Health Care Professionals Group

Pharmacists...?

Anyone a pharmacist?...Do you like your job?...What made you become a pharmacist?... I am trying to choose a career that will be right for me, and I thought about pharmacy...I never met a pharmacist before, so if you are a pharmacist or a student studying in this field, I would greatly appreciate your help. What college did your friend go to?...(I think I might be going to the same one)

Public Comments

1. I am not a pharmacist but one of my best friends is, so I know a lot about it! First, know that this requires a lot of intensive schooling. My friend did a 6-year pharmacy program, at the end of which she had her BS, MS and Doctorate in Pharmacy. (Note that you need the Doctorate to be a pharmacist, the other 2 degrees won't do much for you.) This program was very intensive, heavy on science/math coursework and she spent most of her time studying! However, the last 1-2 semesters of her program were based on internships and actual field work, so when her degree was completed she was completely ready to go out and be a full-time pharmacist. She currently works for a retail chain (I won't give specific names, but think along the lines of Rite Aid, CVS, Walgreens, etc.). She does not enjoy retail. She said the customers can be very difficult to work with, as they often blame her for things that are out of her control (doctor didn't call in the prescription, their insurance won't cover it, etc.). She is looking for work in a hospital setting, where she would be dealing more with doctors than actual patients. However, most pharmacists do have to start in retail positions since they are most widely available. On the up side, her pay is awesome! I don't know an exact number but I will tell you she lives in midtown Manhattan and bought a Lexus within her first year of working. So she does very well for herself. Bottom line: even though they get paid like crazy, make sure you enjoy this field first. Try being a pharmacy tech at a retail chain for a while--it will give you good experience. All that money comes with a price--lots of studying in college, long work hours (she usually works 9am-9pm 4-5 days a week), and of course lots of student loans to pay off!
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3. Im a pharmacist, and I can tell you if you like science, or people, or problem solving, or all three, you will not regret becoming a pharmacist. The best thing about pharmacy is that you wont be committed to one field. Sure, you can work retail, or in a hospital, but you can also work in the industry, or in virtually any field that involves medicine in some way or another. The situation in the US is that there is and will probably continue to be a pharmacist shortage for a long, long time, meaning jobs are easy to get and pay well. Its a great job for women who want to work part time with kids too - in fact, its so good, its really putting a shortage on the pharmacists available to work because pharmacy is now about 2/3 female graduates. School is tough, and the job can be very complex, depending on what you do, but it almost always pays well and no matter what , you can be sure that if you need a job that pays about $100,000, you can always find one in a retail pharmacy.