Any Pharmacists out there?

[h8red]

I'm a pharmacist and I love my job. Our pharmacy is set up so that I never count a pill other than Schedule-II (highly controlled). Our main goal is interaction with the patient. We are a very progressive pharmacy that, IMHO, does a very good job at educating the public. I work retail because I like interacting with people. Sure there are the people who only care why their co-pays went up $2, but I just tell them to call the 800 number on the back of their insurance card. If they want a refill, we fax have the technicians fax the MD or have the patient use our phone to call them. We are too busy to talk to insurances or Dr. office's to ask for refills.

I graduated 1.5 years ago with a PharmD. I had to go through 4 years of pharmacy school, but I already had a BS in genetics before going into pharmacy school so I didn't have to take the 2 years of pre-pharmacy. The schooling was fairly challenging, but I believe I went to a fairly good pharmacy school so that makes it a little more difficult.

The salary range is anywhere from $50-90K but you really shouldn't be in it for the $$ IMHO

Feel free to ask any questions you would like

 

[Excelsior]

You aren't the only one considering this field JOnBrown. I know one thing though, Id much rather work in a clinical/hospital setting than retail. As BaliBabyDoc said...
"but they typically interact with physicians instead of patients. They are integral parts of some clinical teams particularly in disciplines like infectious disease, cancer treatment (oncology chemotherapy), and pediatric medicine. They may Round on the wards with residents/attendings, staff inpatient/oupatient pharmacies in the hospital..."
Sounds more stimulating than CVS or Walgreens. And of course the pay is nice. I used to think that I should do whatever I want, follow my passion..but then I realized with my love for science and money (to spend on technology) it makes more sense to do something like Pharmacy.

 

[JOnBrown]

Well, my current field of study that I will get a degree in the fall of 03 (Assuming all my classes are offered.. Ive had problems before) is Liberal Studies... But the reason I am in this field is mainly because it is a general education. I take all sorts of classes, much of my degree is comprised of upper level electives of my own choosing and as such, Ive taken a few hours in almost every department.

While Ive done well in science courses over my years being a student and I also have enjoyed learning how things work; but I am not the best when it comes to math.... calc/trig or anything higher frightens me. I can do multiplication/division/addition/subtraction/rudimentary algebra in my head with ease, but for some reason I was never able to "get" the higher math courses. Is there much math involved in training to become a pharmacist?


Are you folks who actually are pharmacists happy with your career choice?


To give a bit more background on myself, I see myself owning something in the future... (a landlord situation, perhaps owning some fast food franchise, something of the sort). I am 22 years old and I am self-employed running a small business out of my bedroom... but I make 30k+ a year while in school, so I think I am off to a decent start. Unfortunately the business world is far too volitile for my tastes. I dont mind working all day long (12 hours days are nothing for me), and as such, I figure I need to find myself a career that pays well, offers the opportunity to help people in some way, and would allow me to save the kind of $$$ I need to reach my ultimate goals of acquiring a nice passive income stream for an early, relaxing sort of semi-retirement.... Why Ive given all this information I am not quite sure, but perhaps it will help you taylor your potential answer(s) to my questions based on my goals?


I would like to thank all of you for the responses so far, great material to ponder... keep it coming!

 

[PharmMan]

I am very happy with my career choice. I think it depends on the type of pharmacist that you talk to. Retail chain pharmacist usually become unhappy quickly (it happened to my wife in 2 1/2 years she has changed to long term care). Many unhappy pharmacists have converted to mail order which is very low stress and boring. The great thing about pharmacy is that you can have your main job in pharmacy paying very well (at least 70k unless government) and also work part time at retail and make $40/hr at least.

There are a couple classes of statistics and pharmacokinetics. Statistics is often required as a prerequisite depending on the school. Schools vary widely on amount of math. Some require just 1 year of general math, while some require 4 semesters of calculus. Pharmacy school is really not terribly hard. Being uncomfortable with math I am guessing that the 2 semesters of Physics will be the hardest class for pharmacy (though done before in the school).

You say that you do not mind working long hours. I have a friend that works night shift (9p-7a) 7 days on then days off. Gets paid 80 for working 70 and also gets shift differential. Plus you could travel damn near anywhere. He gets 3 weeks of vacation, which is like 6. So in actuality he works 23 out of 52 weeks for over 90K.

Also, there are still many independent pharmacy owners that do quite well.

There are many options and you need to decide if it is for you.

 

[JOnBrown]

Great info PharmMan... I really dont even know all the options available to this field and your answers are very informative... I appreciate them very much


Given the right motivation, I can learn anything... even the dreaded calc classes... ugh!

 

[Doggiedog]

My wife is a pharmacist.

She makes mid-70s or close to $40/hr. However, she is not a retail pharmacist. She hates that work. She works at a pharmaceutical distributor that deals with child patients only. Before she worked at a distributor that dealt with hospitals, prisons, unions, etc. Those jobs are easier because you don't have to work the long hours and weekends of retail but they pay less. She doesn't mind though.

She went to a 5 yr pharmacist program at Rutgers but now they changed it to 6 yr pharmD degree.

 

[vi edit]

This is visgf talking...

I'm currently in the middle of my pharmacy school program at the U of Iowa. I absolutely love it! I find it incredibly fascinating how the smallest little drug molecule can completely change a person's life, for the good or bad. My program is more geared towards clinical pharmacy rather than community ("retail") practice. The new curriculum is very heavy in physiology, chemistry, therapeutics/case study, and pharmacokinetics.

The theory here is that all pharmacists, regardless of where they practice, should work with patients to find the best drug therapy to treat their condition(s). We also have a very important role as counselors to the general public, and you don't have to make an appointment or pay a copay to ask us about your health concerns.

P.S. We're not pill counters anymore. We're more like the IT guys for the health care world.

 

[Red Dawn]

Is it easy to score Pharmaceutical Cocaine?

 

[johneetrash]

my friend is a pharmacist.. i think he went to school for 5 years? but im not sure. anyway he works the graveyard shift... 10pm - 8am. he says no one comes in from 12-6 so he's mostly chillin their or takin a nap *giggle* and he works 2 weeks out of the month. so 10 hours for 8 days (he gets piad for 8 days work but he only works 7) x 2 weeks = brand new g35 coupe in his first year of work

 

[BaliBabyDoc]

You aren't the only one considering this field JOnBrown. I know one thing though, Id much rather work in a clinical/hospital setting than retail. As BaliBabyDoc said...
"but they typically interact with physicians instead of patients. They are integral parts of some clinical teams particularly in disciplines like infectious disease, cancer treatment (oncology chemotherapy), and pediatric medicine. They may Round on the wards with residents/attendings, staff inpatient/oupatient pharmacies in the hospital..."
Sounds more stimulating than CVS or Walgreens. And of course the pay is nice. I used to think that I should do whatever I want, follow my passion..but then I realized with my love for science and money (to spend on technology) it makes more sense to do something like Pharmacy.

One caveat though . . . the hospital is not a normal place of business. Patients are almost always wonderful but the staff (from the Chief of Staff to the janitor) range from the most wonderful people on earth to evil incarnate. I know people in the "real world" deal with loathsome personalities as well but there's nothing like dysfunctional hospital staff when it comes to making your life a living hell . . . particularly when getting your job done is almost always dependent on someone else doing theirs.

 

[axelfox]

"street pharmacist" haha j/k

my mom has been a pharmacist for over 20 years, and she recently went back to school to get her Pharm. D. I think these days that is what you need to be competitive.

 

[h8red]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Is it easy to score Pharmaceutical Cocaine?

No cocaine eye drops are rarely prescribed anymore. In fact, I've never dispensed them but we used to have them in safe at one of the pharmacies I worked at.

 

[h8red]

While Ive done well in science courses over my years being a student and I also have enjoyed learning how things work; but I am not the best when it comes to math.... calc/trig or anything higher frightens me. I can do multiplication/division/addition/subtraction/rudimentary algebra in my head with ease, but for some reason I was never able to "get" the higher math courses. Is there much math involved in training to become a pharmacist?

you would be surprised at how little math is involved. 99% of the math is simple algebra. As Pharmman explained before, there is a couple of classes in pharmacokinetics which really use higher calculus-based math but they always dumbed down the math for us. It would have been very beneficial for me to understand the calculus-based formulas but I just used their simplified equations. So, in other words, you will be fine there. I really believe that the most important part of pharmacy is talking anyway. You have to understand what each patient wants so you can adapt your consultation

 

[h8red]

Great info PharmMan... I really dont even know all the options available to this field

And the great thing is that he didn't list all of them!!! I tell people that ask about pharmacy as a career, "there is nothing that you can't do with a pharmacy degree". If you are into law, there is a place for patent issues with drugs. If you want to be a policeperson you can work for the DEA. If you are a scientist you can do drug research. If you like politics you can work for the FDA. If you like computers you can make software for pharmaceutical applications. If you want to be a teacher you can teach pharmacy students. This is just scratching the surface.

Here are a few links you can peruse to get more info:
APhA
AHSP
site with more links to pharmacy related topics

 

[JOnBrown]

Indeed h8red, it seems there are all sorts of possiblited once one acquires a PharmD.... amazing when you think about it....

 

[draggoon01]

just curious, what exactly does a retail pharmacist do? literally just count pills and put them in a bottle? what steps happen after i hand the prescription over? how does the schooling relate to this?

 

[h8red]

Originally posted by: draggoon01
just curious, what exactly does a retail pharmacist do? literally just count pills and put them in a bottle? what steps happen after i hand the prescription over? how does the schooling relate to this?

That is the common misconception that all retail pharmacists do is count pills. This couldn't be farther from the truth. I'll guide you through what I do as a retail pharmacist.

1) the new prescription comes into the pharmacy by having the patient drop off a newly written Rx, a faxed Rx, or the Dr. calls in a new Rx which the pharmacist transcribes
2) the technicians type out exactly what is on the prescription and print a label.
3) the technicians then take the label, grab the drugs off the shelves, counts out the pills and puts in a bottle.
4) the pharmacist then verifies that what the technician typed is exactly what is on the bottle. Specifically looking for
a) name of patient
b) birthdate of patient
c) drug name (either brand or brand written and filled for generic)
d) drug strength
e) directions for use
f) Dr.'s name
g) correct date on the Rx
h) number of refills
5) assuming the Rx is typed out correctly, the pharmacist looks at the drug/dose and verifies that its accurate for the patient. For example, if I received an Rx for amoxicillin 250 mg (anitbiotic generally 500 mg taken three times daily) taken once per day for an adult I would call the Dr. to verify that the dose is incorrect.
6) we have a patient profile printed for us on each Rx filled so we then look to see if there are and drug/drug interaction, allergies, proper use (either abusing or not taking properly). Also look to see if its a new Rx if the patient had it before to verify if the dose has changed to alert the consulting pharmacist. After this point the Rx is verified and ready for the consulting pharmacist to talk to the patient
7) consultation is adapted to the patient to make sure the patient understands how to use the medication, potential side effects, things to do, things to avoid, to get the most out of the prescription. Also this is the time the patient voices and questions or concerns. We always open the bottle and show the patient the pills they will be taking to see if they look familiar if its a refill or if its a new Rx to see if they will have a hard time swallowing.

So as you can see, in our pharmacy, the pharmacist never touches a pill. There is a pharmacist shortage right now, we don't have the time to do anything other than the job that the pharmacist is supposed to do which is verify the Rx and consult with the patient.

The education that I got helps in this because all we do is focus on the drug (appropriate use, appropriate dose, appropriate directions for use.....) which is basically all we learned in school. Also there are "social" classes you have to take which helps you talk to different types of people (angry, confused, you name it)

 

[draggoon01]

thanks, for detailed response

 

[PharmMan]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Is it easy to score Pharmaceutical Cocaine?
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Posted by:h8red
No cocaine eye drops are rarely prescribed anymore. In fact, I've never dispensed them but we used to have them in safe at one of the pharmacies I worked at.

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I hope you are joking about the eye drops being used anymore. The only cocaine we have is a solution that is used for nose bleeds. They did away with the powder years ago. It is rarely used outside the ER, and only as a last line agent when used at all.

 

[Dznuts007]

I'm a pharmacist too. Been one for 1½ years now. Am I happy with my career choice? Yes and no. Lately I've been very unhappy due to the store they had me take over. I have no help at that store, the up-front store manager cuts my staff, I run around like a headless chicken, I type prescriptions, pull the drugs off the shelf, fill the drugs, put the drugs back on the shelf, verify the drug, do consultations, take new prescriptions over the phone, answer all sorts of questions...etc.

What I'm really supposed to be doing is verifying prescriptions, answering patient's questions, doing consultations, and taking new prescriptions over the phone.

You can probably guess that I work at a retail pharmacy. Did I do it for the money? Yes and no. Of course retail pays probably the most on average. In CA, you can easily make $120k+ a year working at a retail chain, but of course cost of living is really high here so it evens out with the other states that don't pay as much. Some reasons why I chose retail other than money was because it was what I was used to. Also, I hate working with nurses in the hospitals (Not all, but alot). Can't stand the attitude from alot of them.