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Original post by InadequateJusticex
The research projects I'm interested in next year are all focused on the synthesis of biologically active and/or medicinal compounds. You seem to think that only pharmacists are the ones making the medicine which is rather ignorant...


Last time I checked, GSK was a pharmaceutical firm that made drugs. I have not heard of chemists making daily chemotherapy medicines for hospitals though. Thats all.
Original post by neldee95
Last time I checked, GSK was a pharmaceutical firm that made drugs. I have not heard of chemists making daily chemotherapy medicines for hospitals though. Thats all.


I can see your point, but just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Chemists work everywhere and I'm sure theyre employed by hospitals to make medicines as well. Perhaps not the majority of the workforce but they still exist.
Original post by neldee95
Last time I checked, GSK was a pharmaceutical firm that made drugs. I have not heard of chemists making daily chemotherapy medicines for hospitals though. Thats all.


You haven't heard of that?! That's the case in most hospitals....I even did it as part of my pre-reg.

What year of study are you in neldee95? Your username suggests maybe first or second? With respect to the role in industry; inadequatejusticex is probably more correct about the role of the respective degree courses and feeding into industry. Of course there are Pharmacists who go into industry, however it's few and far between, and invariably requires either PhD study, or good old fashioned knowing someone. In most decent university more students will be going into Pharma industry from the Chemistry department than the Pharmacy school. If you think I'm joking go around the careers fair and talk to a few of the 'Pharma' companies, or the others who take on 'science degrees'. They'll all know what to do with a Chemist, they'll probably have roles for a Nat Scientist, Chem Eng etc. They'll probably look at you blankly as a Pharmacy student, please don't base your future around the idea that you'll waltz ahead of the specialists in this field, you just wont.

I'm not talking PharmacISTS down, as I think that we're highly qualified and capable, and could be taking on a number of more important clinical roles within the NHS if we had any leadership and vision as a profession, or even if Pharmacists held the reigns of Pharmacy, rather than Boots, Lloyds and Co-op. I feel I was misled in 2005, it certainly sounds like they're pushing the same thing now. It's just a case of reading up on it - visit the C+D and see how Pharmacists talk to each other about the future. We had the one chance in 2005 and blew it spectacularly. We're in no position to argue with anyone anymore - maybe this GP pilot scheme will take off? I certainly hope so, my career would be a lot brighter if I could actually return to 'the Profession', and even if I didn't not having floods of desperate Pharmacists looking for anything they can get their hands on would only be a good thing. It MIGHT work, I can think of plenty of obstacles, but it could happen. That's what you pray if you're already in Pharmacy, you just don't join if you're a 'triple A' student who could do something else, you've no need to gamble with your future.

I also don't understand where the general disbelief comes from. Some fairly cursory searches about the future of Pharmacy on professional forums paints a picture even bleaker than that which I have outlined! Normally given anonymity online people tend to paint themselves as better than they are, boast and big themselves up. I haven't been on the student rooms since 2005 and I was investigating Pharmacist salaries (not even joking!) - I remembered it was somewhere that a lot of UCAS questions got answered, figured it was somewhere to warn others. Why, other than I feel pretty annoyed at how ill-informed I was making my degree choices, would I bother coming on here aged 28 to try and convince people that the degree that will define my career for the rest of my life is a terrible choice.

It's pretty hard on the fingers, typing half a bible every day to try and warn people off, and I'm not sure what more there is to add. Really, I think if just a few A-Level students research their choices a bit better and leave it, or if a few first year Pharmacists apply for some summer placements outside of Boots, and if Pharmacy students as a whole stop undertaking this degree with fantasies of 'working in industry, then branching out' as if that's something more than 5% of them will ever get close to, then maybe the Pharmacy schools themselves will actually start trying to take part in shaping the professional future of Pharmacy. I went to an 'established' Pharmacy school, only of the originals....and they were just as happy to shovel another load of graduates onto the pile, having taken their money. That's what they're going to do, with armies of people believing the nonsense, they've got no incentive to liase with other sectors, or use any of their power to improve the profession at all. At the minute you're being lied to from Prospectus to pension!*


* Ohhh that's a sweet line. I think I'm going to go into marketing. Pretty sure because I came up with that sweet phrase I am better at marketing than anyone who has studied marketing.
Original post by RealisticPharm
You haven't heard of that?! That's the case in most hospitals....I even did it as part of my pre-reg.

What year of study are you in neldee95? Your username suggests maybe first or second? With respect to the role in industry; inadequatejusticex is probably more correct about the role of the respective degree courses and feeding into industry. Of course there are Pharmacists who go into industry, however it's few and far between, and invariably requires either PhD study, or good old fashioned knowing someone. In most decent university more students will be going into Pharma industry from the Chemistry department than the Pharmacy school. If you think I'm joking go around the careers fair and talk to a few of the 'Pharma' companies, or the others who take on 'science degrees'. They'll all know what to do with a Chemist, they'll probably have roles for a Nat Scientist, Chem Eng etc. They'll probably look at you blankly as a Pharmacy student, please don't base your future around the idea that you'll waltz ahead of the specialists in this field, you just wont.

I'm not talking PharmacISTS down, as I think that we're highly qualified and capable, and could be taking on a number of more important clinical roles within the NHS if we had any leadership and vision as a profession, or even if Pharmacists held the reigns of Pharmacy, rather than Boots, Lloyds and Co-op. I feel I was misled in 2005, it certainly sounds like they're pushing the same thing now. It's just a case of reading up on it - visit the C+D and see how Pharmacists talk to each other about the future. We had the one chance in 2005 and blew it spectacularly. We're in no position to argue with anyone anymore - maybe this GP pilot scheme will take off? I certainly hope so, my career would be a lot brighter if I could actually return to 'the Profession', and even if I didn't not having floods of desperate Pharmacists looking for anything they can get their hands on would only be a good thing. It MIGHT work, I can think of plenty of obstacles, but it could happen. That's what you pray if you're already in Pharmacy, you just don't join if you're a 'triple A' student who could do something else, you've no need to gamble with your future.

I also don't understand where the general disbelief comes from. Some fairly cursory searches about the future of Pharmacy on professional forums paints a picture even bleaker than that which I have outlined! Normally given anonymity online people tend to paint themselves as better than they are, boast and big themselves up. I haven't been on the student rooms since 2005 and I was investigating Pharmacist salaries (not even joking!) - I remembered it was somewhere that a lot of UCAS questions got answered, figured it was somewhere to warn others. Why, other than I feel pretty annoyed at how ill-informed I was making my degree choices, would I bother coming on here aged 28 to try and convince people that the degree that will define my career for the rest of my life is a terrible choice.

It's pretty hard on the fingers, typing half a bible every day to try and warn people off, and I'm not sure what more there is to add. Really, I think if just a few A-Level students research their choices a bit better and leave it, or if a few first year Pharmacists apply for some summer placements outside of Boots, and if Pharmacy students as a whole stop undertaking this degree with fantasies of 'working in industry, then branching out' as if that's something more than 5% of them will ever get close to, then maybe the Pharmacy schools themselves will actually start trying to take part in shaping the professional future of Pharmacy. I went to an 'established' Pharmacy school, only of the originals....and they were just as happy to shovel another load of graduates onto the pile, having taken their money. That's what they're going to do, with armies of people believing the nonsense, they've got no incentive to liase with other sectors, or use any of their power to improve the profession at all. At the minute you're being lied to from Prospectus to pension!*


* Ohhh that's a sweet line. I think I'm going to go into marketing. Pretty sure because I came up with that sweet phrase I am better at marketing than anyone who has studied marketing.


Lol. I just completed my third year lectures. Preparing for exams and I have also started writing up my own final year project from scratch. We recently had a careers fair in industry, actually come to think of it, alot of people from industry have been coming recently to give talks, trying to recruit us. Maybe your generation of pharmacists were interested in industry but we certainly are not. Most of us LOVE the patient interaction, its the best bit. We had to learn industry stuff last year and we all HATED it. Those early mornings and long hours. I admit my source is from only one place however, the teacher practitioner who works in industry said this was a role only pharmacists had - making chemotherapy medicine for hospitals. I am not too sure of this information though.

Majority of my class want hospital. To be fair, most of us seem to be doing this course for the love and knowledge rather than money. Lets keep our fingers crossed that this GP thing is successful, it could open so many doors and put a light at the end of the tunnel.

Also, with all due respect, you do know the pharmacy course has changed drastically since you graduated, right? We now learn a lot of prescribing stuff. ALOT. Its crazy.
(edited 8 years ago)
Im a final year MPharm and thinking of applying to management consulting or management schemes at GSK/ AstraZenca after my pre reg.

I really have no time for a crap retail pharmacist life with lowering salaries and bad working conditions.

What people do not realise is that a masters in pharmacy is a very good degree to do anything else. There is absolutely no requirement to become a pharmacist after doing MPharm.

Loads of engineers and CS graduates work in banks/IB/Law/Retail so its all about transferable skills.

Yes medics, dentists and optoms on the whole mostly work in their professions ONLY because they have a good professional representation and their financial compensation along with career prospects helps them. Pharmacists definitely DO NOT fall in this category.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by sachinisgod
Im a final year MPharm and thinking of applying to management consulting or management schemes at GSK/ AstraZenca after my pre reg.

I really have no time for a crap retail pharmacist life with lowering salaries and bad working conditions.

What people do not realise is that a masters in pharmacy is a very good degree to do anything else. There is absolutely no requirement to become a pharmacist after doing MPharm.

Loads of engineers and CS graduates work in banks/IB/Law/Retail so its all about transferable skills.

Yes medics, dentists and optoms on the whole mostly work in their professions ONLY because they have a good professional representation and their financial compensation along with career prospects helps them. Pharmacists definitely DO NOT fall in this category.


Sh*t really? Is being a community pharmacist that bad?
Original post by Youngman2012
Sh*t really? Is being a community pharmacist that bad?


Yep and its even going to get worse, If you are happy with a 45 hour week and end up realistically only getting £30-35K for the rest of the life (taking into account future funding cuts/pharmacy closures/ slashed locum rates) then by all means stay in Pharmacy.

But any sane A level student or even a pharmacy student has the time to decide to do something else in their life. True Mpharm graduates have spent £40K on a degree for a profession which is rapidly declining, but can use that piece of paper to diversify and move onto non pharmacy roles. The pharmacy staff at unis will not tell you this information and want to churn out pharmacist after pharmacist to effectively be another robot in multiples checking boxes and bagging up for the rest of their life.
Original post by Youngman2012
A soon to be MechEng grad speaking and not some random 15 year old.
With friends in Pharmacy earning 30-40k I thought it would be a good shout.
Maybe? Maybe not?

But seriously, thanks for all the information on this post, you didn't have to do it but you did. A lot of people will learn and think 10 times before embarking on the MPharm.


Is that the ''killing'' then??!!
Original post by mrlittlebigman
Is that the ''killing'' then??!!


For some it is, and 40k is high when you come from a family that lives on an income of 15-20k, considering some graduates aren't even getting a chance in their own fields.
Original post by Youngman2012
For some it is, and 40k is high when you come from a family that lives on an income of 15-20k, considering some graduates aren't even getting a chance in their own fields.


Well why do Pharmacists in Canada/ US/Australia earn well over $100K (in community) as a minimum? Because they are respected in those countries for their clinical knowledge.

Here the UK government is hell bent on killing the profession.and the PSNC and RPS are a bunch of ball crap idiots who are watching while its watching. I dont care if I earn £20K or £40K, if there is no job satisfaction or career progression then no point wasting your life.
Original post by sachinisgod
Well why do Pharmacists in Canada/ US/Australia earn well over $100K (in community) as a minimum? Because they are respected in those countries for their clinical knowledge.

Here the UK government is hell bent on killing the profession.and the PSNC and RPS are a bunch of ball crap idiots who are watching while its watching. I dont care if I earn £20K or £40K, if there is no job satisfaction or career progression then no point wasting your life.


You have a pre-reg lined up right on around 20k? Atleast you've got something so stop complaining. Others have nothing and they don't find anything within 2 years of graduating, their degrees become useless.

And a 40k salary is probably more or less what you will earn on average in your life time regardless. It's a good salary and quite above the average.
Original post by Youngman2012
You have a pre-reg lined up right on around 20k? Atleast you've got something so stop complaining. Others have nothing and they don't find anything within 2 years of graduating, their degrees become useless.

And a 40k salary is probably more or less what you will earn on average in your life time regardless. It's a good salary and quite above the average.


Well if you cant get a job after your degree then maybe look at yourself and your fit to the companies you're applying to. Doesnt matter that Pharmacy may be giving a 40K salary NOW but what matters is what you will be on in 10-15 years time. You're talking as a 21 year old (?) without any kids or family commitments. trust me once whose things happen your opinion will change as to what is a decent salary. If you think 40K is enough then why do we give doctors and dentists salaries over excess of 100K, let everyone be on a mediocre wage because it just about gets you by?
Original post by sachinisgod
Well if you cant get a job after your degree then maybe look at yourself and your fit to the companies you're applying to. Doesnt matter that Pharmacy may be giving a 40K salary NOW but what matters is what you will be on in 10-15 years time. You're talking as a 21 year old (?) without any kids or family commitments. trust me once whose things happen your opinion will change as to what is a decent salary. If you think 40K is enough then why do we give doctors and dentists salaries over excess of 100K, let everyone be on a mediocre wage because it just about gets you by?


The thing is, if you stop comparing yourself to medics and dentists because in essence and in reality they are better/superior/smarter and deserve what they get. On the other hand, a pharmacist, a degree anyone can do without being intelligent can get you a 40k starting salary and a salary for life whilst other smarter 1st class law/accounting/computer science graduates don't even get a chance to get their foot in the door. You pharmacists are spoon fed and are helped getting your foot in the door by doing a pre-reg and then being offered your first job.

How much have you been offered for pre-reg and for your first job upon passing?
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Youngman2012
The thing is, if you stop comparing yourself to medics and dentists because in essence and in reality they are better/superior/smarter and deserve what they get. On the other hand, a pharmacist, a degree anyone can do without being intelligent can get you a 40k starting salary and a salary for life whilst other smarter 1st class law/accounting/computer science graduates don't even get a chance to get their foot in the door. You pharmacists are spoon fed and are helped getting your foot in the door by doing a pre-reg and then being offered your first job.

How much have you been offered for pre-reg and for your first job upon passing?



Lol so youre saying a pharmacist is inferior, dumber and deserve crap working conditions? So if anyone could do a pharmacist's job then why do they have to go through 4 years of a tough course and pay 40K??

Sounds to me that you're a butthurt mech engineer who cant even get a job after graduating from a top uni. Maybe improve your career prospects before slagging of pharmacists and then going to local pharmacy on a Saturday/Sunday maybe to ask for advice because your GP is having the weekend off.

Actually im only going to be on 17k for my pre reg. and who knows what my salary would be after? Could be 25K could be 30K.

PS youre not even a pharmacist/mpharm student? why are you even on this thread :lol:
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by sachinisgod
Lol so youre saying a pharmacist is inferior, dumber and deserve crap working conditions? So if anyone could do a pharmacist's job then why do they have to go through 4 years of a tough course and pay 40K??

Sounds to me that you're a butthurt mech engineer who cant even get a job after graduating from a top uni. Maybe improve your career prospects before slagging of pharmacists and then going to local pharmacy on a Saturday/Sunday maybe to ask for advice because your GP is having the weekend off.

Actually im only going to be on 17k for my pre reg. and who knows what my salary would be after? Could be 25K could be 30K.

PS youre not even a pharmacist/mpharm student? why are you even on this thread :lol:


Just telling you as it is, a doc/dentist>pharmacist, that's the truth and it's been mentioned countless times in this thread. And yes, it's true, anybody can do a pharmacy degree and pass it without much effort on prioritising their class. Appreciate what you've got. 17k is better than being on the dole. A 30-40k is better than a 20k job.
Original post by Youngman2012
The thing is, if you stop comparing yourself to medics and dentists because in essence and in reality they are better/superior/smarter and deserve what they get. On the other hand, a pharmacist, a degree anyone can do without being intelligent can get you a 40k starting salary and a salary for life whilst other smarter 1st class law/accounting/computer science graduates don't even get a chance to get their foot in the door. You pharmacists are spoon fed and are helped getting your foot in the door by doing a pre-reg and then being offered your first job.

How much have you been offered for pre-reg and for your first job upon passing?

Lmaoooo PAUSE
Original post by Youngman2012
Just telling you as it is, a doc/dentist>pharmacist, that's the truth and it's been mentioned countless times in this thread. And yes, it's true, anybody can do a pharmacy degree and pass it without much effort on prioritising their class. Appreciate what you've got. 17k is better than being on the dole. A 30-40k is better than a 20k job.


LOL. How can you say all of this when you arent even a pharmacy student? I don't understand :s-smilie:
Original post by Youngman2012
Just telling you as it is, a doc/dentist>pharmacist, that's the truth and it's been mentioned countless times in this thread. And yes, it's true, anybody can do a pharmacy degree and pass it without much effort on prioritising their class. Appreciate what you've got. 17k is better than being on the dole. A 30-40k is better than a 20k job.


really? Pharmacists and students saying they are inferior to someone else?

Sorry i must need better glasses then if i need to find that codswallop in this thread. Looks like youre the only one thats taking your frustration of your unemployment and skills that are worthless to your prospective employers out on here
Original post by sachinisgod
Im a final year MPharm and thinking of applying to management consulting or management schemes at GSK/ AstraZenca after my pre reg.

I really have no time for a crap retail pharmacist life with lowering salaries and bad working conditions.

What people do not realise is that a masters in pharmacy is a very good degree to do anything else. There is absolutely no requirement to become a pharmacist after doing MPharm.

Loads of engineers and CS graduates work in banks/IB/Law/Retail so its all about transferable skills.

Yes medics, dentists and optoms on the whole mostly work in their professions ONLY because they have a good professional representation and their financial compensation along with career prospects helps them. Pharmacists definitely DO NOT fall in this category.

how do yeh intend on getting management positions
your chemistry must be strong
Original post by trustmeimlying1
how do yeh intend on getting management positions
your chemistry must be strong


GSK has a Future Leaders programme which has many streams in management, HR which do not require a specific degree. Same with AstraZeneca.

Other management/consulting graduate schemes also do not have a degree requirement but prefer with people with strong academic degrees ( so a Masters in Pharmacy is deffo an advantage)

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