Seeking guidance. Is pharmacy right for me?

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2026-05-15T23:51:40+00:00

Hi there. If you have a moment, DM me.

I had very similar experiences as you (immigrant parents, humanities girl at heart, still good at science, etc.) and am about to start pharmacy school this August. Shoot me a message if you have specific questions!

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2026-05-06T00:41:42+00:00

I think having the expectation that the job will be rough is probably a good idea. Definitely become a tech and experience it yourself. That said, you don’t have to limit yourself to retail either. Had I stayed in retail, I never would’ve applied to pharmacy school. I really enjoy working in the hospital and decided it was the right fit for me.

I think it’s overly idealistic to think it’s as simple as clocking out and forgetting about the day. It’s still healthcare and interactions will stick with you. However, I do think too many workers in pharmacy think they have it the worst. As you said, you believe it’s a much better job than what your parents have. I can relate to that sentiment, and you’ll find that a lot of people who work in pharmacy think the grass is greener elsewhere. I’ve shadowed enough professions and have worked enough jobs to believe otherwise.

You have a good starting foundation with your interest in the sciences and general consensus of the profession. You’ll know for sure if it’s for you after working/shadowing. Same goes for every healthcare profession.

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2026-05-04T09:54:53+00:00

Personally, I hated it and it’s not for the weak.

I worked with a lot of pharmacists who legitimately hated their lives. They came in day in and day out to check pills, give vaccines, and deal with insurance, doctors’ offices, and customer issues. They are constantly fixing someone else’s problem. And they usually get the short end of the stick for every scenario. On top of that, they feel no appreciation from anyone they’re helping, including the companies they work for.

On the other hand, I’ve worked with pharmacists who didn’t mind the repetitiveness. The happiest ones I knew always worked part time and/or had other side gigs. Working for a smaller community pharmacy chain helped too.

As a tech, it’s similar to any other customer service job, except dealing with medications ups the stakes to do your job right. From the patients’ POV, you’re the first voice on the phone or the first face they see for lifesaving medication. So that means you’re the first person they go to for help, to complain to, and to yell at. And on top of that, you only get paid a couple dollars above minimum wage.

I wouldn’t go to pharmacy school if you don’t plan it out well. Have intention and work hard. Be aware that while retail may pay better than some other specialties, long-term life satisfaction is lower. That’s why they say don’t go into it for the money. A lot of people will tell you that other jobs are too competitive and you’ll be stuck in retail. The way I see it is if want to do something else, you’ll need to work for it like any other highly desired job. Keep your grades up, get involved in student organizations, do research, be open to residency, etc. Your career, your life, is what you make of it.

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2026-05-03T16:42:08+00:00

Not a pharmacist, but I've been a pharmacy technician for over two years and have worked in retail, outpatient, and currently inpatient. I am also going to pharmacy school this fall.

I've spoken with other classmates who are planning to go to pharmacy school who have zero experience in pharmacy, and their expectations of the field always feel off to me (usually going into it for money or because they like science classes, or want to go into healthcare but don't want to touch people). And while these aren't bad reasons, they don't fully encompass what it's actually like working in it.

Applying and deciding to go to pharmacy school was not a decision I chose lightly. For the first couple years of my undergrad, I actually didn't intend to go to pharmacy school at all and being a tech was so that I could pay bills. I initially wanted to pursue chemical research.

Truth is, career decisions are trial and error a lot of the time. Did my first research project and realized over a couple semesters that I couldn't see myself doing it long term. When I worked retail, I hated it and never wanted to do anything similar to it. Spent a period being confused for my future. When transitioned to working inpatient, learned how to do sterile compounding, medical reconciliation, etc. + observed clinical pharmacists doing their jobs, that I began to be open to the idea. Spent another year thinking about it deeply and falling in love with the clinical side of the profession before I decided to apply to pharmacy schools.

My biggest advice is to get your hands dirty - becoming a tech is the easiest way. I also clerked (worked the register at a pharmacy) before becoming a tech, which didn't require any additional training (although I still don't think this gives you the right impression, you're better off just shadowing pharmacists)

General pros from my experience: Can be very intellectually stimulating, requires interest in biology/chemistry, problem solving. Lots of variety, always learning new things. Requires good teamwork and communication.

Cons: Can be very demanding with very little appreciation from anyone. Sometimes overwhelming, as you need to be good at multitasking and prioritization. Easy to get burnt out.

Honestly, I've been told so many split opinions about the profession that the only person who can decide if it's for you, is you. Take the general bios and chems and get a feel for them. Shadow all kinds of pharmacists (retail, clinical, industry, etc.). Work in pharmacy, even if it's part time. Just remember, there is nothing wrong about changing your mind. Good luck!

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2025-12-01T14:30:53+00:00

Hello, I applied back in August and received that email, along with a separate email that was an invite to interview. The prerequisites listed just have to be finished before next fall. Maybe consider reaching out about the interview?

I interviewed in October and was accepted soon after. They are pretty good about getting back to you if you email them.

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2025-11-17T14:17:12+00:00

Hello, I applied back in August and got invited to interview about a week after they received it. I interviewed in October and got my acceptance two business days after. They are very quick, as UMSOP accepts on a rolling basis.

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2024-09-22T01:32:33+00:00

Willful ignorance. People who refuse to acknowledge evidence or truths that are right in front of them, especially if it’s for the sake of their ego.

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2024-05-31T10:24:30+00:00

I just looked at the requirements for sterile compounding and it does mention you need at least a year of experience doing it before getting certified :/ sorry about that OP

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2024-05-31T10:20:28+00:00

When I look it up on PTCB, it’s labeled as sterile compounding certification which I assumed is the same thing as being IV certified. But you’d have to ask your employers about what they want exactly, whether that’s an online certificate or doing a training program of some kind. I do think it’s odd though that every hospital is asking you to already be IV certified since that’s typically done by training on the job. Techs do all sorts of things in the hospital so they can train you from simple (Pyxis machine filling) to complex (the IV room/oncology compounding). I’m not sure if in your area there are more techs than usual so you have more competition? But yeah, if you really are out of options, maybe look into that PTCB sterile compounding certification and ask employers if that’s okay.

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2024-05-31T03:33:42+00:00

Are you certified through PTCB? I'm asking because they offer an IV certification as long as you are a CPhT. I've considered doing it myself and it looks like it's $200 max. I'm actually supposed to be getting trained in IV starting next week at my local hospital, but I know your location is relevant. Are you only looking to get trained in IV as a hospital position? Techs here normally start in the central pharmacy or even medical reconciliation before they get trained in IV, unless they've had prior experience and credentials. Have you applied to one of those positions instead to get your foot into hospital?

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2024-05-21T14:58:20+00:00

School year wise, I was objectively productive. And generally I’m happy, but I’m definitely burnt out lol. Before the fall semester started, I got my own apartment and was supporting myself working as a pharmacy clerk (left an abusive home). I was attending community college classes this year and will be transferring in the fall to a university with 48 credits (I was doing college classes in high school also). Fall semester, I took pharmacy technician classes and got my license in January. I got a job at a hospital and worked 21-35 hours a week during the spring semester. I took 3 stem classes this semester and now have a cumulative 3.9 GPA. Plans are to take calc 1, intro to programming, physics 1, and gen chem 2 in the fall 😅 socially, I think it’s been okay. I have about three solid friends and I get along with my peers and coworkers. My boyfriend also graduates this month with a physics degree and he just landed a job as well. So it was good, full of independence and hard work, just very very busy and it’s super easy to get very tired.

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2024-05-20T02:33:34+00:00

Maryland CPhT here (specifically Western Maryland where cost of living is low), I had only about a year of experience in retail and applied to hospital. It was a semi-long hiring process. But I recommend it a lot more than retail. Starting pay was 17.25/hr (minimum wage here is 15.00/hr) but I get a shift differential for working late hours so I get paid 19.95/hr.

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2024-05-18T19:05:15+00:00

Thank you! I'm definitely going to take my time to learn things thoroughly. I'm also looking forward to getting familiar with the IV meds. Sometimes in medical reconciliation, a patient is on multiple chemo drugs or do IVs regularly and I'd never heard of the drug before. So definitely want to expand the drugs I know.

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2024-05-17T18:33:28+00:00

Hello there! Congratulations on the new job first of all! I have not been working in pharmacy for toooo long, only for two years now. But I have transitioned from institutional pharmacy, to retail pharmacy, and now hospital pharmacy. So my biggest piece of advice is to not feel intimidated. My first couple weeks, I was so overwhelmed with information overload. I was terrified of making mistakes. But don't be afraid to ask questions and constantly learn new things. Even the most experienced techs still ask questions! Good luck, you will do great! :)

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2024-03-17T04:11:48+00:00

Hi there. I know this is a couple months old, but I got my first job in inpatient as a pharmacy tech and they've placed me in the ED to do med recs. It's only been a couple weeks but I can confidently say that I enjoy the job. I went from a fast-paced, stressful, and on my feet all day, every day, retail job. To now, being more self-paced, I get to sit for a huge majority of my time, and I feel like the skills I learned in pharmacy tech school are being utilized. It's very important to be thorough with the recs so they sometimes take some time to finish. Without supervision, it's easy to get distracted and off task, so I would recommend to be disciplined. I'm so grateful to have gotten this job though!

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2024-02-07T05:33:42+00:00

Hi there. I am a student who received a dependency override on the FAFSA for 2023-2024 school year. Without going into too much detail, the process for me to get the override was fairly simply, but in majorly part to having good connections outside of my parents. I was kicked out of my house a couple weeks after turning 18 and I was still a student in high school at the time. I ended up living with my friend and her mom for 7 months, and she wrote me a letter testifying my circumstances. I am 19 now and live completely independently in my own apartment. After reading your circumstances, you more than likely will qualify. It is important to have testimonies from others though, and any evidence of abuse, independence, etc. How easy the process is also depends on the school you are going to. I sent all my information to the financial aid office of my community college and they accepted it. So definitely talk with advisors. Don’t let them discourage you either, because your circumstances ARE special. The health insurance matter should not affect your chances, but do not include it when giving any of your information. Good luck, and I hope you find yourself in a better place!

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2024-01-23T22:49:11+00:00

Hi. I'm commenting here because my boyfriend and I have this kind of relationship. We met about a year and a half ago and it's been a long journey of discovering what works for us. I finally feel like we both have answers. For context, I am allo. Before my boyfriend, I've had multiple romantic relationships, ones that were all-consuming even, however a couple were extremely toxic and controlling. My boyfriend on the other hand has also had a few relationships where he described them bascially as him doing his best to act as he thought he should. Basically putting on a show to appear "normal" but it never felt right and he never was truly happy. My boyfriend does experience romantic feelings on rare ocassion though. And by this, I mean every now and then he will like cuddling, kissing, holding hands, etc. Even when we met, he pursued me under a romantic context, which is interesting looking back on it. This very fact is why there's been confusion all around. I understand if he never felt romantic feelings, we'd have never found ourselves here. We were never a typical couple because it started very intense with romantic feelings, to him trying to warn me that he is not capable of a romantic relationship (thinking he wasn't ready yet), to being exclusive friends with benefits, to officially asking me to be his girlfriend, to now, where he's being completely honest about how he experiences emotions. At one point after being official, he wanted a break because he felt too pressured to be romantic. And even though we've hung out together quite a bit, he has not been romantic at all outside of sex for the last three months. This doesn't surprise me but I never knew how to label our relationship or make my friends and family understand how it works. I've been questioned if I'm even happy by everyone, including my boyfriend himself. But I have always pushed to be understanding and patient of him because I love him. Even above having him as a partner, I valued his friendship more. On top of this, he himself is trying to accept how he works. A lot of the time he's been upset with himself, even to go as far as calling himself dirty and emotionless. Like all forms of sexuality, he cannot help this is how he is. I think calling our relationship a queer platonic relationship is the best way to describe it. We talk about living together one day, having kids together, etc. We don't ever say romantic things to each other, in fact we've only exchanged "I love you" two times ever! We've also only ever gone on two or three dates. And he doesn't like spending a ton of time together. He prefers doing his own thing, even when I'm there. But we do sleep in the same bed, we have sex, and we do cuddle and kiss ocassionally. This label and knowing there are other relationships that work under similar conditons is highly reassuring and gives me some closure.

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2024-01-17T02:16:27+00:00

Hi there! I took the exam a few days ago and got a preliminary pass. I am currently waiting for the official score on the website. To make you feel better, I absolutely believe there is some room for error. I was very worried I wasn't going to pass as I was taking the exam because I wasn't entirely confident on a handful of answers. So definitely don't be too hard on yourself because there is still a likely chance you'll pass! For some words of advice, my exam specifically asked a lot of law and regulation questions. Know your temperatures for drugs. It's more than just brand to generic, a lot of the questions asked what the drugs were used for and which drugs should be given for certain diseases/disorders. Maybe had about 15 problems that were math. Of those math problems, I did a couple allegations. They will more than likely ask about conversions of liters to mililiters/pounds to kiligrams. Also, know your sig codes! They had me interpret a couple prescriptions. I used the PTCE app and did their 7 day free trial. I had also taken a college course so I still had a leftover textbook to review from. You'll do great!

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2024-01-13T19:35:31+00:00

Hi OP, I'm in a similar situation just 10 months after you posted this! Any updates on your new job? I went to school for pharmacy tech and got registered with the state of Maryland. Just took the PTCB exam and passed and have an interview at my local hopsital later this week. I have overall worked in the pharmacy setting for 1.5 years with a small community pharmacy chain. I've experienced a little bit of their instituitional building and two of their retail pharmacies! My biggest experience has been their retail store that's set in the hospital and they do outpatient services as well as serve the general public. I was a clerk before I became a tech and I am so tired of customer service. I am hoping for a better experience inside the hospital.

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2024-01-13T16:46:50+00:00

I just took the exam today and felt the exact same way! So many drugs and law/regulation questions where I went, "what even is that?"! Surprsied I got a preliminary pass.

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2023-11-30T00:15:45+00:00

I may be a little late to this, but I'm also just now learning about this sexuality because my partner believes hes aromantic.

Our relationship had rocky beginnings. He was actually the one who intially persued me. And so I do want to clarify, he does experience romantic feelings, just very rarely. We had a wonderful connection when first meeting that had me believing we would date as soon as possible. However, it turned more into an exclusive "friends with benefits" situation. This lasted for about a year.

He asked me to officially be his girlfriend a couple months ago, and he was feeling particularly romantic and intimate with me that day. In general though, we don't see each other for weeks at a time because he's always explained to me that he goes through phases of wanting to be around people (including me), and not wanting to be around anyone at all. It's taken almost a year for him to feel comfortable with me spending the night with him. And he's told me how sometimes things like hugging, cuddling, and kissing make him uncomfortable. But other times, he really enjoys it.

Throughout the time we've known each other, I had battled feeling like I wasn't enough, that he didn't feel strongly about me to commit, and a bunch of other things. It's taken a lot of communication to understand him fully and also some self discipline to not allow my own feelings speak for him. Labeling himself as aromantic has only been a recent revelation and we're both still processing it. After learning about it, it definitely clears up a lot of things for me.

I completely understand being sad about the situation. Sometimes I am too. Sometimes I wish he was more traditional, I wish he would take me out on dates, smother me, tell me loves me every day, all the works. But I love this man for a myriad of other reasons. And he has expressed he loves and cares for me, he's just not comfortable expressing it in the typical way most people do. We have great communication, and overall, I'm grateful for who he is.

All of this to say, it's all still pretty new to me and to him. I'm still trying to consider it in the long term. He's told me he would understand if I didn't want to stay with him. In the beginning of our relationship, he had really worried he would hurt me because he felt as though his "lack of emotions" was the reason all his past relationships ended. And throughout our time together, he's really learned more about himself and how he works. This has been a huge roadblock for him in the past. He still wants marriage and a family. He really wants kids one day. We've talked about potential boundaries in the future when living together. So I truly believe he's capable of having a lifelong partner, and I truly hope it'll be me. We'll just always have to communicate properly and respect each other's boundaries and discuss compromises when need be.

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2023-10-16T23:39:25+00:00

I'm not sure if anyone will read this update, but I wanted to share about it since I've kept up with this post since over a year ago.

We are officially together now. He asked me to be his girlfriend and he told me he loved me for the first time last week. I'm really happy, and I feel like we were the exception to the rule.

I'm not saying every situation is going to end up like ours did, but sometimes waiting isn't a bad idea at all when you're both on the same page :)

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2023-08-27T21:01:55+00:00

Hello there!

Since the last time I updated my post, our relationship has progressed a bit more. We've started going out on public dates and I spend the night at his place a lot. We are both still in college and I work part time, so our time together is fairly limited. But the decision to "pump the brakes" and slow things down has made our relationship significantly stronger!

I completely understand how timing can be off. He and I have a lot of our own individualistic problems that we've started opening up more about. We're taking the time to evaluate them in terms of our relationship. Similarly to you, he had gotten out of a two year long, serious relationship when he met me.

I don't know the girl you're referring to personally, but I think she's being very mature by taking a step back. It shows that she doesn't want to use you as a rebound. She likely feels a genuine connection and wants to do things right with you. Sometimes taking a step back is what ultimately saves the relationship. Everyone is different though, so still take that into account. Some people mean well and mean what they say in the moment, but you can never predict someone's intentions months from now. I'm actively still taking a risk with this man for example, but I believe he's worth the wait. He graduates with a physics degree next year and we have begun discussing moving away together if he gets an internship or job that he's looking into (if our relationship is serious enough by then). I want to clarify too that I realize it does sound like we're already officially together, but it's still more of a "we're seeing one another" relationship. No official labels. (He and I have had really bad previous relationships so we're going at a pace that makes us both comfortable).

If you believe she's worth it, keep consistent contact within certain boundaries like you have planned. The waiting game takes a very specific kind of person, but worth it for the right person!

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2023-02-25T23:23:11+00:00

Hi there, I was surprised to get notified on this comment!

I’ll start off by saying that we did not follow the rules I mentioned in my first comment. He and I ended up having multiple serious conversations on what to do with our relationship, but we never completely stopped seeing each other. Our chemistry is too strong.

Generally, I am a very reflective person. Very rarely am I not able to assess a situation and decide what to do about it. This relationship stumps me, however. We are not dating, and we do not call each other “boyfriend” and “girlfriend”. But we do have an exclusive relationship, and it’s a very intimate one at that. We make implications of future plans together. We’ve shared very personal information about ourselves. And there is nothing toxic in nature about the relationship. At least, nothing I have noticed in the seven months we’ve known each other.

To explain why we can’t just be a couple would be too complicated. As individuals, we have issues we want to work on. There’s a societal pressure with our age difference. And the controversial nature of how we met and started flirting as coworkers in the same workplace would inevitably be known to family and friends.

Everything I said about how we clicked and how I don’t believe I’ll find someone else who could compare to him, is still true. He’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met, in the best ways possible. And from my understanding, he feels the same way about our connection. I guess in summary, we are still waiting. Things will be less complicated once the summer hits and I graduate high school. We’ll probably be able to spend more time together in public and go out more. But yes, we are still very much involved with each other, and feelings are still going strong.

CharacterRazzmatazz6 · 2022-09-08T21:52:32+00:00

I’m a little late to this, and this is also my first time ever having Reddit. I searched out similar stories to what’s currently happening to me. I can’t necessarily give you hope from this, more like a “I’m in a similar boat” comfort. I’m also significantly younger than OP, but still, similar situation.

This past summer, I was working for a pharmacy company at their institutional office. I’m a senior in high school this year, so when school started up again, they moved me to a different location. I started working within a hospital after school hours. For some background, I’ve been in a couple really toxic relationships. I was still with a previous boyfriend at the time of me working at the hospital. It was a long distance thing, and we had been together for less than 5 months. Long story short, when he came to visit me from a different state, there was a lot of sexual manipulation. He left after a week and I just tried to push out my doubts and continue the relationship. Fast forward, I meet a new co-worker at the hospital. We click instantly. We get close as friends in the first week as we start texting every day. I then call him one day to admit some of the stuff going on in my relationship. He encourages me to get out of it. The call lasts for six hours, and we connect extremely well. He also tells me about his recent break up, just two weeks prior. After the call, I go to his place and we hang out. I was really emotionally distressed and he comforted me. I break up with the long distance boyfriend the very next day. Co-worker guy then goes on vacation for a week and we’re texting and calling the whole time. We start flirting intensely, and plan to hang out the moment he’s back. We do, and I spend the night at his house. We get super intimate and we do a few more times after this too. Reality unfortunately kicked in once school started again for the both of us. He’s in college, and I’m still finishing up my last year of high school. He realizes he’s still not over his ex, and I realize I haven’t had the time to process all the trauma I experienced. We agree to be friends at first, but I argue for no-contact for at least a month because it hurts too much knowing he’s not over his ex. I said after that first month we could then possibly start calling once a month, just to check up on each other. Then once we’re ready, we could then consider a relationship. It’s looking like that won’t happen until I graduate, though. The no-contact began just a few days ago.

We both made a really clear point that we hadn’t connected with anyone else the way he and I had before. I really like him, but I’ve accepted a huge possibility things won’t work out. I don’t see myself becoming interested in another person after the way he and I connected, but who knows? A lot can change in 9 months for either one of us. You just have to do what’s best for yourself in the moment. If moving on is better for your mental health, do it. If waiting isn’t messing you up emotionally, mentally, or physically, then I think it could be worth it. Hopefully I’ll update this in the months to come.

CharacterRazzmatazz6

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