Why Pharmacy School Is NOT For You

[@FocusRx]

There are many great reasons to pursue pharmacy school, but it's not for everyone. Hope you guys find this video helpful as always!!

[@alexanderpetrovich7792]

I have been a pharmacist for over 32 years, and I can tell you that pharmacists are the least respected health care professionals within the health care profession. To the other professions we are a PIA because we are not trained to cut corners, we ask for too many questions and delay the process until we catch critical error that saved a patient's life or solve their seemingly unsolvable problem. Fact In 32 years I have never, I repeat never had medical doctor call me to say thanks for catching their screw up.

[@RandyR-o5h]

No.. nurses and nursing assistants are the least respected in health care... look at your paycheck vs theirs!! Plus when a pharmacist makes an error, the nurse always gets blamed

[@Luis0609G]

a pharmacist doesnt get nearly payed enough@@RandyR-o5h

[@HenryBriskin]

​@@RandyR-o5hbut the pharmacist role is quite different than a nurses and pharmacists are more involved in the medication management of a patient no so much the hands on practical aspects of assessing vital signs like the doctor or nurse

[@rockyrock460]

How much you earned as pharmacist

[@JacobPAus]

Doctors are arrogant

[@alexanderpetrovich7792]

You forget to mention that medical doctors can make mistakes or overlook things all the time and no one seems to care ( until a lawyer gets involved) while pharmacists have to be 100% perfect 100% of the time. A medical doctor can write a prescription a patient has a documented allergy to and it's "oops my bad" but a pharmacist misses an allergy and dispenses the medication and the whole hospital goes into red alert demanding your head.

[@imlivelaffluvvson]

“Here are the top 8 reasons to go to pharmacy school” should be the title of this video, because this is like every reason for why I want to be a pharmacist

[@kasimmatomato6175]

My suggestion, if you have passion for studying and good in biology and chemistry go for pharmacy school if you don’t want to be a MD. Because at end nobody loves their job and everyone get tired of working no matter what job you do! In the matter of time, like I said if you have passion for studying and good in biology and chemistry go even if you have a bachelors degree because it’s more money. Instead of going to study PhD and work for 70k in teaching go to pharmacy it will take you same time and work for more

[@dottiedean3149]

Thank you. ❤

[@Blackspeaks]

But the PHD is free and the Pharm.D. is not. Why go into debt?

[@arilozano2947]

I’m mid way of watching and going into pre-pharmacy, I love science but can’t figure out what exactly I love about it to pursue a career out of it. I’ve taken so much science in high school because I love it. Becoming a pharmacist seemed like a best route to me but as my freshman year is start I’m nervous this isn’t what I want.

[@DarkForce852]

Start working in a Pharmacy as a technician

[@sammieinc.3398]

This really helped convince me that Pharmacy may actually be a good fit for me!

[@mimi-bo1iy]

I think environment is super important as well. I used to work at CVS as a tech, management sucked, hours sucked and there wasn’t enough training hours. I cried every shift. Then I moved states and decided to try pharmacy again and after a year of working as a tech-trainee at Frys, i fell in love. Every job is going to have its ups and downs, but I was thinking about all the possible medical careers I can pursue (doctor, PA, nurse), and i went back to pharmacy and I think it’s the best for me. My love for science and how it connects with treating patients in a pharmacy really is the perfect balance for me. 😊 Also for anyone feeling stuck.. Keep trying different things until you find something you love and do plenty of research. I changed my mind 4 times and i’m a junior in undergrad. I failed my first year of college during Covid and had to retake some classes and now i have over a 3.0 GPA. You got this!! 🎉

[@areebasammad9684]

okayyyy I am pursuing pharmacy and this comment helped a lot

[@evanzambrano3729]

C cj

[@opufy]

Well. I wanna become a pharmacist because it's a nice way of owning a business and it lights a fire under my ass for not wanting to work any dead end jobs.

[@AnuelleCheng]

our school has the ladderized system where you can have your BSP in 4 years, your ClinPharm in 5 years, or your PharmD in 6 years. I'm three years into the program and I'm still in the second year of BSP 😅 it's really hard, but what keeps me going is the opportunity to be an expert in medications

[@DrHongsPharmacyClassroom]

Very insightful tips! I am a current Pharm Sci faculty at Wilkes Univerity and also have a pharmacy background. If you are interested, I would be more than happy to talk about the academic pharmacy topic with you on your Focus Rx Podcast series. Thanks! Keep up the good work!

[@FocusRx]

thank you so much for your feedback! I'd love to speak to you. For further communication, please email me at [e-mail]!

[@mariaavemaria21]

I don't know, this must be a sign for me to pursue pharmacist. I'm currently a nursing student but i don't have a skills to take care and being friendly in patient. I like to communicate and provide instructions, i love science, and i have skill such as problem solving, listening, reading etc.

[@rosyapplekitchen635]

Nursing has many more routes and paths, pharmacy is very limited

[@aprilvibes7594]

@@rosyapplekitchen635it’s not limited ,you’re not just exposed.

[@CECE-sm1xy]

No one believes us when we say NOT to do pharmacy🤣 Started as a pharmacy tech, now in undergrad rn to be accepted in pharmacy school!! Really would love a Pharmacist mentor tho😭

[@FocusRx]

ah! that's amazing -- good luck with everything!! although there's many reasons to not go to pharmacy school, it IS right for some of us. I wish you luck!

[@allieinc.4830]

Parental pressure really hits hard 😂💔

[@FocusRx]

Hahahaahaha right. My parents always wanted me to do to engineering/comp sci

[@zhanying3788]

@@FocusRx I’m 15 and in this phase rn, I’m stressed now

[@aleenaasif4712]

1:45 starts here

[@coffeepandacat]

I didn't meet any of these reasons. Maybe this is the path I should go down 😺 I fell into a pharmacy tech position out of nowhere in the summer. I LOVE PHARMACY. I did not expect to be here. It is the perfect environment for me and yes I work in retail. Yes I like it! I can see myself doing this. I know it is kinda scary with that huge chunk of debt but I feel a peace when I think of going this direction. I have been juggling where in healthcare for years and this is the one I like most! Also I'm open to relocation! Maybe I should do it.

[@FocusRx]

Do it! Seems like you love it and that’s key!!

[@dlantfk]

The parental pressure one hits different. I really want to be a nurse yet my parents want me to be a pharmacist cause of more money and cause it’s more respectable apparently. I’m in my second semester and really breaking down

[@FocusRx]

Thank you for your comment and thank you for sharing your personal experience Nursing is an amazing field and I think there are a lot of pros in comparison to pharmacy: - less school - no residencies/fellowships and I think overall pay can really depend on what type of nurse and what specialization you have (travel nurse, ICU, ER, etc.) and although in general pharmacists may seem like they make more, again it really depends. I hope you can make them understand and maybe even switch. if not, just try to really love and learn the material within all the classes and go towards a career within pharmacy that's more within the realm of the clinical side of things like a nurse :) good luck!

[@lavina3535]

For me it's kinda the opposite. I really wanna go to pharmacy school but my parents keep pushing me to go to medschool and aren't supporting me at all. I don't even know what to do with my life anymore😭 Currently in my Junior year btw

[@ARSHXVN]

@s v can you elaborate on why you think the field is dying?

[@psybin_]

@@lavina3535 Hey Maliath, sorry to hear that! I recently did a video on Pharmacy as well and maybe it would help give you and your parents some information on the matter! Hope everything turns out okay!

[@nanana8928]

@@lavina3535 choose the feild you're interested in more, because whether it's six years or ten, it's a long commitment and only those passionate enough succeed, it's you who'll spend sleepless nights and forfeit a good chunk or their life, if they tell the feild is dying, like some people told me, then there's a lot of alternatives, in my country, you can do biology residency and open a laboratory of medical analysis, that's what I'm looking for, also, I'm a fellow pharma student whose parents pushed her to med school then she failed and got into the next best thing, in my parents opinion, but came to love it, so if you have questions I'm here

[@imikalsoe4794]

In reality, tryna apply medschool multiple times but 2-3% acceptance keep rejecting them, so pharmacy school is next option left

[@sueda3874]

One and half month into pharmacy school and i already have regrets

[@maa_niisha04]

what about now?

[@sueda3874]

@@maa_niisha04 it’s not that bad actually but because it’s not what i really want to do in the future i struggle more

[@maa_niisha04]

@@sueda3874 if u didn't want to study pharmacy then why did u choose to study it..?

[@sueda3874]

@@maa_niisha04 well it's mostly because of my parents they wanted me to study degress like med pharmacy or engineering and pharmacy look better than others for me also its partly because of they said its easy to study and easy to make money and it turns out not that easy. I actually interested in architecture, art and fashion design so as you can see its far from what i'm studying

[@maa_niisha04]

@@sueda3874 same for me as well my parents are telling me to study med its good for my and all but I don't know I thought maybe if I study pharmacy it would be lot easier then other subjects but now I'm not sure what to do:((

[@dfshjb44]

If I could do it over, I wouldn't have gone to college for any healthcare or science related field - let alone pharmacy school. You are at the will of the state issuing your license, and if you make a mistake they're gonna take that license and you're going to be fucked with a huge student loan and no job. You spend so much time and money getting an education just for someone with an MBA from an online community college to make as much or more than you with none of the stress or responsibilities.

[@rosyapplekitchen635]

Very true - also any public facing job is very stressful and i would avoid like the plague

[@whitegoth98]

I’m trying to decide between PA and pharmacy school

[@FocusRx]

Depends on your end goal!!

[@maryangela7135]

I don't know why I'm watching this because I'm a pharmacy student already ahahah but I'm in Italy where Pharmacy University is 5 years not 6, so I'm asking you if you could share your study plan and all the exams you did... I'd love to know the differences!!

[@FocusRx]

thank you for stopping by and congrats on being in pharmacy school! That's so cool to know it's 5 years in Italy. I can definitely share my curriculum in a video!

[@kleakodra493]

Hi. I'm form Albania but I want to study in Italy and right now I'm between med school and pharmacy. Im a very active person and even though I really like biology I don't think I would have the nerve to constantly study medicine and then live "happily ever after" . On the other hand pharmacy seems like it gives you a social life and a good income. Any suggestions please? (I'm a junior in High School)

[@maryangela7135]

@@kleakodra493 Hi!! Don't jump into med school if it's not what you want. In Italy we have Pharmacy and CTF (Chimica e tecnologie farmaceutiche). The first one is best for those who would like to work as pharmacists, while the second one is best for those who would like to work in the pharmaceutical industry. CTF is maybe tougher (more chemistry and pharmaceutical technology, less biology and medical subjects) but it might also give you more opportunities once you have to find a job. Obviously you can have your social life (but it may be difficult at the beginning without knowing the italian language, unless you find a course entirely taught in English). Unfortunately pharmacists' wages in Italy are waaaaaay lower than other European countries (france, germany, uk) and it's like a shop assistant wage most of the times. If you want to come to Italy for a good income, chose another country. If you want to come to Italy because you're in love with our wonderful country, then you're welcome.

[@trx3264]

The job role of a retail pharmacist is to shut up and count pills..#30. Boom. That's it. If you can count to 30 you can be a retail pharmacist. Don't expect job satisfaction or fulfillment. Of course the control of the big corporations are another thing all together. Do yourself a favor. Find something more rewarding before it's too late. You are basically a retail clerk. Is that were you want to be after investing 7 years of study and tuition?

[@prettypuff1]

My job is not my life; I work to fund my personal life C worth travel and family.A retail clerk making 6 figures? Done

[@beanova1101]

Hi doc! For non- US pharm grads (im a filo hoping to get into a pharmacy profession in US or UK), do you know what processes/ requirements are needed to land a job there? Do I have to take bridging programs considering, say, i have an MA degree here? Is it even possible for me to be hired as a pharm. technician in these countries? haha xx hope you see this

[@kimi7953]

hello! i'm an shs student interested in taking this career path as well po. can i ask about details po from you? :(

[@hajarsalajmi]

I agree with this it’s not for all especially for those who did not like the career and the major and if they think that “it’s ok i can handle it it’s just 6 years” you will feel like it’s 12 years and will consume your mental health and energy 🙃 Im in my final year and still think that it would be better if i try for med school before applying to pharmacy school

[@harmantej7028]

Thanks for the guidance. Helps always 😃

[@고말자숙]

Is biology a must subject to study in high-school to major pharmacy in uni? Is chemistry and physics enough to major pharmacy degrees?

[@Bruhplease-t1p]

Biology is a must. If it involves working with patients then it obviously involves biology.

[@leangroundbeef2322]

if you're in highschool, take all science courses.

[@ky2571]

depends on the country and the university. biology is important but not as important as chemistry i’d say. but generally, everything can be caught up :)

[@SaraAyad-f6w]

I study pharmacy because it is my family's desire and they do not allow me to study nursing although I love it very much I don't know how I can overcome it 😢

[@rosyapplekitchen635]

Nursing is much better for career progression there is so much more you can develop with nursing and in the end you will earn even more

[@2womountains]

Owwww thank you for these informations 😊 my parents always say that I should be a pharmacist so I could be a better doctor. Little do we know that our idea is wrong hehehe 😅. So thank you

[@FocusRx]

You’re welcome!! Thank you for stopping by!

[@dwightgoodrich147]

Pharmacy school is not the solution if you want to be an MD. A friend of mine father was head of the pharmacology dept. He would reject applicant that already had a profession.

[@magcitrate]

I would recommend everyone to reconsider going into pharmacy or any other medical field. I graduated pharmacy school in the 90’s. I worked for retail chains, nuclear, and long term care. I just retired. Looking back, the entire pharmacy life was a waste of my time. I did it to make a living, but I was miserable for most of the time. I had a side hustle investing, which was my lifeline. I’m enjoying life now and reclaimed my own time. I would never go back to that soul killing pharmacy job.

[@anetaadamus8959]

My son is in second year of pharmacy program and hates it. He wants to change but what he can do ? Trying to use his credits ,any ideas ?

[@s.p.0R]

2 questions How long were you in school? What was your GPA and was getting in easyM

[@JassKaur-025]

Thanks you really help ne alot I really don't want to do it bcz it's just my parents pressure Rn I really don't know what I want to do but I will soon figure it out thanks

[@MiguelEsquivel]

Not sure if you're going to see this, but I have a question. So pharmacy has interested me for some time now.. but it isn't something that is like 10000% in my heart you know? But I don't mind doing it (or at least I don't think I won't mind it) in the future. Money does play a huge role in this decision of mine (living in California is expensive!!), but it isn't the sole reason why I want to pursue this, but as I said.. it plays a huge role for me. I want to feel happy/satisfied with the work/job I will be doing in my life and helping people out in general which is why I thought pharmacy was a decent choice for me, and the money is very ideal for me too. Is that wrong? Would I still be happy to learn in Pharmacy school/do you think this is a decent reason as to go to pharmacy school? I'm in my first year of undergrad btw!!

[@leangroundbeef2322]

do your research. pharmacy is becoming increasingly saturated and jobs in metropolitan areas are becoming more scarce with each passing year.

[@hannahlch015]

What do u think about pharmacy in canada (Montréal)​@@leangroundbeef2322

[@delyana2261]

hey thanks for this video!!!! i want to become a pharmacist but i have no idea what I'm doing, really stressed!!!! i have a few questions: 1) do you need a bachelors degree to get admitted into pharmacy school, I'm planning on just taking my prerequisites and then going straight to it. 2) when is the best time to start applying for pharmacy school? 3) what could i do to increase my chances of getting admitted into pharmacy school?

[@FocusRx]

thank you! hope it is helpful :) my answers are below 1) it depends on the school, so I would say look at the application specifications for each school and go from there. if you have the opportunity to apply to to 6 year accelerated programs, I would advise doing that versus applying to pharmacy school after doing pre-recs or a bachelors degree! 2) it goes on a standard school application system so usually you apply in the fall (look at specific programs for application dates, etc) 3) any medical-themed internships, involvement in community service, pharmacy tech job, etc! i had an internship at a hospital to gain exposure and i believe that really helped me!

[@Okaythankyoubye]

REMEMBER THIS, nobody is born into/with a profession😎

[@FocusRx]

Exactly!!!

[@minahil1643]

I am doing pharm D from Pakistan and here it is a 5 year program but there is no scope of pharm D in this country I want to ask that in which country should I go and what should I do after doing pharm D ?

[@aniqahmed8445]

Nai bhai scope hai u can apply at a pharma industry and go for MD plus there are many career pathway, pr ek baat hai haam itni stereotypical society mein rehte hain ke jo log kehte hain wohi believe krlete hainn, i know there might be a lot of peer pressure on you for pursuing this career.

[@areebasammad9684]

Hey I am doing my 2nd semester in pharmacy and I am hella stressed

[@HenryBriskin]

Why not go to Australia. You have a doctorate in pharmacy? Was the language of education in english. You will need to pass an English exam, do a one year internship and pass some written and oral exams first

[@taslucky1439]

me watching this 2 years after I graduated as a pharmacist 👁👄👁

[@DeborahNwankwo]

What was it like for you

[@bahara.r.p235]

Perhaps you should make a video and guide us :)

[@naksnsbss]

Hi how was it?

[@ElenaKomleva]

If you want an "easy way" into medicine, fo nursing. It is super easy, intellectually-speaking.

[@DeborahNwankwo]

But does it pays well

[@ssoohn]

hello! thank you for your videos, it helped me a lot to decide whether to do pharmacy or not. As an undergraduate student who will be studying pharmacy this year, may I ask for any useful websites or books that can help me to prepare for the pharmacy course?

[@andrewlombe9672]

Hey I really need advice,I’m doing my pre med not ,but I’m not still so certain if I should continue with medicine because the have open application for scholarships for pharmacy And initially I’ve always wanted to do trade and economics coz of my business skills I’d really appreciate if your can advise because I’m really stuck 😭😭😭😭😭 and I don’t want to do something I’ll regret and might disappoint my mother

[@tasleemaakter4337]

Mam can you please tell me the real difference between Pharmaceutical Science and Pharmacology ? I want to basically treat and dispense medicine .. understand prescription all those. Which course should I take

[@jesss4499]

Pharmaceutical Science! Pharmacology is basically making the medicines yourself

[@directionergirl1]

Pharmacology is one subject, it is what med students study in their study. Pharmacology describes how a medication works on the human body. And pharmaceutical science is the science of medication/drugs (pharmaceuticals). It consists of different areas like pharmacology, galenics, toxicology and more. So it is about how a medication needs to be packed, the risks, the needed dose, how it interacts with other medications and whether it is safe to be released as a new medication to the people. And pharmacists study this for several years, that's why they're experts when it comes to medication, more than doctors. But pharmacists can't diagnose you. So you go to a doctor to know what your illness is and the doctor tells you and prescribes you a medication. And the pharmacist gives you the prescribed medication, tells you the dose better and asks if there are any other medications you're taking because maybe taking the one you already take plus the one you got prescribed could put you in danger, so a pharmacist corrects the doctor there and might give you a more suitable medication. And a pharmacist in the industry creates new medication along with chemists, biologists and more.

[@HenryBriskin]

To dispense medications and counsel about how to use the medications like e.g swallow this medication whole do not crush or chew you need to study pharmacy

[@Aynaz.1401]

You mentioned all my reasons😂

[@FocusRx]

😂😂 then pharmacy may not be for you but that’s totally OK!

[@Aynaz.1401]

@@FocusRx i hope that it will be ok🙃😂

[@prettypuff1]

Pharmacy because I like viewing medicine through eyes of a chemist

[@HenryBriskin]

If you enjoy dispensing or selecting appropriate medications using dispensing software as well as counselling about medications e.g some should be taken without grapefruit juice or potassium supplements and checking interactions to help patients e.g Avoid combining an SSRI with St John's Wart

[@prettypuff1]

@@HenryBriskin actually my situation is different. I’m coming to pharmacy after spending 15+ years working in academia/drug research. I’m looking to gain clinical skills and move into product development.

[@paulfrazier173]

How many pharmD programs did you apply to and how hard was it to get in?

[@FocusRx]

I applied to about 10 and I applied straight out of highschool. I believe with a well rounded application (good in academics and other aspects) then it’s not difficult generally. Of course if you don’t apply straight out of high school and do it after an undergraduate program, I believe it’s a bit more challenging

[@hamzadawabsheh3683]

Hi 👋 i watch this video lately but now I'm studying pharm-d in Jordan and it's 6 years as you so my question is :is pharm-d have better prospects and have a more various work fields and job security than pharmacy? am asking because i want know what is the best for me and it is worth it to study two more years than pharmacy? thank you for this it's helping me more than you thinking

[@FocusRx]

I would overall say that since there isn't another degree higher than the PharmD, I would overall say if you have access to both, you should go for a PharmD.

[@FocusRx]

But, I will say this is highly-dependent on what you want to accomplish and careers you want to pursue post-grad

[@farrukhhasan4385]

Frustating point is , mbbs physicians have average salary 220k annum , while pharmacists have 100k per annum .. . Too much difference after studying so much hard and after passing so many exams of KAPS etc etc .. Frustating field in this regard , one can,t enjoy his personal life with family in this pathetic field.

[@alexanderpetrovich7792]

True but medical malpractice insurance costs about 3% of an MD' salary with some surgeons paying 50 k per year. My pharmacist malpractice insurance is only $285 got the year for over 1 million

[@prvanbagmanl8106]

What books are the best for pharmacy?

[@erinyebid7344]

Pharmacy school is a waste of time. It doesn’t worth energy or money.

[@HenryBriskin]

In which country though. Still they earn $40-$60 per hour

[@tanjaverian5114]

Me watching even if im already a pharmacist because i think this profession is not for me 🥲

[@FocusRx]

There’s soooo much you can do within pharmacy! You can still find your place in this profession :)

[@risa-ru]

I have those thoughts also

[@HenryBriskin]

Like what. If a person has a bachelor degree in pharmacy then what else can you do besides community and hospital pharmacy or compounding pharmacy

[@karenforgacs4523]

​@@HenryBriskinlong term care, nuclear, infusion pharmacy, pharmacovigilance, prior auth...there are a lot of options

[@karenforgacs4523]

I know in LTC there are pharmacists with just bachelors. Not sure about the other ones I named, sorry I had read it incorrectly the first time

[@deannaspencer8988]

All Stores 900,000 Please Lower the price of all Brands of Military Equipment and Local for All Brands of Pharmacy Products and Production Cost Now 900,000 That's Too Much $$ 900,000 Now The Whole World 900,000 Now 🙏 🤲 🕍 🕌 ⛪ 🛕

[@prettypuff1]

Pharmacy because I like viewing medicine through eyes of a chemist