Reflections of a 4th yr pharm student--pls read if you're considering pharm

[lala2]

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Ok, so now that I'm on the cusp of finishing (hopefully), I just want to share my experience with any of you who may be interested in pharm. Some bkgrnd on me--I started pharm in 2006 at USYD, BUT it was not my first choice. I actually wanted to do med science, and I considered being a music teacher for a while. I chose pharm because I was interested in science, wanted a stable job, and pharm was the highest UAI course I could get into that satisfied both criteria.

I thought I would grow to love it. How wrong I was. Basically, my disillusionment came about when I started working in a pharmacy in late 2007. I realised that you learn so much crap only to use, at best, about 5% of it. A monkey could do the work we do--stick labels on boxes, and know which books to look up should that rare customer who's actually more interested than simply how to take their meds, ask a curly question. And basically the instructions are given by the doctor, and any extra stuff that needs to be said, e.g. don't take grapefruit juice if you're on certain cholesterol-lowering drugs, those are all programmed into the computer anyway.

I'm not opposed to learning for the sake of learning, in fact, far from it, but it really disappointed me that I was learning all this stuff, never to use it. If I had gone in knowing that I would never grow to love this course, or that I was going to learn a lot of stuff that I would never use, at least the disappointment wouldn't have been as great.

And trust me, it's not for the lack of trying. I've been a member of the immediate past SUPA committee, I've attended two student conferences, I attend all my lectures very diligently, I've been an ambassador for the uni trying to promote a degree I hate, in the hope I could at least fool myself for a further two years that I enjoyed this degree, but my conscience will simply not let me rest--this degree is not for me.

So what I'm saying is, just know that you'll be put through four years (actually five, with registration) of crap and will hardly be appreciated for it. Note I never said you'll never be appeciated, because there will be the odd customer that will, but they are rare and far in between.

I will admit I haven't had any hospital experience, and it may be different there, but from what I've heard from my friends who have done hospital placements this semester, you are really unappreciated too, by the hospital, the doctors (some hospitals don't even have a pharmacist on ward rounds!), and there's a massive hierarchy to navigate, not to mention you're on call, the office politics...yadda yadda yadda.

This experience is not unique to me--just from casually talking to many, many people (both students and working pharmacists), many feel the same way. The newly registered pharmacist at work has gone back to do a Masters in Commerce and International Business, and a very experienced pharmacist (40 years in the profession, owned a pharmacy in Newtown, is a guy at the Pharm Guild) said he too was very disillusioned after finishing--he went back to study psych but dropped out after a year and returned to pharm merely because he had gotten married, a kid was on the way and he needed the money. This older pharmacist, many of his friends also did other things afterwards too, and he estimates about 2/3s of graduating pharm students will not be working as pharmacists 10 years out.

Yes, I'm bitter and disappointed. My first exam is for a subject I failed (this is how much I hate pharmacy) which is Monday week, I can't prepare for it but even if I could I would leave it probably till next Saturday. I have just under two weeks to prepare for my first exam that can be prepared for, and I think...no, I know I will leave the study till Saturday anyway, cram and finish Friday morning at 3am when my exam is at 12pm. Trust me, I wasn't always like this. I was a conscientious student who always constantly studied, and to procrastinate and cram so badly, this is what pharmacy's done to me.

for the tl;dr crowd, aka conclusion
So, the take home msg is very carefully consider whether you really want to go through five years (four yr degree + one yr rego) only to use about 5% of what you know and be generally unappreciated for it. As for me, I'm planning to go back to uni in 2011 and do not medicine *shock, horror* but...science/arts.

[extensorindicis]

But don't you like the fact that you can earn about 150k a year doing minimal work?

Can any 4th year phyio student tell any prospective physio students about their course 4 years in?

Thatl settle the physio vs pharm dilemma for good.

[lala2]

True, it's not the 150k doing minimal work that bugs me, it's the fact that there's so much more behind the minimal work. If I wanted to earn 150k doing minimal work, I'd go on the stock market and stare at a screen all day.

Basically, I'm just saying working as a pharmacist is an insult to your intelligence.

[Chemistryace]

what uai did you get?

[Tim035]

I kind of figured this must be the case, the whole 'dispensing of medicines' being simplified to putting a sticker on a box + all the information and any additional questions the customer might ask being on the computer screen in front of you.

This is the way I see it:

- Swap to science, do rational drug design & molecular pharmacology and become a drug design researcher. It'll always be an innovate and exciting enviroment to be working in, but the pay will never break $50k a year (unless you start up your own company and get some serious patent licensing deals etc..).

- Become a pharmacist, do shit all and be bored stupid, but get paid $100k+ a year for it, with guranteed job security.

[lala2]

chemistryace: my UAI was 96.95
tim035: I agree. But, to chuck in a third (or is it a fourth?) wheel), even the job security's not guaranteed. There are far too many pharm schools being opened, and the time's not far off when you can't just walk in and say "I'm a pharmacist, give me a job" and they'll give you a job. There are people from the year above me who failed to find registration jobs (which are the easiest to get), and I know of one case where someone didn't get a registration job until late Jan (most people have it lined up as soon as exams finish in late Nov).

[extensorindicis]

how long does it take for a pharm graduate at say priceline or terry white to start earning 150k? if its not that long who cares if its boring id take the money anyday

[katie tully]

You could always look at a career in Pharmaceutics instead of just going into general pharmacy though, yeah?

Design and manufacture of drugs, research that kind of stuff. At least you'd be able to use your brain there?

Edit: lol wtf sort of pharmacist earns 150k >?!

[extensorindicis]

well thats been my perception of what they get paid.

[lychnobity]

Originally Posted by katie tully

You could always look at a career in Pharmaceutics instead of just going into general pharmacy though, yeah?

Design and manufacture of drugs, research that kind of stuff. At least you'd be able to use your brain there?

Edit: lol wtf sort of pharmacist earns 150k >?!

In retail I suppose.

And to lala2, ty for that.

[5233andy]

You ought to pick up a foreign language and work for pharmaceutical companies. You might find a little more enjoyment when the next health pandemic plagues the world, and only pharmaceutical companies have the power to save the world - take Australia's CSL as an example - they're on their way to finding a vaccine for H1N1 influenza.

[undalay]

Sydney Pharmacy Salary Information at MyCareer

Pharmacist Salary Information - Jobs4Careers.com.au

Where $50p/h ~ $100k pa

[Amakii]

Aw, lala, you just summed up how I've felt for the last few years of my life. I'm in 3rd year at the moment, but it seems like I'm the only one who hates pharmacy. Everyone else in the course seems to love it.

I was really looking forward to graduating and getting out into the real world and working, because I thought that'd be better than uni. I kind of hate uni, and I'm a lot less involved in extra-curricular stuff than you. I haven't done placements yet, but I'm hoping they'll be super great and make me love the course. I have worked at a chemist warehouse, and that was pretty crappy, but it seems like a relaxing job. But then again, it seems like an experienced dispensary technician knows pretty much what a pharmacist needs to know.

I chose pharmacy for a stable career and what I thought would be reasonably good wages. It seems that pharmacists get around $20-$30 in community pharmacy, which is around 50-60k a year, so that de-motivates me even more. And pre-reg pharmacists get $16 an hour. Doesn't sound that great for all the years of studying we had to do to get there. Where do you get 150k a year?! Even our lecturers tell us that if we're in pharmacy for the money, we should quit...

I don't even know if I like science, I didn't even do that well in chem for VCE. Sometimes it's semi-interesting, but then sometimes I feel like I'm in the wrong course. If I got to study at my own pace and not get examined on anything, I think I'd like the course more. I actually used to like studying back in high school, but now I have zero motivation and I leave everything to the last minute and I get sucky grades. Spose it's my own fault though. But I thought my 'i hate pharmacy' phase was just a phase! I thought it would pass! It hasn't passed though, it just gets worse around exam season...

Sigh, life sucks for me. Self pity time lol.

[extensorindicis]

oh comon guys cheer up pharm can't be that bad. Think into the future once you guys have worked for a while and own your own practice itl be alright. Keep at it.

[ninjapuppet]

Originally Posted by lala2

for the tl;dr crowd, aka conclusion
So, the take home msg is very carefully consider whether you really want to go through five years (four yr degree + one yr rego) only to use about 5% of what you know and be generally unappreciated for it. As for me, I'm planning to go back to uni in 2011 and do not medicine *shock, horror* but...science/arts.

dude, that was an interesting post.

I worked at various hospitals in Adelaide (as a doctor) and let me tell you, i appreciated the pharmacist being there! (she was cute). once after doing a 14 hour shift, the pharmacist confirmed with me on some dosage which i dont even remember prescribing!??!?! yes, i had made a mistake! despite our training I am 100% sure any experienced doctor here, can tell you that a pharmacist has at least once corrected their mistakes!.

i know how you feel about career choices and im doing commerce now myself. The silly thing about my highschool, was that there was absolutely no career counselling! all my friends basically chose the highest course they could get in, while i ignored commerce which was like 65/100 in uniSA!

regarding pharmacy, i come from family with 3 pharmacists and 2 of my cousins own 2 pharmacies. they make very good money, but i hear its very hard to get licensing now? i think they see themselves more as businessmen rather than pharmacists, so in that regard, they really enjoy it. my brother is a pharamcist doing locums in the country with 10 years experience, and salary averages 45-65/hour (which is more than me when i was a registrar) but my locums are $110/hour. my bro hates his job and is trying to do exams to go to the US, where they apparently make alot more (but he said that 5 years ago)

what ever you do, good luck in future mate. keep in mind that pharmacists have no where near the stress, as some other professions. pharmacists opinion on economic downturn? what downturn?