From the article: Pharmacist: Career Information
When choosing a career, it is helpful to get information about it from those who actually work in the occupation one is considering. Please share information about your career as a pharmacist so that those thinking of entering this field can make an informed decision.
- Describe what you do as a pharmacist?
- What do you like about being a pharmacist? What don't you like about it?
- With the proper training, how easy or difficult is it for someone to get an entry level job as a pharmacist?
- Are you happy you became a pharmacist? Why or why not?
Glut, yes
- I have to agree with responses above that glut is already here. Jobs at community pharmacy aka retails are boring and degrading. You learn so much in school and use so little of it in this setting. On the bright side, bright pharmacists carve new niches for themselves and future pharmacists. I am a recent graduate who is looking for a job in Southern California, an area that is "saturated" with pharmacists per hiring managers. However, I am optimistic that the future for GOOD pharmacists remains bright. There will be more opportunities out there beyond community pharmacy. It is our jobs as pharmacists to carve new niches. Good luck to all.
- —Guest pharmdjobseeker
No More Pharmacist Shortage
- The glut is already here!! The recruiter for the [EMPLOYER NAME WITHHELD] Poison Center tells me that (Aug 11, 2009) 6 months ago a posting for a pharmacist position would generate 3 to 4 applicants. Now he gets 20 to 30 applicants. One hospital position at a major Denver hospital generated 40 applicants, according to the hiring manager (if you’re still interviewing for a pharmacist job, and I’m sure many of you are, just ask how many applicants this year compared to last). Schools continue to open, and class sizes are continually increased. In metro Denver, the number of new grads has gone from 120 four years ago to 170 new students in the state school and 60 more at the new private school. That’s almost twice as many! Schools generate revenue by making PharmDs. There is no incentive for schools to consider their students’ employment prospects. An east coast recruiter tells me that all major metropolitan areas are totally saturated for hospital pharmacists.
- —Guest EyesNowOpen
15 years plus
- I love being a pharmacist. I work part-time in a retail setting which allows me plenty of time to volunteer. I have been a pharmacist for 15 years and plan to continue for at least 15 more. The money is great even just working part-time. Every day there is a different challenge and I always try to learn something new each day.
- —KDF5
pharmacist glut developing
- The job picture for pharmacists is not rosy. The schools of pharmacy are dumping graduates in the field and the job opportunities are located mainly in the rural areas. The chain store pharmacies have bankrolled the colleges lavishly, in order to assure ample pharmacists in the pipeline. The workday of the average pharmacist in retail pharmacy is both hectic and boring. The pharmacist is pressured to produce a large volume of work in a short period of time. Eventually, despite the good money to start, the best and brightest try to get out of retail. All these other opportunities that the pharmacist supposed to have and supposed to be doing are mostly not available. The schools have brainwashed the student into taking roles that they do not really have. They just assume that with the growing population, that opportunites will increase--Not so! The increasing use of technicians, the greatly improved technologies available will reduce the number of pharmacists required.
- —mredb
