Hi
Just found this great forum and hope someone can give me advice.
I am 49 years young but have only been qualified as a pharmacist for 6 years having had a career change from a Medicinal Chemist (basically still love chemistry but needed a bit of 'job security ' as I have a partner and 2 teenage kids to support). Enjoyed the Pharmacy degree and came out with a good degree but ended up as Community Pharmacist (couldn't get into hospital pharmacy for a prereg place at the time). Although there is a lot I like about community, the 'production line drudgery' and often threats to complete MUR targets are just killing it for me and I feel I'm getting further and further away from what I really wanted to do: be involved in science / clinical practice and help people as opposed to just making money for the powers that be. Maybe I'm just having a bit of a mid-life crisis, who knows??? (ha,ha)
I am thinking more and more that I really would like to transfer to hospital pharmacy but am unsure of how to do so. I am not sure if I would even be considered for hospital (trainee) jobs as I did my prereg in community. Also wondering if my age will count against me (I know it shouldn't but wonder if anyone has any real thoughts on this?)
Would appreciate some honest feedback on this.
Really enjoying the forum and finding it so helpful .
Any help would be gratefully appreciated
Thank You
I did my pre-reg in community in 1979, and my first job as a pharmacist was a Basic Grade Hospital Pharmacist. It worked then, I was valued because I knew a lot about retail pharmacy that the hospital pharmacists didn't, and when I left hospital to be a Moss Pharmacist in 1986, the Hospital experience was useful in retail. I pharmacist I know sold his pharmacy and went straight into hospital pharmacy, and is loving it. Incidentally, which apology for a retail pharmacy chain are you working for? If they are putting you under unreasonable pressure, resist, report them to the GPhC FtP people and the RPharmS, and give your notice in. There are plenty of good pharmacies out there, that will allow you to be a pharmacist. Whatever you do, don't let them get you into trouble by trying to meet unreasonable targets
I hope this transition is just as easy when I complete my community pre reg in 2013. Has anyone recently made this transition? Any experiences to share?
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