Is Being a Hospital Pharmacist Worth It? | Pros & Cons of Hospital Pharmacy

After 8 years of school and 1 year of residency, I finally accomplished my goal of becoming a clinical inpatient pharmacist!
I am currently a float pharmacist, meaning I "float" around and work different areas of the hospital depending on where they need me. This video is my personal opinion about the pros and cons of hospital pharmacy!
My list of Pros start at 00:18
My list of Cons start at 03:24
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[@gilcyopilas7015]

I love this videos learning so much! ❤thank you for sharing looking forward for more😊

[@SarahPharmD]

Thank you for watching! 🥹 💕

[@sohitxd4310]

Very interesting vid dear, I only found your channnel regarding hospital pharmacist 👍

[@cssaspirants724]

I love it❤❤

[@ShahzadaMuhammad-je7yj]

Nice and informative video plz keep it up

[@SarahPharmD]

Thank you for watching! Will do 🫶🏼☺️

[@MarGenRea]

Great Video! I wanted to comment that remote order entry pharmacist roles are now an option for hospital pharmacy as well.

[@SarahPharmD]

Yes! Thank you for watching and adding more info ☺️

[@Nothingcomestomymindyay]

I’m a high school senior who is looking to go into pharmacy but everyone says that pharmacy is so saturated and am so discouraged! I checked Indeed and there are several positions but cmon, it’s indeed. Lol

[@SarahPharmD]

Hi! Unfortunately it is true, it’s is quite saturated :( usually the jobs available are retail, but most people don’t want to do retail because of the stress. The non-retail jobs (hospital, clinic, etc) are available but are very competitive and highly sought out for. If you are flexible and you’re willing to relocate for a job, then it might work out! But it’s very hard to predict the market. Pharmacy was a hot career when I started but by the time I graduated, it was saturated. Maybe the reverse will happen, who knows! Maybe it’s so saturated now that people will stop applying and by the time you’re done there will be more of demand and less competition.

[@AmxndeepSxngh]

Hi Sarah, can you please tell us about the career ladder hospital pharmacy?

[@orul8249]

Hey Sarah! What do you think about students going into pharmacy school without prior tech experience? I have been in healthcare for 2 years now but not as a pharm tech.

[@SarahPharmD]

Should be okay! As long as you are sure pharmacy is the profession you want to pursue and you can explain it during your interview, you should be fine ☺️

[@ThaoNguyen-tx9uu]

Hi Dr. Sarah, I am a P3 pharmacy student right now, about to go on rotation soon. Would you provide the link where you purchase the 4x6 photo booklet because I'm unable to find the exact one that you have on amazon. Looking forward to your respond. Thank you.

[@SarahPharmD]

Hi Thao! I bought mine from dollar tree ☺️ but any 4x6 booklet should work!

[@coffeepandacat]

Answer: no. Your entire life will be spent trying to become a hospital pharmacist and if you don't, most likely wind up in retail pharmacy :(((

[@saylorkieper6815]

Hi Sarah, I am a junior in high school and am looking to go into pharmacy! Do you have any advice? What is a good major to study for the first 4 years?

[@SarahPharmD]

Hi! Honestly, any science major (biology, chemistry, etc) would be good - most of the courses will fulfill the pharmacy school requirements. Every pharmacy school has slightly different requirements so you need to check and take extra courses to meet them (example: econ was a requirement for one school so I took econ 1 as an elective for my major)

[@SarahPharmD]

but, i would be 100% honest with you and say please check the job market in your area! Try to reach out to pharmacists that work there and ask them if you should still pursue pharmacy. In my city, it is become very saturated with pharmacists so I know recent graduates are having trouble getting their preferred job. I was very fortunate to not have any issues, but I do hear it is difficult for most people. Unless you're not stuck to a specific area and you are willing to move for a job - then you should be fine!

[@lmar7489]

Hello Ms. Sarah! My name's Lyka, a pharmacy student here in the Philippines and I was hoping that you could notice me because you are truly an inspiring hospital pharmacist. 😊 Are there any ups and downs in pursuing the career of hospital pharmacist? Do you have any unforgettable moment that you would like to share while working as a hospital pharmacist? What advice would you give to a pharmacy student like me? Do you recommend being a hospital pharmacist?

[@SarahPharmD]

Awww thank you! ☺️ ups and downs of pursuing this career I would say… that it is pretty competitive. Residency is optional, but employers will favor candidates with residency training compared to those that are not. However, it is NOT impossible to get a hospital job without residency. It is just harder without it! Advice I would give is to network! Don’t burn any bridges. Treat your rotations as a long job interview! If your preceptors really like you, they will vouch for you if you apply to their hospital.

[@kashishsingh6943]

Is it true that pharmacists can work 8+ hours and we get paid per hour in the US? And can you explain the role of a clinical pharmacy and whether is it better than a Hospital pharmacy?

[@SarahPharmD]

Yes some hospitals pay hourly and some are just salary but will pay hourly if you do overtime! For my hospital there is no distinction between hospital and clinical because all hospital pharmacists do clinician duties - so we are all clinical hospital pharmacist. However, some hospitals have distinctions where one pharmacist does clinical work and one only does central pharmacy work like checking IVs and verifying orders. So it’s different per hospital!

[@AmxndeepSxngh]

Hi, thank you for this great video. I’m a Pharm.D from India, willing to change my career from corporate to clinical setting in US. Can you please suggest a roadmap and if it would be good idea?

[@SarahPharmD]

Hi! Sorry, I am not sure if I have a roadmap to provide! I was born here and received my pharmacy education in the US so I do not have an understanding of how to transition from outside into the US. However, I do have to warn you that it is currently very competitive right now in terms of jobs due to the over-saturation of pharmacists :(

[@AmxndeepSxngh]

@@SarahPharmD thank you for being a great role model, everyone looks up to you.

[@AmxndeepSxngh]

Hi, can you please run a discord channel to provide direct platform for communication. It would be great help for people.

[@SarahPharmD]

Hi! Since I am still a small channel and I work full-time as a hospital pharmacist, I unfortunately would not be able to manage a discord channel properly. Hopefully one day in the future I can!

[@saymarifa6073]

Mam, After which degree you got this job?

[@SarahPharmD]

I earned my bachelors degrees and then a doctorate degree in pharmacy!

[@AmxndeepSxngh]

Hi Sarah! How much do we get paid during residency.

[@SarahPharmD]

Residency pay is not the best pay unfortunately and that applies to every residency program for doctors, nursing, etc. I believe our pharmacy residency salary was ~48-53k a year? I can’t remember the exact amount

[@AmxndeepSxngh]

@@SarahPharmD ok, thank you!! Dr. Sarah