Pharmacist Moving to Ireland

sunnydee721

Me and my partner are moving to Ireland in February.

I've been working as a pharmacist in UK for almost 2 years now and was just wondering what the job situation for pharmacists is like in Ireland at the moment? What kind of salary could I expect with my experience?

We are thinking of moving to either Cork or Kerry, but would take advice on what the best location would be.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Dispensing or manufacture? Legal or illegal?

sunnydee721

Legal? haha

I'm looking to dispense in a community pharmacy.

Fr_Dougal

About €40k with your experience, that’s as a community pharmacist.

sunnydee721

Fr_Dougal Oh wow, that's pretty low. I thought the salaries are higher for pharmacists.

Would the rates vary depending on location or how does it work?

Fr_Dougal

During the last boom it would have been €50k+, but things have normalized a bit now. If you’re a managing pharmacist it would be considerably higher. We have some pharmacists who post on the forum, they might be able to give more accurate figures.

Your first step should be to contact a recruitment company.

milhous

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

About €40k with your experience, that’s as a community pharmacist.

Erm... tbf I think boots pharmacists start at like 50k and I think they're finding it hard to fill positions. I reckon it's higher?

Maybe it also depends on location?

Gimme A Pound

Hey sunnydee, probably best to ask the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland salary questions.

Come to Cork. Pharmacies - everywhere you turn! It's a small city with really easy access to the countryside and sea. Kerry is beautiful but its biggest town is still a lot smaller than Cork city.

I reckon that it's higher than 60k as I know someone who works in the business and there is a scarcity at the moment but this is not the best place to ask really!

in contrast to other jobs it can be higher outside Dublin/Cork due to the difficulty to get pharmacists in some parts of the country.

The Hound Gone Wild

Pharmacist here, other posters are way out. Rates have recovered, for the most part. There's a massive undersupply of community pharmacists at the moment, summer locum rates were as high as €60-70 p/h.

Here you need 3 years on the register to become a supervising Pharmacist so you'll be support/relief. Typically salary for a support pharmacist, depending on experience would be in the 50-65000 range.

Supervising would be in the 70-100k range. 100k would be at the very top of the scale.

kneemos

The Hound Gone Wild wrote: »

Pharmacist here, other posters are way out. Rates have recovered, for the most part. There's a massive undersupply of community pharmacists at the moment, summer locum rates were as high as €60-70 p/h.

Here you need 3 years on the register to become a supervising Pharmacist so you'll be support/relief. Typically salary for a support pharmacist, depending on experience would be in the 50-65000 range.

Supervising would be in the 70-100k range. 100k would be at the very top of the scale.

Must be massive profit in dispensing medicines?

mountai

Those salaries quoted if correct , explains why the public in this country are paying so much more for drugs than other European countries . Pharmacists used to be responsible for mixing various chemicals on site and had responsibility to ensure the safety of their products . These days , all they do is dispense pills from boxes , indeed there are automatic counting systems , in the larger shops that do this for them . They do however , have to be able to decipher the scrawls of old fashioned doctors . Often wondered why such a high level of education is required for this "Profession" .

corner of hells

mountai wrote: »

Those salaries quoted if correct , explains why the public in this country are paying so much more for drugs than other European countries . Pharmacists used to be responsible for mixing various chemicals on site and had responsibility to ensure the safety of their products . These days , all they do is dispense pills from boxes , indeed there are automatic counting systems , in the larger shops that do this for them . They do however , have to be able to decipher the scrawls of old fashioned doctors . Often wondered why such a high level of education is required for this "Profession" .

Is that all they do ?
I think I could throw a few tablets in a box or two.
Do the different colours mean anything ?

lawred2

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

About €40k with your experience, that’s as a community pharmacist.

I don't think that's right

28112827

mountai wrote: »

Those salaries quoted if correct , explains why the public in this country are paying so much more for drugs than other European countries . Pharmacists used to be responsible for mixing various chemicals on site and had responsibility to ensure the safety of their products . These days , all they do is dispense pills from boxes , indeed there are automatic counting systems , in the larger shops that do this for them . They do however , have to be able to decipher the scrawls of old fashioned doctors . Often wondered why such a high level of education is required for this "Profession" .

Ah yeah, sure just put them boxes on the shelves at the local filling station. Or in the pick n mix. Be grand.

SEPT 23 1989

My partner and I

The Hound Gone Wild

mountai wrote: »

Those salaries quoted if correct , explains why the public in this country are paying so much more for drugs than other European countries . Pharmacists used to be responsible for mixing various chemicals on site and had responsibility to ensure the safety of their products . These days , all they do is dispense pills from boxes , indeed there are automatic counting systems , in the larger shops that do this for them . They do however , have to be able to decipher the scrawls of old fashioned doctors . Often wondered why such a high level of education is required for this "Profession" .

It's mostly to do with purchasing power. Ireland with a population of 5 million doesn't have the same purchasing power as say Spain with 30 Million people, combined with a lower cost of living and significantly lower wage across the board usually explain the prices.

As for your other point, the average pharmacist knows more about medication than the average doctor. That's what a pharmacist is. When you come in with your prescription for an antibiotic & paracetamol I spend all of 10 seconds thinking about it. When John and Mary down the road come in on 10+ medications each is where I have to take my time & think about what I'm doing with a mistake being potentially fatal. I'd say on average I catch 4 prescribing errors daily.

Auguste Comte

corner of hells wrote: »

mountai wrote: »

Those salaries quoted if correct , explains why the public in this country are paying so much more for drugs than other European countries . Pharmacists used to be responsible for mixing various chemicals on site and had responsibility to ensure the safety of their products . These days , all they do is dispense pills from boxes , indeed there are automatic counting systems , in the larger shops that do this for them . They do however , have to be able to decipher the scrawls of old fashioned doctors . Often wondered why such a high level of education is required for this "Profession" .

Is that all they do ?
I think I could throw a few tablets in a box or two.
Do the different colours mean anything ?

It's the blue ones for the boys,

mountai

corner of hells wrote: »

Is that all they do ?
I think I could throw a few tablets in a box or two.
Do the different colours mean anything ?

Its all I ever see them doing . So could any reasonable person . The black ones taste of cough medicine .

Franz Von Peppercorn

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

My partner and I

Go on? What happened.

Hammer89

sunnydee721 wrote: »

Me and my partner are moving to Ireland in February.

I've been working as a pharmacist in UK for almost 2 years now and was just wondering what the job situation for pharmacists is like in Ireland at the moment? What kind of salary could I expect with my experience?

We are thinking of moving to either Cork or Kerry, but would take advice on what the best location would be.

You'd already know if this was actually happening. Who immigrates to a new country without knowing a) if there is work in their profession and b) what the money is like.

The Hound Gone Wild

mountai wrote: »

Its all I ever see them doing . So could any reasonable person . The black ones taste of cough medicine .

You seem a "reasonable person" so what would you do;

A Dr has prescribed Daktarin Oral gel to a patient on warfarin.

A doctor has started a patient on 150mg of sertraline.

Dentist has prescribed Mefac to an asthmatic.

Doctor has prescribed methotrexate od

GP has prescribed Fluoxetine but a NCHD has prescribed a MAOI class drug.

Doctor has prescribed the same dose of Lithium but a different brand.

Consultant has prescribed a calcium dose for a 1 day old of 1 mMole.

How many people do you kill? How many are fine?

mountai

The Hound Gone Wild wrote: »

It's mostly to do with purchasing power. Ireland with a population of 5 million doesn't have the same purchasing power as say Spain with 30 Million people, combined with a lower cost of living and significantly lower wage across the board usually explain the prices.

As for your other point, the average pharmacist knows more about medication than the average doctor. That's what a pharmacist is. When you come in with your prescription for an antibiotic & paracetamol I spend all of 10 seconds thinking about it. When John and Mary down the road come in on 10+ medications each is where I have to take my time & think about what I'm doing with a mistake being potentially fatal. I'd say on average I catch 4 prescribing errors daily.

A family member worked for a well known drug wholesaler and distributor , she showed me proof that the pharmacys were getting 400/500% mark up on certain products .
The scientific knowledge of knowing the composition of various drugs is available ( or should be ) on the PIL .
John and Mary being on a cocktail of 10+ medications --- Says it all for me . Perhaps healthier lifestyle choices might be encouraged before the crutch of drugs are dispensed ?.

Ken.

Mod-Moved to Work & Jobs. No AH type answers or you could be banned. Read the local charter before posting

mountai

The Hound Gone Wild wrote: »

You seem a "reasonable person" so what would you do;

A Dr has prescribed Daktarin Oral gel to a patient on warfarin.

A doctor has started a patient on 150mg of sertraline.

Dentist has prescribed Mefac to an asthmatic.

Doctor has prescribed methotrexate od

GP has prescribed Fluoxetine but a NCHD has prescribed a MAOI class drug.

Doctor has prescribed the same dose of Lithium but a different brand.

Consultant has prescribed a calcium dose for a 1 day old of 1 mMole.

How many people do you kill? How many are fine?

How many of these fellow "Professionals" did you report??

The Hound Gone Wild

mountai wrote: »

How many of these fellow "Professionals" did you report??

None, "professionals" are people too, everyone can make a mistake, it's part of a pharmacists job to catch them. A quick phone call is usually the only needed fix. Apart from that, some of those situations are perfectly fine, some are fine in certain situations, some are potentially fatal. A random "reasonable person" could not do a pharmacists job. They're responsible for lives and are trained and remunerated appropriately.

Gimme A Pound

The air quotes look really arsey.

Just because you don't understand something, doesn't mean its legitimacy is to be doubted.

sunnydee721

The Hound Gone Wild wrote: »

Pharmacist here, other posters are way out. Rates have recovered, for the most part. There's a massive undersupply of community pharmacists at the moment, summer locum rates were as high as €60-70 p/h.

Here you need 3 years on the register to become a supervising Pharmacist so you'll be support/relief. Typically salary for a support pharmacist, depending on experience would be in the 50-65000 range.

Supervising would be in the 70-100k range. 100k would be at the very top of the scale.

Thanks for such a detailed response! Would you recommend any agencies who would help find permanent/locum work or is it better to try and find something yourself?

duffman13

sunnydee721 wrote: »

Thanks for such a detailed response! Would you recommend any agencies who would help find permanent/locum work or is it better to try and find something yourself?

If your coming from the UK id start with a company and go from there. The Irish pharmacy industry and schemes are very different to the UK and you receive a much better induction from the likes of one of the chains. 60k is not an unreasonable expectation in one of the chains then if your not happy after 6 months go and locum.

Check Boots website, a few jobs always available especially for relief work. Some parts of the country are more difficult to fill than others

sunnydee721

Hammer89 wrote: »

You'd already know if this was actually happening. Who immigrates to a new country without knowing a) if there is work in their profession and b) what the money is like.

My partner has secured a position in Cork, we are moving to Ireland because of this in the first place. He will be driving around quite a lot, so we have a bit more flexibility on where we can settle.

The Hound Gone Wild

sunnydee721 wrote: »

Thanks for such a detailed response! Would you recommend any agencies who would help find permanent/locum work or is it better to try and find something yourself?

Cork has a particular shortage of pharmacists at the moment so locum work is plentyful.

There are 2 locum agencies in Ireland: Pharmaconex & Clarity Locums. They both post locum positions up to 3-6 months in advance. You can see locum jobs advertised on Clarity's website now, you'll need to be registered with Pharmaconex to see their postings which requires a PSI reg. number. I personally prefer Pharmaconex but that's just me.

There are 3 main dispensing systems used in Ireland MPS, QuickScript & Touchstore. MPS is probably the most common (most of the big chains use it) so getting some training on using it before locuming would be recommended. Pharmaconex usually run free training days fairly often. I'm sure Clarity do too.

Both the locum agencies have permanent job advertisements as does Indeed, Jobs.ie, healthcarejobs.ie & large chains websites. I'd recommend locuming first and getting used to how things are done here before taking a permanent position.

sunnydee721

The Hound Gone Wild wrote: »

Cork has a particular shortage of pharmacists at the moment so locum work is plentyful. From an inside source at one of the locum agencies; of the 50 or so Cork graduates in Dec. only 2 were registered as looking for work in Cork.

There are 2 locum agencies in Ireland: Pharmaconex & Clarity Locums. They both post locum positions up to 3-6 months in advance. You can see locum jobs advertised on Clarity's website now, you'll need to be registered with Pharmaconex to see their postings which requires a PSI reg. number. I personally prefer Pharmaconex but that's just me.

There are 3 main dispensing systems used in Ireland MPS, QuickScript & Touchstore. MPS is probably the most common (most of the big chains use it) so getting some training on using it before locuming would be recommended. Pharmaconex usually run free training days fairly often. I'm sure Clarity do too.

Both the locum agencies have permanent job advertisements as does Indeed, Jobs.ie, healthcarejobs.ie & large chains websites. I'd recommend locuming first and getting used to how things are done here before taking a permanent position.

I was thinking of doing some locuming first to familiarise myself with the systems, but how difficult it is to book the locum days if there are so many pharmacists doing it?

Is there any reason why you would recommend Pharmaconex rather than the other agency?

The Hound Gone Wild

sunnydee721 wrote: »

I was thinking of doing some locuming first to familiarise myself with the systems, but how difficult it is to book the locum days if there are so many pharmacists doing it?

Is there any reason why you would recommend Pharmaconex rather than the other agency?

What I was trying to get across was there is a shortage of Pharmacists, especially in Cork. You won't have any issues finding locum work.

I prefer the website layout, support office staff & most of the places I like to locum exclusively post on Pharmaconex. I'll use Clarity no problem, they're perfectly fine, I just prefer Pharmaconex.

Just had a quick look at Clarity's website, there are 3 pharmacies in Cork looking for a Locum for tomorrow all in the €40-45 p/h range. You'll never be short of work.

sunnydee721

The Hound Gone Wild wrote: »

What I was trying to get across was there is a shortage of Pharmacists, especially in Cork. You won't have any issues finding locum work.

I prefer the website layout, support office staff & most of the places I like to locum exclusively post on Pharmaconex. I'll use Clarity no problem, they're perfectly fine, I just prefer Pharmaconex.

Just had a quick look at Clarity's website, there are 3 pharmacies in Cork looking for a Locum for tomorrow all in the €40-45 p/h range. You'll never be short of work.

Thanks so much! I'll have a look at both.

Gimme A Pound

The amount of pharmacies in Cork is nuts. Although maybe it's the same everywhere.

GalwayGrrrrrl

I’m a pharmacist who moved from uk to Ireland a few years ago. Found work easily then and adapted quickly to the new health service schemes etc. I’d advise spending a day or so (at least) with another pharmacist to learn the different health service payment schemes/ use of repeat prescriptions/ private prescriptions etc.
Can’t comment on salaries as I work in a hospital at the moment. As another poster said you have to be 3 years qualified to be the supervising pharmacist so you’d be looking for second pharmacist positions. If you’ve ever worked for boots that’s a good place to start, even if it’s just for a few months to get settled and a feel for the local pharmacies. Much less chains here, lots of family businesses so pay and conditions can vary.

locum-motion

The Hound Gone Wild wrote: »

... I'd recommend locuming first and getting used to how things are done here before taking a permanent position.

On this topic: Do not even dream of putting yourself forward to do any locum work (where you will virtually by definition be the only pharmacist on the premises) until you have spent some time learning how the various different HSE Community Drugs Schemes work.

It's not like the UK, where 100% of the population has entitlement to prescriptions under the NHS.

There are at least 14 different mechanisms by which pharmacies might be paid for the meds they dispense, and they all have their own rules about who's covered and what they're covered for.

You need to know this stuff - If a pharmacist books a locum to cover their day off, they want to know that when they come back some patient won't have been given several hundred euro worth of meds that they're not entitled to.

mountai

mountai wrote: »

Its all I ever see them doing . So could any reasonable person . The black ones taste of cough medicine .

No you couldn't stroll into a pharmacy and do the job of a pharmacist. It's embarrassing and completely delusional to think you could.

And way to make ****e out of a thread in which someone is looking for advice, great going.

kellso81

I moved from the Uk to Irish pharmacy also and couldn't get over the massive differences, even down to the names of a lot of the drugs. I spent two weeks of my own time work shadowing and I really would recommend this before booking any locum days