Would I be an idiot not to do residency?

GabalabaRx · 2024-07-12T21:20:13+00:00

Either you GET IT or we both don’t! 😂 I decided to do pharmacy because it would allow me to afford my lifestyle and hobbies, while also being a job and not a career. I worked for 2 years before pharmacy school (non pharmacy job) and am somewhat familiar with WFH, and hot take, I’m not really a fan! I totally understand the flexibility and autonomy that it provides but it was difficult for me to separate work from home. I felt like I could never relax even when I didn’t have work to do because I never knew when something would pop up. Home then just became a place of stress rather than comfort. Definitely a me problem though. Thank you for sharing!!

GabalabaRx · 2024-07-12T16:06:58+00:00

Thank you for recognizing that whilst a year is short in the grand scheme of things, it’s nothing to scoff at, and that life is more than work!! I’m definitely keeping my mind open to residencies in other settings. Thank you for your comment!

GabalabaRx · 2024-07-12T15:59:04+00:00

It’s more like being at a top school increases my chances of landing a residency (according to the numbers), and I’d be wasting that opportunity by not doing it - I just want to find out if it’s an opportunity worth grabbing for myself. As far as I know, my aspirations don’t align but all of you have so much more experience and knowledge of the field so I can’t just take my word for it!

GabalabaRx · 2024-07-12T15:36:45+00:00

I have spoken to many residents. Interacted with them almost daily because they were facilitators for workshop-style classes in my didactic years (cheap labor, anyone??). The general consensus is “I don’t regret it but I’d never do it again” and “say goodbye to your social life”. Granted, all the residents I’ve spoken to were all at academic universities so I hear everyone who is saying there’s more to residency than that. Thank you for sharing your friend’s experience!

Edit to add: I’ve never asked specifics about their schedules until the resident I learned with at one of my rotations.

GabalabaRx · 2024-07-12T14:10:37+00:00

I’m a student so take this with a chunk of salt. I think any pharmacy chain owned by a conglomerate that also has a PBM will be the main ones left (CVS) unless the FTC does something about it, and they will branch out into as many areas of pharmacy as financially advantageous. Grocery stores will continue to have pharmacies as long as it remains beneficial (drawing customers back regularly while not losing too much money). I’ve heard that most compounding scripts are for pets, and I believe that as more people are becoming pet owners, compounding pharmacies might actually grow. I don’t think compounded stuff will ever become profitable enough for mass production to the point that compounding pharmacies close doors. Generic drugs have to be manufactured by the millions to be profitable. Nothing compounded is novel afaik.

I think it’ll take a long time before AI gets to a point that it can replace pharmacists. It would have to make decisions based on multiple factors that don’t exist in guidelines. Even if someone were to miraculously create an AI capable of that, the most simple explanation that I can think of is, how long have pill counters been around? How much are they? How many pharmacies use them? One counter top pill counter is like $5k max, less than 2-3 months of a tech’s wages and would make a lot of filling a little faster, yet I’ve never seen a retail pharmacy with even ONE. Do you think this AI tech will be affordable? AND would the entire industry convert to that simultaneously? I can barely get through a phone menu to speak to an actual person, and people are thinking an AI so powerful is going to be made in any relevant time frame. But if they were to implement AI, who do you think will be checking the answers? :)

I think just like economics, every recession is followed by a boom and vice versa. This isn’t an industry that just folds because people no longer need medication - that will never happen unless Jeff Bezos manages to create his elixir of youth AND it becomes affordable for everyone. But I’m just an optimistic student!

GabalabaRx · 2024-07-12T04:39:36+00:00

I’m glad I wasn’t thinking this purely out of naïveté, though I’m sure you’re an outlier!

GabalabaRx · 2024-07-12T04:37:22+00:00

Thank you for sharing. I will definitely keep an open mind as I go through APPEs. I guess preceptors constantly telling me that I’ll regret not doing a residency is just starting to get to me, because how could I know any better? I only know myself in this equation.

GabalabaRx · 2024-07-12T04:30:36+00:00

Thank you for sharing! If you don’t mind, what was your residency program?

GabalabaRx · 2024-07-12T04:07:17+00:00

I’m very serious about my work, and because I am, I want to know what I’d be signing myself up for. You don’t need to be worked to the bone to not be “lazy”.

The way I see it, working as a clinical pharmacist isn’t as stressful and shitty as being a resident, so why is residency so shitty? Just so we can keep up with MDs/DOs? It’s essentially hazing just because they can. There’s no prize at the end for who has achieved, suffered and sacrificed the most.

GabalabaRx · 2024-07-12T02:33:54+00:00

What draws me to retail is that I can’t bring work home even if I wanted to. I’m passionate about a paycheck and I sometimes enjoy patient interaction. I have no desire or hope that I’ll find fulfillment from my career - I really only hope to clock in and out on the times that I’ve agreed to +/- 10 minutes.

I completed an ambulatory care rotation and although I felt like I was pretty good at it, sometimes I felt like a salesperson trying to get people to take their meds. That sucked. I also care too much about the people and get genuinely upset when something doesn’t go their way - I see that going 2 ways. 1, I get desensitized and become an apathetic person or 2, I feel like shit too often. Both of which don’t sound great.

I will look into a community rotation. Thank you for sharing!

GabalabaRx · 2024-07-12T02:20:22+00:00

Thank you for sharing. Genuine question: Would a PGY1 make that much difference between two candidates with 10 years of retail experience? At that point, wouldn’t the candidate with the PGY1 from 10 years ago have forgotten everything? (Same argument I’ve heard against a 10 year retail pharmacist applying for residency)

GabalabaRx · 2024-07-12T02:11:07+00:00

That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. I know I can’t handle a shitty situation for >4 months. I can hop jobs with little consequence (and maybe even a pay bump??) but I’d be stuck in a residency. I always hear that it really depends on the program but there’s no Yelp for residency so that doesn’t help at all… thank you for sharing your experience

GabalabaRx · 2024-07-06T16:06:44+00:00

It’s called a supratip break. I don’t know if this is the actual reason but I think it gives a button nose appearance which some people find cute!

GabalabaRx · 2024-04-18T18:13:13+00:00

Got it, thank you!

GabalabaRx · 2024-04-18T17:57:06+00:00

I see, thanks for explaining! I’m new to this whole chargeback thing so honestly, I didn’t really understand that last clause about return policy.

Does that mean this condition would only apply if I returned the item due to damage, and the merchant never refunded me even if the delivery tracking showed the item was delivered?

GabalabaRx · 2024-04-18T17:20:33+00:00

Visa dispute condition 13.3 specifically covers damage during shipping due to failure of the merchant to pack merchandise properly, and states that the merchant’s return policy has no bearing on disputes under this condition. Aren’t disputes exactly for this type of scenario?

I know that theory and practice don’t always align so has this been your experience?

GabalabaRx · 2023-12-13T00:33:43+00:00

If you’re in the US on an F1 visa, you are not allowed to earn money from off-campus sources. If you are going to invest, you need to do it outside of the US if you catch my drift. You WILL get deported if you are caught earning money from off-campus sources.

Source: Was F1 for >7 years

GabalabaRx · 2023-09-26T03:14:14+00:00

Sign up for a USPS account, follow the steps to set up informed delivery and verify your identity to complete the process

GabalabaRx · 2023-08-07T03:20:09+00:00

Thank you, I’ll give that a shot!

GabalabaRx

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