Pharmacy Specialty Recommendations?

[angelnico1e]

I was recently accepted into a pharmacy program. After I was accepted my advisor called me and talked to me about going into a specialty area of pharmacy because he thought I was too smart to just simply do retail. So my question is, can anyone tell me from their experience about different pharmacy career specialties and if anyone has a recommendation on the best one?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[PharmtoCS]

Keep in mind that about 70% of the jobs (or what's left of them) are still in retail. It's where the vast majority end up regardless of where you want to be.

If you're truly "too smart to do retail" then you have a great chance of getting into MD or PA school, or succeeding in a different profession, i.e. computer programming, finance, accounting, engineering, etc. that pay well, offer far better job prospects and quality of life, and do not require to take out $200k+ in loans and spend an additional 4 years of your life in school. For that I would drop out of pharmacy since there are far better opportunites elsewhere.

 

[angelnico1e]

Keep in mind that about 70% of the jobs (or what's left of them) are still in retail. It's where the vast majority end up regardless of where you want to be.

If you're truly "too smart to do retail" then you have a great chance of getting into MD or PA school, or succeeding in a different profession, i.e. computer programming, finance, accounting, engineering, etc. that pay well, offer far better job prospects and quality of life, and do not require to take out $200k+ in loans and spend an additional 4 years of your life in school. For that I would drop out of pharmacy since there are far better opportunites elsewhere.

What everyone seems to fail to realize is that med school or pa school requires a certain number of hours worked, different tests, and more years of preparation. Pharmacy is what I was accepted to and that’s what I’m going to do. But thanks for the “why you shouldn’t do pharmacy” speech.

 

[PharmtoCS]

What everyone seems to fail to realize is that med school or pa school requires a certain number of hours worked, different tests, and more years of preparation.

Which is why their job prospects and prestige aren't in the gutter compared to pharmacy where the only qualification is being able to take out $200k+ in loans.

Pharmacy is what I was accepted to and that’s what I’m going to do. But thanks for the “why you shouldn’t do pharmacy” speech.

Take the easy way and you land with tons of debt and no job.

 

[deleted1066189]

I was recently accepted into a pharmacy program.

Don't do it.
Have you ever worked as a pharm tech? The pharmacists I work with are high strung, and work 12 hour shifts with no breaks. Retail pharmacy is where most of the jobs are, and it's typically understaffed. We also have floater pharmacists who are desperate for hours, yet have to bounce between many locations.

 

[RNA582]

I was recently accepted into a pharmacy program. After I was accepted my advisor called me and talked to me about going into a specialty area of pharmacy because he thought I was too smart to just simply do retail. So my question is, can anyone tell me from their experience about different pharmacy career specialties and if anyone has a recommendation on the best one?

Lol ask your advisor what “speciality” you should do its either hospital or retail there is not much to choose from lol

 

[deleted562805]

I was recently accepted into a pharmacy program. After I was accepted my advisor called me and talked to me about going into a specialty area of pharmacy because he thought I was too smart to just simply do retail. So my question is, can anyone tell me from their experience about different pharmacy career specialties and if anyone has a recommendation on the best one?

I would pursue PhD/PharmD. A PhD in pharmacology and work for Big Pharma. Or I would do a industry fellowship and get a job in industry as either a sales rep or med info. It is competitive, but the fellowship is lot less stressful than a clinical residency and you will have higher chance of getting a job going the industry route than hospital residency. I would avoid any direct patient care pharmacy.



I would avoid retail pharmacy. Hours are getting cut, salary is dropping. New grads are only getting floater and grad intern jobs. $30/hr. This is by the time you graduate. And majority of the jobs are retail.

I would avoid hospital staff pharmacy. Same situation. Salaries are cut, many hospital staff pharmacists are working per diem, or working more than 40hours for the same pay as a full time 40 hour staff hospital pharmacist.

I would avoid clinical pharmacy residency. There is now a saturation of residency applicants. Too many people are applying for less number of seats. Even smart bright people are not getting matched because they did not have three rotations at that hospital or some other unfair way to evaluating applicants. Also there is not many speciality jobs to choose from. None of them are in high demand either. Even the most valuable choices Oncology or ER are not huge demand. I would avoid ID, Informatics, and Critical Care. Critical Care is the worst speciality to choose from and it is saturated. And residency is a waste because you slog just as much as medical resident without the benefits or perks of true health care provider.

 

[angelnico1e]

I would pursue PhD/PharmD. A PhD in pharmacology and work for Big Pharma. Or I would do a industry fellowship and get a job in industry as either a sales rep or med info. It is competitive, but the fellowship is lot less stressful than a clinical residency and you will have higher chance of getting a job going the industry route than hospital residency. I would avoid any direct patient care pharmacy.



I would avoid retail pharmacy. Hours are getting cut, salary is dropping. New grads are only getting floater and grad intern jobs. $30/hr. This is by the time you graduate. And majority of the jobs are retail.

I would avoid hospital staff pharmacy. Same situation. Salaries are cut, many hospital staff pharmacists are working per diem, or working more than 40hours for the same pay as a full time 40 hour staff hospital pharmacist.

I would avoid clinical pharmacy residency. There is now a saturation of residency applicants. Too many people are applying for less number of seats. Even smart bright people are not getting matched because they did not have three rotations at that hospital or some other unfair way to evaluating applicants. Also there is not many speciality jobs to choose from. None of them are in high demand either. Even the most valuable choices Oncology or ER are not huge demand. I would avoid ID, Informatics, and Critical Care. Critical Care is the worst speciality to choose from and it is saturated. And residency is a waste because you slog just as much as medical resident without the benefits or perks of true health care provider.

Thank you. This actually helped.

 

[PharmtoCS]

Thank you. This actually helped.

Except I would just go for the PhD and skip the PharmD since unless if you can obtain one for low cost or free, the latter will cost you a ton of money and wouldn't expand your chances of landing a job outside of retail by a whole lot.

 

[angelnico1e]

Except I would just go for the PhD and skip the PharmD since unless if you can obtain one for low cost or free, the latter will cost you a ton of money and wouldn't expand your chances of landing a job outside of retail by a whole lot.

Do you think that a masters in pharmaceutical sciences would be about the same thing as pharmacology?

 

[deleted562805]

Do you think that a masters in pharmaceutical sciences would be about the same thing as pharmacology?

Masters in pharmaceutical sciences is more to do with research on different drug formulations to optimize therapy. You can do a Masters in pharmacology as well. If your school just offers Masters in pharmaceutical sciences, ask them if you would like to do research in pharmacology if that is what you are more interested.

 

[PromisedNeverland]

I was recently accepted into a pharmacy program. After I was accepted my advisor called me and talked to me about going into a specialty area of pharmacy because he thought I was too smart to just simply do retail. So my question is, can anyone tell me from their experience about different pharmacy career specialties and if anyone has a recommendation on the best one?

+1 would not go for the PharmD and PhD instead, but that is if you truly are "smart"

 

[angelnico1e]

Rather not spend almost ten more years getting a PhD

 

[xyly_0503]

It's not too late to go for another career.

 

[nickw2401]

I was recently accepted into a pharmacy program. After I was accepted my advisor called me and talked to me about going into a specialty area of pharmacy because he thought I was too smart to just simply do retail. So my question is, can anyone tell me from their experience about different pharmacy career specialties and if anyone has a recommendation on the best one?

Wow...He knows your too smart before you have even started?

 

[angelnico1e]

Wow...He knows your too smart before you have even started?

Well I graduated early and have kept a 4.0 throughout my whole school career. I also had very good recommendation letters. It was also after the interview. So yeah there’s no denying that I’m smart.

 

[PharmtoCS]

What do you call the smartest student in your pharmacy class?

A dropout

 

[NonTradPharmStudent]

What everyone seems to fail to realize is that med school or pa school requires a certain number of hours worked, different tests, and more years of preparation. Pharmacy is what I was accepted to and that’s what I’m going to do. But thanks for the “why you shouldn’t do pharmacy” speech.

What you fail to realize is that recently they changed the regs for PA school whereas if you worked as a pharm tech it counts towards "clinical hours" for PA school and what specialty options did your school suggest so we can help?

 

[angelnico1e]

What you fail to realize is that recently they changed the regs for PA school whereas if you worked as a pharm tech it counts towards "clinical hours" for PA school and what specialty options did your school suggest so we can help?

I haven’t worked as a pharm tech so and I’m going to figure it out myself.

 

[angelnico1e]

So all you guys that told me if I was smart I wouldn’t go to pharmacy school. I decided not to go lol I’m pursuing something else.

 

[AC3_PharmD]

So all you guys that told me if I was smart I wouldn’t go to pharmacy school. I decided not to go lol I’m pursuing something else.

Honestly I thought there was no way you wouldn't go just based on your posts. What did you decide to do instead?

 

[angelnico1e]

Honestly I thought there was no way you wouldn't go just based on your posts. What did you decide to do instead?

Well, things change and I decided it would be pretty stupid to go hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt honestly lol. That, and I didn’t want to move. So I’m doing a radiography program to become a radiology technologist/MRI/CT technologist. Doing continuing education afterwards to get certified in MRI and CT. Could possibly go on to do ultrasound, I haven’t decided yet.

 

[PharmtoCS]

Well, things change and I decided it would be pretty stupid to go hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt honestly lol. That, and I didn’t want to move. So I’m doing a radiography program to become a radiology technologist/MRI/CT technologist. Doing continuing education afterwards to get certified in MRI and CT. Could possibly go on to do ultrasound, I haven’t decided yet.

There is no denying that you are smart.

 

[angelnico1e]

Thank you. I recently found out I was accepted into the radiography program so I’m very excited. It’s also a plus that I’ll be done in two years instead of four or five. My mom wasn’t that happy that I decided not to be a pharmacist but oh well lol

 

[AC3_PharmD]

Thank you. I recently found out I was accepted into the radiography program so I’m very excited. It’s also a plus that I’ll be done in two years instead of four or five. My mom wasn’t that happy that I decided not to be a pharmacist but oh well lol

Honestly this is genius. There's a very high need for radiology techs/MRI techs. My residency was at a high level trauma center and I worked at a small community hospital afterward. In both places we always needed extra coverage and they were consistently trying to hire for the technicians and people working with the CT machines. Plus the job itself is extremely nice and integral to the healthcare team.

I'd say this is a super smart choice 👍🏽

 

[angelnico1e]

Honestly this is genius. There's a very high need for radiology techs/MRI techs. My residency was at a high level trauma center and I worked at a small community hospital afterward. In both places we always needed extra coverage and they were consistently trying to hire for the technicians and people working with the CT machines. Plus the job itself is extremely nice and integral to the healthcare team.

I'd say this is a super smart choice

Yes, there’s a lot of jobs around me right now that are paying very well in my opinion for jobs like that. Most of the students that do clinicals at various hospitals get a job offer right when they graduate. I thought about going all the way to be a MD, but that’s a lot of years lol and I want to be able to get married and have a family rather than be a doctor.

 

[angelnico1e]

Are your parents/mom more concerned with you being called a "doctor" and flexing a white coat than your financial wellbeing and mental health? Look, I have pharmacist friends and they all regret it and wish they'd gone DO (they too were "very smart"). Schools will say anything to get prospective students all giggly and excited about their program (my SMP program told us we could all get $100k+ jobs If med/dental school didn't work out just to get us to shell out 70k).

Yeah I think she just wanted to be able to say that she had a daughter that was a doctor. But I’m really not concerned with being a doctor, I just want to go ahead and get through with school and start working.

 

[angelnico1e]

You're making the right choice for yourself, and if you find yourself wanting more in a few years PA/DO/MD is always an option and you'll just need to take the MCAT/PCAT since you'll have tons of work experience already.

Yeah, and I’m glad that it’ll always be an option for me if I find myself wanting to go further once I have my life all settled and everything.