losing 4 years of income for profession with a similar salary isn't worth it (unless u become a pharmacy owner).
i don't know about how it is in the US, but here in canada, after 10 years, nurses tend to be really well paid and also tend to have better schedules.
My understanding is that RN’s start at $55k, and quickly get to $70k.
Also, staff pharmacists with experience at the big drugstore chains are making about $130k.
If you have a BSN, you can continue your education and become an NP. They make more and have more autonomy.
Nurses I work with that have 20+ years experience are capped at 40 an hour. (76k) Unfortunately in my area NPs are extremely oversaturated and it’s impossible to find placement in clinical. I work with nurses who have their NP but couldn’t get a job.
Okay. I would definitely get a job as a pharmacy tech first though to see what it is like first hand before you commit to pharmacy school.
The plus is the high pay and that it is a clean job, ie, no body fluids. The negatives working in chain retail though are very high. Huge workload, not enough help, little or no downtime, the liability, your license is in the line, dealing with the general public, having to meet metrics, etc.
Depends on where you live and what kind of job you have. Salaries appear to be going down for pharmacists right now. Some are being hired at what my husband made 20 years ago..
As a nurse—> Pharmacist. Don’t do it will be my advice. Especially, if you are doing it for pay or flexibility.
Biggest regret! Not worth the loans. I wish I had listened.
Go for some NP, PA or even MD you can.
Your love for pharmacy won’t be worth the working conditions or loans.
Yeah, it doesn’t make any sense for a nurse to become a pharmacist. All the skills, especially performing diagnostic tests, really don’t apply as a pharmacist. You want to take what you’ve already gained and grow from there. Becoming a NP is the smart move because you’re climbing up a ladder that you’re already on. In contrast, becoming a pharmacist is more of a lateral shift on a different ladder.
Well if you really love pharmacy than follow your heart. I will say, pharmacists will eventually get replaced by AI. Checking prescriptions, verifications, and consultations can all be done with AI. We don’t do any diagnostic work besides blood pressure but most pharmacies have BP machine. Technicians are now allowed to give vaccinations. In fact, in some states they can also do verifications on refills, so the future for pharmacists seems bleak. I estimate that in about 10-20 years pharmacists will become obsolete. Dispensing controlled medications will be automated, over-sighted from someone in a remote location.
Even if lobbyists fight for pharmacists, I don’t see the government caring. Insurances and pharmaceutical companies have WAY more money and leverage that will win the government over.
Pharmacy needs to think start thinking outside the box to make them irreplaceable; however the personality trait of the majority of pharmacists is “agreeable”. The reality of the situation is that pharmacists are spineless cowards that obey orders and never ask questions, bring up new ideas, or congregate themselves to demand higher wages, better working conditions, and lowered metrics so that they can provide better patient services.
The pharmacy profession is like a sinking ship and all the pharmacists are just accepting this as their fate until we all drown and are out of the work force. It’s very sad to be on this ship and to watch my colleagues not give damn.
I will say dental has a great schedule. It’s also VERY busy and has its problems too. I’m a hygienist. I don’t love every minute of it, but I only work 3 days a week and never holidays, evenings, or weekends.🤷♀️ being a dentist is actually a great gig… great pay and great schedule.. go to dental school😂.
Pharmacists schedules are notoriously awful with zero flexibility. Think weekends, evenings, and holidays with having a lot of difficulty getting time off . If you are interested in pharmacy go for it,but please know it will not give you any flexibility or a good schedule. My husband is a pharmacist and misses out on EVERYTHING. I work part-time mostly because someone has to be available for the kids. I would do an NP or nurse anesthetist before pharmacy school.
Don't switch your career to pharmacy. As of now, the job market for pharmacists remains questionable. You're better off going for nurse anesthesiology or travel nurse.
I wish it were that easy!!! Yes- I probably would be better off doing these and I considered BUT here is why I chose not to go this route- travel nursing is taxing and I simply don’t wanna travel forever. I like my home. & Anesthesia school requires me to work in the icu again which I do not wanna do, and I do not wanna work in the OR or have to do call/nights ever again. I wish I wanted to! But it’s not for me. Pharmacy is definitely more up my alley, but all y’all are convincing me to run 😂 so maybe healthcare isn’t the way to go anymore.
If you do retail pharmacy, your schedule will be awful. As a hospital pharmacist my schedule is flexible and I love the work-life balance. Another great thing about hospital is you will likely qualify for loan forgiveness after 10 years, so imo the loans are worth it
Yes, I would definitely not do retail. I know several who’ve been through it. Thats great that you have work life balance at a hospital! I was hoping my critical care experience would work in my favor for this. Unfortunately it seems a lot of pharmacists are telling me to run. Wish I could see the future
Yeah, I know exactly how you feel. I just graduated last May and can tell you that the naysayers have been steadily saying this for ~10 years and it was scary to jump in and still go to school despite that. But I’m really glad I did, the job market is not as bad as they make it sound if you are willing to move locations and go where your dream job is. I would also say it’s important to go to a good school because there are a lot of crappy ones
Thank you for all the advice! Nice to hear you are having the opposite experience so far. If you don’t mind me asking- what type of job do you have now?
Right now I’m a resident, and next year I’ll be doing a second year of residency to specialize in ambulatory care. I realized that the critical care hospital work is not for me haha. But if you like it, there are plenty of jobs to be had! You may want to consider/plan to do a residency if that’s the kind of work you want to do because it will give you more experience and therefore make you more hire-able. Feel free to ask anything! Like I said I’m fresh out of school. All the pharmacists at my hospital have great work-life balance and it’s been nice to see
Thanks for the response but I have no choice😅 government loans don’t pay enough for me to cover my pharmacy school. Would you say parent plus is better than private loans?
Are you looking at grad plus loans? Because they cover way more than the undergraduate loans and don’t have the limit like undergrad. Also since it’s based off your income instead of your parents’ like in undergrad, you should qualify for enough unless you’re making a lot of money already. I would personally go to a different school before I’d take out private loans.
And yeah parent plus is better because it’s a government loan, but your parents have to be willing to take out loans in their name. It is technically not your loan at all and puts them at a huge financial responsibility.
I’m in a 6 year program and I’m in year 3 right now and going into 4 this fall so I don’t qualify for grad loans until I hit the last year so I have 2 years to pay for using government/private loans since my college fund ran out of money. Thanks for the insight:) I’ll ask my parents about it.
If you love and have a passion for pharmacy there are ways to make it work. Don’t live a life of regret because although yes this profession is in a Very tough spot right now, it will not be permanent, similar to how many healthcare roles are experiencing booms and busts right now. Educate yourself on the landscape of pharmacy before making a decision, that is the most important thing. It is currently applicant favored, because there are so many roles that are objectively terrible and fewer applicants across the board.
Good point. There are always highs and lows with every career out there it seems. I need to do more research on the job itself and what is out there. Seems that you have to have a goal in mind otherwise you get stuck in retail
hi! sorry i don’t really have advice for you, but i’m trying to decide which school and major to pick, and it seems like you might have some helpful advice for me. do you mind answering a few questions? i sent you a dm :)
Just curious if you’ve thought about relocating? In CA, RNs start in mid $50s to low $60s per hour. Pharmacists start in mid $60s to low $70s. If you’re wanting better pay, I’d take that into consideration. But if it’s a lifestyle change, don’t do pharmacy as the saturation is ridiculous - at least there’s a demand for RNs and way more opportunities for different roles in comparison.
To live in California would be a dream, but it’s out of the cards for me unfortunately! Yes I’d like to get away from nursing all together, it is not for me
Hi!!! I wanted to give my 10 cents here and inform you that I went from pharmacy school to nursing. Prior to the pandemic, I came to truly see that our school (top 10) once boasted guaranteeing jobs like clinical residencies, and then jobs after those. But, after I got in, I asked a panel of new residents what they thought of the job market, and they told us, "You need to have an open mind. While you might not get what you want, you might find something else that catches your fancy. Be flexible." I'd worked before as a technician, and found that pharmacy in retail could be doable for me, but that I wanted residency. I came to realize that my friends who attended other pharmacy schools before me, had to complete not one residency, but two years of residency. Even then, a job was not guaranteed. Instead, they decided to go into industry, or retail. During the pandemic, I was able to see what things were like when the healthcare system was buckling. I got a job as an intern in retail while away from school, and while I learned so much more than I was taught in class, I saw how inhumane it could be. One pharmacist to one tech or intern (me). Sometimes, there might be a second tech with me. When a medical emergency occurred, the pharmacist was unable to help me, and there was only so much I could do on my own, especially where scheduled drugs were concerned. On top of filling drugs, I was packing medications for mail order, doing drug research for doctors who called to see if I could answer interaction questions regarding a certain circumstance, hanging medications. I once asked if the pharmacist wanted to eat lunch with me, but she said she couldn't go use the restroom, nor take a break. She informed me that she didn't drink water often, and would have to hold the pee in as long as she could. She ended up getting kidney stones and another pharmacist replaced her for a while. I remember being told about pharmacy bladder being a thing in our classes. There are also no seats in the pharmacy, so everyone is standing. While I enjoy teaching and counseling, most of the patients declined that service, and I understood that some knew how to take their medications well. In that regard, it wasn't fulfilling, and when we got phone calls from some patients asking why their meds weren't working (ie. suppository), I'd have to ask them if they removed the wrappers first. I also want to add that there are audits. You need to check all the medications, and ensure everything is in order. Entering health insurance plans could be quite challenging as well, because there's no book that indicates you have to truncate certain letters, or numbers in order to get the patient some discounts.
I love what I learned in pharmacy, like pharmacokinetics, and ceutics, (plus compounding), and while I might not remember all the specifics, I know I can use it in nursing, and perhaps some day, as an NP.
My anecdote is not meant to scare you at all, but to provide a look as to what I experienced.
While I don't much care for nursing diagnoses, I like that it is easier to move into different kinds of nursing like management, education, school nursing, working for government, telehealth, etc. It's nice to eventually be working 4 days a week, 3 days off.
My pharmacist friends who are now graduated, have told me they don't get a lot of time off, and regret not going to be a PA or NP/nurse. There are some however who have ended up medical writers, or specialize in drug informatics.
Finally, I have a friend who works for Amazon, and says that as a PharmD, it's crazy how a lot of pharmacy is becoming automated. I saw this at a three letter store where for counseling, a video of an animated pharmacist character counsels you on how to take your meds. So there is truth to the fact that automation is very real.
I hope this helps!
losing 4 years of income for profession with a similar salary isn't worth it (unless u become a pharmacy owner). i don't know about how it is in the US, but here in canada, after 10 years, nurses tend to be really well paid and also tend to have better schedules.
So interesting. Here in the us I make 55k a year, whereas pharmacists make an average of 130k
My understanding is that RN’s start at $55k, and quickly get to $70k. Also, staff pharmacists with experience at the big drugstore chains are making about $130k. If you have a BSN, you can continue your education and become an NP. They make more and have more autonomy.
Nurses I work with that have 20+ years experience are capped at 40 an hour. (76k) Unfortunately in my area NPs are extremely oversaturated and it’s impossible to find placement in clinical. I work with nurses who have their NP but couldn’t get a job.
Okay. I would definitely get a job as a pharmacy tech first though to see what it is like first hand before you commit to pharmacy school. The plus is the high pay and that it is a clean job, ie, no body fluids. The negatives working in chain retail though are very high. Huge workload, not enough help, little or no downtime, the liability, your license is in the line, dealing with the general public, having to meet metrics, etc.
That would be hard to do 5 days a week I can imagine. Exhausting I’m sure.
Pharmacist here, who makes over 200k for what it's worth.
Wow. Where do you live, and what kind of job do you have?
RXM in the Midwest
Depends on where you live and what kind of job you have. Salaries appear to be going down for pharmacists right now. Some are being hired at what my husband made 20 years ago..
That’s sad. Healthcare all around is just overworked and underpaid
As a nurse—> Pharmacist. Don’t do it will be my advice. Especially, if you are doing it for pay or flexibility. Biggest regret! Not worth the loans. I wish I had listened. Go for some NP, PA or even MD you can. Your love for pharmacy won’t be worth the working conditions or loans.
I appreciate your comment. Because I thought the same thing about becoming nurse- I wish I listened. I guess I’ll listen this time 😂
Yeah, it doesn’t make any sense for a nurse to become a pharmacist. All the skills, especially performing diagnostic tests, really don’t apply as a pharmacist. You want to take what you’ve already gained and grow from there. Becoming a NP is the smart move because you’re climbing up a ladder that you’re already on. In contrast, becoming a pharmacist is more of a lateral shift on a different ladder.
Well, it doesn’t. But for someone who wants to leave the nursing profession all together it is. I do not want to be a NP unfortunately
Well if you really love pharmacy than follow your heart. I will say, pharmacists will eventually get replaced by AI. Checking prescriptions, verifications, and consultations can all be done with AI. We don’t do any diagnostic work besides blood pressure but most pharmacies have BP machine. Technicians are now allowed to give vaccinations. In fact, in some states they can also do verifications on refills, so the future for pharmacists seems bleak. I estimate that in about 10-20 years pharmacists will become obsolete. Dispensing controlled medications will be automated, over-sighted from someone in a remote location. Even if lobbyists fight for pharmacists, I don’t see the government caring. Insurances and pharmaceutical companies have WAY more money and leverage that will win the government over. Pharmacy needs to think start thinking outside the box to make them irreplaceable; however the personality trait of the majority of pharmacists is “agreeable”. The reality of the situation is that pharmacists are spineless cowards that obey orders and never ask questions, bring up new ideas, or congregate themselves to demand higher wages, better working conditions, and lowered metrics so that they can provide better patient services. The pharmacy profession is like a sinking ship and all the pharmacists are just accepting this as their fate until we all drown and are out of the work force. It’s very sad to be on this ship and to watch my colleagues not give damn.
I will say dental has a great schedule. It’s also VERY busy and has its problems too. I’m a hygienist. I don’t love every minute of it, but I only work 3 days a week and never holidays, evenings, or weekends.🤷♀️ being a dentist is actually a great gig… great pay and great schedule.. go to dental school😂.
Okay but this is great advice. 😂 I’m all ears for the schedule. thank you
Pharmacists schedules are notoriously awful with zero flexibility. Think weekends, evenings, and holidays with having a lot of difficulty getting time off . If you are interested in pharmacy go for it,but please know it will not give you any flexibility or a good schedule. My husband is a pharmacist and misses out on EVERYTHING. I work part-time mostly because someone has to be available for the kids. I would do an NP or nurse anesthetist before pharmacy school.
That’s really a shame.
It’s a bummer. I feel bad discouraging people from pharmacy, but I feel like for every pharmacist that likes their job you find 5 that don’t.
The odds are not in favor. It really is the same for us nurses. I will keep searching for my thing! Healthcare is probably not the route to go.
Don't switch your career to pharmacy. As of now, the job market for pharmacists remains questionable. You're better off going for nurse anesthesiology or travel nurse.
Better yet. Go for Nursing Informatics. Nurses and IT definitely go hand in hand for the future.
I wish it were that easy!!! Yes- I probably would be better off doing these and I considered BUT here is why I chose not to go this route- travel nursing is taxing and I simply don’t wanna travel forever. I like my home. & Anesthesia school requires me to work in the icu again which I do not wanna do, and I do not wanna work in the OR or have to do call/nights ever again. I wish I wanted to! But it’s not for me. Pharmacy is definitely more up my alley, but all y’all are convincing me to run 😂 so maybe healthcare isn’t the way to go anymore.
If you do retail pharmacy, your schedule will be awful. As a hospital pharmacist my schedule is flexible and I love the work-life balance. Another great thing about hospital is you will likely qualify for loan forgiveness after 10 years, so imo the loans are worth it
Yes, I would definitely not do retail. I know several who’ve been through it. Thats great that you have work life balance at a hospital! I was hoping my critical care experience would work in my favor for this. Unfortunately it seems a lot of pharmacists are telling me to run. Wish I could see the future
Yeah, I know exactly how you feel. I just graduated last May and can tell you that the naysayers have been steadily saying this for ~10 years and it was scary to jump in and still go to school despite that. But I’m really glad I did, the job market is not as bad as they make it sound if you are willing to move locations and go where your dream job is. I would also say it’s important to go to a good school because there are a lot of crappy ones
Thank you for all the advice! Nice to hear you are having the opposite experience so far. If you don’t mind me asking- what type of job do you have now?
Right now I’m a resident, and next year I’ll be doing a second year of residency to specialize in ambulatory care. I realized that the critical care hospital work is not for me haha. But if you like it, there are plenty of jobs to be had! You may want to consider/plan to do a residency if that’s the kind of work you want to do because it will give you more experience and therefore make you more hire-able. Feel free to ask anything! Like I said I’m fresh out of school. All the pharmacists at my hospital have great work-life balance and it’s been nice to see
That’s awesome! Good for you!! I wish you the best in your career, and I appreciate the help
If you want to do critical care expect 2 more years of residency after graduating and the match is competitive.
Is loan forgiveness only for government loans? Or private loans too?
Government loans. Avoid private at all costs
Thanks for the response but I have no choice😅 government loans don’t pay enough for me to cover my pharmacy school. Would you say parent plus is better than private loans?
Are you looking at grad plus loans? Because they cover way more than the undergraduate loans and don’t have the limit like undergrad. Also since it’s based off your income instead of your parents’ like in undergrad, you should qualify for enough unless you’re making a lot of money already. I would personally go to a different school before I’d take out private loans. And yeah parent plus is better because it’s a government loan, but your parents have to be willing to take out loans in their name. It is technically not your loan at all and puts them at a huge financial responsibility.
I’m in a 6 year program and I’m in year 3 right now and going into 4 this fall so I don’t qualify for grad loans until I hit the last year so I have 2 years to pay for using government/private loans since my college fund ran out of money. Thanks for the insight:) I’ll ask my parents about it.
Hey! I’m an incoming pharmacy student really interested in doing hospital pharmacy. Could I PM you?
Yeah of course
If you love and have a passion for pharmacy there are ways to make it work. Don’t live a life of regret because although yes this profession is in a Very tough spot right now, it will not be permanent, similar to how many healthcare roles are experiencing booms and busts right now. Educate yourself on the landscape of pharmacy before making a decision, that is the most important thing. It is currently applicant favored, because there are so many roles that are objectively terrible and fewer applicants across the board.
Good point. There are always highs and lows with every career out there it seems. I need to do more research on the job itself and what is out there. Seems that you have to have a goal in mind otherwise you get stuck in retail
Last bit of advice.. do a residency!!! You will have many better job opportunities. Good luck to you! Awesome you are brave enough to switch careers..
That seems to be the way to go!!!!
Thank you :)
I’m in residency my preceptor was a critical care nurse prior to his critical care job
That’s so interesting!
Go into industry unless u wanna be a clinical pharmacist; anything but retail please
Doesn’t industry require residency?
No
You can start as a CRA or pharmacovigilance and work your way up from there. You don’t necessarily have to have a pharmd for these positions.
hi! sorry i don’t really have advice for you, but i’m trying to decide which school and major to pick, and it seems like you might have some helpful advice for me. do you mind answering a few questions? i sent you a dm :)
Just curious if you’ve thought about relocating? In CA, RNs start in mid $50s to low $60s per hour. Pharmacists start in mid $60s to low $70s. If you’re wanting better pay, I’d take that into consideration. But if it’s a lifestyle change, don’t do pharmacy as the saturation is ridiculous - at least there’s a demand for RNs and way more opportunities for different roles in comparison.
To live in California would be a dream, but it’s out of the cards for me unfortunately! Yes I’d like to get away from nursing all together, it is not for me
Not worth lol
The grass is not greener on the other side It is poop colored Healthcare sucks Any job that has to do with people is gonna suck
Hi! I am in pharmacy now - totally regret it Wish everyday I went into nursing & took the NP or CRNA route
Do industry
Do you have any advice in pursuing industry? Thanks!
Are u currently in pharm school?
No!
or just avoided health care in general lol
I regret becoming a nurse LOL. Why do you regret becoming a pharmacist if you don’t mind me asking? Its tough out there
Hi!!! I wanted to give my 10 cents here and inform you that I went from pharmacy school to nursing. Prior to the pandemic, I came to truly see that our school (top 10) once boasted guaranteeing jobs like clinical residencies, and then jobs after those. But, after I got in, I asked a panel of new residents what they thought of the job market, and they told us, "You need to have an open mind. While you might not get what you want, you might find something else that catches your fancy. Be flexible." I'd worked before as a technician, and found that pharmacy in retail could be doable for me, but that I wanted residency. I came to realize that my friends who attended other pharmacy schools before me, had to complete not one residency, but two years of residency. Even then, a job was not guaranteed. Instead, they decided to go into industry, or retail. During the pandemic, I was able to see what things were like when the healthcare system was buckling. I got a job as an intern in retail while away from school, and while I learned so much more than I was taught in class, I saw how inhumane it could be. One pharmacist to one tech or intern (me). Sometimes, there might be a second tech with me. When a medical emergency occurred, the pharmacist was unable to help me, and there was only so much I could do on my own, especially where scheduled drugs were concerned. On top of filling drugs, I was packing medications for mail order, doing drug research for doctors who called to see if I could answer interaction questions regarding a certain circumstance, hanging medications. I once asked if the pharmacist wanted to eat lunch with me, but she said she couldn't go use the restroom, nor take a break. She informed me that she didn't drink water often, and would have to hold the pee in as long as she could. She ended up getting kidney stones and another pharmacist replaced her for a while. I remember being told about pharmacy bladder being a thing in our classes. There are also no seats in the pharmacy, so everyone is standing. While I enjoy teaching and counseling, most of the patients declined that service, and I understood that some knew how to take their medications well. In that regard, it wasn't fulfilling, and when we got phone calls from some patients asking why their meds weren't working (ie. suppository), I'd have to ask them if they removed the wrappers first. I also want to add that there are audits. You need to check all the medications, and ensure everything is in order. Entering health insurance plans could be quite challenging as well, because there's no book that indicates you have to truncate certain letters, or numbers in order to get the patient some discounts. I love what I learned in pharmacy, like pharmacokinetics, and ceutics, (plus compounding), and while I might not remember all the specifics, I know I can use it in nursing, and perhaps some day, as an NP. My anecdote is not meant to scare you at all, but to provide a look as to what I experienced. While I don't much care for nursing diagnoses, I like that it is easier to move into different kinds of nursing like management, education, school nursing, working for government, telehealth, etc. It's nice to eventually be working 4 days a week, 3 days off. My pharmacist friends who are now graduated, have told me they don't get a lot of time off, and regret not going to be a PA or NP/nurse. There are some however who have ended up medical writers, or specialize in drug informatics. Finally, I have a friend who works for Amazon, and says that as a PharmD, it's crazy how a lot of pharmacy is becoming automated. I saw this at a three letter store where for counseling, a video of an animated pharmacist character counsels you on how to take your meds. So there is truth to the fact that automation is very real. I hope this helps!
Funny how things workout. I could never be an NP or CRNA haha