What is good about Pharmacy?

[Jami74]

I'm a dispensing assistant in a supermarket pharmacy and am just taking the first step towards becoming a pharmacist. Mostly I really enjoy my job and find the drug side fascinating, I'm really looking forward to learning more about how they work. I've read a few negative threads though and even some of the pharmacists I work with don't seem very happy. All going well it will take me six years and from what I can work out the future doesn't seem bright. Can anyone tell me what they think the best bits are? Someone suggested it would be better to be an optician but I just don't feel excited about that in the same way I do about pharmacy.

[Shop Designer]

DO IT!!!!! If I could, I would go back in hindsight and train to be a Pharmacist I find it a wonderful career choice, filled with some of the most amazing wonderful beautiful people that I would happily go out of my way for, I see the work you do as some of the most un-praised sector of the NHS for the mostly unpaid services you as a profession provide day in daily.

If I could encourage my offspring to enter this career path, I will do so,,,,,,,,

[Jami74]

Thank-you Shop Designer for replying with a positive response.

I guess though that 80+ other people have viewed this thread and have been unable to think of one positive thing to say about being a community pharmacist is a bit scary.

[johnep]

I never liked community pharmacy as a full time career because of limited salary progression and long hours and worry re locums for holiday cover.
In industry, I worked 9-5/5.30, had the weekend free and no worry over holidays. Although salary to start lower than retail, I made up the difference by locums, and I had a car and expense account. Company meetings and travel to conferences etc, all in company time. When I had to come out of industry into retail, took salary reduction of 30%. To get back into industry I had to start at half what I was earning before. Again, substantially made up by perks and locums.
In the meantime, I travelled the world, and on retirement from industry, retail locumming gave me a comfortable semi retirement.
johnep

[anit123]

I think it can easily get boring if you let it be (i.e. if you end up in a store just checking all day and hiding from the public).

I honestly, genuinely enjoy being a pharmacist. What I like most is that my contract is quite flexible with hours, the pay is decent, I've seen the appreciation from patients, doctors and other HCPs with the input I'm capable of, and if you take the initiative to push yourself further, you can still do more than just checking all day! You can always jump on the hospital or industry bandwagon, you can improve yourself down the managerial route, or increase your clinical skill-set. I like the fact that in the 2 years I've been qualified I've spread myself over three roles.

If you don't want to be stuck and get bored, then you don't have to be if you make the most out of opportunities within the industry!

[culchie82]

If you like working in a retail environment and customer service then by all means go down the Community route. Be prepared to answer the telephone a lot, deal with people whinging and being ignorant to you and a lot of donkey work. Optometry on the other hand is a more formalised Profession, with scheduled appointments and members of staff to deal with general queries, phone calls from the public. My advice would be to go for the latter course, I've yet to meet a Pharmacist who actually enjoyed their job.

What's good about it? Well at the minute, you're still guaranteed a job (I think) and a much better paid one that most graduates. This is the only positive I can think of.

[Tony Schofield]

There have been many threads on which the positive aspects of being a pharmacist have been discussed. I don't intend to re-visit them. However I qualified 30+ years ago and apart from having some bumpy rides I have enjoyed a fulfilling, interesting career which has given me a good living. I see many opportunities for the future as the world moves on and whereas unlike the 1970's and 1980's where the only qualifications required for a good income were a certificate and a pulse, motivated and hard working pharmacists will ALWAYS prosper.

I would qualify this however by saying that whilst a career progression in a multiple may suit you, if you crave professional autonomy and personal satisfaction, you may have to look elsewhere.

[hibernia]

, I've yet to meet a Pharmacist who actually enjoyed their job.

Internet forums probably aren't the best place to look for happy contented people.

Most pharmacists I know DO enjoy their job, most of the time. All the downsides you mention are true and many days I feel like tearing my hair out but it is still a wonderful job if you like people. All human life passes through a pharmacy door.

To paraphrase somebody or other "the man who is bored with pharmacy, is bored with life."

[Shop Designer]

whereas unlike the 1970's and 1980's where the only qualifications required for a good income were a certificate and a pulse,

We REALLY must have met at some point, this is my observation of those times too,,,, sadly in some trades,, the pulse part was optional!

[Sinister]

What's good about it? Well at the minute, you're still guaranteed a job (I think)

looking at the fridge magnet just now which says ' My job is safe - nobody wants it'