The Student Room Group

Wat are the current and future prospects of career in pharmacy??

Ok reading through the threads and posts i generally get majority of people are do not think the future propects of pharmacists is NOT good as to many pharmicsts are being graduated. Hence why there isnt a good pay rate for pharmacists.

My problem is i got a place for pharmacy 2008 starting but im not sure to go therough with it as its a very long course (4 years) 1 year less than medicine and dentistry and believe its not worth that amount of study if the job prospects are not good currently and in the future. Can any1 help me please, i need top make a decision today as the clearing opens tommorow. :dontknow:
Its a shame really as i reallly wanted to be a pharmacists but realistically listenning to all commments it seems this career is going downhill rather uphill due to the profession being to oversubscribed i dont want to risk my future as costs of living are going up resulting in credit crunch, if there problems now there will be buigger in future as fuel will decrwease and energy prices increase!!!! so as much as i like the profession i need to outweigh it against the financial stability which dosnt seem to look good in the future :sad: :cry:

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- Don't be silly, the people on here who have graduated are saying pharmacy is going places. The new changes which are coming in are actually only going to make pharmacy better- it's the golden age for pharmacy now.


As for current prospects: 100% Employment and tbh this will remain I am sure for atleast 5 years more, good salary, 9-5 job. If you get into industry the money is great.

Also if you go to US or Canada, there are always jobs there.
Reply 2
Yeah, don't worry about a job at the end of it. There will always be a need for pharmacists - they have opened up the new schools where there is a deficit of pharmacists.

Yes, community pharmacy has become more challenging recently what with the global market and category M. But there are so many developments and areas that you can go into, not just the main three sectors you always hear about.
Reply 3
yup~ i agree too.. i'm also doing pharmacy this coming new sem~ dont worry too much bout tat.. i believe studying pharmacy will get a gd job when u graduate..
i heard from a fren, he said pharmacist get $4000 monthly in canada..
which equates to $48,000 a year, you can earn that in the uk.
Reply 5
member9876
which equates to $48,000 a year, you can earn that in the uk.


o.. but still hav 2 giv lots of tax..haha~
you pay tax in canada too right, in us your starting salary is 90k
Reply 7
member9876
you pay tax in canada too right, in us your starting salary is 90k


ya.. but i'm not sure canada tax is how many percent.. :smile:
90k means 1 year right?:woo:
year 90k per year as a starting salary!
Reply 9
OMG thats one hell of a wage, their pharmacy is like our dentistry here and vice versa. It looks like im going to pharmacy, although i wanted to be a dentist intially, pharmacy seems to be looking good as long as the career prospects and wage get better and better, which should hopefully happen after 4 yrs, after i get my degree :smile:
I have just been looking at med forum on this site and it seems as though are wage atleast initially is much better than them?

anyone clarify the doc vs dent wage.
any1 clear this 90K malarky for me? cos if i read correctly...the pharmacy starting salary is 90K in USA..............am i right??:confused:
Reply 12
the wage for pharmacists in uk is around 25k-35k once you qualified. aafter experiance 7-10 yrs you looking at 55k - 75k which is when your a consultant.
In USA u are looking well over 95k dollars and way more with experiance under the belt. I hope the UK wil slightly increase the wage for pharmacists soon, hopefulyl by 10 - 20 % over the next 5 years, which i honestly dont see happening as their hands will be tied with the olympics.
dr junior
the wage for pharmacists in uk is around 25k-35k once you qualified. aafter experiance 7-10 yrs you looking at 55k - 75k which is when your a consultant.
In USA u are looking well over 95k dollars and way more with experiance under the belt. I hope the UK wil slightly increase the wage for pharmacists soon, hopefulyl by 10 - 20 % over the next 5 years, which i honestly dont see happening as their hands will be tied with the olympics.

$90k is Β£40k
Reply 14
member9876
$90k is Β£40k


but their lviving expenses is very cheap, ven buyin a house is very cheap. with that wage they liviing like kings there. problem with us were get less wage with more increasing expenses.
dr junior
but their lviving expenses is very cheap, ven buyin a house is very cheap. with that wage they liviing like kings there. problem with us were get less wage with more increasing expenses.

Well some are saying with inflation it's harder these days.

90k is actually 48k in uk, checked it on converter:woo:
Reply 16
the wage for pharmacists in uk is around 25k-35k once you qualified. aafter experiance 7-10 yrs you looking at 55k - 75k which is when your a consultant.


The starting salary is about 35K for community pharmacy and 22K for hospital. The rising potential for community is pretty much non-existence. You'll probably be looking at about 40 something thousand at most. Hospital you will probably peak out at 65K if you go up the ranks, after so many years.

The starting salary in Canada, from what I heard, is about the same as the UK. The tax-rate is probably higher there but the profession itself is alot more respected over there than in the UK.

To work in the US you'll probably looking to spend an additional 3 years there before you get registered.

The current scenery for pharmacy in the UK is not looking good. I'm a firm believer than remote supervision will be legislated and it will pretty much destroys the opportunity of going locum, and probably devalue community pharmacists in general.
p_scrub
The starting salary is about 35K for community pharmacy and 22K for hospital. The rising potential for community is pretty much non-existence. You'll probably be looking at about 40 something thousand at most. Hospital you will probably peak out at 65K if you go up the ranks, after so many years.

The starting salary in Canada, from what I heard, is about the same as the UK. The tax-rate is probably higher there but the profession itself is alot more respected over there than in the UK.

To work in the US you'll probably looking to spend an additional 3 years there before you get registered.

The current scenery for pharmacy in the UK is not looking good. I'm a firm believer than remote supervision will be legislated and it will pretty much destroys the opportunity of going locum, and probably devalue community pharmacists in general.


You have forgotten to mention Industry which pays a lot.

I don't think it takes 3 years for US, 2 from what I heard, to train and pass exams.


This idea of remote supervision has been lurking for ages but when will it ever be implemented, and why would it destroy the chance to locum?
Reply 18
member9876
You have forgotten to mention Industry which pays a lot.

I don't think it takes 3 years for US, 2 from what I heard, to train and pass exams.


This idea of remote supervision has been lurking for ages but when will it ever be implemented, and why would it destroy the chance to locum?


Industry pays alot but they will pretty much want a Phd degree for pharmacist. Most drug companies in UK outsourced their production in other countries like India. Even if you do land with a job in this country, it will most likely be promotion-based, essentially turning you into a salesman.

I've read it's 2 years and then 1 years of practical training. I might be wrong.

Because the reason locums are paid so well is because of their physical presence required by law?
No, you do not need a phd. I am wondering how many pre-reg places there are for industry these days, it was about 23 5 years back:frown:

Yes, that may be the reason locums get paid well but when will remote supervision ever come in?

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