4-H and Pharmacy Student

Shizelbs

I am a pharmacist and graduated a mere two years ago. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have. In my class, and pretty much everywhere else, most everyone starting pharmacy school did not just come straight from their undergrad degree. The average age when we started was around 30 years old.

Where do you live, and what school will you be attending?

markmarc

Pharmacy is a fine career, and highly respected to this day. There is a 99% chance you'll always work for a corporation so be prepared to work hours that aren't the norm for someone with your education level, afterall, it's retail.
Owning your own shop just won't happen so be wise and invest in your retirement from the get-go. Accept some of the rules that "the man" imposes. Why do I saw all this, my father had his own shop, worked massive hours standing all day, but only had to answer to himself. But he lived with the insurance company's cutting down what they owed him, and fought, successfully I might add, against the chains.

best of luck

Shizelbs

Retail is just one of many options for what you can do with your career as a pharmacist.

Shizelbs

I'll address some of your questions later, but first let me ask a question.

Why do you want to be a pharmacist?

Shizelbs

Sona wrote: »

I do wonder what the main job responsibility is. Usually the pharmacist is standing, staring at a computer screen. So it's techs who count out pills? I don't think I could be in development:

The technicians perform non-discretionary activities of the pharmacy. What thay means is essentially they can do anything that requires a decision based on clinical experience. So, duties reserved for the pharmacist in the retail or community setting would be answering questions, counseling patients, taking prescriptions, communicating with other health care professionals, final check on prescriptions and patient profile reviews to name a few. Ideally, pharmacists should not be involved in the counting and preparation of prescriptions.

As to what pharmacists do in the hospital or institutional setting, thats a whole different story.

It would be of benefit to you to try to find a copy of the "Pfizer Guide." Its an annually released book that outlines the duties and requirements for different areas of practice for pharmacists.

Shizelbs

Sona wrote: »

Oh well. It's a fair and good question, and one which if I continue down this path and am granted a personal interview, I will need to be prepared to gracefully answer....

Some of the reasons I have may be based on incorrect assumptions or trivial reasons, but perhaps that is only bad if you for instance are immune to how a speaker looks when making an audio purchase.

Reasons...

If these were the answers you gave during an interview for pharmacy school I imagine that your application would be denied. Now, I am not judging at all, nor am I saying that your reasons are wrong/bad/ill conceived/so on and so on, but it would be in your best interest to at the very least say that the profession appeals to you in that you are concerned for and want to better the well-being of your fellow (wo)man. Again, I am not judging you, I'm not saying that this is a requirement to be a good pharmacist, but at the very least you should say something along these lines to the panel interviewing you.

Also, I may be wrong, but I get the impression that you have a preconceived image of what it is to be a pharmacist. And the image that I am perceiving is quite a bit different from the reality of pharmacy that I see. The point being, my school for certain, and I am sure many others across the nation want their students to have an open mind as to what pharmacy can be and what pharmacists can do with their career. If you go into the interview and tell them that you think you'll like the idea of counting pills and working 9 to 5 everyday at some retail store and that you are certain you want to be doing this in 4 years, they will not be too impressed. You should be going into school with an open mind. Pharmacy schools would much rather produce pharmacists that are open to the idea of residencies and fellowships after the PharmD program than those that are dead set and focused on working at CVS straight out of school.

Again, I am in no way judging or saying that your reasons and motives are wrong, just not quite what you'd want to say during your interview. Also, it sounds like you might benefit from shadowing a pharmacist some.

fatchowmein

Shizelbs wrote: »

The technicians perform non-discretionary activities of the pharmacy. What thay means is essentially they can do anything that requires a decision based on clinical experience. So, duties reserved for the pharmacist in the retail or community setting would be answering questions, counseling patients, taking prescriptions, communicating with other health care professionals, final check on prescriptions and patient profile reviews to name a few. Ideally, pharmacists should not be involved in the counting and preparation of prescriptions.

I was the head pharm tech at a retail chain many, many, many moons ago. I entered the prescriptions, counted pills, mixed paste, reordered pills, called the doctors office, called Workman's Comp, called the insurance companies, etc. Basically, I did everything that didn't involve advice/recommendations/counseling so that the pharmacist can spend more time with the patients/customers.

It was rough. Most folks spend all day waiting at the doctor's office or the emergency room and they just want to come in and pick up their pills and be on their way. Unfortunately, counting pills and handing them out was the easy part. Add a third party called insurance and things begin to break down/ slow down and even if you pay cash the 12 people ahead of you have insurance. Sympathys to the folks there, the techs, and the pharmacists. Wish it was as easy as counting thirty pills and handing them out.

I remember my boss (head RPH) once told me his wife made twice what I made (secretary) yet if I screwed up somebody's gonna die. He was such a comedian.

Good luck.

Shizelbs

I hate insurance companies.