Day in the life of a Pharmacist 👩‍⚕️why not to do pharmacy 💊 the ugly truth of why I quit

This is what a real #dayinthelife of a retail #pharmacist looks like before and during the pandemic. There is no shortage of pharmacists, there is just a shortage of pharmacists that refuse to continue working in those poor conditions leading to cut pharmacy hours at Walgreens, CVS and Walmart. Basically a PharmD -iary of why it takes so long for your prescription to be ready and why the pay or bonuses are not worth it anymore. There is so much more beneath the surface of #pharmacy and the ugly work conditions many pharmacists, technicians and #healthcare workers face daily.
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Hello! My name is Lili and I'm a pharmacist that likes to sit in my room on my days off and make fashion, beauty, and lifestyle videos. Join the potato patch and subscribe for weekly vids every Thursday!
watch all of my videos here: bit.ly/2Kyp7asi

[@Butterpuppy2022]

I agree with you 100%! I was a retail pharmacist for three years and I quit bc of the overwhelming stress. I was 92 pounds and 5’3”, didn’t have time to eat or go to the bathroom and I’d have panic attacks. Even after quitting pharmacy 15 years ago, I still have PTSD and nightmares about filling prescriptions on time. Pharmacy took a toll on my life and I wouldn’t recommend this career to anyone. It’s a thankless job.

[@lilitmac]

oh my god!! I'm happy you are out now, it definitely is mentally degrading which in turn takes a toll on you physically too, what do you do now?

[@Butterpuppy2022]

@@lilitmac for almost 20 years I’ve worked in pharmaceutical/biopharma sales and I absolutely love it.

[@teresafunk8562]

so true...my husband and I made it our goal to talk everyone out of going into this field.

[@jamesniagu274]

Omg that’s horrible sorry to hear that 😢

[@mckatie9201]

Retail is very small window of what pharmacists can do. You can go into MTM, managed care, industry, compounding, and so many clinical roles. I would retitle your video *****"why not to do RETAIL pharmacy"******. I left my job in retail as well but I still love pharmacy and I love my mentors and my peers and every day I am amazed of what this field can do. I would never discourage someone not to go into pharmacy because of ONE practice setting.

[@Lokie-cd2hw]

MTM in retail is time consuming and you don't have the support staff to do it in a meaningful way. Most of it turns out for the benefit of the insurance company rather than the patient. All these calls to providers to change meds to a lower cost med (often less effective) to save the insurance company money is not in my book a clinical intervention. It just slows me down and makes me a bitch for the insurance company.

[@mckatie9201]

@@Lokie-cd2hw you can get jobs in just MTM, i am not referring to MTM services in retail settings.

[@chickenpuncher1674]

I have a question! Thank you for reading and maybe answering! Many jobs require extensive schooling and training, for good reason, safety and complexity and all that. Many jobs also arbitrarily require ridiculous things in order to legally do them, but realistically its sort of gate keeping. So the question is, if you had to train a retail pharmacist (competent person, not some wall licker), how long would it take? Not a tech either, like this guy could take your shift and you wouldnt worry if your phone died. It seems a bit like electricians, my father or I (id need some YT schooling, but I wouldn't panic if it was my task) could wire a house (hes got alot of college, not for any trade, ive got none), panel and all. Neither one of us would touch 480v though. So dispensing meds is residential and mixing chemo drugs is industrial, but both need a licence and are grouped together in everyday life. Thank you, and I am not putting down their job, the schooling alone justifies their salary, but so.e googling led me to believe the worst aspects of the job are regulatory/"the way things are" BS and not the work itself.

[@NicKYKmic]

80% pharmacists are doing retail related jobs, it is not a small window. Even I talked my inpatient Rph friends, some of them are also thinking about quitting.

[@Douglass10]

@@chickenpuncher1674for you to train a competent retail pharmacist you’d need 3yrs of schooling and 2yrs of of the job training. I say 3 yrs schooling because 1) you need to be able to handle the stress of pharmacy and you can only acquire that from school. Staying up 1-3 days just studying, multiple test back to back. 2) you need to know where to find the correct information 3) know calculations 4) know drug drug interaction, how medication work etc. brand name generic etc. 2yrs on the job to actually apply what you have learned.

[@sciencelearnremember]

Thank you for being so honest. There are so many high school, college, and adult second-career students who think this is some cakewalk. It is not. Your video brought that to light.

[@miss_mars931]

I completely stand by that your happiness comes first! My mum doubts me a lot cus she’s from a different generation where it’s labor to the bone till you die but that’s not me. We all gotta find our own paths!

[@Lexeli]

Thank you for sharing! I worked at a 24 hour pharmacy as well at one point as a pharmacy tech and everything you said is so accurate. I remember working part time and ALWAYS getting asked if I could work overtime or stay longer. Now that I know there are many other areas of pharmacy I'm reconsidering Pharmacy school.

[@dejaxiong5749]

As a former Pharm Tech working in Walgreens, and wow the amount of stress i came to work everyday and staying over hrs because of staff shortage was insane.

[@viciousreasoning504]

I just quit walgreens retail is the worst

[@WokOverEasy]

@@viciousreasoning504 quit if you can. My husband got a hospital job and it has its stresses but it’s not nearly as bad

[@chartainh3413]

Same

[@deniseogas8609]

Why don’t you go to Walmart ? Not in a rude way lol but my pharmacy teacher said Walmart is one of the ones who hire many people to TRY and not have this problem, and we’ll from where I live, and our local Walmart, there is always at least 6-10 (I’m not sure the average lol maybe it’s that and I’m just having a big mouth

[@dm-jf5uu]

I worked there as well and quit they expect a shift lead to do everything Registers photo orders cleaning dealing with costumers

[@thaostar20]

Been waiting for your videos! Just graduated last year and been a pharmacist for 6 months now. So glad to see you doing well Lili! Felt like I grew up alongside with you ❤️

[@lilitmac]

ahhh congrats on your graduation!! We really did grow up together 💓look at us noww, ADULTS hahahah, what are you up to now after graduation?

[@adannaokere5392]

Thank you for the work/life update. I’m so glad you’re in a happier place now. We missed you in these KZbin streets haha

[@lilitmac]

🥹 I missed these streetzzz haha

[@thisisjadah]

WOW!!!!! This was very informative!!! I’m not in pharmacy But I truly appreciate your story, how you explained things with accuracy and what solutions you took for your life. God bless you Lili, looking forward to seeing more from you ❤️😊

[@PaangX]

I’ve did retail pharm tech for a year and couldn’t bear to go on anymore with all the high demands it comes with. It was so mentally draining especially when a lot of things are out of our control. It’s crazy how we are treated, how did you manage to deal with rude customers? I kid you not, I’d be going home crying some days. I’d definitely give props to those who are still holding up in retail pharmacy! 💕 glad you are doing better now; would love to hear more about your new job/position now. Can’t wait to see more videos from you.

[@lilitmac]

Oh my god I have so many stories of what I thought was my breaking point, I’ve seen colleagues and technicians just cry in the back because of what happens. I’ve had to hold back tears and literally do breathing exercises behind the fast movers so that I wouldn’t break down or have a panic attack at work. The first few years of my pharmacist journey was ROUGH especially and I can remember how I would just get off work, and just cry from the exhaustion / mean patients. I just wanted to help people and getting verbally assaulted over something out of my control killed my morale with time / led to my ultimate burnout. Over time I dealt with the rude people by hardening myself, things just bounced off me and often times I’d serve the attitude back professionally 😂 just started not giving any fucks and worked at a pace that was safe for my patients and license, plus my team kept one another sane with daily laughter

[@addicttt]

I didn’t think it was THAT hard to work at a pharmacist. The sad truth reveals but I am glad that you are working remotely, it is way better working with patients face to face.

[@evidenceincreation9520]

Super informative! Thanks for making this video and highlighting both the pros and cons of this type of jobs!

[@lilitmac]

of course! i'll be filming a day in the life of a pharmacist / PBM soon and will highlight the same!

[@Aleing13]

Thank you for sharing your experience of the reality of health related professionals who are suffering the burden of Corporate greed.

[@mrlnmagai9321]

I remember it was my second year in junior high school, it was my hardest time. I was experiencing excessive anxiety then every time I entertained myself I always opened KZbin, one day Lily's channel appeared on my home page and I tried to watch it. At that time the first content I watched was My Night Routine/Get Unready with Me in 2015 and Lily's content accompanied me. during those times. Nice to meet you again lily😊 I hope you are blessed all the time💐

[@surfacenavy6412]

As a former pharmacy technician, I can certainly attest to what you are saying throughout this video. You described everything about the job to a tea in retail pharmacy. I’ve done it for over 7 years and had to leave this career field due to disabilities, stress, and lack of quality pay, and working hours. I surely appreciate all the techs and pharmacists who are still currently working, and I can tell you firsthand that this is a thankless job from the customers and upper management level personnel in corporate and the pharmacy location. I sure don’t miss it one bit.

[@rebeccascloud]

this is so important ;; please take care and thank you for sharing this!

[@Jigglypuffpuffpass]

Omg I used work at Walgreens and we went through 2 overnight pharmacist in a week…one for having a mental breakdown (and I really felt bad she was always so sweet to me) and then her replacement for coming to work drunk literally the next day. Ever since that week I have a new respect for good retail pharmacists 😂

[@RosesandShelties]

I left retail 2 years ago for work from home to be an MTM/Med Rec pharmacist which is super chill. I do miss that retail pay though, and was starting to have second thoughts until I watched your video and remembered how quiet a pharmacy can sometimes appear from the outside when it’s actually a total disaster behind the counter 😂 glad to see you got out as well, Lili! Been following since those pre-pharm days!

[@mellanybach3502]

omggg, I followed you during Tumblr days and your video randomly popped up on my KZbin. I was in Cali back then and now in the Boston area for school. it's so nice seeing you again ♥

[@sabrinapham6040]

I have avoided retail pharmacy for these very reasons! I completely agree, and it's so important to prioritize mental health and know when to leave a toxic work environment. I'm also in managed care pharmacy, and can safely say this has been so much better for me lol

[@MM71017]

Managed care pharmacy in a pharmaceutical corporate or hospital ?

[@MM71017]

Thank you

[@denisf430]

@@MM71017can u tell me what a managed care pharmacy is?

[@Maijulie69]

I feel this sooo much! I’m on the cusp of changing careers because the mental stress is not worth it

[@lilitmac]

Are you in pharmacy right now ?! Or which field ?

[@Maijulie69]

@@lilitmac yes, I’m a pharmacy tech.

[@TheDIABETESandHEALTHYAGINGhub]

Thank you for telling you story Dr. Lili. I’ve been through BOTH retail and clinical settings.. I get it 😎

[@dulcemora5000]

I used to work for Walgreens pharmacy and OMG it was such a relief to finally leave. I felt so guilty because I knew how much more work my coworkers would have (and knowing that they most likely get the help from management or corporate). I’m so much happier and healthier now. I can BREATHE! Edit: I’m so happy to see you’re posting again! I’ve been religiously watching you since your OG how to cut bangs videos. I’m happy you’re feeling/doing better. Stay healthy!

[@teacup3064]

May I ask where did you switch to now?

[@samuelhurtado7429]

If you're watching this, and you're inquiring about pharmacy, let me tell you that in many countries, pharmacists do not and should not work in retail settings.Because their training goes much further than that. I am currently studying pharmaceutical chemistry in Colombia, and the opportunities in this country, despite being from Latin America, are very high. You can do postgraduate degrees in immunology, microbiology, pharmacology, etc. However, if you like drugstores, it is your decision and it is respected.

[@sarahlynnniedz]

I completely know how you’re feeling. I’m a technician and it’s becoming insane with the stress/shortages on certain scripts

[@lilitmac]

The stress is from people yelling at you because of those shortage, insurance deductibles or something else out of your control 🥹

[@sarahlynnniedz]

@@lilitmac EXACTLY! We had a woman the other day yelling at us “do your f***ing jobs” even though the Dr. denied the prescription 🙃

[@eagleskyful]

u mean pharmacy technician is not a good job stressfull job .. but what other medicle technician we can choose and earn well .. pls guide

[@dorkablex3]

I do miss retail pharm for the reasons you've mentioned as well! now with my own mini fam, I am grateful to WFH

[@lilitmac]

Omg me too ! It’s been a life changing experience leaving such a toxic environment to the safety of my home 🏡 most days I don’t even see the sunlight and that’s how I like it 😅

[@takeawaythestars]

Omg I haven’t watched you in literally 10 years!! So crazy to see you pop up on my feed

[@lilitmac]

haha hello again potatoe!!

[@stevenkyle2313]

all you can do is all you can do. everything you say is spot on. pharmacy made me get on lexapro lol. I was going to go to pharmacy school but after only 3 years of being a CPhT , helllll no!

[@AznStrawBewwi]

i subscribed to you years ago when i was still in middle school and i always admired you. eventually i thought that i had the same dreams but it was only half a year ago when i decided that i didn’t want to go to pharmacy school anymore because it wasn’t worth all of the stress in school and to just to get out of school with years load of debt. now i’m here not knowing what i want to do with my life anymore as depressing as it seems. hopefully i can find something that interests me soon

[@lilitmac]

You are definitely not alone in this! My little sisters are in the same boat and I’m going to tell you what I’ve told them, do what you want, for yourself, not anyone else, and esp not to please the parents or for what you think would be a safe paycheck. And college isn’t for everyone / you don’t need to go to college to be “successful”. I even kinda warned my little sisters against all healthcare fields 😂 honestly if I went with what I originally wanted for myself, it would’ve been software / tech, an area I’m much more passionate about. If there’s any ideas or questions you wanted to discuss let me know ! I wanna help 💕🥹

[@tanyat3303]

I'm glad you're doing better!

[@lilitmac]

Thank you 🥹 it’s been a long time coming but medications and therapy really do work

[@MsMegz45]

you literally described my life right now. hoping for a change soon.

[@lilitmac]

Get that resume ready missy !!

[@Khyo_]

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO UPLOAD😭😭THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU❤️❤️❤️

[@lilitmac]

THANK YOU FOR BEING PATIENT 😭 I PROMISE ON MY PLANTS LIVES THAT I WON'T DISAPPEAR AGAIN

[@totalwomanja9105]

This is true! I am currently working in retail pharmacy as a pharmacist and I have developed severe anxiety. The working environment and how things are structured are not good for the mental health of pharmacists and technicians alike.

[@MulanVang]

I’m in pharmacy school right now and I’d love to hear more about your experience working from home as a pharmacist!

[@WokOverEasy]

Don’t do it. I shadowed a pharmacist in my first year as a student and when that man had a meltdown that should have been my first red flag

[@quietismyjam]

@@WokOverEasy what actions from the root can fix these horrible circumstances I read about?

[@leeendahoney]

Preach girl. I told you back when you were still at Walgreens in Quincy that it's crazy. It got much worst now. I'm with CVS still for the past 12 years, including my student years. The stress is crazy. Chestnut Hill patients can be extremely demanding. It's crazy when we start closing for our 30 minutes break, yet the majority of us still stayed inside the pharmacy to try to catch up. I have seen so many stores doing this. I decided to not do this anymore and a lot of our patients get extremely irritated that we too need to use the bathroom and eat something or stay hydrated. Cutting our supporting hours is crazy, yet expecting us to do so much work (pharmacists/pharmacy technicians/pharmacy trainees/pharmacy interns). Like you, at the beginning, I wanted to look good but after awhile... I just rock the all natural look. Anyways, I'm happy for you that you earned a much better job to continue your career. Retail pharmacy is all the same, no matter which company you work for. No wonder why we can't keep our star pharmacy technicians and pharmacists. I hear it from all my friends/coworkers/coworkers significant other. I love my high volume stores but when I don't have a supporting staffs, it's like why bother.

[@lilitmac]

Omg yeah when I eventually went to cvs my store was in chestnut hill and the patients are so needyyyyy. Special treatment for everyone basically, and the fact that we do so many immunizations!! Everyone is just constantly stressed and my friends still there are getting out ASAP. I think it’s best to leave while you still have your sanity, I was at my breaking points numerous times 🥹 praying for you 🙏✨🥲

[@leeendahoney]

@@lilitmac OMG yes, we have to keep up with our immunizations on top of everything. My certified techs don't want to do it and the one tech who has experienced from military refuse to take her national so she's not qualify under CVS to do it yet and I have NO INTERNS. At the beginning, we had an extra pharmacist at least for half the day to focus on immunizations but nope, not anymore. I feel like I need to travel for at least half a year to get my sanity back. lol

[@kellywright4749]

I just started about 3 weeks ago. SM was asking why I was so slow processing scripts. Well, I’m actually checking that the medication is safe for the patient. Going as fast as I can, but I refuse to skip steps.

[@katherinej73]

This is the exact reason why i work in the pharma industry now :( thanks for sharing this for awareness!!!

[@lilitmac]

I feel like what I shared was only scratching the surface of it, the whole roast needs to be exposed in follow up videos !! I have so many nightmare experiences in retail pharmacy and I’m sure everyone else has countless ones too

[@Rooooxy]

Can I ask how you managed to get into industry?

[@katherinej73]

@@Rooooxy through my schools residency program 🙂

[@sruthi2708]

how is the pay like for you if you dont mind me asking? Also how is the work life balance?

[@seapinkoyster]

Hi Lili, I’m so happy to hear that you and your team finally started taking care of your needs. Healthcare in general has been such a shit show since covid started and hasn’t stopped since. Congrats on getting out of retail pharmacy. It’s so exciting to see your video again, but please do prioritize your own happiness over consistently posting on youtube. We’ll be here to support you whenever you release a video. 😊Would you ever consider going into hospital pharmacy?

[@lilitmac]

Thank you so much for being so understanding

[@CookCleanOrganize]

Unless I missed it, can you share how you got into pbm?

[@lilitmac]

@@CookCleanOrganize I started in retail for a while and before that I had only had an 8 week rotation at a pbm, the saying “it’s not always what you know, it’s who you know” does ring true in my case, I reached out to someone that I had through my network, and I asked him (a pbm supervisor) if they had openings and to keep me in mind. I find that a lot of the pharmacists recommend one another to the company and the pharmacy world is very very small, someone will know someone and as long as you set a good reputation for yourself in the field and keep your networking up, it can be as easy as just asking for a position ❣️

[@RPhTony007]

I was let go in 2018 after working 15 years for a national chain drugstore as a staff pharmacist. Soon after that the Covid 10 broke out. I always think of it as a karma lol. It's a blessing that I'm still practicing in an independent pharmacy without worrying about those KPIs metrics or Covid testing.

[@remybeans6346]

I’m not in pharmacy but have worked in healthcare as a nurse starting during the pandemic and now I’m taking a break from it and trying to switch careers. It’s awful how we’re treated behind the scene and how our work conditions are. I feel like maybe corporate saw how much money they are making after COVID so they’ll likely keep the awful work conditions that we have today and make it a norm.

[@lls1142]

I just got my nursing liscense in July last year and already want to switch careers. 😢 which is why I’m here trying to see if pharmacy is any better. 😩

[@troivayha512]

Hi! Thank you for this video. It makes me feel like I'm not alone and it's okay to take time to protect my own license. I'm currently a retail pharmacist and I come home wanting to cry every day. I've been applying to jobs but haven't had any luck so just wondering how you got your PBM job and if you have any advice on finding a new job. Thanks!

[@merpetihommohite]

Omg damn I didn’t believe my sister when she said it was difficult. This is crazy I’m glad she went to the industry

[@oh.kay_9515]

0:40 Same‼️ I used to always get dolled up for work until I started working in the pharmacy 😩 it’s draining

[@lilitmac]

Girlll gotta leave asap !!! I swear I am aging in reverse ever since I left

[@mirena2]

Thank you for sharing. I also worked as a retail pharmacist and realized how this job is sucking my soul and mental health. I have no joy in doing the things I was used to live doing. Finally, I decided to completely quit the profession 1 year ago. I am so much happier now.

[@lilitmac]

Congrats!! I'm so happy for you!! What are you up to now?

[@mirena2]

@@lilitmac I am pursuing nursing now, and it gives me more fulfillment and flexibility to work in different specialties.

[@MM71017]

You did all this difficult studies pharmacist to become a doctor then you go to nurse? Bless

[@martiebear01]

I couldn't do retail after a while, either. I used to work at Walmart pharmacy for 5 years. I work at a closed door pharmacy now, thank goodness. I wish you luck at your new job.

[@lilitmac]

thank you! It's been almost 2 years since I became a clinical pharmacist in PBM, best two years of my career for sure! I actually fill my prescriptions at Walmart because I refuse to further support the other two evil big names, Walmart is a lesser evil in my eyes but STILL

[@cindyc3316]

Can you please tell me what closed doors pharmacy means?

[@yanggurl12]

Yay!! Welcome back !!!

[@lilitmac]

so glad to be back 🥰

[@dimpith2311]

Omg! We’ve been waiting for your video. Please upload videos often ❤

[@lilitmac]

Got my depression under control 😂 I think. Don’t wanna be too optimistic but I already have 2 videos I’m editing and in the works for weekly Thursday uploads ! ❤

[@dimpith2311]

Eagerly waiting ❤

[@NeuroNate24]

First time on your Channel. I must say I applaud your transparency and honesty about your anxiety and depression. It's rare to see that kind of realness nowadays. Good for you 😉!

[@raquelluna3756]

I was a pharmacy tech and we were so understaffed Corporate wouldn't hire more people and they kept piling up work on top of us. It was so bad I was working 12 hour shifts like 3/5 days. One week two techs called out and I was supposed to get off at 6 but I was leaving past 9. It was awful I lost about 15 pounds in one month. So glad I left.

[@48mavemiss2]

That’s awful. Are you in the US? You can report them to your state licensing board or EEOC

[@BChauTieu]

Awh ít seems so rough 😮 in Arizona where I am from that’s probably why all pharmacies are closed for half an hour every day mid day for lunch for the staff and this is at all Walgreens and CVS and I always see like 3-5 techs all the time with the one pharmacist. It’s also Arizona the retirement state so a lot a lot of people are on medication lol

[@wishingoncupcakes18]

Thank you for this informative video!

[@lilitmac]

I hope I don’t completely turn you off from the profession ! Trust me there’s other fields within pharmacy that are great

[@andreaduckett4588]

This is 100% accurate. Every single one of my co workers is on a mood stabilizer or two. The general public has no idea how stressful our job is and how hard we work. The verbal abuse we get is off the charts.

[@myrakhaliq7126]

My cousin avoided retail pharmacy for this very reason, she ended up working for an insurance company and she had great hours with great pay!

[@lilitmac]

so happy to hear when another pharmacist escapes the retail hell!

[@TheBananaMilkClub]

When I was working pharmacy, (inside a Walgreens) a grown ass mid 40’s year old man was so pissed off that his insurance didn’t cover a medication that he cursed at everyone then proceeded to throw anything in his path on his way out like a freaking toddler, he destroyed aisles while the police was called unfortunately the employees couldn’t do anything as he did so and a poor check-out girl got a bag of corn nuts thrown at her face as he walked out the door for his final goodbye.

[@lilitmac]

OMG I had this same thing happen to me but the guy was peaking 70!! i had to call the cops on him because he started cussing at me and calling me racist slurs because I refused to fill his tramadol FIFTEEN DAYS early. I WAS SHAKING I WAS SO MAD.

[@drhossawy]

That’s terrible!! During my career I have seen similar incidents and much worse, unfortunately😢. The reason being that those giants chains have spoiled their customers so badly. That caused customers come with abnormal high hopes and thinking everything is possible. The same patients cannot do any of that at doctor’s offices because they know they will get thrown out. They come to you threatening to call corporate for crazy stuff and management will press you to call and apologize to customers for something that you never did. If they don’t respect our profession enough this will be the case forever. Something needs to be done about this.

[@angelblue1527]

Working in a Small Buisness Pharmacy and its still insane. shorter hours sure, but the people yell, break down, fight, and get upset over why our prices are a bit higher then big companies. I have no control over half those things, since I'm only a Store guy with no pharmacy degree, but I can only imagine the terrible stress my boss and the people in the back are up to

[@soksambathsam]

I feel the pressure from the easiest to the god tier level with this.

[@Gocet]

what the fuck does this even mean?

[@soksambathsam]

@@Gocet you can’t imagine yourself dealing with people as a pharmacist. Don’t waste your time trying to understand the comment.

[@AureeyaElsinaen]

I would never go back to retail pharmacy. The hospital is so much better. I am about to start a Homecare position Monday through Friday job with great pay. So hopefully that is even better then hospital.

[@iwuvsuperjunior]

Hi, thank you for making this video, I am a pharmacy technician and I work at a manufacturer distributor at walgreens, home delivery, its not bad its easy I'm just dealing with stressful co workers and I want to leave to work at a hospital but I have been thinking about studying to become a pharmacist but now I don't know if I should go for it plus I want to do less schooling lol. I'm just rethinking about my career and if it's something I should go for or not.

[@lilitmac]

It’s definitely a lot of schooling, are you dead set on healthcare field ?

[@iwuvsuperjunior]

@DR. LILI T MAC I figured, honestly, I'm not too sure, I'm just rethinking what I want to do in life, and if it is something that I really want to do in the long run. I'm like 50/50 on it. I was majoring in photography in college, and I feel like that is something I want to get back into and do it as a career, but I know sometimes that can be hard to be finicially stable and I feel like I am just trying to go for something that can be stable.

[@XavierNguyennn]

Girllll I wish lost weight from stress at CVS LOL I stressed ate so much. Switching to a different non-CVS/Walgreens/RiteAid chain was life changing for the better. I have absolutely no regrets burning my bridges with all my past DLs at CVS as that whole evil company and upper management can burn.

[@foxyfables_bookish]

Everyone I know has a exit strategy or have already left. I actually had to take leave do to tendonitis from running around for hours on end

[@lialiayang7825]

My job I do prior authorization for medication and I can say it is very stressful and pronouncing those drugs name is another level.

[@joshuagreen8995]

You work with a pbm? That's gotta bring a lot of stress with it too. There's tons of vilification of pbms as being heinous middle-men of pharmacies and lots of finger pointing to them as being the cause of a lot of issuse with pharmacy reimbursement and DIR fees, especially for independent pharmacies. I'm happy you found your role of where you want to work and that it's better for you! I just imagined working for a pbm would be worse from a stress perspective.

[@nnzyme]

Love your videos Dr. What company are you currently working for?

[@Rain_love292]

Great video!!

[@lilitmac]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@melissaromaine2138]

I totally know how you feel, I work at a Costco pharmacy and its horrible.

[@lilitmac]

Omg i thought costco would be cushy compared to the two biggest evils 😮lmao

[@user-es5jq6yy9l]

Hi Lili, after 2 years of trying I finally got licensed , I am now broke and burned out in my early 40's with a kid (single parent now). I can't imagine doing hard core retail but I need the money. I have zero experience as a pharmacist, what can I do in pharmacy besides retail or maybe another type of retail (independent?) that is more relaxed but pays 60 per hour

[@smile4ellen]

Very accurate video 😢 please share how you got a PBM Rph job. I have applied, but no luck. Thank you!

[@BN10077]

I want to be a pharmacist one day 🥰

[@AletheaDiaries]

I AM Going to school for pharmacy tech this month I am so nervous but so ready for a change of work. I know it will be different and hard but working in fast food also with angry customers etc I feel I can handle this.

[@lilitmac]

Right !! Retail in general is NOT for the weak, all this is mentally and physically degrading to the body and mind but I hope you consider being a tech in other fields of pharmacy too, we have pharmacy technicians working at my job also in PBM and they work from home like we do and they don’t have to deal with mean customers ever either 🙏 but all areas of pharmacy do have technician openings

[@AletheaDiaries]

@@lilitmac thank you

[@Revlemmon]

I did a year and half at the 3 letter chain, will never touch retail pharmacy again!!

[@geraldmiller5343]

I've heard a lot about magic mushrooms, DMT, LSD but can't find a place to get them, I've got terrible depression and anxiety

[@lisadavidson1523]

Mushroom completely turned my life around and my anxiety and panic attack disappeared and my personality changed into a much more generous loving person

[@odentenzin3129]

Yes, doctor_mckenzie

[@annamason3087]

I had 3.5 grams dried lemon tek most beautiful experience ever!!

[@lisadavidson1523]

@@odentenzin3129 Is he on on Instagram or what?

[@Dwayne638]

Didn't know I will meet someone who also knows him , doctor_mckenzie is the best got all pure psychedelics from him

[@Akindred70]

Thank you 🙏🏻

[@ciaramoniqueguerramacias2058]

omg good video

[@laylewalden1831]

I relate to being understaffed. I work at a retail clothing store. So happy you got out of that space. I have heard of a lot of retail pharmacists that did not go to college, so what is the difference in what they do vs college graduates?

[@slurpli]

so in the US, in order to be a pharmacist, you have to graduate from undergrad then pharmacy school with your doctorate / PharmD, so 6-7 total years of schooling usually. I think you are thinking about pharmacy *technicians*, being a technician does not require going to college, it is certification based. Pharmacy technicians make $15-20ish/hr in the US, pharmacists make $60/hr usually

[@laylewalden1831]

@@slurpli thanks

[@lilitmac]

I think retail workers are so mistreated! so it's no surprise why theres so many vacant positions

[@trx3264]

Totally agree...

[@fatimarizvi4713]

Finally After Ages Lili T Mac rememberd that she also had a KZbin channel 😤🥺🤌🏻 Love From Pakistan 🇵🇰💗

[@lilitmac]

Hahaha I had dementia or something 😅

[@user-cz5le1zx1t]

I left retail pharmacy last year after 9 years, and after Covid hit, pharmacies were impossible to work in. I was always the only tech working, doing pickup/drop off/drive thru/filling/phone calls/Covid tests/vaccines/inventory; it’s ridiculous how many tasks we had to handle a day and how extremely dangerous it was. 12-13 hours with no breaks or lunch, I was always skinny working retail! My back is now messed up at 27 years old and have ptsd from pharmacy. Thanks for the video!❤

[@lilitmac]

I am celebrating your retirement 🎉🎉 yeah my knees and back feel like i should actually be 50 years old right, popping and cracking like empty soda cans. It’s crazy the amount of pressure pharmacy staff are put under and to be verbally harassed by other health care workers and patients on the daily. A lot of people with big hearts and lots of experience are finally leaving and I’m celebrating it bc the corporations that only care for their profits really don’t deserve our loyalty at the end of the day 🙏

[@Jigglypuffpuffpass]

I’m pretty positive at this point that they purposely keep their stores short staffed

[@shirakamil.701]

2:32 well the second I saw that screen, it gives me Walgreen PTSD instantly.

[@alexandrarodriguez3057]

I currently work at Walgreens as a pharmacy technician I’m always feeling burn out stress and not happy 😭😭😭

[@jan-bean]

I work with a bunch of pharmacists in the compounding area and it’s definitely much better than retail lol. Half of them just spend half the day looking up things on the internet

[@TiffanyDaley-wu1yp]

Thank you.

[@mrlnmagai9321]

Oh my God, Lily, are you a mother now? 🥺 I didn't expect that I first watched your channel when I was in the second year of junior high school(2015). Now I am in my final semester of college. I lost my old account, then I remembered your channel, finally I tried looking for this channel again and finally I found it. Lily, your children are so beautiful.🤎💐

[@dankool688]

I'd always wondered why i'm always seeing new pharmacist every 3 months..Why don't these company help their employees after all we're talking about health!

[@AutumnKat2119]

I was actually thinking of pursuing education to become a pharmacist because my goal of being a emergency physician with Canada's failing health care system isn't going to be possible anymore because of the failing system. I already have a lot of mental health issues anxiety and depression being a big one. In my province they also want to allow pharmacists to access and treat minor issues like pink eye, eczema, UTI so the patient doesn't need to go to the doctor but that puts more work on the pharmacist. I feel like in such a panic that if I pursue this I will be setting myself up for a mental health nightmare plus the physical toll. 😞 Can you make a video on how you became a PBM and how's that's changed ur life from being in retail pharmacy and if it helped you in an positive ways?🥺🙏❤️

[@lilitmac]

Yesss! I plan on making a video about what I do now in PBM highlighting more of a clinical side and 100% no patient interaction 🥹I had no idea about Canadas health care system failing !! There are definitely lots of areas of improvement with US health systems too, and I also hear being a reraul pharmacist in other countries isn’t as bad as it is in the US, although we do pay considerably more here, it just isn’t worth it anymore. Tbh all health professions will come with a considerable amount of stress because you are responsible for the wellbeing of your patients to a certain degree (and can be sued for it like someone tried to do with me). I will definitely make sure to address your questions about pbm in my follow up vid ❤

[@AutumnKat2119]

@@lilitmac Thank you so much! 🙏❤️ I'm sorry to hear that someone tried to sue you🥺 yes with Canada's health care system average wait time at the ER can be from 8-12 hours, lack of staffing in all health care services, and they even have capped pay. My mom is a RN and has her wage capped per hour, so even if they are understaffed, doing the jobs of 3 people, or the workload is unbearably high they can't even get a pay increase. It makes me sick. Wait times for a medical specialist is also months to years. I need to see a fatigue specialist and the wait time is 2 years! What's the point of free Healthcare if you can't receive it when you need it. 😞💔 Also to add 6 million Canadians don't have a primary health care provider and have been looking for one for over a year! 😭

[@rbbyypharmd]

Nice vid 💊💊💊

[@lynie3761]

as a former pharmacist; i got "let go" a week right after i complained to HR that my boss made me work through my lunch shift and would not let me sit because it is seen as lazy to the patient.. I wish i had file a complaint to the labor department that i was wrongfully terminated. I am in a better place now though where I can leave work on time and I can sit.

[@Oxazepam65]

I'm also a pharmacist, I also drive a Lexus IS. I'm not burned out yet, but the job and the workload is getting worst. Where I live (Quebec, Canada), only pharmacists are allowed to own drugstores. So at least, we don't have corporate putting pressure on us.

[@lilitmac]

Haha I love your username !! Very interesting to hear how pharmacy is with the rest of the world, I was just in Japan and observing a pharmacist behind the counter and they looked very tired and stressed. I love that Canada has that requirement in place, would you say workload doubled post covid ? Because it has at least doubled in the US.

[@najiyamohamed7282]

Please do more videos

[@MC-gs6cz]

I love a happy ending

[@dukeywukey3909]

Babes, a fellow pharmacist in Australia… it’s not much better… retail, hospital, locus, managerial, whatever… discount pharmacies hitting your bottom line and then government attacking you further. I just finished a 13 hour day with suboptimal staffing levels. I get you. Edit: no lunch break and one pee break I’m a single parent of two kids. I rent and have no assents after a divorce, and I earn less than a bus driver. Go figure

[@orangebetsy]

Honestly tho my pharmacy is ducked up in some ways I gotta say going to lunch and to pee no problem, boss can be a bit irrationally rough but mostly pretty awesome person who does a great job, I can see their job is so difficult…and the patients seem mostly to understand that our team is being squeezed tight just in case the owners of the company can extract another 0.04 mcg of gold from us to coat the propeller blades of their yachts so the fish swimming by know here is an important person.

[@ctelable]

I'm an older Rph ... thanks to the collaboration of chains, pharmacy schools, and the PBM "industry," the field has been essentially destroyed ... BTW, the banks helped. All worked together to ensure, starting around 2008, that if future young adults wished to pursue this as a career path, they had to do it on loan money... If you graduate with a ton of debt, you will not buck if you are taken advantage of, and when older RPhs'

[@MissEcstatic]

I missed you!

[@lilitmac]

I missed you 😮

[@deannaspencer8988]

All Stores Please Lower the price of all Military and Local for all Brands of Pharmacy Products and Accessories and Production Cost Now That's too much $$ The Whole World Now 🙏🙏🙏

[@russmbps8443]

I worked for cvs for 10 years as certified pharmacy technician. I walked out back in 2021. Due to staff shortages. They would hire new employees and pay them more money than what I was making. I got a job working for spectrum as a cable technician. I m a lot happier. I would never go back to pharmacy. Worst job I ever had

[@mchowdy22]

i went to extreme part time. I am a happy camper (for the most part)

[@garrettleao4137]

Retail made my anxiety so much worse, I do not miss those days working at Walgreen's

[@lilitmac]

Same, I had to go on medication finally after going so long without them

[@muradhassan1670]

Greetings. Can u plz answer that why the staff is not hired? Do they prefer pharmacist for all that? Regards

[@fedouajeon852]

I am a pharma student you are my role model 🥰💜

[@lilitmac]

What year are you ?! Let me know if you have any questions ! I’m thinking of making more pharma videos

[@fedouajeon852]

@@lilitmac I am in my 4th year in my country we study pharmacy for 6 years , I really wanna know what are current issues/trends in the field of pharmacy that I should be aware of when I finally graduate 💜

[@lilitmac]

@@fedouajeon852 Hmm I hear that each country varies, and is different from the US because they have different health systems set up, as far as the current issues/trends in the field in the US, I see an exodus of seasoned/veteran pharmacists leaving retail to pursue hospital/independent pharmacy/ mail order / ANYTHING other than retail due to COVID putting so many new responsibilities with no increase pay, retail pharmacy is still betting on scooping up new grads heavily in debt to fill their empty positions and rural areas have locked in - sign on bonuses (you have to work x amount of years with them or else you have to pay it all back). According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for pharmacists is projected to decline 2% from 2020 to 2030. One reason is that, as more people fill their orders online or through the mail, there will be less demand for pharmacists working in retail pharmacies and drug stores, unfortunately corporations like CVS and Walgreens fund these pharmacy schools so they can continue pumping out more new grads = saturating the market = decreasing demand ==> decreasing overall pay. They have continued to lowball new grads, decreasing the hourly pay by $5 per year by what I saw at the 2 big name corps. Pharmacists are among numerous healthcare professionals experiencing high levels of burnout, and many are leaving the profession. While the situation began long before COVID, the pressures pharmacists faced during the height of the pandemic only exacerbated the situation. Basically the pay just was not worth the daily verbal harassment from patients, mental and physical harassment from corporate regarding metrics and so on.

[@fedouajeon852]

@@lilitmac oh god the situation is so different here in my country I am from Algeria we study for 6years plus we have residency for the pharmacists that wants to specialise more in the field like to open your own lab or to teach pharmacy in pharma school or be pharmacist clinical in hospitals and you have to get a very good grade cause their is no much spaces for students they do not take a big number of students only the ones that have high grades in the residency exam and here in my country if you open your own pharmacy or get the residency you are basically rich lol the pay is very high for doctors in pharmacy it’s actually higher than medical doctors but still their is no much space for pharma students in the residency only the actual best of them like in 300 students they would take only the 50 that have the highest grades so in general it’s 6 years to get the diploma of doctor in pharmacy + 5 more years in the residency.

[@jamesniagu274]

Chestnut hill Philly?

[@juliedo5435]

Hi Lili, I've been following you for a while, I know you're busy to reply but I wanted to ask if you still think pharmacy school and becoming a pharmacist is worth it today? Would you still make the same decision on becoming a pharmacist? It's been my dream career, but wanted to know your honest opinion on it. Btw, I'm glad you are taking care of your mental health going on antidepressants and therapy because I recently had to do that!

[@lilitmac]

Hi my love ❤ 🥹miss seeing you in my comments !!! As for your q, I think pharmacy school and becoming a pharmacist is still worth it, if it’s not retail pharmacy, ANY other field in pharmacy is worth it, I personally enjoy my pbm clinical pharmacist position currently, I work from home full time and make more than I did in retail with no patient interaction at all, I have friends in industry, hospital, managed care, that all enjoy their jobs and it’s rewarding for them, I say don’t give up on the profession but while going to school, gear up for residency or whatever you have to do to get to the field you want to work in after pharmacy school. If I could restart however, I’d go into tech or software, it’s def the lush life ✨🥹

[@juliedo5435]

@@lilitmac that’s what my friends who are pharmacists said… retail is a hard pass for them lol. I’m glad you enjoy your pbm wfh job!! Any wfh job sounds like a dream. Ironically, I just did a coding bootcamp to become a software engineer and tech interviews are so SO hard. Great return on investment though if it something you genuinely like and find fulfilling however I’m considering going back into pharmacy. Thanks!!