My girlfriend is thinking about becoming a pharmacist, but I heard that pharmacist salaries have been drastically reduced. Is that true?

[thisismyacct]

How much of a starting salary can she expect? I don't want her to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars if she's only going to make like $50,000.

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[angelsplight]

Depends on location. Some places have reduced dramatically like Southern areas of the US while some others haven't dropped too much such as the East Coast (Dropped by only around 10k a year) but pharmacy jobs have also dropped in amount significantly on the East Coast due to insurances screwing over independents and chains closing down left and right. That's before you take into account the amount of new grads flooding the job market fighting for the scraps of the existing and declining amount of jobs. The bigger problem is that the full time jobs are mostly taken and the available jobs are mostly part time and per diem which will really not do you any good in paying off the debt.

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

$50,000 is about where salaries are going to be in 5 years. New grads are currently starting out at around $80-90k now when factoring in number of hours guaranteed a week (24-32), and salaries are dropping at an exponential rate because we’ve hit the tipping point of market saturation with the graduating class of 2019. So no, don’t go into pharmacy.

 

[MrBonita]

This is the game plan. Find a full time job and support her during pharmacy school and pay all her tuition. After she graduates, she can take care of you.

On a side note. I saw a couple of females at pharmacy school get divorces and marry someone in their pharmacy school.

 

[PharmtoCS]

This is the game plan. Find a full time job and support her during pharmacy school and pay all her tuition. After she graduates, she can take care of you.

On a side note. I saw a couple of females at pharmacy school get divorces and marry someone in their pharmacy school.

Lol...the OP will be the one taking care of the girlfriend and her student loans as she struggles to find gainful employment.

 

[thisismyacct]

$50,000 is about where salaries are going to be in 5 years. New grads are currently starting out at around $80-90k now when factoring in number of hours guaranteed a week (24-32), and salaries are dropping at an exponential rate because we’ve hit the tipping point of market saturation with the graduating class of 2019. So no, don’t go into pharmacy.

ouch. that's terrible to hear.

 

[mentos]

Lol...the OP will be the one taking care of the girlfriend and her student loans as she struggles to find gainful employment.

Then the gf will graduate debt free and dump him for someone else. Winning!

 

[mentos]

How much of a starting salary can she expect? I don't want her to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars if she's only going to make like $50,000.

By the time she finishes pharmacy school I'd say to expect either $0 since there are no jobs, or $70-75k if she is lucky enough to find full time (32 hours per week) employment.

 

[BidingMyTime]

Salaries are dropping, but it's hard to say how much they will continue dropping in the next 5 years. Currently, depending on geographical area and area of pharmacy, she could expect to make $80,000 -$120,000, IF she got a full time job. Most pharmacists are now being hired 24 -32 hrs/week, and the unemployment rate is as high as 25% in some geographical areas. I don't expect salaries to drop tremendously over the next 5 years (although they will keep dipping lower), but I do expect the unemployment rate to continue to grow.

Kinda like lawyers....a good lawyer can easily make $150,000 + straight out of college, but the average lawyer is actually unemployed as a lawyer and making $10/hr working in fast food.

Personally, I would not risk taking on a great amount of debt to get a PharmD (as it sounds like she would have to do.) If she can go to a cheap state school, and get some scholarships or have parents help finance, then that makes becoming a PharmD more worthwhile. Also, she needs to look at the geographical area she wants to practice in, if she is willing to move anywhere and work any kind of pharmacy job, then a PharmD might be beneficial to her. If she is wanting a certain geographical area, then she should be aware that certain geographical areas will have zero jobs available (ie Chicago, New York, etc.) If she doesn't want to work retail, then she should not be a PharmD, as at least 65% of the jobs are in retail.

 

[Sine Cura]

"Does not want to work retail" is not a plan. People need actual goals and a plan to meet them, not just "differentiate themselves." Even then, that is a necessary but not sufficient condition

 

[steveysmith54]

"Does not want to work retail" is not a plan. People need actual goals and a plan to meet them, not just "differentiate themselves." Even then, that is a necessary but not sufficient condition

but I want to become a pharmacist but don’t want to work in a pharmacy. Is that ok?

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

but I want to become a pharmacist but don’t want to work in a pharmacy. Is that ok?

There are tons of pharmacist careers out there such as NASA pharmacist, genomics pharmacist, integrative health pharmacist, sports pharmacist, advanced practice pharmacist, disaster response pharmacist, pharmacy strategy consultant, supply chain pharmacist, cannabis pharmacist according to that one guy who makes posts on linkedin and reddit to “bring awareness” to the profession so there are plenty of opportunities to become a pharmacist and not work in a pharmacy.


































*Never mind that these jobs are either not real pharmacist jobs or that there are fewer than 5 pharmacists in these disciplines in the entire world.

 

[ornithoptor]

Salary dropping is a common concern nowadays among pharmacists who work in retail sector. Check out the forum to see why, There are numerous articles already.
However, other sectors are still booming with position as well as salary. see article below.

Pharmacist Job Market: Salaries Keep Growing While Retail Employment Drops
Pharmacist Job Market: Salaries Keep Growing While Retail Employment Drops

My personal experience: hospital pharmacists can expect an average of 2% annual increases annually. HR unlikely will single out pharmacy department with lowered increases.
We held some positions for budget reason this year, but still posted at 6+ positions in the last 2 months. We need entry level staff pharmacists as well as pharmacists with niche knowledge in population health, specialty pharmacy, oncology, and P&T formulary management.

As for the pay, old timer with 20+ years can get paid ~$65+ as staff pharmacist in hospital setting.

 

[Lubeckd]

There are tons of pharmacist careers out there such as NASA pharmacist, genomics pharmacist, integrative health pharmacist, sports pharmacist, advanced practice pharmacist, disaster response pharmacist, pharmacy strategy consultant, supply chain pharmacist, cannabis pharmacist according to that one guy who makes posts on linkedin and reddit to “bring awareness” to the profession so there are plenty of opportunities to become a pharmacist and not work in a pharmacy.


































*Never mind that these jobs are either not real pharmacist jobs or that there are fewer than 5 pharmacists in these disciplines in the entire world.

David vu?

 

[APN-59 rph]

How much of a starting salary can she expect? I don't want her to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars if she's only going to make like $50,000.

FIRST: It's not your decision..
SECOND: She needs to go nose to nose with some chain druggists to get a REAL opinion.
THIRD: YOU (if married) will be on the hook for a LOT of loans...cars..houses..furniture..the list is endless
FOURTH: She will likely be making ZERO when the mommy days come around.
FIFTH: Pharmacist pay is dropping....employment opportunities decreasing...graduates flooding the job market
LAST: She needs to get some no kidding career advice..might have to pay now...but "later" is trending a financial disaster..

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

David vu?

Ding ding ding

 

[Lubeckd]

Ding ding ding

Cool guy. Talks about coding but doesn't code himself anymore. You just basically play around with data. And in small startups you can become project manager easy. In big corporations you can't

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

Starting salaries are definitely dropping but that's not the question you should be asking. The real question to ask is will she have a job after she graduates? With the saturation getting worse, new grads are having a difficult time finding a job now so imagine how bad it would get in 5-10 years.

There were several posts about this issue. Pharmacy job growth has stalled yet more schools are popping up everywhere. Talk about poor planning...

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

Cool guy. Talks about coding but doesn't code himself anymore. You just basically play around with data. And in small startups you can become project manager easy. In big corporations you can't

He probably makes $60k himself. It’s funny that he’s advocating for health IT so much when he has ZERO credibility to do so because his job isn’t even recognized as an informatics role. Had he done an informatics residency, worked as an informatics pharmacist in a health system, held another graduate degree, published some papers or have some projects in his portfolio then he might be worth listening to. But he hasn’t, so he has single-handedly tarnished an otherwise good field (informatics) to get into. Last I heard, he was working on some infographic for what career opportunities there are for nurses. It’s getting more ludicrous by the minute.

 

[Lubeckd]

He probably makes $60k himself. It’s funny that he’s advocating for health IT so much when he has ZERO credibility to do so because his job isn’t even recognized as an informatics role. Had he done an informatics residency, worked as an informatics pharmacist in a health system, held another graduate degree, published some papers or have some projects in his portfolio then he might be worth listening to. But he hasn’t, so he has single-handedly tarnished an otherwise good field (informatics) to get into. Last I heard, he was working on some infographic for what career opportunities there are for nurses. It’s getting more ludicrous by the minute.

His first role was in data analytics. Somehow, very strange he got in without hands on experience then promoted to project manager which you can also do with a MBA or one of those cerfs online. Even Walgreens university offers a cerf in project management. I have not seen his projects yet but i get the feeling informatics pharmacy and It general are completely different fields

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

His first role was in data analytics. Somehow, very strange he got in without hands on experience then promoted to project manager which you can also do with a MBA or one of those cerfs online. Even Walgreens university offers a cerf in project management. I have not seen his projects yet but i get the feeling informatics pharmacy and It general are completely different fields

I’m pretty sure this is what’s going on with him (that he’s not sharing): he wanted to do PGY1+2 in informatics and applied to residency but didn’t match, which dashed his pipe dream of a career. But he is not letting anyone or anything deter him from his career aspiration so he is trying to stay relevant by taking any job and pushing out these social media posts to gain visibility. It’s amazing how people can be so convinced that they are a shining star once they start believing in a lie.

 

[Lubeckd]

I’m pretty sure this is what’s going on with him (that’s he’s not sharing): he wanted to do PGY1+2 in informatics and applied to residency but didn’t match, which dashed his pipe dream of a career. But he is not letting anyone or anything deter him from his career aspiration so he is trying to stay relevant by taking any job and pushing out these social media posts to gain visibility. It’s amazing how people can be so convinced that they are a shining star once they start believing in a lie.

escapism

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

escapism

Isn’t it obvious that he didn’t get residency or at the very minimum was acting on whatever his plan Z was at graduation? You don’t just go through and graduate pharmacy school with dreams of being an analyst that makes $50k/year. That is like saying I went to law school but was employed as a firefighter immediately after graduation because “I’ve always dreamed of it.”

 

[Lubeckd]

Isn’t it obvious that he didn’t get residency or at the very minimum was acting on whatever his plan Z was at graduation? You don’t just go through and graduate pharmacy school with dreams of being an analyst that makes $50k/year. That is like saying I went to law school but was employed as a firefighter immediately after graduation because “I’ve always dreamed of it.”

people say they are passionate lol. I see a lot of pharmacist who don't end up as pharmacist now

 

[gwarm01]

FIRST: It's not your decision..
SECOND: She needs to go nose to nose with some chain druggists to get a REAL opinion.
THIRD: YOU (if married) will be on the hook for a LOT of loans...cars..houses..furniture..the list is endless
FOURTH: She will likely be making ZERO when the mommy days come around.
FIFTH: Pharmacist pay is dropping....employment opportunities decreasing...graduates flooding the job market
LAST: She needs to get some no kidding career advice..might have to pay now...but "later" is trending a financial disaster..

Items one and three are in conflict.

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

people say they are passionate lol. I see a lot of pharmacist who don't end up as pharmacist now

Exactly why he is a fraud. His role is not a pharmacist role so he is just a wannabe in advocating for informatics pharmacy. I thought there is a unspoken baseline expectation that you have to be working in a vocation in order to advocate for it. This takes it to another level.

If he advocates for informatics/health IT like that, then why don’t I start advocating for the rapidly growing field of Uber Driver pharmacist? This is the latest innovative career pathway for pharmacists that the market can’t wait to become mainstream. Imagine the possibilities and different spinoffs if 50% of uber drivers were pharmacists... Home delivery of your meds with pharmacist consultation at your front door? Check. Quickie CMR consult on the ride to the airport? Check. Free access to medical advice from a “doctor?” Check. I can’t think of any better situation for our profession to be in!

 

[APN-59 rph]

Items one and three are in conflict.

You got that right...BIGLY conflict....

 

[confettiflyer]

If she’s a high performer and realistically has a chance to go to an established school, AND is willing to put in the work after graduation (PGY1 +/- 2) and specialize, opportunities are healthy. Hard finding experienced onc and ID specialists...plenty of new people, though.

Just being a basic b!tch grad is a one way ticket to unemployment and/or retail hell.

So basically pharmacy is like every other job in the world out there...you actually have to be kinda special if, you know, you want a nice position & salary.


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[Mr. Corporate Pharmacist]

120k is still feasible if you commit to the management position in retail. PMs usually get the hours and schedule they want.

$55 x 42 hours x 52 weeks

Or, go all in and open up your own pharmacy

But no one wants to be a PM or business owner, and few can do it well.

New grads usually don't get offered that position first, but opportunity or skillset can change that.

Gone are the days of just coasting and clocking in/out for a paycheck. We earn every penny we make.

Just like NPs or PAs, there will always be a range of earning potential.

I think there will always be opportunity in retail because business and leadership are the most challenging work

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[Joleybear]

How much of a starting salary can she expect? I don't want her to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars if she's only going to make like $50,000.

I do not know where these people live. Even PGY1 in my area pays $50,000-$70,000 (1st year resident). Pay I have seen for newbies (or heard from them) is over $100,000 and often closer to $100,000. I live in Chicago, IL.

Pharmacists : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Pharmacists dispense prescription medications and provide information to patients about the drugs and their use.

www.bls.gov

 

[BidingMyTime]

I do not know where these people live. Even PGY1 in my area pays $50,000-$70,000 (1st year resident). Pay I have seen for newbies (or heard from them) is over $100,000 and often closer to $100,000. I live in Chicago, IL.

Pharmacists : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Pharmacists dispense prescription medications and provide information to patients about the drugs and their use.

www.bls.gov

Chicago (like CA) has higher pay rates, due to its astronomically higher cost of living. In comparison, cost of living in Chicago is 50% higher than the rate of the state of IL.

 

[knight on horse]

How much of a starting salary can she expect? I don't want her to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars if she's only going to make like $50,000.

Do not let her waste money on this field

 

[DagS132]

Tell her to just stay away. With all the talk about lower salaries, no job security, saturation, arguments for and against all of this talk, etc. it should just raise your suspicions on this profession. Is she really willing to spend time and money just to see if all of this talk was real or not? If a bunch of people were talking about how only 3 out of 4 parachutes open, would you be willing to see if that was true or not by jumping out of a plane?
Tell her to try out clinical lab scientist(aka medical lab scientist). I think all you need is a bachelors degree and 1 or 2 years of extra schooling to start working.

 

[Sleepingdoc]

How much of a starting salary can she expect? I don't want her to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars if she's only going to make like $50,000.

Unless you work 15 hours a week, you are not gonna make 50000$ a year... Some people are just lazy, want cushy jobs for a lot of money... you may not find that.

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

How much of a starting salary can she expect? I don't want her to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars if she's only going to make like $50,000.

She will probably make $000,000.00
There aren't any jobs *now* in metro areas.
It will only get worse

 

[mentos]

OP, sorry to say but this will be her (and your) future in 4 years if she goes to pharmacy school:

What Are Alternatives to Pharmacy? I'm Out of Work

Hi. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can do for money while I am trying to find work as a pharmacist? It's been nearly a year, and I know the job market is flooded. I've applied to a ton of jobs and haven't heard anything back. I've considered multiple states, but still not even any...

forums.studentdoctor.net

 

[samven582]

Ding ding ding

I agree. His posts are very unrealistic

 

[HandsomeVampire]

Op is wealthy, he can support her dream