Reflections of a 4th yr pharm student--pls read if you're considering pharm (3 Viewers)

[Zephyrio]

Thank you for this thread, Lala2. It was very informative.

 

[lala2]

You're welcome

 

[sam5]

hey lala.

Im doin biomedical science at newcastle uni for 3 years, then i might consider doing a Master of Pharmacy after that (totalling 5 years).

I might not do pharmacy; may do pathology, medicine or research (pathology lookin good).

I wouldnt wanna do community pharmacy, because i dont want to lose track of the medical side of things and become concentrated on being a businessman in the hunt for money.

How are hospital pharmacists paid? (award?)

Whats the money like?

Is it more medically involved than retail pharmacy?

EDIT: on top of that, would a small local pharmacy employ an 18 year old as an assistant? Would i need s2/s3 or some bloody cert 2 tafe course?

 

[mmkardart]

I'd also like to add that MBLG1001 in first year can be a very difficult course ! To anyone who's doing Pharmacy here, does the name Bruce Lyon ring a bell?

They have made it easier since 2009 by compiling reference material from different textbooks into the one textbook - saving you time and money

A tip: see how the first few weeks of university go before you decide to purchase any textbooks. I remember there were some textbooks that we never touched but were still told to buy!

 

[lala2]

hey lala.

Im doin biomedical science at newcastle uni for 3 years, then i might consider doing a Master of Pharmacy after that (totalling 5 years).

I might not do pharmacy; may do pathology, medicine or research (pathology lookin good).

I wouldnt wanna do community pharmacy, because i dont want to lose track of the medical side of things and become concentrated on being a businessman in the hunt for money.

How are hospital pharmacists paid? (award?)

Whats the money like?

Is it more medically involved than retail pharmacy?

EDIT: on top of that, would a small local pharmacy employ an 18 year old as an assistant? Would i need s2/s3 or some bloody cert 2 tafe course?

Award is here: http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/resources/jobs/conditions/awards/pdf/hsu_he_pharmacists.pdf. I'm not sure how you progress from grade to grade though but I'm sure it's not just years of experience alone--I think postgrad qualifications play a part. So as you can see, in the grad year, hosp >>>>> comm, but after that, comm >>>>>>> hosp unless you're a director of pharmacy or someone up there.

I guess by medically involved you mean do you actually have a proactive role in managing the patient's treatment, and the answer's definitely yes. There's two types of hospital pharmacists--a normal hospital pharmacist, and a clinical pharmacist. The former I feel will become more obsolete as that's the professional role the industry's pushing to have.

A normal hospital pharmacist checks technicians' work and may do some limited on-ward stuff like collecting a medication history, but otherwise will definitely not interfere in treatment. A clinical pharmacist does though--they're usually allocated a ward or two and it's their job to review new admissions and make sure everything prescribed is appropriate.

You should be fine to be employed in a pharmacy. Pharmacies are usually pretty good at specifying what kind of prior training their assistants need to have, if any. I've been employed in two pharmacies without any additional certificates. Any training they want you to have try and push for them to reimburse (or at least subsidise) the cost.

I'd also like to add that MBLG1001 in first year can be a very difficult course ! To anyone who's doing Pharmacy here, does the name Bruce Lyon ring a bell?

They have made it easier since 2009 by compiling reference material from different textbooks into the one textbook - saving you time and money

A tip: see how the first few weeks of university go before you decide to purchase any textbooks. I remember there were some textbooks that we never touched but were still told to buy!

Haha, never had to do MBLG1001 but it's better structured, the new degree. The equivalent of MBLG1001 in the old degree was a fourth year non-Honours subject (PHAR4619 Drug Development and New Drug Technologies) which was clearly a filler and an utter waste of time. That way, the Honours people don't miss out because it's got some useful stuff but taught in an utterly bad way.

+1 about the textbooks.

 

[sam5]

thankyou lala, you are a resourceful person.

BUT I must ask, in that award that u posted a hyperlink to, what are the terms of those salaries?

e.g. current unregistered pharmacists receive a minimum of $989.40.

Is that the minimum salary per month?

 

[danz90]

I'd also like to add that MBLG1001 in first year can be a very difficult course ! To anyone who's doing Pharmacy here, does the name Bruce Lyon ring a bell?

They have made it easier since 2009 by compiling reference material from different textbooks into the one textbook - saving you time and money

A tip: see how the first few weeks of university go before you decide to purchase any textbooks. I remember there were some textbooks that we never touched but were still told to buy!

Hahahaha yep, MBLG1001 was a killer. Probably one of my hardest units last sem - but did well in the end Didn't really like Bruce Lyon's lecturing - he just spoke too fast and not clearly enough.

 

[lala2]

thankyou lala, you are a resourceful person.

BUT I must ask, in that award that u posted a hyperlink to, what are the terms of those salaries?

e.g. current unregistered pharmacists receive a minimum of $989.40.

Is that the minimum salary per month?

You're welcome. I guess that is the minimum, if the salary is indeed negotiable at all. I didn't try to negotiate because that's an exceptionally high salary for a graduate. Don't worry, it's not per month otherwise it'd be very poor pay. It's per week

 

[sam5]

It's per week

good :uhhuh:

 

[Linee]

nice thread, it's very interesting to see the mixed comments.

Anyways i'm deciding between Pharmacy or Physiotherapy at Sydney uni. What do you guys think i should choose ????????????????

As for pharmacy, I would only be considering community pharmacy as I know well enough that industry and hospital is very competitive. I also don't really mind the boredom involved in community pharmacy.

My biggest concern between Pharmacy and Physiotherapy is job security.

 

[velox]

Either one will give you good job security.

 

[Linee]

Either one will give you good job security.

but which one has the greater job security ?

 

[velox]

but which one has the greater job security ?

You're silly and ignorant for asking that question. It's like asking which is more, 99.000001, or 99.000001000000000009.

At this stage, the job security comes down to how good a pharmacist or physio you are, or how good a person you are to work with.

 

[Linee]

oh sorry, i see your point

 

[meilz92]

yesterday one of the pharmacists from work sat down with me during my lunch break and we had a discussion about pharmacy

he said that although he liked the course, the work is an "insult to your intelligence" and a "waste of all the knowledge you gain at uni" and its very boring, and "the customers dont give a shit about anything". He also said that if he didnt buy ownership into the pharmacy where i work (which he did recently), he would of left the field and gone back to uni. He said its alright because the pay is good and everything, but the work itself is boring. He also said not to do hospital pharmacy because "the pay is crap" and that finding a job after you graduate is the hard part- after registration year you shouldnt have as much trouble finding a job.


so now im extremerly torn
pharmacy vs science/commerce????????
>_<

 

[meilz92]

EDIT: on top of that, would a small local pharmacy employ an 18 year old as an assistant? Would i need s2/s3 or some bloody cert 2 tafe course?

yes

ive been working as a pharmacy assistant since i was 15 yrs 10 months old. I have no qualifications other than my HSC and it was my first job.

 

[extensorindicis]

pharm or physio would have similiar job security i guess, but if your concerned about how much you learn at uni will be used when you work, i rekon physio would require you to know and apply more of what you have learnt. You have to basically diagnose conditions and work out a treatment, so its either you know it or you dont. IMO i'd rather do pharm now, sure uni will be hard but the work will be easy and less stressful.

Also keep in mind, physio has five 5 week clinicals at a hospital so thats 25 weeks not at uni and at a hospital as compared to 4 years straight at uni. Something to keep in mind?

 

[danz90]

yesterday one of the pharmacists from work sat down with me during my lunch break and we had a discussion about pharmacy

he said that although he liked the course, the work is an "insult to your intelligence" and a "waste of all the knowledge you gain at uni" and its very boring, and "the customers dont give a shit about anything". He also said that if he didnt buy ownership into the pharmacy where i work (which he did recently), he would of left the field and gone back to uni. He said its alright because the pay is good and everything, but the work itself is boring. He also said not to do hospital pharmacy because "the pay is crap" and that finding a job after you graduate is the hard part- after registration year you shouldnt have as much trouble finding a job.


so now im extremerly torn
pharmacy vs science/commerce????????
>_<

Don't let one person's opinion sway your career path.

 

[okimura1170]

but which one has the greater job security ?

if you really want job security try petroleum engineering at UNSW

Fuelling the energy sector | The Australian
for
"......So why, Val Pinczewski asks, was nobody interested in an $80,000 scholarship to study petroleum engineering at the University of NSW last year? "We could not fill it," says the university's perplexed professor of petroleum engineering and director of the school of petroleum engineering....."
and
"Brian Evans, who runs the department of petroleum engineering at Curtin University, says engineers on northwest shelf projects are earning $180,000 a year. However, while Perth is set to become a world-class gas hub in the next two years, it is still "unbelievably difficult" to find professional people."

Jobs surge to meet the thirst for energy | The Australian

(yes, I know this is a health sciences post - so apologies in advance)

 

[thetai903]

My reply will sound a little out of nowhere in this thread. But I'm going to be a Pharmacy student myself (at Usyd ) and looking for help not in the job propects, wages, ... issues as i have read plenty on this thread.
My question is, how hard is it to get a distinction/high distinction in B.Pharm at Usyd? Yes, my question might sound irrelevant to this thread but there are a lot of past Pharm student in this thread and I would really appreciate your help. If you can compare the course to the HSC, it would help too but I know uni and high school are different.
If you are wondering why I am asking such question? The truth is, I do not want to complete my pharm degree but intend to use my 1st year result and my reasonable ATAR to apply for Med/Dent. My decision comes after reading this thread, thanks to lala and danz, my view on Pharm has drastically changed.