New Job Suggestions for Pharmacist

LBrokedog on 22/07/2021 - 15:34
Last edited 23/07/2021 - 08:11 by 1 other user

Hello everyone,

I’m in my early 30s and have been a pharmacist for coming on 10 years now.

I’ve come to the point where the low pay and poor career progression has worn me thin.

I’m tired of being on my knees for the boss but am at a cross roads on what options I have.

I’ve considered a lollipop man but don’t want to be in the sun for more than 10 minutes at a time.

I don’t want to go back to study nor am I particularly determined enough to take up a trade.

I’m looking for something that pays over $36/hour where I don’t have to do any full time study and there are some careers progression opportunities.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise I’ll just keep complaining and put up with it like a big boiii

EDIT: Thanks for all the suggestions!, confirmed a few things but also gave me a few other ideas. Reality is I'll probably continue until I snap one day over something small like that time a customer came and tried to return an item expired for a year with no receipt.

Much appreciated to everyone that posted!

Education & Work

Comments

  • kokita on 25/07/2021 - 05:20
    +2

    Real Estate Agent or Finance Broker.

  • Okayy on 25/07/2021 - 06:46
    +2

    Customer service sucks mate

  • Mppeace on 25/07/2021 - 09:45
    +4

    Not to get you down, but I’m a pharmacist in community. Only 2 years in and I’m making 120k plus free rental and I’m currently being recruited for 2 other positions for more

    You have to find a new employer.

    • Brokedog on 25/07/2021 - 10:27
      +1

      Where are you located? metro or rural?

      • ligma2000 on 25/07/2021 - 14:34

        I had a similar trajectory Mppeace had while in metro. Transitioned to locuming with a mix of regional and metro and I'm making more than that now.

  • jono5 on 25/07/2021 - 11:16

    What about getting into higher ed? Make some contacts at your local unis and try and get a foot in the door doing some casual tutoring, etc until a more permanent role comes up.

  • sarahlump on 25/07/2021 - 11:28
    +1

    Have you considered sex work? doesnt require any qualifications, its hard work, your people skills will come in handy.

    • Kangal on 25/07/2021 - 21:54
      +1

      come in handy

      (´•_•`)

  • mezje on 25/07/2021 - 11:51
    +3

    Sounds like most of your problems are due to your current workplace, not your career choice. Shop around for a new role, perhaps more senior at other pharmacies.

    A sea change might also help and pay brackets, work conditions etc could be different as suggested.

  • whitfords on 25/07/2021 - 12:24
    +1

    As some others have mentioned, it’s probably likely you can find a better paying job in the same or similar profession if you keep looking/applying.

    Getting into coding has really lifted my career and it was only a matter of enrolling to a few Udemy courses and putting in a couple of hours each day before I was able to get a foot in the door and move from retail/customer service to development. Sure entry level pay was not great, but career progression is pretty endless as there are so many things to specialise in.

    Good luck.

  • ausmechkeyboards on 25/07/2021 - 14:40

    Write code. Doesn't require qualifications and in ~12-18 months you can net a job that easily pays about $50/hour, with views to >$100/hour within four years or so.

  • bNiNja on 25/07/2021 - 15:01

    Get a job in the railways.

    I started as a trainee signaller 2 years ago. Now I'm working as a rostering officer in an office.

    Heaps cushy and the pay is good for what it is ($48p/h).

  • Mooshino on 25/07/2021 - 15:26
    +1

    Look up roles in the eHealth sector (IT work related to health fields).

    I'm a pharmacist, moved onto IT Support for eHealth products.
    I have started off as Level 1 IT technical support for pharmacy dispensing software and/or pharmacy-related software (think of all the software programs you have used in your time as a pharmacist).
    You don't need any experience for Level 1 support roles and learn on the job.
    Being a pharmacist has benefits for the employer as you know how to talk to health professionals and understand the environments they work in.
    Pay is comparable to what you've listed in your OP and increases as you get more experience.

    Once you have your foot in the door and some IT experience under your belt, you will be able to look into various pathways in IT (whether eHealth related or not).

    Hope you can find something suitable, the amount we get paid in pharmacy is abysmal for the mental and physical toll it takes on us. Don't be stagnant and accept your current situation.

    • altman on 30/07/2021 - 21:15

      Where did you find your Level 1 IT technical support position advertised? Just on Seek?

  • Joda on 25/07/2021 - 16:10

    Does potential Amazon disruption to community/retail pharmacy have enormous implications to your job?

    I gather Amazon recently withdrew it's Australian "Amazon Pharmacy" trademark application due to objections - but surely not the end of the "Amazon Pharmacy" foray into Australia.
    Much of this seems to be progress (if not Amazon then another major retailer) which will hopefully bring new benefits.

    But I wonder if this will impact your job and the role of pharmacy in local primary and community health - I'd welcome any insights into this.

    Here's my basic grasp of the situation:

    • Low margins on scripts may limit new competition:
      Yet, as a loss leader to bring in regular monthly purchases and new customers, can Amazon simply undercut (or sell at a loss) on scripts despite small margins (get your regular script, vitamins, household goods, etc in same order)?
    • Australia's transition to Digital Prescribing:
      From my limited understanding, this seems a blessing for the Amazon business model - and the opposite for the local community pharmacy. Amazon now has advanced pharmacy automation via their PillPack acquisition, low cost online operation, fast home delivery, etc.
    • Pharmacy ownership laws:
      I gather Amazon is a distributor for many businesses that they don’t own - why not a pharmacy? Can Amazon simply partner with a pharmacy they don't own?
  • standinside on 25/07/2021 - 19:00
    +4

    I just want to give you some encouragement and boost your self-esteem.

    At my 10 year mark I had the the same idea and I've quit pharmacy for about 7 years now. I've worked in a manufacturing company exporting products overseas. At first there was a lot of self-doubt because our profession is so specialised.

    But a few years in I soon realised that our professional manner, work ethics, common sense, attention to detail and among others all carry very well into many professions.

    I've worked on QA/QC with top SP500 companies, gone to trade shows in the US EU and Asia, I've had meetings with CEOs of 125 plus year old Germany companies and more.

    I hope this gives you a bit of a confidence boost. Good luck.

  • Sleepfaster on 25/07/2021 - 23:09
    -1

    Working 40hrs a week earning $36/hr? You bet I would complain too. Hell I would've started complaining at least 8 years ago into your 10 year career and began looking around for the next thing.

    You sound like the type that will put your head down, work kinda hard (40hrs a week is not hard work tbh) but never look up to see where you are going. If you looked up, years ago you would've seen no progression, limited pay upside and the discount store movement eating away at your business. You can see the signs everyday in your store and yet you did nothing. 10 years later here you are.

    If you want to know why you are still earning $36/hr, ask what you could have done to deserve more. If you create value, people pay for it.

    • matt-ozb on 26/07/2021 - 08:00
      +1

      Geeezz .. that's a long lecture that's not particularly helpful as he has got there now …. have a think about writing more efficiently .. I could have said what you said in 1 short sentence.

    • matt-ozb on 26/07/2021 - 08:00

      Nice copy of Arnie's buzzword with you username

  • neverlate on 26/07/2021 - 01:12

    Look into dispensing software support jobs. alphapharm sales/support on the road jobs

  • lainey13 on 26/07/2021 - 01:39

    My pharmacist friend now does project management/qa for a health software company. She would never go back to dispensing again and has no formal qualifications in IT. All on the job training. Referred through a hospital I think who uses the software.

  • matt-ozb on 26/07/2021 - 07:57
    -1

    If you could dispense prescriptions quicker than every other pharmacist, then you will be on a winner for higher salary ..

  • basketballfreak6 on 26/07/2021 - 10:09

    Fellow community pharmacist here bro so I feel you. Thankless job and industry is (profanity). Just the other day I had a patient picking up scripts for Ventolin (you get 2 packets per dispensing and each pack has 200 doses) every 2 weeks so I had a chat to her because I was concerned about her usage and advised her to see doctor about preventer options etc because you don't want to be using that much Ventolin. Instead of a thanks for caring I get narc-y and defensive response from the patient and an email complaint/sob story the next day about how I berated her etc.

    Anyway I think you should consider hospital pharmacist option. I know people that's made the transition and apparently it wasn't particularly difficult and the pay will almost definitely be better than community with room to grow (not to mention with penalty rates and benefits). I almost applied for a hospital job that popped up recently myself but as I had just started my own photography side business I've decided to work on that first.

  • illogicalerror on 26/07/2021 - 11:01

    Regional areas all over Australia have pharmacist shortages and pay much better than the city.
    Then you can live in beautiful places near the coast, pay significantly less just to live, save more, be part of a community, reconnect with the real world and get the hell away from the rat race.
    So many plusses.

    (my wife is a pharmacist here in FNQ)

    • Hangryuman on 27/07/2021 - 12:22

      FNQ - you know that used to contain a swear word

      I wouldn't go to FNQ in the summer - too FN hot

      I was told August was the best time to visit Cairns

  • MetaLaugher on 26/07/2021 - 12:05
    +2

    I work in clinical trials and medical research. A number of pharmacists made that transition by doing a Masters in Philosophy (research degree) and transitioned into a PhD. In fact my former team was entirely manned by jaded pharmacists. They all subsequently went into the Pharmaceutical Industry as Medical Science Liaisons, and moved up the corporate ladder.

    Alternatively, you can go directly into trials as a Site Coordinator or Clinical Trials Assistant. My experience here is that there's likely to be a few years of the former before you move to a better role, whereas CTAs generally have a more defined growth trajectory to a Project Officer, then Clinical Research Associate, then Project Manager. You have a bit more diversity in the companies hired for these roles: in-house in industry, clinical research orgs (CROs), academic research etc.

    • alwaysroombas on 26/07/2021 - 12:51
      +3

      I was in the same headspace 15 yr ago. was a pharmacist and hated it. Transitioned to CT's in a low paying job and am now earning more than all my mates that 'stuck it out in pharmacy' plus I actually LIKE my job. At the moment, the clinical trial job market is the biggest I have ever seen it… EVER! I have a bunch of friends who also moved to corporate, did an MBA moved up the ladder etc. Others did a masters in health economics and are working with the PBS. Point is, you have lots of options my fellow pharmacist.

      If I could give my old self advice, it would be to either to re-train or leave for something you enjoy ASAP!

      Good luck!!

  • Stevecro on 26/07/2021 - 18:01
    +1

    escorts get paid well

  • adn on 26/07/2021 - 18:21
    +2

    Become Walter White. Key to success is not to get too greedy

    Make enough to pay your ppor. Then bank a million in VAS/VGS. Retire

  • busky2k on 26/07/2021 - 19:56

    Want to be paid more/get a better paying job but don’t want to put in the effort for more study/training or moving into a different field of the same job because its ‘too hard’ etc?
    Is this a joke or something?

    • Mr Haj on 27/07/2021 - 16:09

      No, it's depression.

  • Dontdoit on 26/07/2021 - 21:31

    Australian Public Service. Level 4 would be $36 an hour. Easy to move up if you can interview well.

    Become a rep? My mate went to GSK and was visiting doctors explaining new drugs and bringing them sandwiches and desserts.

    What about working for the government making sure people coning off drugs take their methadone. You just watch them take the drug and make sure they dont try and divert.

  • jedimaster on 26/07/2021 - 22:57

    Real Estate Agent or a Loan Broker?

  • rektrading on 27/07/2021 - 00:35

    Lockdowns + NFT gaming = cash cow.

    https://youtu.be/0OYJS-GcF7k

  • chiuy on 27/07/2021 - 05:25
    -1

    Ahh, community retail pharmacy.

  • Irrelevancy on 27/07/2021 - 19:15
    +1

    I would suggest looking into digital health. It's a broad field but one that is sorely lacking in people with clinical knowledge.

    I think there are many processes that are ripe for digitization and optimization in the community pharmacy world - these would become easy pickings to rapidly build a portfolio if you position yourself right.

    Disclaimer - I work in clinical informatics and am married to a pharmacist

  • bloopzorm9 on 26/08/2021 - 17:00

    Have you thought about looking for jobs in state/federal Department's of Health? Not in a client facing role, more of a policy/strategy/operations type position. Could easily pull $90-100k in an APS6 - EL1 role

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join