Hello TheMoneyTools family. Welcome back to my blog. I started my career as a pharmacist in 2014. The field of pharmacy hasn’t changed much since I began pharmacy school in 2007. Yes, it took me six years to become a PharmD. I have experience in retail, hospital, and long-term care settings. Even though the job outlook for 2021 to 2031 is only 2%, which is slower than average, there are still plenty of job opportunities if you follow these tips.
Education
It took me six years because I was a transfer student. I completed my Associate in biology at Bunker Hill Community college in Boston, MA, in 2007. When I transferred to The University of Toledo, OH, I spent two years retaking some classes, volunteering at the university pharmacy, and participating in other activities such as a professional fraternity (Kappa Psi). Upon my last year of pharmacy school, I tried my hardest to get a match to a pharmacy residency around the country. I applied to 12 programs and even went to a Pharmacy Residency Conference in Las Vegas to talk directly to the school. In the end, I couldn’t get in. Could you believe it?
TIPS:
I used to think that getting into pharmacy school was hard. But after completing the pharmacy program, maintaining a high GPA during pharmacy school is even more challenging. Our class started with 124 but ended with a little below 100. A few students either got eliminated, dropped out, or changed majors.
It all depends on where you want to work. Most hospitals require new pharmacists to participate in at least a 1-year residency program. If you don’t, most likely you will be working in a retail setting such as Rite Aid, or Walgreens. There is nothing wrong with it because you still make around $120,000 annually instead of around $45,000 during that year of residency. Since I couldn’t get into Residency, I started as a pharmacist floater at Rite Aid in California after graduation.
- First, apply to as many programs as you can. Don’t be afraid to move out of state. If anything, leaving your family and friends and attending school in another state will make you more independent. I picked Ohio because I knew a few friends, and the cost of living is affordable.
- Second, try your best to get at least 3.8 in both Science and regular GPA because it is competitive.
- Third, working or volunteering in healthcare related fields helps.
Career path
When I first started, I was a floater pharmacist for Rite Aid (working from store to store without a consistent schedule.) I had to learn to save money because I could get 40 hours this week but only 10 hours the following week. Fortunately, that only lasted for about two months before my supervisor gave me the opportunity to become the Pharmacy manager for a specific location. After two years of dealing with customers who treated me like a fast food worker, I got an opportunity to work as a clinical pharmacist. I also worked in a long-term care facility at that time, but it lasted only a couple of years. Holding 2 to 3 jobs was normal to me because I wanted to make extra cash on the weekend. After two years, I got promoted to become pharmacy director. Since 2017, I have had experience as a pharmacy director for two different hospitals.
TIPS:
Yes, it can be a lot of stress. Most people got burned out after a couple of years. Patients always want their medication filled as fast as possible. It is challenging to manage controlled substances because there are tons of drug seekers out there. You always have to deal with some shady characters who can come at any time during your shift. Medication prior authorizations take forever, and it will piss your patient off.
Yes. What I often do is keep a full time position at one hospital and work as a per-diem pharmacist on the weekend at another facility. It is challenging.
You have to keep applying. Don’t be afraid to spend more time being a per-diem pharmacist at first to get your foot in the door. Once opportunity opens, you can apply internally.
Stay professional at all times. Follow the law and regulation. Ask the store manager for help when dealing with a crazy customer.
Being a clinical pharmacist is often more appealing than being a retail pharmacist. The perks are:
- You don’t have to deal with rude customers.
- You can apply clinical knowledge.
- Doctors and nurses are easier to deal with than crazy drug seekers
Salary
I hope this is the part you look forward to reading the most. People often associate the monetary value with the job opportunity before making their decision. I agree because that was one of the reasons why I chose pharmacy. When I was in college, I spent less than $15 a day. I felt stoked whenever I made more than $100 dollars on a Saturday as a waiter at the local restaurant. The idea of making over $100,000 annually right after graduation sounded pretty amazing to me.
In 2014, I made $60/hour as a pharmacist. After nine years, I almost doubled my annual salary. A 66% increase in pay over nine years isn’t bad
TIPS:
- One way is to hold more than one job. As I mentioned above, working per diem at one place and full-time at the other is a way to make your paycheck fatter.
- Don’t be afraid to jump from different companies and negotiate salary to increase your income within a short amount of time.
- Set up goals. After getting some experience as a retail pharmacist, my goal was to be a clinical pharmacist working at the hospital. With that goal in my head, I started to apply, and it eventually happened after some effort.
- Don’t settle at one location. Stay active on Linkedin so that recruiter and job alerts come to you.
- Make connections. I got my first clinical pharmacist position mainly due to my roommate, who was a dietician at the same hospital. Once I got in, I tried to get to know everyone from accounting and nursing to engineering staff. You will never know when those relationships will serve you in the future.
Take away points
Overall, I think there is a lot of room for future pharmacists to grow if they are patient and follow the correct path. It takes a lot of sacrifices but the rewards are also worth it as well. I am happy with my decision to become a pharmacist. Last year, I just completed an M.B.A and I hope to use that education to further my career in healthcare. I wrote a few blog about my MBA journey and you can read about it here:
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