pharmacy career

juanveron45

Im 28 years old , I have a diploma in Analytical chemistry and 3 years experience in the pharmaceutical/medical device field,I dont mind what im doing but the money is crap.

I am thinking of going back to college next year to do pharmacy because I have an interest in that sort of thing plus I heard the money is good too and you dont have to work shift.

I have a few questions that I need answers to?

1.I have heard form reading this site that for some reason pharmacists wont earn as much as they used to due to more competition and the market being bought up by big investors,how true is this ? and what can a graduate expect to start on and eventually earn?I heard for this reason it will be nearly impossible to own your own business,70-80k after 3-4years experience years is my expectation

2. If i do this I will be 29 when I start,have I left it too late?

3.what are my chances of getting a place?how difficult is the interview and if i was to get an interview from all 3 universities(ucc,trinity,rcsi) would the one I have listed as my third preference be less likely to offer me a place because its my last choice?

4.Im living in cork but I wouldnt mind moving to dublin I just have the feeling trinity would be the coolist place to do it?I realise they are all accredited course's but there not exactly the same either,where is the hardest/easiest to do it?

5.also If i do this I will need a part time job, is it possible to do this course whille working parttime, this is another reason doing it dublin might be better as a parttime job would be easier to come by there.

I know this is a bit long but I appreciate all of your help

thanks again

RRoger

juanveron45 wrote:

expect to start on and eventually earn?I heard for this reason it will be nearly impossible to own your own business,70-80k after 3-4years experience years is my expectation

assuming 80k after year 4th and an optimistic rise of 10 grand every year, you'd have to start at 50k; I don't know much, but is this sector that good to offer 50k to graduates? Friend of mine works in recruitment and he says there's several things he can't do for candidate and one of them is 45k for grad..
well it may work in your case as you aren't a newbie - 3yrs of exp +diploma means something

I think it's never too late, my aunt is doing a course at the age of 47 and she gets on very well; If you can make a change in your life it's always a step forward, especially when you're not as old as her, man you're still "twenty"..:)

Maybe you should consider an evening course +full time work, Dublin is quite expensive

Kevster

You didn't get your diploma in IT Carlow did you? ...And I thought you were a footballer! (Sebastien Juan Veron... :rolleyes:)

angeldelight

I'm a 3rd year Pharmacy student in RCSI so I might be able to answer some of your questions... I'll try anyway!

About the money issue, yes pharmcists will more than likely earn less than before but to be honest, it's not a career I'd choose for the money. If you choose to work in community you'll work long hours, more tahn likely won't get a lunch break as pahrmacy can't open without a pharmacist on the premises so you'll just grab something in the back and if a script comes in get up and fill it... Also van be quite a thankless job, I hadn't realised that until I started working in a pharmacy, no matter how quickly you try and get a prescription out or bend over backwards to help someone you rarely get a thank you, it's just seen as your duty! And anyway, while they may not be earning mega bucks you wouldn't exactly be strapped for cash. From looking at recruitment sites... was lookinga at loadzajobs earlier, supervising pharmacists get in the range of 70-80000. Earliest you're going to get a position like that is after 3/4 years, 5/6 years of experience behind you is more probable.

juanveron45 wrote:

If i do this I will be 29 when I start,have I left it too late?

No, I'm not a graduate student myself, I've just turned 20 but there are approx. 55 students in my class and about 18 of them are graduate students - ranging from 23 to 34 in 1st year. If anything the older students have some advantage in having been used to college life before, they've generally got a better work ethic and they tend to do very well in exams, as well as enjoying the course!

what are my chances of getting a place?how difficult is the interview and if i was to get an interview from all 3 universities(ucc,trinity,rcsi) would the one I have listed as my third preference be less likely to offer me a place because its my last choice?

Nobody here can really say what your chances of getting a place are, the different colleges will have different criteria, will look for different things in your personality during the interview and as well as that it depends on the overall quality of applicants the year you choose to apply. I'd say though the fact that you have experience in the pharmaceutical industry would give you an edge over students without that or those coming straight from college. It may be a bit obvious but I think they're generally looking for enthusiasm for the course/career, some knowledge of what you're facing into and a history of putting the work in. I obviously didn't do the interview myself but that's what I've gleaned from talking to friends who did. I wouldn't mention you want to do it for the money for example!

Im living in cork but I wouldnt mind moving to dublin I just have the feeling trinity would be the coolist place to do it?I realise they are all accredited course's but there not exactly the same either,where is the hardest/easiest to do it?

Any particular reason for thinking trinity is the coolest place? If you've any questions about RCSI I'd be happy to answer them. I had RCSI first on my list because it had a smaller class size, I liked the look of the curriculum a LOT more than I did the trinity one (a lot of first year in trinity is spent with other science students, good for getting to know people but I prefer where I am as we started doing pharmacy-specific stuff earlier, which is what I was interested in and the reason I chose the course over science!). Also I liked that RCSI was a newer course, more up to date, a lot of computer-based learning, a small school of pharmacy so all the lecturers know us by name etc, generally a very friendly college.

also If i do this I will need a part time job, is it possible to do this course whille working parttime,

Yep, it's definitely possible. Most of my class have a part-time job - the majority in pharmacies at this stage - and as long as you don't agree to do too many hours and manage your time you should be grand. The course is an awful lot of hard work though, it can feel a bit overwhelming at times but I find it fascinating mostly!

Sorry if this is a bit long