What's the average retirement age for pharmacists?

[Trakker]

I know I know it is too early to discuss retirement! I am hoping to retire when I am 60. How about you?

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[Its Z]

I know I know it is too early to discuss retirement! I am hoping to retire when I am 60. How about you?

Age has nothing to do with retirement. Retirement is based on your cashflow.

If you need $5,000 per month to live and have a residual income of $5,000 month without having to work, then you can retire.

That being said, pharmacists don't retire. They drop dead on the job.

 

[rph3664]

They drop dead on the job.

I once worked with a guy who said he wanted to retire at 45. This was the man who didn't carry health insurance "because I don't need it" (it was $10 a week for a single person!) and was very cruel to Medicaid patients, to the point where other store employees had seen him carrying cough syrup, Amoxil, etc. into the bathroom where he was probably spitting, or worse, in them. Of course, he never did this when I was there but he did censure me for being nice to them. Why wouldn't I? They're PEOPLE.

Yeah, he might be healthy, but healthy people get in car accidents, develop cancer, etc. And acquiring one wife and kids will throw that retirement scenario right out the window. He might be an okay husband with the right woman, but I just couldn't imagine him being a good father.

AFAIK, he still works there. This store, BTW, is now a CVS.

p.s. Several years later, I found out from my manager that when I applied for that job, he called that store just to confirm that I had worked there, and the store director picked up the phone and gave him an earful about this guy: "pompous ass", etc.

 

[Trakker]

Age has nothing to do with retirement. Retirement is based on your cashflow.

When your back starts to hurt because you are getting old then it becomes a factor.

 

[Its Z]

When your back starts to hurt because you are getting old then it becomes a factor.

No cashflow, bad back, still working.

 

[Allure]

When I can find me a sugar daddy..that's when I'm gonna quit

 

[Dr Wario]

I am currently 26 and will have the financial ability to retire in about five to seven years (I actually could now if I wanted to live like a college student). Granted, I have no children, work about 55 hours per week in pharmacy and have other sources of income. It all really comes down to your priorities, my primary goal is financial freedom so I structure every facet of my life to achieve it.

 

[pharmschooler]

I am currently 26 and will have the financial ability to retire in about five to seven years (I actually could now if I wanted to live like a college student). Granted, I have no children, work about 55 hours per week in pharmacy and have other sources of income. It all really comes down to your priorities, my primary goal is financial freedom so I structure every facet of my life to achieve it.

I've been wondering this for a while now...do you own a car? I'm really curious, mostly because I realize just how expensive it can be to own a car, even a really old one.

 

[rph74]

I will probably be able to retire around 55, but I likely will not. My wife and I live very frugally. We live completely debt free, house cars and everything, and I am only 36 years old. I have found that even after paying everything off, I enjoy being a Pharmacy Manager, and have stayed on as PIC 2 years after paying everything off. I had planned on stepping down and just being a staff rph, but I guess I just enjoy it. I will likely keep on working as long as I enjoy doing what I do. After the kids are done with college, I'm sure the income will be just gravy at that ponit.

 

[rph3664]

I could potentially retire now, at 47, but I at least want to work enough to get health insurance. Thank heavens I'm healthy; I do have a private policy right now but I don't want to rely on it forever.

 

[Dr Wario]

I've been wondering this for a while now...do you own a car? I'm really curious, mostly because I realize just how expensive it can be to own a car, even a really old one.

I drive a 94 Ford Tarus I purchased from my grandmother that currently has just over 40k mileage. Being very old, depreciation is a non-factor, but being in superior condition for its age maintenance has thankfully also been very low. My employment has never been more than 3 miles from my house so additionally fuel cost is negligible. My total annual cost for the car is approximately 1,000, the biggest piece of that being insurance which is $300 q6 months.

 

[FlavyFlav]

I would love to be in that position. I think the wife is going to make sure I work until I'm 75 though

 

[LiveLoveFartRepeat]

Just attended a live CE seminar not long ago; I could swear that >60% of the room was >60 years old.

 

[PharmaTope]

I know I know it is too early to discuss retirement! I am hoping to retire when I am 60. How about you?

think about this statement. we are HOPING for retirement. its like we just want life to be over with so we can have a few years of not working (you will most likely work while retired as well).

stop looking for the future and start living for the moment. retirement doesnt exist anymore. start living your life in the present and do what makes you happy right now. stop hoping and counting down time until later in life when you think life will begin.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

Retirement doesn't exist? That's BS. I know plenty of people who are retired and not working anymore.

 

[inquirer89]

I am currently 26 and will have the financial ability to retire in about five to seven years (I actually could now if I wanted to live like a college student). Granted, I have no children, work about 55 hours per week in pharmacy and have other sources of income. It all really comes down to your priorities, my primary goal is financial freedom so I structure every facet of my life to achieve it.

Hmm you definitely have me curious. May I ask what your other sources of income are? I want to get into investments and real estate once I graduate and use pharmacy as capital, and hopefully make enough passive income to retire by my 40s. Be my mentor please haha?

 

[Dr Wario]

Hmm you definitely have me curious. May I ask what your other sources of income are? I want to get into investments and real estate once I graduate and use pharmacy as capital, and hopefully make enough passive income to retire by my 40s. Be my mentor please haha?

I wish I could tell you I had some magic secret, but the reality is not very glamorous. I live as a very frugal person so not only do I save a large portion of my income, but because my expenses are so low I don't need as much money to retire as someone who buys a new BMW every 2 years. Again, it is all about one's priorities, for me, "stuff" has relatively little importance, however, personal freedom means everything.

I once talked to a financial planner who worked for Merell-Lynch, he told me a story of one of his friends who became relatively successful (as many of them had when times were good) and his colligues would always tease him abut his 85 honda accord stationed in a parking lot filled with Lexus, BMWs and Porsche. He would politely respond by telling him that it was his F-U car, because if his boss ever pissed him off enough, he could tell him/her F-U and drive home in the honda he didn't have to make payments on.

Well I work for CVS so I need to have a F-U life, and so I do.

 

[American Princess]

Brilliant. Wise man

 

[PharmaTope]

I wish I could tell you I had some magic secret, but the reality is not very glamorous. I live as a very frugal person so not only do I save a large portion of my income, but because my expenses are so low I don't need as much money to retire as someone who buys a new BMW every 2 years. Again, it is all about one's priorities, for me, "stuff" has relatively little importance, however, personal freedom means everything.

I once talked to a financial planner who worked for Merell-Lynch, he told me a story of one of his friends who became relatively successful (as many of them had when times were good) and his colligues would always tease him abut his 85 honda accord stationed in a parking lot filled with Lexus, BMWs and Porsche. He would politely respond by telling him that it was his F-U car, because if his boss ever pissed him off enough, he could tell him/her F-U and drive home in the honda he didn't have to make payments on.

Well I work for CVS so I need to have a F-U life, and so I do.

this my friends is the reason to eliminate your debt. when you do this, no employer has you by the balls. managers are LOVING this economy because they can get new grads and treat them like garbage and get away with it due to the very high loan amounts and lack of jobs.

DONT BE A VICTIM!

 

[inquirer89]

I wish I could tell you I had some magic secret, but the reality is not very glamorous. I live as a very frugal person so not only do I save a large portion of my income, but because my expenses are so low I don't need as much money to retire as someone who buys a new BMW every 2 years. Again, it is all about one's priorities, for me, "stuff" has relatively little importance, however, personal freedom means everything.

I once talked to a financial planner who worked for Merell-Lynch, he told me a story of one of his friends who became relatively successful (as many of them had when times were good) and his colligues would always tease him abut his 85 honda accord stationed in a parking lot filled with Lexus, BMWs and Porsche. He would politely respond by telling him that it was his F-U car, because if his boss ever pissed him off enough, he could tell him/her F-U and drive home in the honda he didn't have to make payments on.

Well I work for CVS so I need to have a F-U life, and so I do.

Wise words indeed. I plan on doing the same, I think I can live quite comfortably on a "college budget" and pocketing the rest for retirement or investing. I've alway been thrifty too. Heck, I plan on keeping my 11 year old Ford Focus far beyond graduation.

 

[rph74]

I wish I could tell you I had some magic secret, but the reality is not very glamorous. I live as a very frugal person so not only do I save a large portion of my income, but because my expenses are so low I don't need as much money to retire as someone who buys a new BMW every 2 years. Again, it is all about one's priorities, for me, "stuff" has relatively little importance, however, personal freedom means everything.

I once talked to a financial planner who worked for Merell-Lynch, he told me a story of one of his friends who became relatively successful (as many of them had when times were good) and his colligues would always tease him abut his 85 honda accord stationed in a parking lot filled with Lexus, BMWs and Porsche. He would politely respond by telling him that it was his F-U car, because if his boss ever pissed him off enough, he could tell him/her F-U and drive home in the honda he didn't have to make payments on.

Well I work for CVS so I need to have a F-U life, and so I do.

Your story sounds like one out of "The Millionaire Next Door". I love it! It's a book that we all should read. Often the people who "look" the most successful are often high earners with little savings. Most "average" millionaires are ones who simply live on far less than they make and save and invest over a long period of time. Like you said, nothing glamorous or magical about it. Get out of debt, and stay out of debt!

 

[rph74]

Wise words indeed. I plan on doing the same, I think I can live quite comfortably on a "college budget" and pocketing the rest for retirement or investing. I've alway been thrifty too. Heck, I plan on keeping my 11 year old Ford Focus far beyond graduation.

Keep up that mindset! Don't let you fellow grads fool you into thinking that you need a new $30,000 car or big house right away. It'll just make you a slave to your job.

 

[rph3664]

Keep up that mindset! Don't let you fellow grads fool you into thinking that you need a new $30,000 car or big house right away. It'll just make you a slave to your job.

One of my former co-workers bought with her husband, as their starter house, a 5-bedroom, 4-bathroom McMansion. They had no children at the time, and took that "mortgage that's double your salary" thing a little too seriously, IMNSHO. She's a pharmacist, he's a high school teacher. They later had two children (she tricked him into the second one ) and moved away when the younger one was a baby, and I found out recently that they are getting divorced, something that probably surprised nobody whatsoever.

I believe that her insistence that they live beyond their means was a huge factor in this.

As for me, I could in theory have afforded a place like that, but I'm single and live with my two furbabies in a 2-bedroom house that's paid off. My living expenses right now are probably about $500 a month, because I don't have a car payment either. My house is on the market, and although I haven't worked in so long, I was able to get a pre-approved mortgage because my credit is so good.

When I graduated, I did buy a new car, although not a fancy one, and all new furniture too.

 

[apteryx]

When I graduated, I did buy a new car, although not a fancy one, and all new furniture too.

There's an obvious (yet surprisingly ill-understood) difference between buying a new Focus and a new 7-series. I think this is where people get confused and screw themselves over.

That and thinking that your credit limit = that much more disposable income you just acquired.

 

[Sparda29]

I drive a 94 Ford Tarus I purchased from my grandmother that currently has just over 40k mileage. Being very old, depreciation is a non-factor, but being in superior condition for its age maintenance has thankfully also been very low. My employment has never been more than 3 miles from my house so additionally fuel cost is negligible. My total annual cost for the car is approximately 1,000, the biggest piece of that being insurance which is $300 q6 months.

Damn man you don't drive much anywhere.

In just over 2 years, I've driven 46500 miles in my Volkswagen CC, and before that I drove 47000 miles in 3 years in my Honda Accord. On average, I drive 75 miles/day.

 

[Dr Wario]

Damn man you don't drive much anywhere.

In just over 2 years, I've driven 46500 miles in my Volkswagen CC, and before that I drove 47000 miles in 3 years in my Honda Accord. On average, I drive 75 miles/day.

I'm not big on driving, but the car only had 14k miles when I got it about three years ago (legit grandma Sunday car).

 

[BanBidil]

There's an obvious (yet surprisingly ill-understood) difference between buying a new Focus and a new 7-series. I think this is where people get confused and screw themselves over.

That and thinking that your credit limit = that much more disposable income you just acquired.

*******Caution Angry Car Rant by buzzed Pharmacist*******

Ok...Why is there so much hate for a BMW? Yeah the car is expensive but if you buy a used one (which looks almost the same as the new one), certified, the company covers everything. The difference is maybe 10k-15k between that and an accord or Prius. Side note: Don't even get me started on how people in the Prius CANNOT DRIVE (what are they doing hitting the breaks every chance they get to get a better reading on the gas mileage???) Battery on the Prius also costs a lot to replace.

I got myself a used 6 series conv because before it felt like it was an unachievable goal and I had wanted that car for years since it came out in 2004. It runs great and BMW takes care of everything for the next 3 years. Now that I have it, I checked it off the list. Sure I will lose money due to depreciation but i'm enjoying the fruits of my labor and in this housing market where real estate will probably lose 25% in the next few years it made sense to me. I decided to work more hours as a result until it is paid off. Financial responsibility is important but its ok to have a toy every now and then so long as you don't get too crazy.




Counter argument:
I can already see what people are going to say:
"You are ignorant. I am investing in the market and making such and such amount. You are wasting so much money on gas and insurance.

My response:
Market is volatile There's a chance you can get burned down the line, meanwhile, I enjoyed my car and my life as a young single guy. Gas and insurance isn't that much more than an accord. Example: I used to drive a 95 Acura Legend. I get about the same mpg and rates are only slightly higher. I thought of buying gold a few months ago but that already at peak too.

Yeah but if you buy real estate yada yada yada....
Again, real estate prices in California will go down in the next couple of years.....foreclosures haven't fully hit the market yet. Yeah you could buy a plot of land build 2 units rent one and make someone else pay for your mortgage....partially true but again, good luck doing that in any major city that someone single would enjoy living in.


You could save your whole life. The market could reach 14k in on day and become half that value in a few months when you want to retire (see 2007). I would rather enjoy life a bit first....


And as far as student loans go......
I did the math, it makes sense for me to be in the IBR program for now. I would rather make minimum payments and have the liquidity to invest or open my own pharmacy in a few years after I gain enough experience (yes, you can still be profitable if you do your homework and have nice markets like compounding, 340b, diabetes, mtm, homeopathic junk that people love to pay thousands for, pet meds, medical supplies....the list goes on).

Win. Don't play not to lose, because then you lose. Play to win.

Anyway those are my 2 cents.

 

[Dr Wario]

*******Caution Angry Car Rant by buzzed Pharmacist*******

Ok...Why is there so much hate for a BMW? Yeah the car is expensive but if you buy a used one (which looks almost the same as the new one), certified, the company covers everything. The difference is maybe 10k-15k between that and an accord or Prius. Side note: Don't even get me started on how people in the Prius CANNOT DRIVE (what are they doing hitting the breaks every chance they get to get a better reading on the gas mileage???) Battery on the Prius also costs a lot to replace.

I got myself a used 6 series conv because before it felt like it was an unachievable goal and I had wanted that car for years since it came out in 2004. It runs great and BMW takes care of everything for the next 3 years. Now that I have it, I checked it off the list. Sure I will lose money due to depreciation but i'm enjoying the fruits of my labor and in this housing market where real estate will probably lose 25% in the next few years it made sense to me. I decided to work more hours as a result until it is paid off. Financial responsibility is important but its ok to have a toy every now and then so long as you don't get too crazy.




Counter argument:
I can already see what people are going to say:
"You are ignorant. I am investing in the market and making such and such amount. You are wasting so much money on gas and insurance.

My response:
Market is volatile There's a chance you can get burned down the line, meanwhile, I enjoyed my car and my life as a young single guy. Gas and insurance isn't that much more than an accord. Example: I used to drive a 95 Acura Legend. I get about the same mpg and rates are only slightly higher. I thought of buying gold a few months ago but that already at peak too.

Yeah but if you buy real estate yada yada yada....
Again, real estate prices in California will go down in the next couple of years.....foreclosures haven't fully hit the market yet. Yeah you could buy a plot of land build 2 units rent one and make someone else pay for your mortgage....partially true but again, good luck doing that in any major city that someone single would enjoy living in.


You could save your whole life. The market could reach 14k in on day and become half that value in a few months when you want to retire (see 2007). I would rather enjoy life a bit first....


And as far as student loans go......
I did the math, it makes sense for me to be in the IBR program for now. I would rather make minimum payments and have the liquidity to invest or open my own pharmacy in a few years after I gain enough experience (yes, you can still be profitable if you do your homework and have nice markets like compounding, 340b, diabetes, mtm, homeopathic junk that people love to pay thousands for, pet meds, medical supplies....the list goes on).

Win. Don't play not to lose, because then you lose. Play to win.

Anyway those are my 2 cents.

As previously stated, it is all about priorities. My priority is to not be forced to work (that doesn't mean I won't when I do have financial freedom). My only problem with your scenario is what happens when the economy does tank.

Let's take the example of a person like you (not you) and a person like me. Imagine we have a recession (we haven't had a real recession yet by the way) and we both lose our jobs. Your car is worth nothing and my investments are worth 25% of their previous value. You have no money saved and thus you starve, I on the other hand have a very little of my savings left and thus I can survive on rice and beans and perhaps sometimes I can afford spices to flavor them. The person like you (not you, remember?) sees that I have spices and gets furious because you are starving and could use that money to buy rice and beans for yourself. Thus, you steal my spices (or more likely the government steals them for you) and now you have rice and beans to eat.

Moral of the story, keep your hands off my spices and we will be just fine.

p.s. Again I am not saying the above example is you, I do not know you. The above example is most people in America. They take sick days whenever they feel like it, scoff at overtime and buy useless crap for themselves that they have no way of paying for. We are in a semi-recession now because of this very practice that the economy cannot sustain. Maybe we can survive a few more down cycles, but when the government not longer has the money to bail people out and subsidize gas prices, Americans will see what a real recession looks like.

 

[BanBidil]

As previously stated, it is all about priorities. My priority is to not be forced to work (that doesn't mean I won't when I do have financial freedom). My only problem with your scenario is what happens when the economy does tank.

Let's take the example of a person like you (not you) and a person like me. Imagine we have a recession (we haven't had a real recession yet by the way) and we both lose our jobs. Your car is worth nothing and my investments are worth 25% of their previous value. You have no money saved and thus you starve, I on the other hand have a very little of my savings left and thus I can survive on rice and beans and perhaps sometimes I can afford spices to flavor them. The person like you (not you, remember?) sees that I have spices and gets furious because you are starving and could use that money to buy rice and beans for yourself. Thus, you steal my spices (or more likely the government steals them for you) and now you have rice and beans to eat.

Moral of the story, keep your hands off my spices and we will be just fine.

p.s. Again I am not saying the above example is you, I do not know you. The above example is most people in America. They take sick days whenever they feel like it, scoff at overtime and buy useless crap for themselves that they have no way of paying for. We are in a semi-recession now because of this very practice that the economy cannot sustain. Maybe we can survive a few more down cycles, but when the government not longer has the money to bail people out and subsidize gas prices, Americans will see what a real recession looks like.

Nice... I like your sense of humor. But, I do have savings, locked up in a CD which I do not touch, even though it gets like 1%.....but then again this fiat money...might not be worth much if we don't get our debt under control and get a downgrade on credit. By the way what was the first thing missing/looted from Wal-Mart after Katrina...answer GUNS. If things go bad, you better protect those spices with some guns ;-). Also, I love OT, thats the reason I bought the car anyway because I did get some nice OT.

 

[TLAD123]

When your back starts to hurt because you are getting old then it becomes a factor.

There are chairs for that. I've worked with a few older pharmacists that probably should have been retired, but who can pass up 120K in retail when you have nothing else to do, or you're alone, or are just bored from retirement and traveling? If I just work one more year I'll have enough to... get a Porsche, give my grandson a college education, get 1/5 of a vacation house, etc.

 

[TLAD123]

*******Caution Angry Car Rant by buzzed Pharmacist*******

You have the right to use your money how you wish - a 6/7 series only 15K more than a prius? Maybe I have no clue how much a prius costs but don't those high end BMWs start at 60K +?

Also, do you have your 401K/IRAs maxed out? If so and you have surplus to get a car, great. If not, it's not what I would do, but again, you have every right to spend your money how you'd like.

To OP: Retirement age? I'd say 65 b/c that's when medicare kicks in. I don't know if employers offer health plans beyond that.

 

[TLAD123]

Just attended a live CE seminar not long ago; I could swear that >60% of the room was >60 years old.

maybe this is because a lot of younger PharmDs have board certifications and thus do not have to do traditional CEs

 

[Sunshine98]

I hope to at least be able to go part time by age of 50 and then ride it out. Right now no debt, own home, have 8 month Emergency Fund, and max out 401K and IRA...plan to stay the course next 10 years at least.

Unless I win the powerball then I have no problem dropping the mic and say See Ya!

 

[Sparda29]

Guy who's a per-diem at my hospital.

He retired at age 55 after working 30 years at the state hospital. He collects a $100,000 pension every year, isn't 59 1/2 yet so isn't collecting the 401k yet either. He plays golf 3-4 times a week, drives a Corvette, works like maybe 12 shifts a month at the max as a per-diem, married to a 40 year old lady and has 2 kids. Dude is coming back to work full-time since his wife is sick of him sitting around the house doing nothing when he can't play golf due to weather. He says he's planning on doing it for like 6-7 years then retiring so he can get a 2nd pension.

 

[mustang sally]

I am currently 26 and will have the financial ability to retire in about five to seven years (I actually could now if I wanted to live like a college student). Granted, I have no children, work about 55 hours per week in pharmacy and have other sources of income. It all really comes down to your priorities, my primary goal is financial freedom so I structure every facet of my life to achieve it.

Hey Dr Wario,

You may have mentioned it before, but do you mind saying how much debt you started out with? Just curious, since you are so young. I just graduated a couple of years ago as an older student…having so much debt now makes me feel a little behind sometimes.

 

[NaOH]

I've been using 60 as a target in my financial planning (I'll be graduating at 34), but I wouldn't be opposed to going part time earlier if circumstances allow it.

 

[TLAD123]

I hope to at least be able to go part time by age of 50 and then ride it out. Right now no debt, own home, have 8 month Emergency Fund, and max out 401K and IRA...plan to stay the course next 10 years at least.

Unless I win the powerball then I have no problem dropping the mic and say See Ya!

Nicely done - how many years have you been out of school?

 

[TLAD123]

I am currently 26 and will have the financial ability to retire in about five to seven years (I actually could now if I wanted to live like a college student). Granted, I have no children, work about 55 hours per week in pharmacy and have other sources of income. It all really comes down to your priorities, my primary goal is financial freedom so I structure every facet of my life to achieve it.

What kind of other income do you have, just curious.

Guy who's a per-diem at my hospital.
He retired at age 55 after working 30 years at the state hospital. He collects a $100,000 pension every year, isn't 59 1/2 yet so isn't collecting the 401k yet either.

100K after 30 years? That's better than military, props to him. Pensions are awesome - too bad they aren't sustainable.

 

[Dr. Bubblebutt]

What kind of other income do you have, just curious.



100K after 30 years? That's better than military, props to him. Pensions are awesome - too bad they aren't sustainable.

Yes, public sector pensioners are in for a rude awakening.

 

[rph3664]

I could potentially retire now, at 47, but I at least want to work enough to get health insurance. Thank heavens I'm healthy; I do have a private policy right now but I don't want to rely on it forever.

I ended up retiring 9 months after making this post, because I realized concurrently that the job I ended up getting was literally killing me, and that the pharmacy profession wasn't the same one I had trained for. And I was still 47.

Want to make God laugh? Tell Him your plans. Really.

My parents are still trying to wrap their heads around what I did.

 

[Sunshine98]

Nicely done - how many years have you been out of school?

since 98. Lived poorly though first few years to pay off school loans, buy a used car, etc. And poorly, I mean nothing extra....no splurges or anything like that. Bought my 0.99 Suave Shampoo too LOL!! But I'm glad I did. Im only 40 and to see how this profession has changed in my short time is scary!

 

[Sunshine98]

job I ended up getting was literally killing me, and that the pharmacy profession wasn't the same one I had trained for. And I was still 47.

That's how I feel at the moment. Im too young to have chest pain and insomnia due to a job. And it seems no matter how hard you work or how much you do they still find a way to crap on you.

 

[rph3664]

That's how I feel at the moment. Im too young to have chest pain and insomnia due to a job. And it seems no matter how hard you work or how much you do they still find a way to crap on you.

Honestly, the hospital I worked for treated their employees very well and overall had great morale (how often do you walk into a HOSPITAL and everyone's smiling?) I worked with some terrific people, too.

And then I had a panic attack that landed me in the ER and lost between 10 and 15 pounds in the next 3 weeks; do you have any idea how hard it is for a middle-aged woman to do that? Had I not quit that day, I would have ended up as an inpatient; it was that bad. I still think about it every day, almost 2 years later.

 

[Sparda29]

Honestly, the hospital I worked for treated their employees very well and overall had great morale (how often do you walk into a HOSPITAL and everyone's smiling?) I worked with some terrific people, too.

And then I had a panic attack that landed me in the ER and lost between 10 and 15 pounds in the next 3 weeks; do you have any idea how hard it is for a middle-aged woman to do that? Had I not quit that day, I would have ended up as an inpatient; it was that bad. I still think about it every day, almost 2 years later.

That's why I'm taking the position at the pediatric hospital even though it means that I'm leaving the union. At my current hospital, everyone looks unhappy and always has something to complain about. When I walked into the pediatric hospital, everyone seemed happy. Hell, even all the decorations made the place look happy (it looks like a playland or something inside). I would have thought I'd see a lot of unhappy people being that they see sick kids all day.

 

[rph3664]

At my first post-graduation job, I worked with a fellow new graduate who was taking a year off before going to medical school. She wanted to specialize in PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY :EEK:! I said, "Well, I guess someone has to do that" and she replied, "I loved my rotation. It's the happiest place in the hospital." Oooookay.......

I later heard that she ended up specializing in infectious disease instead.

I found out by working in a small hospital that nurses are NOT cut from the same cloth. The OB nurses didn't want to work in ICU because people die all the time, the ICU nurses couldn't stand OB work because they don't like to see people in pain, the med/surg nurses refused to work in skilled nursing because so many of those patients never get better, the skilled nursing staff thought med/surg was boring because on the skilled floor, you get to see people learn how to take care of themselves again, etc. And hospice nurses are a total breed unto themselves.

And most of the kids in a peds hospital are just there for a few days, or even a matter of hours.