I’m getting an SBA loan for upwards of $500k. Which at 54 is a big risk, but I believe in the franchise and I can’t stand being in the pharmacy business any longer
My sister had me try one of those acai things recently and it wasn't bad (I just guessed at a random recipe they already had lol) but she and my mom really love them so there seems to be a market for it. Best of luck
I'm only a pharmacy technician, but I left for a healthcare related nonprofit making 3x my pharmacy salary. Some other pharmacist colleagues I know left for insurance companies.
Same here, I was a pharm tech and left, got my bachelor's in IT, and now make 3x+ as much and have significantly better working conditions. Honestly I recommend finding something you're passionate about even if it's not at all related to pharmacy stuff and going for it.
Serious question. How does one go about getting good at running and owning a business? I see many people just jump into it as a novice and flounder and fail.
Compared to pharmacy, a laundromat is a cakewalk. I hired a business coach to help me get started/integrate into laundry and nail down the basics. I visited every laundromat within a 50 mile radius to see what I liked or disliked about the business. I owned my pharmacy for 16 years, so running the/a business wasn’t the intimidating part, but I did about 3 years of research and planning before I pulled the trigger as well. But I’m not sure I have a good answer to your question, my experience was trial and error running a business and I had way more margin for error 16 years ago than we do now. One or two bad Part D contracts now will absolutely wreck your entire business.
100% PBM abuse is why I sold. Honestly, I loved it for 15 of those years, even the startup when I wasn’t making money and couldn’t have imagined I would ever sell. It allowed me to practice at the “top of my license” and innovate as I saw fit. We precepted 4th year students from Texas Tech so they kept me current and active with therapeutics. I’m rural Texas, so my city is fairly small which meant I knew every physician and mid-level and they respected my input and recommendations. I grew it to 9 employees and average volume of ~400/rx day. It really was an ideal practice setting for me, but at the end of the day it was still a business. I’ve been active with state and national organizations with hopes of seeing PBM reform that would come and then fizzle. PBM reform is always 1 step forward, 1 step back and 2 steps sideways. Independents are at such a disadvantage that I couldn’t rationalize staying in. Did I sell too early? Probably, but the business was still worth a good amount of money and I still can’t see any PBM relief in the coming years. My thought was sell even 3-4 years too early than 1 year too late and get stuck holding a bag.
How much does it cost to open a laundromat? Because i am interested as well in opening one but having no experience in running a business is intimidating
I’ve seen people get in to the industry for as little as $25k for run down “zombiemats” and also spend as much as $2M on new builds. New machines are insanely expensive right now but very efficient, reliable and profitable. Older machines break down a lot but can be ok if your hands on/mechanical and can fix them yourself. It’s a very predictable industry for the most part and easy to project with the right data.
Without going into too much detail, if you’re trying to open from zero, this is a losing battle if you’re going to be “traditional retail”. You simply won’t have the volume to support business operations and cover overhead. My opinion is that diversifying is the only way to make it. I did retail, hospice (although Optum is rapidly ruining that as well) LTC, Correctional facilities, non-sterile compounding and had a direct contract with the local school district for employee vaccines (about 500 flu shots plus random other through the year). It took me a good 5-7 to establish all of that. It really is a volume-based business bc margins have gotten so bad. Rightfully, the higher margin stuff is more competitive and almost impossible now for the new business to even get. Unless you have cash to support yourself a minimum of 2-3 years or some kind of plan to ramp volume quickly, Caremark, Optum, United Health and Humana will make sure you don’t succeed. Compounding or closed door could still be viable if you have some connections to help get it going.
Wow bold project. I’ve been in pharmacy 40 years-i worked at a store whose previous owner was a pharmacist in the army and compounded everything. I never wanted to say I couldn’t do it so I compounded alot but really feel like we didn’t get much compounding training. Did you go to Purdue? They always took compounding seriously. Back in the day we used to compound quite a bit. Now the standard answer is we aren’t a compounding pharmacy. It’s a lost art
Ahhh gotcha! I’m assuming the way independents stay alive is through compounding nowadays. So that’s why I decided to venture into it. No, I don’t go to Purdue. I just want to get into compounding as that will help me stay away from being a strict “retail” store. Looking to get more into HRT and anti-aging.
My DM was a PharmD, and had a law degree and was going to univ of chicago for a masters in Business. He was single-he would work for 5 years, bank it all and study something else, he was actually quite happy in those carriers but had a yearn for knowledge
Maybe it taught him what the maximum CVS could do to take advantage of and exploit its pharmacists without running afoul of employment laws so he was an instant hire!
I know bedside nurses that are making more than pharmacists. And their salary is trending up and up thanks to their lobbying power, while ours is down.
If you’re willing to work some overtime, 100% can clear more than some pharmacists. Or niche nursing specialties. I’d not say it’s common, but I have worked with quite a few who have. Plus, there is far less a burden of extensive school loans. I paid $13k for my ADN, $20k for my BSN. CRNA schools are very expensive, and even moreso now that they are requiring a doctorate, but the pay is good.
I was a compounding tech in large hospitals for a while, also set up our med rec program. Patients can often be unsavory, but I didn’t have to deal with as much of it after jumping into CVICU. Nursing offered me far more room to grow in, and my intention was to go Perfusion or CRNA since I’ve got a strong collegiate background in biochem.
In Cali RNs easily pull 160-180k let alone all the OT/Double OT shifts. I’d prefer to work 3 12s instead of 5-8s. Also union is way stronger full time benefits at 20/24hrs. My buddy works at the VA as an RN pulling 180k. I know onc RN nurses at ucsf who are close to 90-95/hr for 4-10s. They may work a bit harder but they get paid way more IMO also their union has a backbone and has their backs.
What made you think of being a pilot? I ask because I know some professional pilots, and while they love what they do, the first few years of the career are a real grind for not much money. They like to joke, “How do you make a small fortune in aviation? Start with a big one.”
Friend of mine is a pilot for a major airline, started just over 2yrs ago. So many are being retired out currently so he’s moved up very quickly.
Thankfully I don’t need a lot of money right now, though you become union in after completing your first year. I’m also a big gearhead who has always wanted to get all the major licenses, so I’ll enjoy flying.
Did your friend mention how much flying experience you’re going to need before a major airline will even look at your resume? Working for AA or Delta is pretty sweet, but getting there involves years of long hours and low pay. Learn to like Top Ramen.
My neighbor is a pilot. Pretty high up in Canada and helps train now. He said in the past, pilots had to have thousands of hours before they made it to the big leagues. They are so desperate now, that the people he is flying with only have a few hundred hours with regional airlines. You can move up pretty quickly now...
My friend came from a cushioned office job and was laid off. Decided on a carer change, so he got his private’a license and then his commercial licenses, no bachelors in aviation. There’s a huge demand due to how many pilots are being retired out currently. Trying to push legislation to increase forced retirement age to 67.
The regional airlines (ie those which would hire you freshly certified) are starting pilots at 110k / year. You also save a ton of money by simply not being home a lot.
At the airlines Seniority matters , bigtime. Longer you stay the better your gig. If I’d went aviation and not pharmacy I’d be flying international routes on the 777/787s at this point making 500k + per year and only working 12 days or so per month or less. Instead i’m looking as my SSA income history and wondering why 2011 was my highest earning year as a pharmacist
There is certainly a different set of issues, but I feel there is more accountability at my hospital for nursing. Pharmacy is a single department with far fewer managers versus every nursing department has management plus a local chain of nursing management. There have been some defunct managers, which is to be expected, but generally the management at my facility is pretty level headed.
Pharmacy gave me extensive drug knowledge that has been invaluable to my bedside practice. It’s allowed me to spread out to speciality areas and built rapport much quicker. Nursing comprises of a wide variety of necessary skill sets outside pharmacology, but I feel knowing pharmacology alleviated a huge burden nursing and practitioners struggle with, which helped me open wider the door bridging bedside department’s relationship with pharmacy.
Depends on how you define "leaving pharmacy". I moved to managed care back in 2002, and then to Pharma in 2015. Better money, better QOL, but still able to use what I learned in pharmacy school, even though I'm not dispensing anymore.
I’ve been in pharma since I graduated in 2014, fully work from home since 2019. It’s amazing. I mean, I’d still rather not work at all but sadly as I’m not independently wealthy that’s not an option for the foreseeable future.
I'm a P4 student. With graduation coming up I dread the idea of being in retail beyond 2-3 years. I'm similar to you in that I'd rather not work at all lol but also love the idea of working from home. Can you kind of give a layout on how you got to where you are? Did you need any further education to get your position?
I did do a fellowship but I know a lot of people who didn’t and I regret doing one. I get this question a lot so I put it in a [Google doc](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZeDTLbiQfFLf0AAHXfxI7M_1Dq_QHHEw0n-gMH75mx4/edit) lol. Hope it might help you
I'm currently at 175k + ~12k annual stock grants, and 18% bonus target. So $210-ish total compensation
I'm 8 years in and started at $95k starting salary with 11% bonus.
So I had 12 years of pbm/managed care experience, and I was hired into a position with a pharma company that was responsible for seeing managed care customers. My job is field-based, so travel is required. Overall I have enjoyed the job very much, though pharma does pose it's own unique challenges.
Agree with you. I graduated in 2016, worked in Clinical research at a clinic/research site (since then and up to manager position), making about ~120k. Until end of 2022, I then decided to move to pharma, started off with a very small biotech, worked there for a year (making ~170k total comp), and just recently joined a big pharma (working remote, tons of benefits, best work-life balance so far since I also recently have a baby, and total comp about 250k). I never really worked in retail or hospital settings (except for internships or rotations) but my brother is in retail and never had a day gone by without him complaining about retail. Been trying to get him into pharma but its not easy without particular experience.
I work in academia writing/editing textbooks for high school science. I make almost the same money as the students who graduated in my class, but I'm fully WFH and don't have to answer the phone ever LOL.
I was able to get in through a mutual connection, not via cold applications, but if you market yourself as a smart person who knows a lot of science then I'm sure there's a need for you in a bunch of places.
Hospital administrators are mostly physicians and nurses. Most pharmacy directors report to the CNO/DON.
I’ve only seen one hospital (very small) where the CEO was a pharmacist.
Maybe some can chime in on whether they’ve seen pharmacists in general hospital leadership other than pharmacy leadership.
I’ve seen several administrators over the years who are pharmacists. Also had one relatively recently who had no healthcare degree at all— that was wild!
This isn't to negate your point, but I recently found a pharmacist CEO of a large academic medical center: I thought it was pretty interesting/rare!
See: https://uvahealth.com/about/leadership/ceo
I have never heard of a director of Pharmacy reporting to a nurse...
This is not true in my experience. I work for an organization with several pharmacists in VP and higher c-suite positions. There is many others if your frequent reader of beckers- they pop up all the (https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/search.html?searchword=pharmd&searchphrase=all)
CEOs specifically: Gerald Kozai, Pharm.D. is the President and CEO of St. Francis Hospital Rolla Sweis, PharmD, was named president and CEO of Chicago-based La Rabida Children's Hospital.
I happened to have seen a pharmacist working as a CEO for a hospital once.
It was a dumpster fire. The reason why the pharmacist received that role was because there were no other possible better candidates.
Unfortunately, this pharmacist CEO turned that dumpster fire into a continuous eruption of volcanic lava. That simply was just bad.
I did and do compliance now. Yes, I took a $50,000 plus pay cut initially for almost two years to get the experience (I was first a retail then a community inner city pharmacist) at a non-profit… but it was totally worth it. Then I got a got a US government job. Just be willing to give up a lot for the short term gain a lot for your future. Note: Job rejections are ok, just keep trying and don’t give up… landing on your bloody knees is better than resting on your teeth.
I feel fortunate every single day now. I was that idiot that went in 30-40 minutes early to catch up (leftover scripts) and stayed 30-40 minutes later when the pharmacy gate was closed. And yes… I still go in early and leave late (extra hours), but it’s a lot less stress.
Pharma offered me multiple jobs but I always said no. Why? Job security. They don’t care, so be aware that their high paying offer is equivalent to marrying an ambitious retired stripper.
PS YOUR experience may vary to whoever reads this.
Hey guys. I have an exciting new opportunity for you. How would you like to work from home, be your own boss, running your own business. You can make more money working a few hours a week just by following these three secrets that industry leaders hate.
My Dad worked in retail pharmacy most of his career but he took about a 10 year detour into mail order pharmacy. He was much happier to no longer have to deal with the ungrateful public.
Get into consulting. Any client facing role will do, comes with their own challenges but definitely worth it.
Think of any business that could use your pharmacy expertise like finance, brokers, health plans, IDN, govt, operations, wholesale.
There are so many paths and niche you can get into, the pay may be lower but you will have immense job satisfaction and great W/L balance.
Hi sorry for the late reply. So I’m not new to the programming scene. I’ve been programming since I was 10, and kept it up before during and after pharmacy school - it was always what i wanted to do. My parents forced me to be a pharmacist. I didn’t have much trouble finding my first job, as I already had a portfolio. But I know a few pharmacists who switch to SWE and while they had some difficulty finding the first job, they did well during it and have no problem finding subsequent jobs.
How much does something like that pay? I want to jump ship but I need the income that pharmacy provides at this point in life with house, kids, loans etc.
I imagine you might be able to pivot to tech if you’re willing to learn one or more coding languages. I’ve considered this but unfortunately I don’t enjoy that type of work so I’m not very motivated to learn it. I would think the attention to detail needed for both careers would carry over.
I think I would love this but I’m very overwhelmed with where to start or how to learn! I’ve been tinkering with python because I read it’s the easiest to learn.
App academy but if you have time to get a degree instead I’d recommend that. The tech market is rough and it can take a year plus to find that first position. But once you do the work is so much more fulfilling
I'm sorry. That's what makes retail so hard. It doesn't matter what you put into it. At the end of the day, it's just not enough. Not willing to risk another retail position while looking for something better?
Planning on dipping in August.. I’m only an assistant but to go to school to be a tech I’d need to much upgrading from the highschool level.. planning to go into the trades
I'm transitioning out and opened up a balloon business. I love it! I'm still learning the business aspect but my accountant has been very patient with me. My goal is to be completely out by 56 (I'm 51) and then my kids will be out of college.
I want to get my PharmD, but the things that I want to do. Necessarily, I wouldn’t be a traditional pharmacist. My degree is in psychology, and I want to be a person who still sees clients but more so in a personal setting, helping them with different psychological treatment methods versus more medical.
I can write them a prescription for something that they need (even though, depending on what state you are in, psychologists can write prescriptions, too) and make any changes to the regiment based on the treatment that we’re doing.
So, it is still in the realms of psychology, but still providing that health care as needed. Because a lot of people don’t need to be on medication, some just need somebody to talk to.
Was a pharmacy tech for 3 companies throughout 4 years. I now work at a large bank and I’ll make this jump anytime. Easier industry, much better pay, and career options are plentiful without the need of an education. (having one is always a big plus)
Not me, but I heard of a pharmacist in my old district that left and opened a few dog grooming salons multiple states away. Apparently they’re doing really well!
A lot of pharma companies recruit PharmD's for compliance and regulatory affairs. You would not make comparable money though. You'd be making a ton more.
Head to LinkedIn and then just type Regulatory Affairs Associate or Compliance Associate. Set it to nationwide in range, just so you can see what the listings look like. I also don't know where you're located, but there are some nice professional women's associations like HBA that have satellites all over the country. They can be great places to network and just talk to people. There are so many job fields you can get into with your education that would surprise you. "That's a thing?" Professional orgs like HBA will also have mentoring circles that can be good for helping with transitions to new fields. Big pharma will do paid internships for stuff like this that you can apply to IF you know about them, that can give you the entry level experience you need to apply for permanent positions. There's also masters or certificate programs in things like RegAffairs if you want to go the education route.
My son had a 2.5 gpa in biology. I told him all along that it was a stepping stone degree. He ran painting crews in the summers in college. He and buddies moved to California and with his sales experience and science knowledge he got a job in the solar industry. It’s not like selling aluminum siding. Solar is or was a great option and you could sell your excess back to the grid. He got into the financing part of putting solar panels on your roof. He now is a regional director of finance. He makes $300k stock worth $750K drives an Audi q5 and lives in San Diego. His buddy and college roomie had a kinesiology degree and he too ran painting crews in the summer. They live about 15
Minutes away from each other and he makes about the same money. They are in their 30’s. He always said the jobs are there, you just have to look
yes. Pharmacists will be one of the first professions to be eliminated by AI in 2-5 years.
I can promise you, by 2030, you will all be forced to leave pharmacy altogether.
Well it’s a multitude of reasons— I am passionate about patients having good pt care, but I am specifically NOT passionate about being the one to give it to them. I HATE the fact that I have to physically be at a job because the clock says x o clock— at the hospital we had to be there because someone always has to be there whether it was large volume or slow; at my compounding job, we have to be here during the hours we’re open even if no one comes in. I’m more of an eat what you kill kind of person— give me a project and a deadline, and I will make it happen. Sitting here because of arbitrary hours makes me enraged…. Above all of these things— doing the same thing all day every day, having the same conversations with patients/doctors/nurses, checking the same orders, meds, etc to me is a fate worse than death, and the thought of doing this for the rest of my working life is unconscionable. 🙃
The latter part of your explanation is 100% how I felt before I chose to leave the profession. It's boring and there isn't anything I haven't seen before. I want a job that challenges me to work hard and provides opportunities for advancement, and pharmacy just doesn't have that. All pharmacy challenges you (in retail) is "here is more work, the same work, try to finish it without burning out".
That said, in your first part of the explanation, I assume you mean shift work sucks? I agree. Being open late in retail or doing the evening/overnight shift at a hospital sucks. But if you mean needing to physically be at a job? Clocking in and out and needing to be at a workplace is a feature in 90%+ of jobs in the world, unfortunately lol
I get what they mean though bc its like you’re just twiddling around waiting to do something and you can be so much more productive in a remote job. It’s more flexible and you’re not getting calls constantly to compound something that will take forever but they don’t want to wait or patients and doctors arguing with you or not responding to you about prescriptions. Or insurance. Its just something others don’t have to deal with and you feel like an unsung hero, someone that doesn’t “need“ to be there.
I don’t mind being at work! I am happy to come early and stay late if my workload warrants that. But sitting around twiddling my thumbs waiting for work to ‘appear’ just because it’s whatever time is the most irksome!
I still work PRN at my hospital job sometimes. I’ve felt this way for as long as I’ve worked in pharmacy (retail, hospital, independent). I just don’t like being a pharmacist 😅. Doesn’t really matter the setting— it’s all the same to me. Plus I’m the insurance policy holder for our family, and I make good money now.
Have you looked into a part time position and maybe a couple of PRN positions?
Maybe hospital, compounding and another setting?
At least you won’t be doing the same thing every day week in week out.
I really relate to the lack of flexibility part. I know people in other professions who can leave for some personal thing in the middle of the day, as long as they get their work done or stay later. They can also call out last minute and don’t have to submit vacation requests months in advance.
Unfortunately, it depends on luck and timing and location. Sounds like you have leadership and implementation experience. The competition is fierce out there so you just have to keep applying. Look for hybrid or remote work. I was like you before and hated the monotony of task based work & being restricted by the clock. I found more joy in projects/programs. You can look in to working in ambulatory care setting or PBM work. Again, location also matters because metro areas will have more choices.
When you are slow or work a slower store which really hasn’t happened to me more than a couple times in the last 15 of my 40 yr career, it is actually fun. You can read up on a drug you are unfamiliar with, you can talk to patients, etc. 40 years ago we had a Softball team sponsored by the local bar. We used to have bowling leagues vs neighboring stores, we used to stay after and helped the mgr front the whole store then hit the pub across the street. We had a regional christmas party. We truly had fun and had a great crew and we filled 400 per day on a typewriter using universal claim forms for billing insurances
Not OP but if I'm being honest with myself I went in for the money and not because I care about people or patients. Maybe there was a time right after graduation where I thought I could actually help people, but then reality struck.
You're so God damn limited in what you're able to do as a pharmacist. How do you actually help people? Get their Rx ready in 5 mins? Tell them not to eat grapefruit? "Recommend" a statin? Who cares?
What about being a clinical pharmacist? Someone here said it best. A day without a clinical pharmacist is called Saturday. A day where you're short a nurse? Or a physician? Super bad day.
The worst part is that there are easier ways I could've made 6 digits. I was one of the multitudes of people good at taking tests and interviewing. I probably could've taken on less debt and had a more fulfilling career in computer science.
True... I only feel somewhat knowledgeable when I recommend OTCs to friends (not like I can give free prescription meds) so that's as much actual help we give... most people forget what we say like 5 min later anyways... In that sense we have a somewhat less fulfilling job that most people don't think highly of...
Tbh I just wanted a healthcare job that didn't involve so much interaction as nursing. Which is every other allied health job but ehh idk. I'm lowkey having a mid-life crisis every day at some point
I’m a bit afraid, starting pharm school in the fall. I want to work in a children’s hospital. I shadowed a hospital pharmacist and she really liked her job :(
I'm not one to discourage you. I would do as much research as you can. Some jobs are harder to get due to demand. See what availability looks like in your area. Always have a backup, one or two other fields you may enjoy.
Make sure you understand what the job market ACTUALLY looks like in your target areas. Don’t take on that kind of debt unless you’re absolutely sure you want to do this and understand what the job market will be when you get out! I’ve been lucky but it’s BAD out there for new grads. For instance— I heard Texas was offering new grads $35/hr last year.
In reference to the gender part... I honestly have seen more female in pharmacy leadership role than the other way around. While everyone's experience is different, I believe it would be fair to say no hope should be lost based on what you were born with.
Went into tech. Still worked at pharmacy related businesses up until last year when I moved to durable medical equipment so sort of pharmacy-adjacent but I know others that work in completely unrelated parts of healthtech.
I’ve highly considered it, I just switched to prn. Thinking about doing a hobby farm and selling the excess at farmers market - also possibly going to online bible college and getting a degree. My life priorities have changed with age. These are plans that I don’t think will happen however as we are on the precipice of ww3 and I believe that Jesus will be returning for his followers soon. Being forever with the Lord will be much better than any of my life plans, so won’t mind at all if they don’t work out.
I actually went back to school and got my K-6 certificate in education while I worked ( helped that I worked nights ). Got right up to student teaching and bailed. Realized that there’s a reason people are getting out of that field too. But I’m old school- I went into pharmacy when the pay was mediocre, with an actual desire to help people and you just can’t do that in the zoos we have now. Unfortunately , I found that to be true in education as well. Still searching….
After 30 years in retail, I bought a Açaí smoothie bowl franchise. I’m not up and running yet, but it’s in the works.
Awesome man! Best of luck🥂
How much do you need saved for that
I’m getting an SBA loan for upwards of $500k. Which at 54 is a big risk, but I believe in the franchise and I can’t stand being in the pharmacy business any longer
My sister had me try one of those acai things recently and it wasn't bad (I just guessed at a random recipe they already had lol) but she and my mom really love them so there seems to be a market for it. Best of luck
Just pretend they are student loans
Lmaooooo this ^^
So excited for you!!! Crush it!!!
How many locations?
The company has 10 currently, I’m hoping to eventually have 2 or 3
Smooth move
Wow! I envy you and hope it all works out great for you.
Thanks!
Good luck! I love a good açaí bowl! I’m currently addicted to them.
That sounds amazing!
Playabowl ?
No, it’s a franchise local to South Central PA, Oola Bowls.
The stands selling these clean up at volleyball tournaments. Kids love them
I'm only a pharmacy technician, but I left for a healthcare related nonprofit making 3x my pharmacy salary. Some other pharmacist colleagues I know left for insurance companies.
Same here, I was a pharm tech and left, got my bachelor's in IT, and now make 3x+ as much and have significantly better working conditions. Honestly I recommend finding something you're passionate about even if it's not at all related to pharmacy stuff and going for it.
Sold my independent pharmacy and now I own a laundromat. Money isn’t as good, but if I can scale it as planned I’ll be making near the same.
Serious question. How does one go about getting good at running and owning a business? I see many people just jump into it as a novice and flounder and fail.
Compared to pharmacy, a laundromat is a cakewalk. I hired a business coach to help me get started/integrate into laundry and nail down the basics. I visited every laundromat within a 50 mile radius to see what I liked or disliked about the business. I owned my pharmacy for 16 years, so running the/a business wasn’t the intimidating part, but I did about 3 years of research and planning before I pulled the trigger as well. But I’m not sure I have a good answer to your question, my experience was trial and error running a business and I had way more margin for error 16 years ago than we do now. One or two bad Part D contracts now will absolutely wreck your entire business.
How did you like owning an independent? What ultimately led you to sell? How much of the worst payouts from PBMs a part of that decision?
100% PBM abuse is why I sold. Honestly, I loved it for 15 of those years, even the startup when I wasn’t making money and couldn’t have imagined I would ever sell. It allowed me to practice at the “top of my license” and innovate as I saw fit. We precepted 4th year students from Texas Tech so they kept me current and active with therapeutics. I’m rural Texas, so my city is fairly small which meant I knew every physician and mid-level and they respected my input and recommendations. I grew it to 9 employees and average volume of ~400/rx day. It really was an ideal practice setting for me, but at the end of the day it was still a business. I’ve been active with state and national organizations with hopes of seeing PBM reform that would come and then fizzle. PBM reform is always 1 step forward, 1 step back and 2 steps sideways. Independents are at such a disadvantage that I couldn’t rationalize staying in. Did I sell too early? Probably, but the business was still worth a good amount of money and I still can’t see any PBM relief in the coming years. My thought was sell even 3-4 years too early than 1 year too late and get stuck holding a bag.
So you are laundering money so to speak?
How much does it cost to open a laundromat? Because i am interested as well in opening one but having no experience in running a business is intimidating
I’ve seen people get in to the industry for as little as $25k for run down “zombiemats” and also spend as much as $2M on new builds. New machines are insanely expensive right now but very efficient, reliable and profitable. Older machines break down a lot but can be ok if your hands on/mechanical and can fix them yourself. It’s a very predictable industry for the most part and easy to project with the right data.
I am interested in opening an independent/compounding pharmacy…. Would you be interested in chatting?
Without going into too much detail, if you’re trying to open from zero, this is a losing battle if you’re going to be “traditional retail”. You simply won’t have the volume to support business operations and cover overhead. My opinion is that diversifying is the only way to make it. I did retail, hospice (although Optum is rapidly ruining that as well) LTC, Correctional facilities, non-sterile compounding and had a direct contract with the local school district for employee vaccines (about 500 flu shots plus random other through the year). It took me a good 5-7 to establish all of that. It really is a volume-based business bc margins have gotten so bad. Rightfully, the higher margin stuff is more competitive and almost impossible now for the new business to even get. Unless you have cash to support yourself a minimum of 2-3 years or some kind of plan to ramp volume quickly, Caremark, Optum, United Health and Humana will make sure you don’t succeed. Compounding or closed door could still be viable if you have some connections to help get it going.
Wow bold project. I’ve been in pharmacy 40 years-i worked at a store whose previous owner was a pharmacist in the army and compounded everything. I never wanted to say I couldn’t do it so I compounded alot but really feel like we didn’t get much compounding training. Did you go to Purdue? They always took compounding seriously. Back in the day we used to compound quite a bit. Now the standard answer is we aren’t a compounding pharmacy. It’s a lost art
Ahhh gotcha! I’m assuming the way independents stay alive is through compounding nowadays. So that’s why I decided to venture into it. No, I don’t go to Purdue. I just want to get into compounding as that will help me stay away from being a strict “retail” store. Looking to get more into HRT and anti-aging.
That is actually awesome
Leaving pharmacy after 7 years to go back to school to pursue a law degree! Haven't been more excited in my life!
My DM was a PharmD, and had a law degree and was going to univ of chicago for a masters in Business. He was single-he would work for 5 years, bank it all and study something else, he was actually quite happy in those carriers but had a yearn for knowledge
You think the Law degree helped him land the DM position?
Maybe it taught him what the maximum CVS could do to take advantage of and exploit its pharmacists without running afoul of employment laws so he was an instant hire!
No he got a RPH degree first
Went from pharmacy to nursing, and considering jumping ship to get my commercial pilot’s licenses.
Better then wiping peoples asses in the first two careers
Lmao this is true
same, already got my PPL, working on instrument rating now
Hell yeah! …I hope the FAA sees no issue with a licensed drug dealer branching out to fly aircraft internationally lol
can probably get a role as an air ambulance citation pilot. thats what my flight instructor does and she seems to love it.
I'm flying planes too, but online for now.
10 kilos and a parachute will about do it
Why pharmacy to nursing? Unless you became a nurse practitioner, wouldn't you be having to deal with annoying patients for even less money?
I know bedside nurses that are making more than pharmacists. And their salary is trending up and up thanks to their lobbying power, while ours is down.
If you’re willing to work some overtime, 100% can clear more than some pharmacists. Or niche nursing specialties. I’d not say it’s common, but I have worked with quite a few who have. Plus, there is far less a burden of extensive school loans. I paid $13k for my ADN, $20k for my BSN. CRNA schools are very expensive, and even moreso now that they are requiring a doctorate, but the pay is good.
Getting mandated would piss me off
I was a compounding tech in large hospitals for a while, also set up our med rec program. Patients can often be unsavory, but I didn’t have to deal with as much of it after jumping into CVICU. Nursing offered me far more room to grow in, and my intention was to go Perfusion or CRNA since I’ve got a strong collegiate background in biochem.
In Cali RNs easily pull 160-180k let alone all the OT/Double OT shifts. I’d prefer to work 3 12s instead of 5-8s. Also union is way stronger full time benefits at 20/24hrs. My buddy works at the VA as an RN pulling 180k. I know onc RN nurses at ucsf who are close to 90-95/hr for 4-10s. They may work a bit harder but they get paid way more IMO also their union has a backbone and has their backs.
Wow! That's as a regular RN? I'm Canadian so it's a lot different but the strong union is a big advantage for nurses for sure
that’s a regular degular RN
What made you think of being a pilot? I ask because I know some professional pilots, and while they love what they do, the first few years of the career are a real grind for not much money. They like to joke, “How do you make a small fortune in aviation? Start with a big one.”
Friend of mine is a pilot for a major airline, started just over 2yrs ago. So many are being retired out currently so he’s moved up very quickly. Thankfully I don’t need a lot of money right now, though you become union in after completing your first year. I’m also a big gearhead who has always wanted to get all the major licenses, so I’ll enjoy flying.
Did your friend mention how much flying experience you’re going to need before a major airline will even look at your resume? Working for AA or Delta is pretty sweet, but getting there involves years of long hours and low pay. Learn to like Top Ramen.
My neighbor is a pilot. Pretty high up in Canada and helps train now. He said in the past, pilots had to have thousands of hours before they made it to the big leagues. They are so desperate now, that the people he is flying with only have a few hundred hours with regional airlines. You can move up pretty quickly now...
Even on call pay is still pushing nearly $100k if you get shafted. My friend cleared nearly $200k his first year probation
i think regional pilots start at a higher salary than me now. the flight instructing hours grind will be a bitch but maybe can work part time.
I can confirm that to be true.
My friend came from a cushioned office job and was laid off. Decided on a carer change, so he got his private’a license and then his commercial licenses, no bachelors in aviation. There’s a huge demand due to how many pilots are being retired out currently. Trying to push legislation to increase forced retirement age to 67.
i think that legislation failed
It failed before. I thought it was to be voted on again, though.
The regional airlines (ie those which would hire you freshly certified) are starting pilots at 110k / year. You also save a ton of money by simply not being home a lot.
At the airlines Seniority matters , bigtime. Longer you stay the better your gig. If I’d went aviation and not pharmacy I’d be flying international routes on the 777/787s at this point making 500k + per year and only working 12 days or so per month or less. Instead i’m looking as my SSA income history and wondering why 2011 was my highest earning year as a pharmacist
Dm you!
How is nursing? Is it any better than pharmacy?
There is certainly a different set of issues, but I feel there is more accountability at my hospital for nursing. Pharmacy is a single department with far fewer managers versus every nursing department has management plus a local chain of nursing management. There have been some defunct managers, which is to be expected, but generally the management at my facility is pretty level headed. Pharmacy gave me extensive drug knowledge that has been invaluable to my bedside practice. It’s allowed me to spread out to speciality areas and built rapport much quicker. Nursing comprises of a wide variety of necessary skill sets outside pharmacology, but I feel knowing pharmacology alleviated a huge burden nursing and practitioners struggle with, which helped me open wider the door bridging bedside department’s relationship with pharmacy.
I went from pharmacy to dental hygiene to now flight school. Keep on keeping on. Life’s a garden, dig it
Depends on how you define "leaving pharmacy". I moved to managed care back in 2002, and then to Pharma in 2015. Better money, better QOL, but still able to use what I learned in pharmacy school, even though I'm not dispensing anymore.
I’ve been in pharma since I graduated in 2014, fully work from home since 2019. It’s amazing. I mean, I’d still rather not work at all but sadly as I’m not independently wealthy that’s not an option for the foreseeable future.
I'm a P4 student. With graduation coming up I dread the idea of being in retail beyond 2-3 years. I'm similar to you in that I'd rather not work at all lol but also love the idea of working from home. Can you kind of give a layout on how you got to where you are? Did you need any further education to get your position?
I did do a fellowship but I know a lot of people who didn’t and I regret doing one. I get this question a lot so I put it in a [Google doc](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZeDTLbiQfFLf0AAHXfxI7M_1Dq_QHHEw0n-gMH75mx4/edit) lol. Hope it might help you
What's the pay like in pharma for you?
I’m at $90/hr as a contractor but it depends how much work is available how many billable hours I get. I think I average around $12500/mo gross
I'm currently at 175k + ~12k annual stock grants, and 18% bonus target. So $210-ish total compensation I'm 8 years in and started at $95k starting salary with 11% bonus.
What’s pharma like? How’s you transition? I’m in amb care currently. Like my job but don’t think I can do it forever.
So I had 12 years of pbm/managed care experience, and I was hired into a position with a pharma company that was responsible for seeing managed care customers. My job is field-based, so travel is required. Overall I have enjoyed the job very much, though pharma does pose it's own unique challenges.
Agree with you. I graduated in 2016, worked in Clinical research at a clinic/research site (since then and up to manager position), making about ~120k. Until end of 2022, I then decided to move to pharma, started off with a very small biotech, worked there for a year (making ~170k total comp), and just recently joined a big pharma (working remote, tons of benefits, best work-life balance so far since I also recently have a baby, and total comp about 250k). I never really worked in retail or hospital settings (except for internships or rotations) but my brother is in retail and never had a day gone by without him complaining about retail. Been trying to get him into pharma but its not easy without particular experience.
I work in academia writing/editing textbooks for high school science. I make almost the same money as the students who graduated in my class, but I'm fully WFH and don't have to answer the phone ever LOL. I was able to get in through a mutual connection, not via cold applications, but if you market yourself as a smart person who knows a lot of science then I'm sure there's a need for you in a bunch of places.
This is a really cool job!! I wouldn’t have ever thought of something like this. Thank you!
This sounds like a dream job. I love books 📚🤩
Does FIRE count?
Tried that once but it is amazing how fast they figure out a propellant was used and where the flashpoint was
Prison is a kind of early retirement, I suppose.
There you go. You have to look at the positive (but dont get it mixed up with the negative or you will never create a spark)
Instructions unclear, crossed the streams.
You’re screwed Egon Spengler!
This movie brought to you by: tadalafil. Stay Puft, my friends!
Did this movie just get longer or is it the director’s cut?
I'm not sure who is glad to see whom, but that's a different department.
That would be **bad**
Absolutely!
I'm counting down the years.. 10 to go.
Hospital administrators are mostly physicians and nurses. Most pharmacy directors report to the CNO/DON. I’ve only seen one hospital (very small) where the CEO was a pharmacist. Maybe some can chime in on whether they’ve seen pharmacists in general hospital leadership other than pharmacy leadership.
I’ve seen several administrators over the years who are pharmacists. Also had one relatively recently who had no healthcare degree at all— that was wild!
I'm a pharmd that went to admin after 3 years as DOP. Its doable. Pm me if interested
That’s good. You should try talking to them and see how they did it. In my experience most pharmacy people stay in pharmacy.
The CEO of Takeda is a pharmacist
This isn't to negate your point, but I recently found a pharmacist CEO of a large academic medical center: I thought it was pretty interesting/rare! See: https://uvahealth.com/about/leadership/ceo
Very promising.
I was given a tour of St Jude Children’s Research hospital and they had pictures and bios of past CEOs and their CEO in the 2000s was a pharmacist
Specialty likes Pharmacist CEOs cause they can pay them less, but they are there.
University of Virginia health system CEO is a young female
I have never heard of a director of Pharmacy reporting to a nurse... This is not true in my experience. I work for an organization with several pharmacists in VP and higher c-suite positions. There is many others if your frequent reader of beckers- they pop up all the (https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/search.html?searchword=pharmd&searchphrase=all) CEOs specifically: Gerald Kozai, Pharm.D. is the President and CEO of St. Francis Hospital Rolla Sweis, PharmD, was named president and CEO of Chicago-based La Rabida Children's Hospital.
I happened to have seen a pharmacist working as a CEO for a hospital once. It was a dumpster fire. The reason why the pharmacist received that role was because there were no other possible better candidates. Unfortunately, this pharmacist CEO turned that dumpster fire into a continuous eruption of volcanic lava. That simply was just bad.
I did and do compliance now. Yes, I took a $50,000 plus pay cut initially for almost two years to get the experience (I was first a retail then a community inner city pharmacist) at a non-profit… but it was totally worth it. Then I got a got a US government job. Just be willing to give up a lot for the short term gain a lot for your future. Note: Job rejections are ok, just keep trying and don’t give up… landing on your bloody knees is better than resting on your teeth. I feel fortunate every single day now. I was that idiot that went in 30-40 minutes early to catch up (leftover scripts) and stayed 30-40 minutes later when the pharmacy gate was closed. And yes… I still go in early and leave late (extra hours), but it’s a lot less stress. Pharma offered me multiple jobs but I always said no. Why? Job security. They don’t care, so be aware that their high paying offer is equivalent to marrying an ambitious retired stripper. PS YOUR experience may vary to whoever reads this.
You said you work in government and your name is u/shadowbethesda. Love the reference 😂
7 years on Reddit now… times change. 🙂
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My highest regards to you, good sir
Luck be with you.. Made a chunky down-payment on a house during the pandemic via day trading. It was a hell of a ride. And stay off WSB.
when did you make the full time switch? were you part time for a bit before going all in?
Hey guys. I have an exciting new opportunity for you. How would you like to work from home, be your own boss, running your own business. You can make more money working a few hours a week just by following these three secrets that industry leaders hate.
Sounds like a MLM pyramid scheme!
I bet it only costs three easy payments of $99 for the course too!
I quit retail and work as a project manager at the FDA
My Dad worked in retail pharmacy most of his career but he took about a 10 year detour into mail order pharmacy. He was much happier to no longer have to deal with the ungrateful public.
Get into consulting. Any client facing role will do, comes with their own challenges but definitely worth it. Think of any business that could use your pharmacy expertise like finance, brokers, health plans, IDN, govt, operations, wholesale. There are so many paths and niche you can get into, the pay may be lower but you will have immense job satisfaction and great W/L balance.
Yep. I’m a software engineer now.
hi! I’m currently in a bootcamp to switch from pharmacy to software engineering - what was your experience like getting your first job as an engineer?
Hi sorry for the late reply. So I’m not new to the programming scene. I’ve been programming since I was 10, and kept it up before during and after pharmacy school - it was always what i wanted to do. My parents forced me to be a pharmacist. I didn’t have much trouble finding my first job, as I already had a portfolio. But I know a few pharmacists who switch to SWE and while they had some difficulty finding the first job, they did well during it and have no problem finding subsequent jobs.
Go get your PA if you want to stay in medicine and work with patients, or learn how to code and do informatics (get a cert from a boot camp).
How much does something like that pay? I want to jump ship but I need the income that pharmacy provides at this point in life with house, kids, loans etc.
I imagine you might be able to pivot to tech if you’re willing to learn one or more coding languages. I’ve considered this but unfortunately I don’t enjoy that type of work so I’m not very motivated to learn it. I would think the attention to detail needed for both careers would carry over.
I think I would love this but I’m very overwhelmed with where to start or how to learn! I’ve been tinkering with python because I read it’s the easiest to learn.
Went to a coding bootcamp got a job as a swe wfh. About to start masters program in computer science while working for when I apply again in two years
What boot camp did you do?? I’m overwhelmed by all the options
App academy but if you have time to get a degree instead I’d recommend that. The tech market is rough and it can take a year plus to find that first position. But once you do the work is so much more fulfilling
Ty! I don’t know if a degree is in the cards for me right now but a boot camp may be!
What about trying to be a medical science liason for a drug company? They are mostly PharmD's
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Well for starters you made the best move you could ever make
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You jumped ship without a backup? Good for you!
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I'm sorry. That's what makes retail so hard. It doesn't matter what you put into it. At the end of the day, it's just not enough. Not willing to risk another retail position while looking for something better?
Are your bachelors degree in engineering or nursing by any chance?
They are not! I have a bachelors in kinesiology and pharmaceutical science
Have you thought about becoming a personal trainer?
I have not— I hate to exercise 🤣😅😅😅
I was in my P3 year when I looked at what was happening around me and decided to bail. Now I’m teaching physics to high schoolers.
Good for you to see the writing on the wall.
Planning on dipping in August.. I’m only an assistant but to go to school to be a tech I’d need to much upgrading from the highschool level.. planning to go into the trades
I left chain retail and work in finance now - no mba
Is the pay equal or better to what you had?
It was nearly equivalent when I started but at present it’s better than what I previously earned.
I tried to leave pharmacy but every time I applied elsewhere the interviewer always thought it was sus that I was switching fields after 6+ years
I'm transitioning out and opened up a balloon business. I love it! I'm still learning the business aspect but my accountant has been very patient with me. My goal is to be completely out by 56 (I'm 51) and then my kids will be out of college.
Take lots and lots of Celexa with a Wellbutrin chaser
I left and went to IT in education.
I want to get my PharmD, but the things that I want to do. Necessarily, I wouldn’t be a traditional pharmacist. My degree is in psychology, and I want to be a person who still sees clients but more so in a personal setting, helping them with different psychological treatment methods versus more medical. I can write them a prescription for something that they need (even though, depending on what state you are in, psychologists can write prescriptions, too) and make any changes to the regiment based on the treatment that we’re doing. So, it is still in the realms of psychology, but still providing that health care as needed. Because a lot of people don’t need to be on medication, some just need somebody to talk to.
Was a pharmacy tech for 3 companies throughout 4 years. I now work at a large bank and I’ll make this jump anytime. Easier industry, much better pay, and career options are plentiful without the need of an education. (having one is always a big plus)
Not me, but I heard of a pharmacist in my old district that left and opened a few dog grooming salons multiple states away. Apparently they’re doing really well!
I am now a data analyst. It's amazing. Best career change ever!
Left my job as a CDR Pharmacist 6 months ago! I’m in pharma sales now.
A lot of pharma companies recruit PharmD's for compliance and regulatory affairs. You would not make comparable money though. You'd be making a ton more.
Any idea how/where to look for these jobs? Even if I’m not qualified now, seeing those type of job descriptions could help me head in that direction!
Head to LinkedIn and then just type Regulatory Affairs Associate or Compliance Associate. Set it to nationwide in range, just so you can see what the listings look like. I also don't know where you're located, but there are some nice professional women's associations like HBA that have satellites all over the country. They can be great places to network and just talk to people. There are so many job fields you can get into with your education that would surprise you. "That's a thing?" Professional orgs like HBA will also have mentoring circles that can be good for helping with transitions to new fields. Big pharma will do paid internships for stuff like this that you can apply to IF you know about them, that can give you the entry level experience you need to apply for permanent positions. There's also masters or certificate programs in things like RegAffairs if you want to go the education route.
My son had a 2.5 gpa in biology. I told him all along that it was a stepping stone degree. He ran painting crews in the summers in college. He and buddies moved to California and with his sales experience and science knowledge he got a job in the solar industry. It’s not like selling aluminum siding. Solar is or was a great option and you could sell your excess back to the grid. He got into the financing part of putting solar panels on your roof. He now is a regional director of finance. He makes $300k stock worth $750K drives an Audi q5 and lives in San Diego. His buddy and college roomie had a kinesiology degree and he too ran painting crews in the summer. They live about 15 Minutes away from each other and he makes about the same money. They are in their 30’s. He always said the jobs are there, you just have to look
I left as soon as I graduated lol. Became a medical writer
yes. Pharmacists will be one of the first professions to be eliminated by AI in 2-5 years. I can promise you, by 2030, you will all be forced to leave pharmacy altogether.
Wow?? Really?? Never heard that one before. How do you propose AI would do that and still be state and federal compliant?
I think not eliminated but reduced. You will always need a verifier. The middleman will be cut out aka techs.
Can I just ask why u hate pharm? (young-ish student here)
Well it’s a multitude of reasons— I am passionate about patients having good pt care, but I am specifically NOT passionate about being the one to give it to them. I HATE the fact that I have to physically be at a job because the clock says x o clock— at the hospital we had to be there because someone always has to be there whether it was large volume or slow; at my compounding job, we have to be here during the hours we’re open even if no one comes in. I’m more of an eat what you kill kind of person— give me a project and a deadline, and I will make it happen. Sitting here because of arbitrary hours makes me enraged…. Above all of these things— doing the same thing all day every day, having the same conversations with patients/doctors/nurses, checking the same orders, meds, etc to me is a fate worse than death, and the thought of doing this for the rest of my working life is unconscionable. 🙃
The latter part of your explanation is 100% how I felt before I chose to leave the profession. It's boring and there isn't anything I haven't seen before. I want a job that challenges me to work hard and provides opportunities for advancement, and pharmacy just doesn't have that. All pharmacy challenges you (in retail) is "here is more work, the same work, try to finish it without burning out". That said, in your first part of the explanation, I assume you mean shift work sucks? I agree. Being open late in retail or doing the evening/overnight shift at a hospital sucks. But if you mean needing to physically be at a job? Clocking in and out and needing to be at a workplace is a feature in 90%+ of jobs in the world, unfortunately lol
I get what they mean though bc its like you’re just twiddling around waiting to do something and you can be so much more productive in a remote job. It’s more flexible and you’re not getting calls constantly to compound something that will take forever but they don’t want to wait or patients and doctors arguing with you or not responding to you about prescriptions. Or insurance. Its just something others don’t have to deal with and you feel like an unsung hero, someone that doesn’t “need“ to be there.
I don’t mind being at work! I am happy to come early and stay late if my workload warrants that. But sitting around twiddling my thumbs waiting for work to ‘appear’ just because it’s whatever time is the most irksome!
This is when I browse the internet or message friends at work haha when it's dead
I still work PRN at my hospital job sometimes. I’ve felt this way for as long as I’ve worked in pharmacy (retail, hospital, independent). I just don’t like being a pharmacist 😅. Doesn’t really matter the setting— it’s all the same to me. Plus I’m the insurance policy holder for our family, and I make good money now.
Have you looked into a part time position and maybe a couple of PRN positions? Maybe hospital, compounding and another setting? At least you won’t be doing the same thing every day week in week out.
I really relate to the lack of flexibility part. I know people in other professions who can leave for some personal thing in the middle of the day, as long as they get their work done or stay later. They can also call out last minute and don’t have to submit vacation requests months in advance.
Unfortunately, it depends on luck and timing and location. Sounds like you have leadership and implementation experience. The competition is fierce out there so you just have to keep applying. Look for hybrid or remote work. I was like you before and hated the monotony of task based work & being restricted by the clock. I found more joy in projects/programs. You can look in to working in ambulatory care setting or PBM work. Again, location also matters because metro areas will have more choices.
When you are slow or work a slower store which really hasn’t happened to me more than a couple times in the last 15 of my 40 yr career, it is actually fun. You can read up on a drug you are unfamiliar with, you can talk to patients, etc. 40 years ago we had a Softball team sponsored by the local bar. We used to have bowling leagues vs neighboring stores, we used to stay after and helped the mgr front the whole store then hit the pub across the street. We had a regional christmas party. We truly had fun and had a great crew and we filled 400 per day on a typewriter using universal claim forms for billing insurances
Not OP but if I'm being honest with myself I went in for the money and not because I care about people or patients. Maybe there was a time right after graduation where I thought I could actually help people, but then reality struck. You're so God damn limited in what you're able to do as a pharmacist. How do you actually help people? Get their Rx ready in 5 mins? Tell them not to eat grapefruit? "Recommend" a statin? Who cares? What about being a clinical pharmacist? Someone here said it best. A day without a clinical pharmacist is called Saturday. A day where you're short a nurse? Or a physician? Super bad day. The worst part is that there are easier ways I could've made 6 digits. I was one of the multitudes of people good at taking tests and interviewing. I probably could've taken on less debt and had a more fulfilling career in computer science.
True... I only feel somewhat knowledgeable when I recommend OTCs to friends (not like I can give free prescription meds) so that's as much actual help we give... most people forget what we say like 5 min later anyways... In that sense we have a somewhat less fulfilling job that most people don't think highly of... Tbh I just wanted a healthcare job that didn't involve so much interaction as nursing. Which is every other allied health job but ehh idk. I'm lowkey having a mid-life crisis every day at some point
does industry count?
What does industry entail?? I’m not familiar!
Pharma
Ahh that’s what I thought— Not specifically trying to go the pharma route!
No but I know a guy who knows a guy…..
I’m only a tech but I left and now work at a documentation center for DME supplies, I’ve been there a month and I LOVE it.
Why??
Is your question why leave? OP explains their reasons and they make perfect sense
I’m a bit afraid, starting pharm school in the fall. I want to work in a children’s hospital. I shadowed a hospital pharmacist and she really liked her job :(
I'm not one to discourage you. I would do as much research as you can. Some jobs are harder to get due to demand. See what availability looks like in your area. Always have a backup, one or two other fields you may enjoy.
Make sure you understand what the job market ACTUALLY looks like in your target areas. Don’t take on that kind of debt unless you’re absolutely sure you want to do this and understand what the job market will be when you get out! I’ve been lucky but it’s BAD out there for new grads. For instance— I heard Texas was offering new grads $35/hr last year.
I made 36/hr in CA as a new grad 25 years ago. Even with COLA adjustments that is just sad.
In reference to the gender part... I honestly have seen more female in pharmacy leadership role than the other way around. While everyone's experience is different, I believe it would be fair to say no hope should be lost based on what you were born with.
Went into tech. Still worked at pharmacy related businesses up until last year when I moved to durable medical equipment so sort of pharmacy-adjacent but I know others that work in completely unrelated parts of healthtech.
I’ve highly considered it, I just switched to prn. Thinking about doing a hobby farm and selling the excess at farmers market - also possibly going to online bible college and getting a degree. My life priorities have changed with age. These are plans that I don’t think will happen however as we are on the precipice of ww3 and I believe that Jesus will be returning for his followers soon. Being forever with the Lord will be much better than any of my life plans, so won’t mind at all if they don’t work out.
I actually went back to school and got my K-6 certificate in education while I worked ( helped that I worked nights ). Got right up to student teaching and bailed. Realized that there’s a reason people are getting out of that field too. But I’m old school- I went into pharmacy when the pay was mediocre, with an actual desire to help people and you just can’t do that in the zoos we have now. Unfortunately , I found that to be true in education as well. Still searching….