Please help!

[Lost]

hi guys, (great website by the way). I would be grateful for your patience if you could read the following account.....

A good few years back I left school with very good GCSE's and studied A-levels at college. The subjects I took was mostly science based and I did well.I applied to read pharmacy at uni because it seemed logical considering the subjects I took, plus I read somewhere that pharmacists earn quite a bit.

Now I am just about to start my 4th and final year of pharmacy. After several hospital and community placements I have seen pharmacy first hand and know what it is like in real world. OK i have realised that pharmacists do earn good money, but money is not everything. I find community pharmacy really really boring, and there are many pharmacists I have met that hate their job, its not worth studying 4 years. I agree hospital pharmacy is more interesting but my opinion is that most of these pharmacists are all wanna be doctors. They spend most of their time up the ward and they really believe that they are inferior to the doctors.

Personally I am disilussioned with pharmacy and I cannot see myself being a pharmacist for the rest of my life. However my plan is to finish my final year and undertake my pre-reg. I personally believe that I was naive when I applied to read pharmacy and I did not do enough research beforehand. Nevertheless I do not want to show any disrespect to anyone studying pharmacy or already a pharmacist. Pharmacy is a good career for alot of people and I respect that. I see my fellow students in uni that are really enthused about pharmacy.

Personally I do not find pharmacy stimulating. I am only 21 and during the last few months I have looking into other avaliable options. Recently I have been drawn to medicine and becoming a doctor. Am I mad? I am yet to hear or meet a pharmacist who have gone to become a doctor.

I would welcome any sensible comments or advice, particularly from pharmacists and admin. Thank you for taking your time in reading this account and I look forward in reading your remarks.

[N.T]

Ah yes...by the third year of Uni I felt the same way that you do. Looking back now part of me wish I'd dropped out and done another more fulfilling course then, as by now I could well have a job I enjoy. However, I conned myself into thinking ''it'll be alright'' and continued on and completed my pre-reg. Now, I've been qualified for 1 year and have only worked as a pharmacist for about 3 months (1-3 days a week as a locum). Was it really worth it just for the £5050 (just done my tax return!) profits that I made over these 3 months. Probably not. Now I'm looking for some sort of science based job, which usually involves competing with biologists, chemists or health psychologists, who usually have more detailed knowledge within their field. It's hard getting a non-pharmacy job if you're a pharmacist. I'm trying, and determined to get there in the end.

But...for medicine...that's a different matter. Do your pre-reg. Get into medicine. Locum for one day a week to make £150-200 weekly so get you through the next 5 years. Plus the knowledge you gain if you do a hospital pre-reg will make you an ace for the first couple of years of the medicine degree.

Hope that helps.

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by Lost

Personally I do not find pharmacy stimulating. I am only 21 and during the last few months I have looking into other avaliable options. Recently I have been drawn to medicine and becoming a doctor. Am I mad? I am yet to hear or meet a pharmacist who have gone to become a doctor.

I know at least one pharmacist who became a GP.
Are you mad to want to be a GP - probably.
See the GP-UK forum to see how happy they are.

Jeff

[gaby]

I found out yesterday, my aunt's brother did a pharmacy degree and then went to work in banking.

He didnt do the pre-reg year for some reason, maybe he didnt get a placement.

But he was offered a job in banking by someone he knows so he took a chance and has been in the same career for 4 years now.

[kemzero]

some p'cists have a secret desire to be docs ...why not they earn tons more than us ..but I've only wanted to be a p'cist and without giving my age away I've been registered since the 90's done loads of community, hospital and now 2/3rds of my working life is spent at the PCT-working in GP practices, giving evidence based prescribing advice to GPs and Nurses, I know there are some people on this forum that don't think much of prescribing advisors or prescribing support pharmacists but the work is exciting ..implementing NICE guidelines,BHS,BTS guidance (HTN/Resp),ensuring formulary compliance, promoting cost effective prescribing without compromising patient safety and a lot more such as monitoring CP'ists contract, commissioning enhanced services (EHC, Minor Ailments...)
Community Pharmacy is evolving too with MURs ,minor ailments smoking cessation and other enhanced services, hopefully independent prescribing will be joining the list too.
We need young and fresh people like you to inject bit of life into p'macy as a whole but from where I am at , I am thrilled I'm a p'cist although looking back a couple of years that wasn't the case.....as for the money it might look attractive to a student but its not that great but its decent!
I know at least 3 p'cists who are now docs its a good combo go 4 it if that's what you want

[zafzal]

im also in my last year at uni and i feel exactly the same there are others on my course too who feel the same, but dnt know what to do. Ive been looking into teaching, doing a PCGE course but not sure yet. Everytime i think about working in community pharmacy just depresses me. Most pharmacists i have met really hate there job. Ive met one pharmacist whos training to become an airline pilot another who works part time as an air steward, another whos opening a nursing home and another whos going into teaching!!what does that tell u about the profession!

[confused.com]

hi same here need help!!!!!! great website. i thought i was the only one who felt like this

[Zoggite]

I know I've said this before, but I REALLY LOVE MY JOB as a community pharmacist, I never wanted to be a doctor (a vet, maybe...), I've been qualified since 1992 and I'm still not bored!!!! Yes, I know that the times they are a-changing, that nurses and ACTs will eventually end up doing what we're doing now etc., but I would still heartily encourage anyone to become a pharmacist, not least because job security is pretty high.
So don't you start thinking that we're all disgruntled pessimists!

[admin]

Hi Guys

Thanks for the compliments about the site, it's always nice to be appreciated.

If I was as young as you students I would consider going to the USA. Have you read the wages etc they get over there? I think the public maybe gives them more respect then they do to us as well.

Try looking in the member list for jpgakis and then click on "Find all posts by jpgakis". That will give you a list of the posts from this USA pharmacist. They make good reading, especially if you would consider a move over there.

As for me, I personally prefer being a locum. I like the freedom etc it gives me, and have found I am at my happiest when doing this. If you want to know more about working in hospital or industrial pharmacy, I've done that as well.

[drh785]

Hi
Well i have been fed up for about 4 years and will be becoming a non-practising pharmacist at the end of the year.
I am going to try to get work in a construction trade as i absolutely love DIY!
At the moment i am thinking about city and guilds exams in electrical, plumbing, bricklaying or plastering. I haven't quite decided yet.
Anything is better than community pharmacy!
I might even work as a labourer on a building site or a mate to get some experience.
Have you read last weeks PJ supplement about job dissatisfaction?
Very interesting.