Becoming A Pharmacist Tips

At the end of my pharmacy education I had the itch to become a doctor.  It didn’t pan out, but maybe not for the reasons you think.  I’ll get to that in a second, but first let me tell you an interesting story I heard recently from a pharmacist I worked with.

When his mother was alive she was being cared for by a doctor who grew up in the same town as him.

Before this guy went to medical school he became a pharmacist.  He then decided to go to medical school and become a doctor.

One day at the hospital my pharmacist friend asked this doctor how things were going.

He told him something very instructive.  He said that he’s not sure he made the right decision.  As he put it, he never leaves his work.  He is constantly carrying his pager and it always seems to be going off.

Essentially, this guy was wore out and burned out from being tied to his job 24/7.
Screw the Money

I’ve had some people say, “Yah, but this guy was just a general practitioner.  It’s different if you’re a specialist.”

No it’s not.  In fact, it may even be worse.

I’ve had cardiologists making $400,000 a year point blank admit that they should have went into pharmacy.

Again…they don’t leave their work.  Divorce rates are high.  Burnout even higher.  Tread lightly when it comes to prestige and money.

That’s not to say pharmacy doesn’t have its issues also.  And we’ll get into more of those.

Pharmacy is different

While there are jobs in pharmacy that require being on call.  Most don’t.  At the end of the day when I close the pharmacy I leave work where it belongs – at work.

There’s a lot to be said for that.

Of course, in the job I had where I was required to be on call I was paid for carrying the pager.

To me, it doesn’t matter.  You could give me all the rice in China but I wouldn’t ever be on-call again.

I was constantly returning calls to the hospital and nursing home.  Most of the time for questions they could have answered themselves with a little effort.

Furthermore, I don’t remember getting one good nights rest when I was on-call.  You always have in the back of your mind that sooner or later the phone is going to ring.  Around 2 in the morning, it usually does.

I’ll quit ranting about this now.  The point is pharmacy is a good field when it comes to leaving your work where it belongs – at work.

Go spend some time in a pharmacy

The best advice that I can give potential pharmacy students is to just go spend some time in a pharmacy to get a feel for what the job might really be like.

I put emphasis on really because I think too many resources and schools paint a very rosy picture without giving you the reality of what pharmacy is like in the trenches.

Of course, as I think I’ve made clear, pharmacy is a good field to be in right now and as far as jobs go – it’s above average in almost every way.

But always remember to be realistic.  And the best way to do that is to spend some time working in a pharmacy.

No trick to it

There’s no trick to it.  Just call up some pharmacies in town and let them know your situation.

Tell them you are a student and looking at a career in pharmacy.  Offer to help them for free.  Take them out to lunch.

You have to realize, most successful people (and making it thru pharmacy school should be considered a success) love talking about their successes.  All you have to do is ask.  And then, most importantly, sit back and listen.

Each door you open will lead to another 3, 4, 5 or 10 more doors.  He might give you the names of some other pharmacists to talk to who might work in a little different niche.

**This was something I wish I would have done before I ever applied to pharmacy school.