Want to move to Ireland!

[pandahugz]

Hey all! My name is Megan, and I am currently a Pharmacist in the US. I have been considering making a transfer to Ireland, and I was curious as to what the process is for a foreign pharmacist to begin practice in Ireland. There doesn't seem to be a lot of information out there on it, and what information I do find seems to be less than helpful. Any information would be great! Thank you so much in advance!

[johnep]

Having read posts on thepharmacyalliance and studentdoctornetwork I can quite understand your desire to move to pastures green. In the old days Irish pharmacists would emigrate to improve their living standards, however during the recent boom Irish pay for pharmacists zoomed ahead of the UK.

Generally your take home pay would be half that of US and, of course, the credit crunch has hit Ireland hard. Look at the Irish Pharmacy section for more details. It has answers to all your questions.
johnep

[Jay2009]

I have had many pharmacists from Ireland contact me looking for work in England or Scotland over the past few months, they all say that the pay has been slashed in ireland.

[Fleegle]

Unfortunately, you have chosen a very bad time to consider a move to Ireland. Here is an explanation...

Pharmacists condemn Minister for undermining pharmacy services and jobs



Thursday, 18 June 2009 Warning that up to 5,000 pharmacy jobs could be lost

18th June 2009: Front line health services will be seriously damaged by the Minister for Health and Children’s decision to cut payments to pharmacists for providing medicines and advice to patients on the community drugs schemes by 36 per cent, according to the Irish Pharmacy Union [IPU], the representative body for 1,900 community pharmacists.
IPU President, Ms Liz Hoctor, stated; “These cuts announced today amount to a 36 per cent reduction in the current level of payments to pharmacists. These massive cuts are utterly disproportionate and totally unsustainable. These cuts compromise patient services and up to 5,000 jobs in pharmacies could be lost as a direct result of this Government decision.
“Although pharmacists are not responsible for rising health costs and have always provided value for money, we had indicated to Government that we were willing to accept a cut equivalent to 8 per cent of our fees in the national interest. This was in line with cuts being proposed in other parts of the health service.”
Ms Hoctor described the small increase in the fees for dispensing medicines and providing advice to medical card patients as a fig leaf – “it’s a clumsy attempt to mask the true extent of the cuts”, which amount to 36 per cent of pharmacists’ payments from the HSE. She also said the cuts will wipe out pharmacists’ margins and their capacity to deliver and sustain services through the negotiation of trading terms. The dispensing fee per item now being proposed is, on average, 33 per cent lower than the rate put forward by the Minister’s own Independent Body late last year. “No amount of spin or distortion of fact will hide the devastating reality of these cuts, which is an overall cut of 36 per cent for delivering the State’s community drugs schemes.”
Ms Hoctor continued: “This Minister seems determined to destroy one of the few parts of the health service that has managed to continue to deliver effective patient care in an otherwise very dysfunctional health service. The irrational nature of this decision again highlights the lack of leadership and vision in either the Department of Health and Children or the Health Service Executive and their scant regard for patient services.
Ms Hoctor said that “The Minister for Health and Children has used Section 9 of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009 in a vindictive fashion to circumvent a High Court Judgment, which found that the HSE had acted unlawfully by cutting pharmacists’ payments in March 2008.” Ms Hoctor said “Section 9 of the Act should be repealed at the earliest opportunity if it is to be used in this cynical fashion”.
The Union will be communicating with its members on the matter and will also be seeking an urgent meeting with the Minister.


Although I'm ok at the moment, I'm not ruling out a move back to Edinburgh..(or Lanzarote). The way I'm feeling just now, I'd rather sell chips (french fries) than be a pharmacist. The only viable option for many pharmacies is to withdraw completely from the government-funded schemes, and return to purely private practice as most dentists have already done, for the same reasons. Strange I know, but nonetheless true.

Fleeg.

Oh..by the way..here is Ireland's 'Minister for Health and Children', Mary Harney, who made these decisions, and 'coincidentally' is extremely likely to lose her position as Minister in an iminent cabinet re-shuffle. Not surprising really...

[lamzee]

You will never get enough work to pay your rent .

[Twinkle]

Hi Megan
I'm a UK pharmacist who moved to Ireland and recently registered to become a locum

Now I'm wishing I hadn't bothered - I'm currently working cleaning schools and maintaining gardens and find it's a lot better for my sanity !!!

[lamzee]

There's no work going at all. It's dire.

[Twinkle]

There's no work going at all. It's dire.

What are you like at gardening ?? I've just taken on another client...and another school to clean...
Wishing I hadn't bothered parting with the best part of 600 euro to register now