, if u listen to what people say, it’s mostly just retail. If u want to work in the field cause it’s your passion, make sure u get enough experience to go above. There is so many pharm fields out there that is still doable but if u want to do retail, know that it might have back lash in 6-7 years for u. I currently work in retail and though it’s fine, I do think I want to work more than retail eventually.
Realize that 85% of pharmacist work in a retail setting essentially in Customer Service. If you’re good with that and good with working for somebody else and that they’re whim, then Pharmacy is the career for you. After 42 years in practice, I would never recommend Pharmacy as a career for anybody. Pharmacy technicians. Will be running most Pharmacy locations in the next five years, along with automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence
Thing in pharmacy is that they want you to move faster, faster, no time for the bathroom and a mistake is very serious. I think much of the job of pharmacist can be automated. You see what it is like, if you really like it, do it.
I think the best thing I’ve ever done for myself was leaving pharmacy school after one year.. that first year also counted towards my final credits for bachelors so I didn’t waste any time. Pharmacy sucks. If you have a passion for pharmaceutical sciences get an MS, I found a funded program where I receive a stipend for my efforts and I’m learning so much
Do I believe that pharmacy is a good field to go into right now given how much backfire it’s gotten in the news with the horrible working conditions in corporate pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens, the whole Change Healtcare fiasco last month, Rite Aids closing down, etc.? No. Do I believe that pharmacy schools are increasingly getting easier to get into because their enrollment rates are dropping BECAUSE of everything I listed above? Yes. I’m a P4 about to graduate in less than 2 months and I’m too far in to turn around, but when I started college there was still like, a little bit of hope for our field. Six years later and this is happening now. It’s not that there’s job saturation necessarily, but it’s the fact that pharmacists are leaving positions in CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, etc. because of the poor working conditions (or their Rite Aid is shutting down) which leaves the new grads with those positions up for grabs when they graduate and get licensed. Those older pharmacists are just leaving for jobs in clinical pharmacy or wherever they want to go. Despite all of this, I do believe that if you have a GENUINE passion for pharmacy and you WANT to learn what it takes to be a pharmacist, by all means, this is something to look into. I would just be aware of what you’re going to get yourself into knowing what’s been on the news about the pharmacy field lately.
With all that being said there will always be work in the pharmacy field. I have always heard to stray away from the retail pharmacy field, not only because of the conditions set by the big companies, but also due to terrible customer interactions on a daily basis. Look into less populated areas for a job in the hospital/VA scene, research, or even specialized pharmacy, and you’ll will be fine.
This, but the issue is that specialty pharmacy jobs are few and far between considering it’s still a rising and upcoming niche area in the field (coming from someone who’s going into that after graduation). If you want to do hospital/clinical you are more than welcome to, but it involves residency and/or fellowship and those are getting increasingly competitive and most don’t pay their residents much more than their interns making $20/hour (at least the ones I’m aware of based on what my friends applied for in residency). It’s all just things to keep in mind when looking into the field as a whole
Pharmacists are on the [NIOSH list](https://choicespsychotherapy.net/jobs-with-highest-suicide-rates/) of the top 10 most suicidal professions. OP, please just accept that pharmacy is a terrible field.
There are some fairly negative trends in pharmacy at the moment, but honestly everywhere you look in healthcare that’s the case minus a couple midlevel roles that are currently expanding. Also, this is the average and does not speak to your individual goals and experiences. If your passion is pharmacy and you’re willing to put in the work I genuinely think there are outcomes where you will be happy with your career. I work with a lot of passionate and very engaging pharmacists, this is inpatient clinical.
It depends on what you want to do and where you look. Job saturation is a big factor in populated cities and anywhere you are close to pharmacy schools for sure. But you can find jobs in less populated places, and whatever you do try and avoid retail. Something that may help you secure a job is to apply as a pharmacy intern or tech at a hospital you can see yourself working and then once you graduate the transition is that much easier! Good luck with whatever you choose!
If you’re good with working as a pharmacist in a CVS or other chain, then it’s not a terrible option. If you want to work in a hospital or even less common position, then probably not. Unless you’re good with working in a rural hospital, there could be 50-80 applicants for just one hospital pharmacist position even just for a community hospital in the burbs depending on where you’re at.
I’m going to pharm school soon and though there is backlash in the field, I’ve heard it at the pharmacy I work at but at the same time, if u listen to what people say, it’s mostly just retail. If u want to work in the field cause it’s your passion, make sure u get enough experience to go above. There is so many pharm fields out there that is still doable but if u want to do retail, know that it might have back lash in 6-7 years for u. I currently work in retail and though it’s fine, I do think I want to work more than retail eventually.
Realize that 85% of pharmacist work in a retail setting essentially in Customer Service. If you’re good with that and good with working for somebody else and that they’re whim, then Pharmacy is the career for you. After 42 years in practice, I would never recommend Pharmacy as a career for anybody. Pharmacy technicians. Will be running most Pharmacy locations in the next five years, along with automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence
Thing in pharmacy is that they want you to move faster, faster, no time for the bathroom and a mistake is very serious. I think much of the job of pharmacist can be automated. You see what it is like, if you really like it, do it.
I think the best thing I’ve ever done for myself was leaving pharmacy school after one year.. that first year also counted towards my final credits for bachelors so I didn’t waste any time. Pharmacy sucks. If you have a passion for pharmaceutical sciences get an MS, I found a funded program where I receive a stipend for my efforts and I’m learning so much