Some interesting posts. In 100% agreement with thread creator and others talking about their dissapointment with a career in pharmacy. I am one of those 'wannabe medics' someone referenced earlier (well, to be more accurate, I'm about to go into my final year of medicine, so maybe I can drop the 'wannabe' bit?). My career in brief
Graduated in 2011 from Scottish school of pharmacy
Pre-registration job in large well known Hospital in South of England
Locumed all over Scotland in community pharmacy for 2 years
Retired August 2014
My story: I picked pharmacy despite dire warnings from a family member who worked as a community pharmacist. Keep in mind this was 2006/7 UCAS application cycle. The writing was already on the wall for the profession but I just couldn't see it. I mean, how could you? It takes years of experience to gain the sort of insight into pharmacy my family member had, but I swatted her warnings off and accepted my offer anyway. Back in the day (2007), pharmacy was sold to us by the university as being the 'healthcare professional on the high street', like some sort of 'GP lite'. There was a LOT of talk about the rolling out of new pharmacy services in Scotland including CMS (equivalent to MUR in England), minor ailments services, our own version of NMS, and various other things I've already erased from memory. The degree itself was fine. I enjoyed the description of pharmacy academics being in their ivory towers. It is a fitting description. Even the Boots teacher practitioner didn't seem to have a clue what was actually happening in community pharmacy, or perhaps they weren't allowed or didn't want to tell us...
My first summer placement with Boots was a real shock to the system. I spent 8 weeks between my 2nd and 3rd year working in a semi deprived Scottish town. I remember being so enthusiastic on my first day. I spent about 5 weeks working on the tills before I was given my big break in the dispensary putting labels on boxes all day long. Anytime I tried to provide a clinical service I was either sneered at or ushered along to the next task on the never ending list. It wasn't long before I started absolutely hating the placement, the staff, and the customers. It was a wretched and relentless retail environment that didn't give two shits about patient care. I would have learned more clinical knowledge working in a chip shop.
I decided to cast aside my Boots experience as a 'one off'. Some of my friends had experienced what they claimed to be 'good placements'. I was sceptical, but decided to work for Lloyds the following summer alongside a 4 week hospital placement. Lloyds were better than Boots, but not significantly so. Clinical pharmacy in hospital was very different, and I can see why some people might like it, but it was cripplingly boring to me. You don't know true boredom until you dispense sterile water and hypodermic needles all day in the aseptic unit (scratch that, has anyone ever worked in medicines information? ****ing hell...).
I took a job in the south of England in what is a relatively prestigious teaching hospital. I loved the location but the job... my god, the job. There were days when I punched the wall in frustration before getting out of bed in the morning. The job drove me to the edge of my ability to tolerate pharmacy. It was at this point I put my semi formed preparations to exit pharmacy into action and applied to medical school. I could go into so much more detail about my pre-registration year and how much I disliked it, but this post is becoming tiresome, even for me, to write. I'll cut this part short and say pharmacy was definitely not for me. However, I would like to add that hospital pharmacy is probably a very good job for a great many people. If you're clinically minded and want to be a pharmacist, try your hardest to get a job in hospital. It's the only way you will put what you have learned at university into practice.
What about locuming in community? I spent 2 years worth of holidays including 3.5 month long summers working 40-50 hour weeks across the west of Scotland for a variety of companies including Boots, Morrisons, and lots of smaller chains or independents. In the brief time I spent working, the hourly rate dropped from £22.50 during the week to £20.00. Weekend rates stagnated at around £21.00 per hour and there was a dramatic drop off in the volume of shifts available throughout the west of Scotland. There are a few things that should alarm prospective pharmacists about this vignette
1) I'm reliably informed that Scottish locum rates are usually higher than elsewhere in the UK. I've heard stories of pharmacists working for less than £15 an hour. To put that into perspective, you are earning only a few £ more than a floor manager in a small clothing store for being the responsible pharmacist and working seriously hard for your cash
2) I dread to think what the locum rates are like nowadays but if they can fall by more than 10% in 2 years christ knows where they will be in 5-10 years time
3) There is a massive influx of EU pharmacists who will work for much less than you. Couple this with the surge in new pharmacy graduates from newer schools and you have a recipe for a disastrous job market
Anyway, I had more to write, but this has become quite long. If you've read all of this, good for you, I hope my message has been clear(ish). If you've skipped to the end my message is simple. There are numerous better paid jobs with greater job satisfaction out there compared with community pharmacy. For the dedicated few, hospital pharmacy is a reasonable route. For those stuck in pharmacy and disillusioned, don't lose hope! The degree still has some currency for now to go and do something else (academic or otherwise), but don't delay! I can't see a very bright future for pharmacy unless some drastic changes are made within the stakeholder organisations. I'd be very concerned about actually having a job in 20 years time never mind what it might actually consist of.
Phew.