Are the rumours true?

Until recently, I believed that pharmacy was the best job out there for me. In theory, it involved interaction with others, two of my favourite subjects, and it was in the health field without the burnout associated with medicine. I picked the pre-reqs for pharmacy, and until now was hoping to apply at the end of next year. (I live in Canada so you have to do a year of pre-reqs first, then you can apply and if accepted, finish with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy)

However, I have recently heard from 2-3 people that pharmacy is a LOT of work. I don't mean that in a I'm-too-lazy-to-work way, but rather that they are on their feet all day listening to the demands of others. I've heard that they're simply "cashiers with a degree" and although the pay is decent, the job itself is not worth it. I've also heard that the job is becoming highly oversaturated in both the UK and Canada.

I loved the idea of pharmacy because it seemed like a mix of everything I like - job security, science, and a role in the health field. However, I feel like I was mislead, and am thinking of changing some of my courses to explore other areas (whereas right now I am signed up for the specific courses needed to apply to Pharmacy school, some which interest me and others that don't)

So my question to you is: Are these rumours true? Is Pharmacy really a bad career move?

Thanks for your help!

Reply 1

Andy_86

Hi there,

I am a Canadian that studied in the UK and am now back in Canada practising as a hospital/clinical pharmacist. I have only been fully licensed for about 3 months so my experience is limited. From my perception, yes, pharmacy is becoming over saturated in Canada and is probably completely saturated in the UK right now. That said if you are motivated and use forethought you can still get to where you want to be - most of those who I went to uni with can find jobs in the area they would like. Pharmacy is definitely not all glitz and glamour, it can be monotonous, people can be rude, you can feel devalued, and you can feel like you are "just a cashier".

Pharmacy can also be rewarding and exciting - when you catch that life threatening interaction and potentially save the patient, or you convince a consultant to run that ECG because your patient is at risk of QTc prolongation revealing that the patient actually has QT prolongation, or you manage a patient on vancomycin therapy for six weeks while YOU adjust the dose, YOU order the troughs, and YOU order the serum creatnines, leading to a patient that gets to keep their leg and save their kidneys because of your expertise and collaboration with the physician, or lecturing to medical students and residents on the safe and effective use of fentanyl patches, or setting up and converting a patient from oral opioids to a continuous subcutaneous infusion in their last days of their life, or simplifying someones medication regimen to improve their quality of life, or calculating the requirements for TPN and then compounding the products, or convincing a physician to go with Digoxin (over what the physician was trying to do which was to combine a beta-blocker with a rate limiting calcium channel blocker! you will understand why this is usually a big no, no when you study) in an uncontrolled AF patient with co-morbid heart failure only to control their AF and increase their quality of life...

Now, my current position as a clinical pharmacist is not typical of a fresh canadian or UK grad. I was lucky (or unlucky - depending on how you look at it) to gain a position as one of two clinical pharmacists in a small rural hospital. I've worked very hard to get where I am and I still feel I have much to learn but I do look forward to going to work, I do feel I make a difference, and I do not currently regret (for the most part) studying pharmacy. Pharmacy is what you make it but that is true of any profession you choose.

Best of luck in your decision, choose wisely.

Cheers,
Andy

Are the rumours true?

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