Hi! I just got accepted into pharmacy school. I'm excited and terrified at the same time. I've been reading a lot of online forums and so so many people are advising pre-pharm students to reconsider getting a PharmD due to the over saturation in the field, lack of jobs, and horrible work environments. I am personally interested in clinical pharmacy or ambulatory Pharmacy. Should I reconsider my career path? What are your thoughts on the oversaturation of pharmacist? Thanks!!
Hey there! First and foremost: congratulations!!! I think at a time of national health crises, I am always excited to hear people are still excited and willing to be a part of healthcare teams.
There have been many difficult conversations surrounding the pharmacy profession at this time. We need pharmacists, but more-so, we need good, competent pharmacists who have been trained to be integrated with the ever-growing multidisciplinary team we are currently functioning.
That being said, I don’t know a single friend or peer that has worked their ass off and haven’t gotten a position they’re content with. Going in with a vague idea of what you enjoy is great, but maintain openness and flexibility to your own interests. There will be aspects of pharmacy that you’ve never heard of!
By the time you graduate, getting a clinical role will 100% require a PGY-1 residency. Specialization to ambulatory care will require a PGY-2. Enter with the mindset of “maintaining a competitive” GPA. What you hear to be a “competitive GPA” will vary, though I firmly stand on >3.5 with extracurriculars, research, presentations, appropriate work experience, great LOR and personal statements to supersede will be enough. Fellowships are also an option. So is networking with a wide array of people and making a role for yourself within an industry that can really benefit from pharmacists. I’m currently in a medical writing and editing role in a medications communications company in NYC. Would I ever have thought to look for this? Absolutely not.
If you know you are passionate in pharmacy, do it. The money is still there if you scale and enter almost any role (except retail, where you stagnate financially unless you navigate into corporate roles). The peers I know who currently do not have jobs are ones who banked all their money on a residency or fellowship and never prepared for a Plan B, C, or D. Your flexibility is your biggest asset in a job market that is constantly changing for our profession.
You will meet many people who will bash it on all accounts. I feel that many of these people are those who fell into retail roles, and never sought/was never provided/did not meet the right people/do not have the qualifications/do not have the work ethic/do not have the talent for other roles in this industry. Which is also to say that in this field, you will meet many people who tout experiences, networks, and work ethics that do not have the foundations for them to step on. Network correctly.
I hope we begin to change the tide, perception of, and work environments for our community pharmacist counterparts. We need community pharmacists too! But people in that area need to WANT to be community pharmacists, and corporate has not built an environment that does their education justice.
Let me know if you need anything!
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