- I asked if pharmacists are still in demand, and a pharmacist said no. If they are not in demand, how hard is it for a pharmacist to find a job?
- Retail pharmacists make the most money, but clinical pharmacists have a better job. How much less do clinical pharmacists make? Clinical pharmacists need a residency after pharmacy school. How long does a residency last, and how hard is it to get one? Do most pharmacists who want a residency usually get one?
Nobody has an answer?
The demand that exists today may not be the same demand that will exist at the time you graduate from pharmacy school. Same with residencies–that situation may change as well.
Our D’s friend graduated from Pharmacy school in 2014 and after about 6 months of job hunting landed a job at a retail pharmacy as a floater, where she goes to whichever pharmacy they are short-staffed. She has to have the hours and times they give her, as she’s the most junior. She did apply for other jobs but wanted to stay in HI, so that limited her geographic job search scope.
Folks most flexible about relocating (particularly to more rural and undesirable locations) may have more opportunities than those who restrict their search geographically. If you’re flexible about clinical vs. research, you again have more options. I know at least one pharmacist who was a retail pharmacist for a decade and now works as a scientific liaison for a pharmaceutical company.
So basically the demand is not as much as it used to be
Too many new pharmacy schools churning out graduates as compared to 10-15 years ago - and you are an international student so there may be restrictions whether or not you can work in the United States after you graduate (especially since there are not enough jobs for new Pharm.D. graduates who ARE U.S. citizens).
If you have a residency, does that make it any easier to get a job?
My dd wants to go into pharmacy, but every time we meet with people who are pharmacists, they try to talk her out of it. The field is saturated because of the multitude of schools producing pharmacists, which leads to a lack of jobs.
At this point, it doesn’t matter if you have “residency” because if there are no jobs, why would it be any easier to get a job when there really are no open positions?
So basically I shouldn’t become a pharmacist.
Whatever you decide, that’s on you.
You need to contact pharmacists in your home country and ask about future outlook in the field.
Consider that, in the US, there is competition. US citizens technically, have better odds since human resources has less paperwork to process and doesn’t have to deal with US immigration. The employer has to consider US candidates first because the employer has to claim, to the government, that there are no US candidates to fill the positions. If you don’t have a visa that allows you to work in the US, you’re stuck.
Additionally, mail-in pharmacies are continuing to increase. One pharmacist supervises multiple pharmacy technicians which is more cost-effective for the insurance company than hiring several pharmacists.
I think I’ve made my decision not to go to pharmacy school because of all the pharmacists complaining about unemployment. I don’t want to be out of work after getting a degree that will put me in a lot of debt.