Pharmacists Wanting a Career Change?

If you could go back to the day you decided to become a pharmacist, would you do it again?

I will pause and give you time to think though if you are like me, you may not need that much time to say yes or no.

Someone in my family who I respect told me recently that pharmacists generally are a group of whiners with the inability to manage or lead very well. You cannot generalize the whole lot of us in one broad statement, but...

Why are pharmacists so unhappy?

Well for starters, pharmacists are not in the position to be power players of knowledge and expertise. Yes, we are players of knowledge but we cannot really bill for it, so all of the advice we give to those at the counter and prescribers at the hospital is free, thus we have no power. Consults are free. Telling someone how to take their medication is free and in fact is taking away from the 150 prescriptions per hour that the district managers and corporate leaders are needing to make a profit. We are no different in our billing structure than when I worked in a seed factory working a quota for money on the line and if I hit the magical 101% production, I could make a little more money.

Pharmacists don't make businesses a lot of money but are highly paid. In other words poor return on investment.

The best article I have read on the matter is written by Jerry Fahrni "Why Pharmacy Continues to Fail." I highly recommend it. It sheds light into all things pharmacy and how the profession continues to stagnate from business to leadership.

So, what to do. Stay or find a new career?

That is the question. Do we wait around for law to change, which it will eventually, or do we go ahead and research and find another way to make a difference in patients' lives? I still believe nursing would have been a better choice with expanded provider status, working hand-in-hand as part of the healthcare team with direct patient care and learning directly from physicians. Nurses can operate walk-in clinics with retail pharmacies and bring business while we are still getting paid for dispensing.

Pharmacist Provider Status Gains Traction