Difficulty Getting Clinical Pharmacist Job?

[UncertainOpto]

Hello, I have been considering clinical pharmacy as a career. It sounds appealing to be a part of a patient’s medical team in the hospital wards as opposed to being behind a counter in the pharmacy. Is this a difficult type of job to obtain assuming you completed a residency?

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[bacillus1]

Hello, I have been considering clinical pharmacy as a career. It sounds appealing to be a part of a patient’s medical team in the hospital wards as opposed to being behind a counter in the pharmacy. Is this a difficult type of job to obtain assuming you completed a residency?

"Clinical pharmacy" is a super broad term...different hospitals have varying duties of what a clinical pharmacist or clinical specialist does, and many are "hybrid", where all pharmacist alternate between staff and clinical duties. After residency, just depends what the job market is where you live and how progressive the hospitals around you are. You might need to move, but you should be able to get a position somewhere. Also, nothing wrong with staffing for some time after residency until a more clinical position comes along...I know a few people who did that.

 

[owlegrad]

I really love how you frame your post. Working in hospital=part of the healthcare team. Working in retail=being behind a counter in the pharmacy. Would you be surprised to learn that some pharmacies inside the hospital have counters? Or that some non-hospital pharmacists are part of the healthcare team?

Anyway, yes those jobs are hard to get even with residency. Ask anyone who has recently completed a residency how the job search is going. Going into pharmacy is already a difficult proposition - excluding the single largest category of employment (retail) just makes it that much harder.

 

[Dred Pirate]

Hello, I have been considering clinical pharmacy as a career. It sounds appealing to be a part of a patient’s medical team in the hospital wards as opposed to being behind a counter in the pharmacy. Is this a difficult type of job to obtain assuming you completed a residency?

just peruse the job market forum and you will see
Not sure if you are in school, considering it, or a grad - but ya - very difficult to get good jobs in pharmacy anymore

 

[PharmtoCS]

The vast majority of pharmacist jobs are in retail where you work "behind a counter," and even those are difficult to get nowadays due to hour cuts and record number of students graduating from pharmacy schools each year. Hospital is even more difficult.

I would go for engineering or computer science instead, or go to a coding bootcamp. These options pay well, offer far better job prospects and work conditions, and do not require you to take out $200k+ in loans and spend an additional 4 years of your life in school.

 

[grizzlesgrizzlies]

Hello, I have been considering clinical pharmacy as a career. It sounds appealing to be a part of a patient’s medical team in the hospital wards as opposed to being behind a counter in the pharmacy. Is this a difficult type of job to obtain assuming you completed a residency?

Very easy, as long as you have access to a time machine that sent you 20 years back in time

 

[KidPharmD]

I think we really have to know one thing before we can give good answers -

Are you in High School, College, or Pharmacy school?

Because the answer is the first two then I am going to say you need to consider other career paths. If it is the last one, I am confused about the way you talk about these jobs.

 

[ValeRx]

 

[UncertainOpto]

Are you in High School, College, or Pharmacy school?

Oh no, I’m not in pharmacy school. I’m just looking at career options. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Dred Pirate]

Oh no, I’m not in pharmacy school. I’m just looking at career options. Thanks for the advice.

Don’t go into pharmacy is my best advice. And this is from someone who likes their job and makes good money. I got lucky Most aren’t