Question on market for Pharmacists

[triptrip21]

Hello. So I understand that some pharmacists have trouble finding jobs.... But I don't mind going 4-6 states away from my home state my question is how hard would it be to find a job in general. Rather than looking in just a specific city?

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[impatientcollegestudent]

It's not some, it's turning into majority of the graduates now. People say they find employment but they don't say the details. They don't say how long it took to find a job, how many people they had to get through, how many states they had to even move to look for a job, and worst of all...they don't say if the job is full time or part time or not. The reality is most are employed as being floaters. Full time positions are non-existent now pretty much in most states besides Midwest area (even here you have to live in the middle of nowhere to find something) and some in the south. Everyone I know is working...but they're working part time...what a waste of time for a degree that can't even land you a full time position anymore. Every fresh grad is floating now. Don't believe me? Go ask anyone in the field. See for yourself. No one here can really change your mind but I did my own research and saw it for myself. Please do the same at least before you enter a world of regret, like my older friends who went into the field a few years ago and now are floating... how sad is that man. There are thousands of low standard grads who performed poorly on the Naplex and are entering the field while jobs are not even opening...you do the math.

 

[DrillSynchron]

I asked a pharmacist and he said it was pretty tight to find a job. With that said, he said there will always be a demand for pharmacists and the field is always evolving. You don't necessarily have to work in a pharmacy with a Pharm.D. Who knows? Maybe in the next decade the pharmacy job outlook will be more promising. You need to network and make yourself as competitive as you can. I'm sure you will be able to find a job if you make early connections and do well in pharmacy school.

 

[AHossain]

I asked a pharmacist and he said it was pretty tight to find a job. With that said, he said there will always be a demand for pharmacists and the field is always evolving. You don't necessarily have to work in a pharmacy with a Pharm.D. Who knows? Maybe in the next decade the pharmacy job outlook will be more promising. You need to network and make yourself as competitive as you can. I'm sure you will be able to find a job if you make early connections and do well in pharmacy school.

That doesn't sound very promising at all. To ride on hope like that. It's expensive...


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[Apples2Oranges]

The pharmacy forum has so many of these redundant threads and the exact same people are replying about the saturation. I suggest you just really shadow pharmacists and build connections if this is something you want to do. The pharmacist shortage in the early 2000s was an anomaly. Most likely it won't happen again.

People need to face the fact that pharmacy has become like any other field for any student...promised getting higher education would open doors...only to find out they're facing a prison gate after they graduate. Build your connections wisely or go to medical school or do a useful field of engineering. People will tell you to go become an NP or PA...for now. It's not very hard for schools to create these programs and saturate the market. But you may get a piece of the pie since the time is right for it now.

 

[PharmtoCS]

Many think that they themselves are an anomaly and that they are smart and hardworking enough to beat everyone else when it comes to getting jobs, or that if they move to the middle of nowhere to work graveyard shift that they will be fine. Problem is that there just are not enough jobs compared to the flood of new grads who all think they can beat saturation.

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[Sine Cura]

Also people tend not to think of the long term. If you plan on working in pharmacy 20+ years you really have to nurture your career these days. For example, suppose you want to work 20+ years FT on the bench in retail as staff. This seems to be an increasingly unlikely proposition because one day you will become slow and inaccurate if you aren't already and by that point you will have no other options unless you take a PIC position

 

[LoveWillSaveTheDay]

The pharmacy forum has so many of these redundant threads and the exact same people are replying about the saturation. I suggest you just really shadow pharmacists and build connections if this is something you want to do. The pharmacist shortage in the early 2000s was an anomaly. Most likely it won't happen again.

Yes! I'm starting to notice the same people are commenting on old threads about the saturation. This was from a year ago, I'm sure the OP has already moved on.....

 

[AHossain]

That's because it's more relevant than ever. And people need to see it


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[LoveWillSaveTheDay]

That's because it's more relevant than ever. And people need to see it


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At the moment, the top 6 threads on this forum is about saturation. Everyone sees it. It's on every pharmacy-geared website.

The key is that people know about the saturation, but it's their life and they're going to do what they want anyways....

 

[DrillSynchron]

That doesn't sound very promising at all. To ride on hope like that. It's expensive...


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You're not going to become a pharmacist with that attitude. If you work hard, know how to network, and are passionate about pharmacy then you will find a job.

 

[AHossain]

You're not going to become a pharmacist with that attitude. If you work hard, know how to network, and are passionate about pharmacy then you will find a job.

Yes like all the thousand other applicants who have the same mindset and apply for one job position...


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[impatientcollegestudent]

You're not going to become a pharmacist with that attitude. If you work hard, know how to network, and are passionate about pharmacy then you will find a job.

Yup...everyone entering pharmacy school has that same exact mentality.

 

[Jhunter]

Yes! I'm starting to notice the same people are commenting on old threads about the saturation. This was from a year ago, I'm sure the OP has already moved on.....

Hey man, if it weren't for these threads I wouldn't be being smart right now. I saw these and decided to do my own exploration of the field. What these guys said are in fact 100% true. Which is flat out nuts! This can save so many people from these straight out scam type schools. All these new schools with ridiculously low standards have history behind it. Every new school is a diploma-mill school practically begging for students to apply. I even made my own thread providing legit sufficient evidence for the people who scour these forums for trying to get into the pharmacy field. They all need to see it like I did. So I am glad these are brought up now... sdn is for helping people. This will help them at least. Even if they deny it, at least they were given strict warnings and sufficient proof from everyone to weigh out their options and hopefully be smarter about their decision to go on to pharmacy school.

 

[AHossain]

Hey man, if it weren't for these threads I wouldn't be being smart right now. I saw these and decided to do my own exploration of the field. What these guys said are in fact 100% true. Which is flat out nuts! This can save so many people from these straight out scam type schools. All these new schools with ridiculously low standards have history behind it. Every new school is a diploma-mill school practically begging for students to apply. I even made my own thread providing legit sufficient evidence for the people who scour these forums for trying to get into the pharmacy field. They all need to see it like I did. So I am glad these are brought up now... sdn is for helping people. This will help them at least. Even if they deny it, at least they were given strict warnings and sufficient proof from everyone to weigh out their options and hopefully be smarter about their decision to go on to pharmacy school.

Same for me...


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[Apples2Oranges]

Here's a real tip for people who are still considering pharmacy, since I just finished my PY1 year.
It's gonna be damn hard to compete with other kids who all think that they will overcome the saturation, but few actually will. I've seen first hand that even the laziest people I knew from college who studied compsci got a job right after graduation, albeit maybe $50-70k to start. But that's so much better than I can imagine with just a BS degree. No blood, no nasty patients to deal with, better working conditions, good reputation, etc. I'd prefer doing that over nursing any day.
Get your experiences in early as possible. More importantly, get your connections as early as possible. You will need them, either for residency or for a job. It's so easy for pre-pharms to say they don't want to do retail but want to go into hospital pharmacy WITHOUT EXPERIENCE. Good god.

 

[LoveWillSaveTheDay]

Here's a real tip for people who are still considering pharmacy, since I just finished my PY1 year.
It's gonna be damn hard to compete with other kids who all think that they will overcome the saturation, but few actually will. I've seen first hand that even the laziest people I knew from college who studied compsci got a job right after graduation, albeit maybe $50-70k to start. But that's so much better than I can imagine with just a BS degree. No blood, no nasty patients to deal with, better working conditions, good reputation, etc. I'd prefer doing that over nursing any day.
Get your experiences in early as possible. More importantly, get your connections as early as possible. You will need them, either for residency or for a job. It's so easy for pre-pharms to say they don't want to do retail but want to go into hospital pharmacy WITHOUT EXPERIENCE. Good god.

Have you thought about pursuing that? You're not too deep into pharmacy school where it would be unwise to finish. You have at the most 35k in loans, assuming you didn't need undergrad loans. Or are you trying to stick it out? I'm just curious.

 

[pharmasaurusRex17]

I asked a pharmacist and he said it was pretty tight to find a job. With that said, he said there will always be a demand for pharmacists and the field is always evolving. You don't necessarily have to work in a pharmacy with a Pharm.D. Who knows? Maybe in the next decade the pharmacy job outlook will be more promising. You need to network and make yourself as competitive as you can. I'm sure you will be able to find a job if you make early connections and do well in pharmacy school.

To back this up, especially the last statement... You have to network and make yourself as competitive as you can. Working 3 jobs (2 hospital in Boston, 1 retail w/ CVS), student government and professional organizations and fraternities, research, choosing strong rotations, and talking to everyone got me to where I am. Again, as posted on other pages... my graduating class had no problems finding jobs. In fact, most of us knew we were employed full time by October before graduation aka months wayyyy before.

... I had full time offers given from 3 places, 1 in October, 1 in December, and 1 in March before I matched residency. 1 in Boston, 2 in Northern California near Bay Area.

If you want to succeed and find a job, work hard and you will get it.

 

[EastBay80]

To back this up, especially the last statement... You have to network and make yourself as competitive as you can. Working 3 jobs (2 hospital in Boston, 1 retail w/ CVS), student government and professional organizations and fraternities, research, choosing strong rotations, and talking to everyone got me to where I am. Again, as posted on other pages... my graduating class had no problems finding jobs. In fact, most of us knew we were employed full time by October before graduation aka months wayyyy before.

... I had full time offers given from 3 places, 1 in October, 1 in December, and 1 in March before I matched residency. 1 in Boston, 2 in Northern California near Bay Area.

If you want to succeed and find a job, work hard and you will get it.

I hope, in 3-4 years, it won't be much worse than now as people are predicting.

 

[AHossain]

I hope, in 3-4 years, it won't be much worse than now as people are predicting.

The sad thing is, people have been predicting this since way before. It's not new, it's just going to get worse.


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[Apples2Oranges]

Have you thought about pursuing that? You're not too deep into pharmacy school where it would be unwise to finish. You have at the most 35k in loans, assuming you didn't need undergrad loans. Or are you trying to stick it out? I'm just curious.

Nah, I hate compsci. I'm in a great school for connections, near home and have a good support system financially. If people have to take out more than $35k for tuition alone for school, then I wouldn't recommend it at this point. My school is pretty average-priced.

 

[PharmtoCS]

I hope, in 3-4 years, it won't be much worse than now as people are predicting.

Hope is not a strategy.

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[UGAZ]

Bump for our innocent future prepharm

 

[PharmtoCS]

Pre-pharms who were raised with participation trophies think that they will automatically be the exception in a saturated job market.

Just because you land a full-time job does not mean that you are safe from saturation. Employers have the upper hand even if you get lucky enough to land a job. First they pulled signing bonuses and worsened work conditions by cutting staffing, forcing current employees to work harder than ever...since if you're not willing to work for 14 hours on your feet with no lunch or bathroom breaks with drug seekers threatening to report/harm/kill you while corporate thinks you're the one at fault, they can easily find a new grad with $200k+ in loans who will gladly take your job for less pay. Now Walgreens has frozen raises for pharmacists and hospitals are starting new grads at <$40/hour while tossing out applicants without at least a PGY1.

Why do you think tech companies provide software engineers lavish perks, i.e. catered gourmet meals; on-site laundry, spa, daycare, and gym; employee shuttles, signing bonuses, etc.? Because they want to discourage their employees from jumping ship to other companies, as software engineers are in very high demand and have plenty of options. Meanwhile the pharmacist stuck working 14-hour shifts with no breaks has few or no other options since there are so many unemployed or underemployed new grads who would gladly take the job so they can pay off their loans.

 

[formerRph]

The market for pharmacists is not great in most places and IMO opinion will only get worse. There’s a huge push to lower health care costs in the US and my guess is pharmacists will get the axe over time.

The biggest sector of pharmacy to get cut will be retail. With the anticipation of Amazon entering the market and their prime (no pun intended) customer being roughly 30-50 and needing Rxs in the future, they are set to take a huge market share in the upcoming years. The current number of brick and mortar stores won’t be needed and will be replaced with larger significantly less stores in any given area. Decreasing the number of stores will obviously decrease the number of pharmacists needed. Amazon will fill in central locations like any mail order operation and also decrease pharmacists in areas.

I also look for hospitals systems to reduce number of staff pharmacists needed as new technology rolls out. I do however see clinical pharmacy staying fairly level in the near future.

This in part why I’m currently transitioning out of pharmacy.

 

[Gaius Diocletianus]

Honestly these pharmacy threads helped me decide to go to Medicine. I would have graduated with 10+ years of pharmacy retail experience and even I worried about finding a job. I seriously worry about all those P1's who started school without any experience in a pharmacy and absolutely no connections (about 50% of my class).

 

[Modest_anteater]

It's not some, it's turning into majority of the graduates now. People say they find employment but they don't say the details. They don't say how long it took to find a job, how many people they had to get through, how many states they had to even move to look for a job, and worst of all...they don't say if the job is full time or part time or not. The reality is most are employed as being floaters. Full time positions are non-existent now pretty much in most states besides Midwest area (even here you have to live in the middle of nowhere to find something) and some in the south. Everyone I know is working...but they're working part time...what a waste of time for a degree that can't even land you a full time position anymore. Every fresh grad is floating now. Don't believe me? Go ask anyone in the field. See for yourself. No one here can really change your mind but I did my own research and saw it for myself. Please do the same at least before you enter a world of regret, like my older friends who went into the field a few years ago and now are floating... how sad is that man. There are thousands of low standard grads who performed poorly on the Naplex and are entering the field while jobs are not even opening...you do the math.

Interesting post. If true, this is huge.

 

[Modest_anteater]

The market for pharmacists is not great in most places and IMO opinion will only get worse. There’s a huge push to lower health care costs in the US and my guess is pharmacists will get the axe over time.

The biggest sector of pharmacy to get cut will be retail. With the anticipation of Amazon entering the market and their prime (no pun intended) customer being roughly 30-50 and needing Rxs in the future, they are set to take a huge market share in the upcoming years. The current number of brick and mortar stores won’t be needed and will be replaced with larger significantly less stores in any given area. Decreasing the number of stores will obviously decrease the number of pharmacists needed. Amazon will fill in central locations like any mail order operation and also decrease pharmacists in areas.

I also look for hospitals systems to reduce number of staff pharmacists needed as new technology rolls out. I do however see clinical pharmacy staying fairly level in the near future.

This in part why I’m currently transitioning out of pharmacy.

It's very interesting to know what Amazon's plans are to change the pharmacy market. A lot could happen. Maybe they will just ship everyone's pills to them directly and have a few pharmacists verifying the prescriptions remotely from Seattle.

 

[Bella-Haz]

Are there any good pharmacists here who can't find a job recently? If so, please share your stats and your experience. I'm not denying anything, but I think everybody including myself would love to hear more from first-hand source of information, rather than the "he said, she said" all over the pharmacy forums here. I did see one or two pharmacists who mentioned this in the forum but I'd love to hear more.

Also, If it's very hard for you to get the job and of course it's never easy to land a dream job, what did you do or what attempt did you make to get that job? Are there any helpful tips or advice would you be kind enough to share? instead of something like don't go to pharmacy school because it's too late for me haha! Thank you for any kind inputs regarding this post.

 

[BelowTheMean]

I hope, in 3-4 years, it won't be much worse than now as people are predicting.

I don't think people realize we are now at one of the highest points economically we have been in the past decade. The economy has been really good, stocks are at all time highs and most sectors are hiring more except pharmacy, where it is so hard to even find a decent job. What do you think will happen in 3-4 years if the economy is in a recession? Do you realize a boat load of pharmacy schools have not even graduated their first classes? Think about this long term please.

 

[PharmtoCS]

I don't think people realize we are now at one of the highest points economically we have been in the past decade. The economy has been really good, stocks are at all time highs and most sectors are hiring more except pharmacy, where it is so hard to even find a decent job. What do you think will happen in 3-4 years if the economy is in a recession? Do you realize a boat load of pharmacy schools have not even graduated their first classes? Think about this long term please.

Even during the shortage years, many pharmacists had their hours cut during the 2008-2009 recession. Imagine what will happen during the next recession when there are already loads of underemployed new grads during our economic peak.

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[UGAZ]

bump for pre-pharmacy students to read...