Worried as a 2nd year pharmacy students that there will be no jobs when i qualify?

[peace800]

I read the thread in the student section where the poster 'hello' has said that pharmacy students will find it very difficult to get jobs when they qualify and i am worried. I do understand it is hard right now with the economy and the new schools of pharmacy which will mean more graduates. I want to work in commmunity pharmacy but having read that thread I am thinking should i pull out of the degree and cut my losses?

Please dont tell me things like 'dont worry there will be new roles and you can go into x y z thing when you qualify or you can do what you want with the degree etc'....just be honest with me, is it as dire as what has been said in that thread in terms of the job market heading towards destruction?

I want honest replies as I am thinking of pulling out despite all the hard work. Yes no degree guarantees jobs and nobody is owed a living...I get that...but lots of people chose pharmacy as it is supposed to have a better assurance of getting jobs compared to other degrees.

[Pharmanaut]

You could think of putting your degree to work as a science degree.
Well equiped to teach biology, human biology or chemistry. Physics at a push.
We as pharmacists are less mentally compartmentalised its all just 'science'.
Go through pharmacy do pre-reg get on register do PGCE.
Pick up locum work in long school holidays when everyone needs locums...

You are also in a good position to start looking beyond community into hospital, or other avenues such as regulatory affairs and such, and positioning yourself to make the contacts and gain experience.

Just my two tablets worth!

[johnep]

Agreed, it will have to be realised that Pharmacy is just another science degree and therefore options will be same as for other science graduates. What are B.Sc students saying about prospects?
johnep

[Asterix]

where is all this nonsense about no jobs coming from. theres loads of jobs listed on sites such as pj and c+d

[Pharmanaut]

where is all this nonsense about no jobs coming from. theres loads of jobs listed on sites such as pj and c+d

Not sure really.
Though the PJ has been quite thin this last few weeks in terms of jobs.
Not even the loads of ones for L***ds that you used to see.

[hibernia]

It seems that many students are going to college expecting to be 'trained' to be a pharmacist, rather than to get a pharmacy 'education', after which they can do their pre-reg and sit the licence exam.

Education is now seen as an investment. Naturally after spending a lot of time and money you want to be sure of a return but that is a very narrow viewpoint. I was brought up to see basic education as a right and higher education as a privilege, one my parents didn't have. An education gives you choices, gives you options but you still have to make the choice.

My Irish degree is actually a B.Sc. (Pharm) so I was never in any doubt that it was just another science degree. Some of my classmates went into other fields, like research, teaching or even banking but most of us work as pharmacists, some full-time, some part-time; some self-employed, some employees; some in community, some in hospital, industry or academia. Those are the choices the degree gave us that we wouldn't have without it.

[Tony Schofield]

The PJ is thin because more and more advertise on line. The C&D I am reliably informed now carries more jobs than before. There are also agencies who are pretty good at getting employee pharmacists placed and the employer picks up the fee.

To the original poster, there will be jobs for you when you qualify and you have the chance, if you choose your moves correctly, to have a long and satisfying career with a good standard of living. However, you worry me a bit when you say you want to go into community pharmacy and, I may have picked this up incorrectly, aren't thrilled by the discussion about new roles? Since 1998 NHS policy has been to move funding from supply to new roles and that, whilst it has been slower than I would have hoped, is what is happening. You will probably see more robotics than I will but you will do more one to one stuff with patients than most currently do.

Don't waste the time/money you are investing by throwing it away on another course.

I am older and should be thinking towards retirement and many here see me as an anachronism but they don't employ as many pharmacists as I do and aren't planning to recruit more, as I am. I started in exactly the same way as you will and no-one gave me anything, I had to take it for myself and so must you.

Believe who you like, the choice is yours.

[Asterix]

The PJ is thin because more and more advertise on line. The C&D I am reliably informed now carries more jobs than before. There are also agencies who are pretty good at getting employee pharmacists placed and the employer picks up the fee.

To the original poster, there will be jobs for you when you qualify and you have the chance, if you choose your moves correctly, to have a long and satisfying career with a good standard of living. However, you worry me a bit when you say you want to go into community pharmacy and, I may have picked this up incorrectly, aren't thrilled by the discussion about new roles? Since 1998 NHS policy has been to move funding from supply to new roles and that, whilst it has been slower than I would have hoped, is what is happening. You will probably see more robotics than I will but you will do more one to one stuff with patients than most currently do.

Don't waste the time/money you are investing by throwing it away on another course.

I am older and should be thinking towards retirement and many here see me as an anachronism but they don't employ as many pharmacists as I do and aren't planning to recruit more, as I am. I started in exactly the same way as you will and no-one gave me anything, I had to take it for myself and so must you.

Believe who you like, the choice is yours.

Couldn't agree more. C + D is packed full of jobs. Go to moster jobs and it's packed with pharmacist jobs. I am in a position at the moment of rejecting jobs as I have offers/situations to consider and people are claiming there are few jobs? utter crap.

There's a lot of people on this forum who unfortuantely are talking nonsense. The jobs are still there and always will be. Every year I hear there's not enough jobs and I frankly feel it is pathetic that we are suggesting to the OP that he/she should look to become a teacher

[sparkybw]

There's nothing wrong with knowing that you have options outside of pharmacy- even if it does mean becoming a teacher!

For those who would dare to teach this is a nice little scheme. Become a chemistry teacher - Get into teaching - TDA

[Pharmanaut]

Hardly suggesting that the OP should become a teacher, but pointing out that it is an option if they want to consider it; as an option to use a their degree as a science degree. A portfolio type of career was what I was really getting at, which is of course what our GP colleagues enjoy.