Saturday, November 26, 2011
A Reason for Concern...
I have created this blog to voice my concern about the future of the profession of pharmacy. I practice in California but I have noticed that this issue is relevant in most states across the country. I have been working in pharmacies now for over 15 years. There was a shortage of pharmacists since I was an intern in the late 1990s and it continued for over ten years. This lack of manpower was the root cause of a major overreaction to accredit numerous new pharmacy schools to meet the demand. The number of schools in California has already doubled from four to at least eight. My concern is that there are more slated to open in the future. The number of students graduating has now overloaded the job market to where new graduates are having serious difficulties in finding employment. Some of these aforementioned schools still have not produced a graduating class and thereby the situation is already likely to worsen without the addition of new schools to the mix. I understand the economic state of the country has a part in the employment woes of pharmacists but on the other hand pharmacy is not as heavily affected by the economy as other fields. It is my conclusion that we all need to make our voices heard so that no additional pharmacy schools are opened at this time. It is in the best interest of all pharmacists, current and future, to take a stand to prevent this from occurring. My only regret is that we may be acting after some damage has been done. I was hoping a healthy balance would be achieved but it has quickly gone from a shortage to an overabundance of pharmacists. It is not too late though, so join me...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I graduated with a MBA in May and still have no job. I have a pharmaceutical sciences degree and MBA, but during the time while I was in school for both degrees I had done several federal government internships. I have some experience which is helpful, but it is still hard to attain a job. When I was a junior during the spring semester when studying science the pharmaceutical companies had major layoffs. I knew I wasn't going to land a job in the sciences so I went to do my MBA and worked as a student intern.
ReplyDeleteI will tell you this that it's very important for students to take advantage of extracurricular activities or join student chapters, student internships, or do volunteering because it is about building your resume during college. It's not all about the GPA or what school you went to, but what can you bring to the organization.
I did a lot of volunteering in my community, joined couple student chapters, worked in federal government, and graduated with a high GPA, but it's still hard knowing there is a lot of competition for jobs. I will say this if you have an impressive resume you will get at least your resume looked at by a hiring manager.
I believe more students should build their resume while in school and because if you don't have work experience or something else to show then you will have a difficulty getting a job and paying off these student loans and other things.
I really encourage students to do student internships at organizations whether it is paid or not paid (volunteer) and make the sacrifice because you need to have some work experience. Don't believe what all these stats say because all of them are rubbish. Majority people have a hard time getting a job and it doesn't matter if your graduated in 09 or 10 or 11. It's very hard.
I know couple of federal agencies have cut the student paid internships and now have volunteer ones, but it's better for college students to try that then have nothing on the resume. So my advice to students in school whether in undergrad or grad school is to build your resume. It is also very wise to attend job fairs and virtual job fairs during your senior year or end of junior year. Do all the networking you can and expect a roller coaster ride after graduation.
Tthere are many pharmacy schools that are either increasing their class sizes or building new schools. The same thing is happening for medical schools popping up in the USA and Caribbean. Look at how many medical students who are not able to get residencies due to many applicants and there is not enough residency spots. I know people who had gone to Caribbean schools to study medicine who did not make the match last March to land a residency spot, They are trying again this year for the second or third time added to the pressure more applicants due to new schools and increase class sizes. They already at disadvantages this year because they weren't competitive enough the year before and trying out again. These people believed what the schools were saying that they will become doctors and so forth. Didn't realistically discussed the hurdles and the possibilities of not obtaining residencies and problems associated with that like student debt. I know people who feel like complete failures and have debt to their eyeballs due to medical school.
ReplyDeleteI agree do have Plan B. If you want to do pharmacy or any field make sure to throughly research everything before enrolling into a program. Talk to many people and research online like articles similar to this one about what recent graduates and other say. I won't be surprised if machines dispense pills and they lessen the duties of pharmacists or hiring in the near future. The job market doesn't look promising for pharmaceutical scientists, pharmacists, and other professionals.
I wanted to add that don't believe the statistics of schools saying their graduates had gotten employment after graduation. The truth is many recent graduates are working at bookstores, restaurants, stores at malls, and other positions that are not related to their degrees. You can search online of stories of individuals who graduated with having sciences, law, business, computer sciences or IT, and other degrees who are unemployed. Unfortunately, colleges manipulate their statistics in brochures and such in order to attract potential students into their programs. These colleges need to stop lying to students and potential students and tell them the truth.
ReplyDeletePharmacy graduates don't have much options other than trying to attain jobs within the sciences (quality assurance, biological sciences, chemist, etc positions) unless these graduates have degrees in other fields or plan to do another degree after graduation. It's a very difficult job market and no matter what media and others say the future is unpredictable. Unfortunately, many people did not predict or take into account the cons of the job market. Schools were also were optimistic that graduates would get work after graduation, but now these institutions just keep enticing people to join their programs and ride out of the economy, by getting a degree. These schools could care less what happens to graduates.
There are also organizations where human resource specialists and hiring managers who feel apprehensive of hiring millennials fearing that they would be wasting time socializing on the phone or internet or do not have what it takes to succeed to get the job done or adapting to the work. There are many jobs that require a minimum of 3-5 years of work experience for entry-level positions. Those who apply to entry-level positions are considered overqualified because of their degrees. There are many reasons why people can't attain jobs unfortunately; people should do what they can in order to come out of it. There is no simple answer and it depends on the person how they will overcome the setbacks or roadblocks.
It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for recent college graduates to attain a job whether in government, private, or non profit organization. These organizations say they want new talent and such which they aren't aggressively hiring recent college graduates. I really feel sorry for those who just completely had given up the job search and go through depression, stress, hopelessness, etc. People don't understand what a toll it takes on people physically, mentally, spiritually, and how that impacts family as well seeing a family members getting laid off or recent graduates not getting jobs. The stress involving finances and so forth trying to survive. Although, I have ups and downs, I still apply to job because I want to be independent. I want to work. I feel that many of these organizations and politicians don't understand the situation that many people like myself face everyday. We want jobs related to our degrees. The Labor Bureau needs to stop making these statistics about unemployment because it does not accurately tell people how bad the situation is added those who are unemployed don't need to be told. We already feel bad enough.
I hear your frustrations and I am both disheartened and angry at what is occurring. It is true that students must establish themselves in the workplace with some experience while in school. That has not changed over the years but has become much more important now as the jobs have become scarce. If you have a job as an intern, it is highly recommended that you continue with your present employer as switching jobs has become difficult to say the least. I have read comments on the internet about the job market for pharmacists that are made by individuals who are not looking at the whole picture. Yes, the demand for pharmacists will go up and down over time due to a myriad of factors, as it will with any other profession. The key here is that this is a graduate degree that requires an additional four years of schooling with a hefty price tag. This is a huge investment on the part of a student who in most cases has (or can easily complete) a bachelor's degree and go out into the workforce. However, they are choosing what is being touted to them as a stable, in demand field that will be their career. Most are not able to work full time due to their studies. Furthermore, they would lack the years of experience that they would have in another field while attending pharmacy school. In instances where these students are not able to find employment as a pharmacist, they are burdened by a heavy debt that is unforgiving and defiencies in experience in alternative fields. One needs to factor all these into the equation. Just to be clear, I am a preceptor for several pharmacy schools and I have and continue to enjoy participating in their pharmacy education. I am not advocating to make pharmacy an ultra exclusive club. It is the job market itself that will make this an exclusive club. There are more than enough future pharmacists in the pipelines. We cannot allow more to worsen this situation. If indeed the demand once again exceeds the supply then I would have no issues with more pharmacy schools. Just as I had no issues while the first few opened several years ago. They were needed as there was a real shortage of labor when I graduated.
Delete