[AmberCD]

(Original post by grimreefer)
I have been a pharmacist for almost a year now and i can tell you something for definite: COMMUNITY PHARMACIES DO NOT CARE WHERE YOU STUDIED, WHAT YOUR DEGREE CLASSIFICATION IS, WHAT EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES YOU HAVE DONE AND WHAT EXPERIENCE YOU'VE GOT. THEY WILL HIRE THE PHARMACISTS WHO ARE WILLING TO WORK FOR A LOW SALARY (PEANUTS)!!! . Before you start having a go at me, i have heard this from a pharmacy manager and an area manager. Those of you who think other wise are, Im sorry to say this, naive. The salaries are dropping, the locum rates are dropping, locum work is drying up and in some parts it is virtually none existent. Pharmacy is dead for the following reasons:

1. increased number of pharmacy schools = increased number of pharmacists = low salaries and shortage of jobs (more pharmacy graduates will be leaving uni with increased debts and will therefore work for peanuts, simply because there will be a shortage of jobs, and hence will have no choice. The community pharmacy chains are salivating at this prospect because they will be getting cheap labour (sorry i meant fresh faced, enthusiastic young pharmacists) who will work under atrocious conditions (sorry i meant exciting conditions) and be worked into the round (sorry i meant help their companies offer excellent customer and pharmaceutical services)
2. continous influx of EU pharmacists who will be more complaint than UK pharmacists (because apparently they have no problems with being treated like crap, because they went through it under the old communist regimes) and work for lower wages
3. a weak and pathetic governing body

I AM 1000% SURE THAT THINGS NEVER EVER IMPROVE BECAUSE THE DAMAGE DONE IS TOO SEVERE TO FIX. SO PLEASE PHARMACY STUDENTS AND POTENTIAL PHARMACY STUDENTS, FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR HEALTH, POCKET AND DIGNITY, STAY AWAY FROM PHARMACY OR GET OUT OF IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!!!! DO NOT BELIEVE THE LIES THE UNIS AND TUTORS TELL YOU!! THE MORE PHARMACY STUDENTS THEY HAVE AND THE MORE SCHOOLS OF PHARMACY THERE ARE, THE MORE SECURE THEIR JOBS ARE. THEY ARE SIMPLY USING YOU AND ONCE YOU FINISH THE DEGREE YOU ARE NO LONGER THEIR PROBLEM!!!

I can't say I really want to do community BUT I do have to say though most of your points are definitely valid, to a certain extent, I don't see how plenty of other degrees are better or even equal for job prospects. Speaking as someone who has a sister who has just completed her degree in a humanity and art joint honers I know how difficult it is for her to get a job, ANY job along with many many other people.
Though there are degrees out there with "better" more "secure" prospects Pharmacy isn't by any means on the bottom of the pile for a Masters Degree prospects. Even doing a large proportion of other science degrees: without a placement year, PhD, high ranking university etc. they are not that secure and don't have a definite path.
From the Pharmacists (though they are mainly ones who work in small community pharmacies and hospital pharmacists with only the odd other locum) I know at work,the pre-rege, the pharmacy student who has just finished their degree (who has just got a pre-rege with boots) and a couple of people in community they imply experience definitely DOES count for something, though I'm sure what you say is true for the supermarkets. Though with the supermarkets though more 24 hour pharmacies are opening and though it's obviously not the best conditions that should mean more jobs, just not what people want to work. That's my opinion anyhow.

[ScoobyB4]

To be honest, if your plan is to graduate, locum around and chill (which most people moaning on a particular pharmacy forum seem to be doing), then I dont see how they can complain with doing 10 hour shifts a day, standing on their feet etc...

[ScoobyB4]

Dont mean to bump this thread unnecesarilly but I had an interesting discussion with one of my friends from uni (also a pharm graduate this year)... You will no doubt hear grumbling pharmacists (suprisngly somehow always tend to be locums) that the career is dead in the water because they are no longer being paid £30+ so they can tick a few boxes because legislation enforces that they have to.

I never thought or longed for a career as a locum (pharmacists or doctor when I was considering medicine back in the days), as I always viewed it (locum work) as a way of supplementing their salaries or working part time. Just browsing a certain mutliple pharmacy website has shown me quite a few jobs betweem £36k-53k, with relocation bonuses around £5k. I find it funny how some say they cant cope with targets, I'm sure anyone who worked in retail will now that meeting the targets are not that bad. Hospital wise, still plenty of oppourtunties if your willing to put in the graft, a consultant position by age 36 isnt out of reach. Becoming an independent prescriber (post PgDip) will put you in a decent position in hospital in the NHS. I can go on regarding industry or an academic pharmacist, but hopefully ungraduates are not naive enough to assume that they will be commanding arab money if you just rely on the MPharm degree. Same apllies to any other medical field, or any other career I would say.

[aspirinpharmacist]

(Original post by ScoobyB4)
Dont mean to bump this thread unnecesarilly but I had an interesting discussion with one of my friends from uni (also a pharm graduate this year)... You will no doubt hear grumbling pharmacists (suprisngly somehow always tend to be locums) that the career is dead in the water because they are no longer being paid £30+ so they can tick a few boxes because legislation enforces that they have to.

I never thought or longed for a career as a locum (pharmacists or doctor when I was considering medicine back in the days), as I always viewed it (locum work) as a way of supplementing their salaries or working part time. Just browsing a certain mutliple pharmacy website has shown me quite a few jobs betweem £36k-53k, with relocation bonuses around £5k. I find it funny how some say they cant cope with targets, I'm sure anyone who worked in retail will now that meeting the targets are not that bad. Hospital wise, still plenty of oppourtunties if your willing to put in the graft, a consultant position by age 36 isnt out of reach. Becoming an independent prescriber (post PgDip) will put you in a decent position in hospital in the NHS. I can go on regarding industry or an academic pharmacist, but hopefully ungraduates are not naive enough to assume that they will be commanding arab money if you just rely on the MPharm degree. Same apllies to any other medical field, or any other career I would say.

So basically, if we work hard and we're prepared to maybe do a postgrad as well, then it won't be too bad? I was thinking of doing a PhD anyway, since I'm not sure whether I want to go into industry at this stage or not (I know that it's about one person in every 120 or so that go into industry in the UK, per year, that is, but I still quite fancy it) and you need a PhD for a decent job in industry, don't you?

[ScoobyB4]

(Original post by aspirinpharmacist)
So basically, if we work hard and we're prepared to maybe do a postgrad as well, then it won't be too bad? I was thinking of doing a PhD anyway, since I'm not sure whether I want to go into industry at this stage or not (I know that it's about one person in every 120 or so that go into industry in the UK, per year, that is, but I still quite fancy it) and you need a PhD for a decent job in industry, don't you?

It depends I guess, probably will need one if your looking to get into R&D. Progressive UK goverments have more or less pushed whatever we had of any industry into Eastern Europe, India or China. Have a read of this though, you may find it beneficial (one of the avenues I'm looking up as a possible career path)...

http://careers.abpi.org.uk/case-stud...qualified.aspx

[sachinisgod]

(Original post by ScoobyB4)
It depends I guess, probably will need one if your looking to get into R&D. Progressive UK goverments have more or less pushed whatever we had of any industry into Eastern Europe, India or China. Have a read of this though, you may find it beneficial (one of the avenues I'm looking up as a possible career path)...

http://careers.abpi.org.uk/case-stud...qualified.aspx

The pharmaceutical industry in India is booming at the moment and they are always on the lookout for foreign graduates.. which means that the pay will be quite as well.

[jami74]

The company I work for has just reduced locum rates by £2 per hour

However, the locum rates are still a lot more than I can currently earn without a degree.

[ScoobyB4]

(Original post by jami74)
The company I work for has just reduced locum rates by £2 per hour

However, the locum rates are still a lot more than I can currently earn without a degree.

How long have you been qualified for if you don't mind me asking, and have you looked at other line of work other than locum?

[jami74]

(Original post by ScoobyB4)
How long have you been qualified for if you don't mind me asking, and have you looked at other line of work other than locum?

I'm not qualified. I work in a pharmacy and love it so much I'm going to university in September.

[TigerSwift]

(Original post by aspirinpharmacist)
So basically, if we work hard and we're prepared to maybe do a postgrad as well, then it won't be too bad? I was thinking of doing a PhD anyway, since I'm not sure whether I want to go into industry at this stage or not (I know that it's about one person in every 120 or so that go into industry in the UK, per year, that is, but I still quite fancy it) and you need a PhD for a decent job in industry, don't you?

No, you don't need a PhD to get a decent job in industry. I know people who are very high up within Pharma and hold a 2:2 degree, not a fabled first class degree.

A lot of companies are now offering their staff the opportunity to do PhDs in-house, linked to a university.

[aspirinpharmacist]

(Original post by TigerSwift)
No, you don't need a PhD to get a decent job in industry. I know people who are very high up within Pharma and hold a 2:2 degree, not a fabled first class degree.

A lot of companies are now offering their staff the opportunity to do PhDs in-house, linked to a university.

Even better. Still want a first class degree though. Haven't a clue what I'm going to do with myself after that. Which is new for me.

[ScoobyB4]

(Original post by aspirinpharmacist)
Even better. Still want a first class degree though. Haven't a clue what I'm going to do with myself after that. Which is new for me.

Most of my colleagues from my class fell this way. Most of us are 22/23 (still 21 here ) and as such, too young to have a formative "career plan" imo.

[ScoobyB4]

(Original post by TigerSwift)
No, you don't need a PhD to get a decent job in industry. I know people who are very high up within Pharma and hold a 2:2 degree, not a fabled first class degree.

A lot of companies are now offering their staff the opportunity to do PhDs in-house, linked to a university.

Out of curiosity,how easy would it be to go from a hospital based environment into the industry without any previous experience in industrial pharmacy bar the stuff they teach during the formulation and drug discovery modules in uni?

[aspirinpharmacist]

(Original post by ScoobyB4)
Most of my colleagues from my class fell this way. Most of us are 22/23 (still 21 here ) and as such, too young to have a formative "career plan" imo.

Yeah. Provided I don't have to resit any years (please God, no), I'll be 21 when I finish my degree. All my plans had just been leading up to uni and studying pharmacy, now it's happening I'm really not sure what I'm going to do after. But you're right, it is pretty young.

[petzneo]

Interesting study that I read from a blog on PJ online:

http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/3/e000939.full

The study indicates that without increasing public trust in pharmacists, patients will fail to use pharmacist-led services....an interesting read!

p.s. here is the blog that it came from: http://www.pjonline.com/blog_entry/h...fession_really

[TigerSwift]

(Original post by ScoobyB4)
Out of curiosity,how easy would it be to go from a hospital based environment into the industry without any previous experience in industrial pharmacy bar the stuff they teach during the formulation and drug discovery modules in uni?

I cannot say for sure, sorry. I assume that those who do an industry pre-reg will be more likely to secure an industry job than those who don't. However, don't let that put you off as I know people who have done the industry-split pre-reg and gone into hospital or community practice afterwards.

[mahmoud tariq]

please
i just want to know
1 quality control in pharmaceutical industy,what is the qualified subject to do phd in it and very related to good position in quality control in pharmacaceutical industry
2 and the same for r and d?
and
3 what are the best universites for that in degree and good price?in uk

[Old Head]

(Original post by TigerSwift)
.Whilst many employers do not care where you studied or whether you get a 1st or 2:1, your involvement in the degree and extra-curricular work will really have an affect in the future.

I think you are basing this answer in the now, employers will pick the absolute cream of the crop for their most desirable locations for employment, big cities etc. however if the pharmacist is not picky on location the. They will be less interested in degree qualification. The crux is that university admission criteria is significantly different to employment criteria.



This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[ibs18]

(Original post by firestar101)
Hi,

I have recently spoken to several pharmacists and they do not seem to be optimistic in the way pharmacy is progressing within the UK. Many feel that pharmacists may not even be needed in the future and that salaries will decrease a lot.

I will graduate in 3 years time, and I feel that by that time, there will be definitely a shortage of jobs for pharmacist. I think that is probably already happening now.

Some people have told me that if you work hard ( get decent grades, work experience, etc), then you should be able to find a job wherever you go. And, that the only people that have to worry are the ones that coast through the degree and put in minimal effort in anything.

I would appreciate your opinion on this matter.

The job market is terrible, there was a job offer for 24900 which received 50 applicants!!!!
I regret my choice of pharmacy, 5 years of my life and 30000+ first class degree and six month later i have no job!
many school of pharmacy+ european pharmacist+international pharmacist =low wage + poor job prospect

[ibs18]

(Original post by grimreefer)
I have been a pharmacist for almost a year now and i can tell you something for definite: COMMUNITY PHARMACIES DO NOT CARE WHERE YOU STUDIED, WHAT YOUR DEGREE CLASSIFICATION IS, WHAT EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES YOU HAVE DONE AND WHAT EXPERIENCE YOU'VE GOT. THEY WILL HIRE THE PHARMACISTS WHO ARE WILLING TO WORK FOR A LOW SALARY (PEANUTS)!!! . Before you start having a go at me, i have heard this from a pharmacy manager and an area manager. Those of you who think other wise are, Im sorry to say this, naive. The salaries are dropping, the locum rates are dropping, locum work is drying up and in some parts it is virtually none existent. Pharmacy is dead for the following reasons:1. increased number of pharmacy schools = increased number of pharmacists = low salaries and shortage of jobs (more pharmacy graduates will be leaving uni with increased debts and will therefore work for peanuts, simply because there will be a shortage of jobs, and hence will have no choice. The community pharmacy chains are salivating at this prospect because they will be getting cheap labour (sorry i meant fresh faced, enthusiastic young pharmacists) who will work under atrocious conditions (sorry i meant exciting conditions) and be worked into the round (sorry i meant help their companies offer excellent customer and pharmaceutical services)
2. continous influx of EU pharmacists who will be more complaint than UK pharmacists (because apparently they have no problems with being treated like crap, because they went through it under the old communist regimes) and work for lower wages
3. a weak and pathetic governing body

I AM 1000% SURE THAT THINGS NEVER EVER IMPROVE BECAUSE THE DAMAGE DONE IS TOO SEVERE TO FIX. SO PLEASE PHARMACY STUDENTS AND POTENTIAL PHARMACY STUDENTS, FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR HEALTH, POCKET AND DIGNITY, STAY AWAY FROM PHARMACY OR GET OUT OF IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!!!! DO NOT BELIEVE THE LIES THE UNIS AND TUTORS TELL YOU!! THE MORE PHARMACY STUDENTS THEY HAVE AND THE MORE SCHOOLS OF PHARMACY THERE ARE, THE MORE SECURE THEIR JOBS ARE. THEY ARE SIMPLY USING YOU AND ONCE YOU FINISH THE DEGREE YOU ARE NO LONGER THEIR PROBLEM!!!

spot on