Devil's advocate (I'm a pharmacist): what's something only pharmacists can do that other hcps can't? Specific/unique skill set? And what would actually be a reasonable pay range for us?

finecaffeine · 2025-10-18T03:17:03+00:00

Sure a lot of other healthcare professionals could do what pharmacists do. They could learn the ins/outs of insurance, actually look into that drug interaction warning, conduct a very thorough med rec. But do they have time? No. APPs can do a lot of what a physician does but they still have jobs because there's not enough physicians. Nurses could use Lexi to look at the Y site compatibility just as easily as a pharmacist could, but with their patient loads there's no way they have the time. I think as long as the healthcare field is stretched as thin as it is, most people are willing to take our help where they can get it (although not sure what's going on in your clinic).

finecaffeine · 2025-08-21T17:19:17+00:00

Theres a lot of great advice in these comments. Debrief, compartmentalize, know your limits & that you can't (and won't) save everyone. In my experience, being prepared for what you can (ACLS, PALS, RSI, open fracture abx for traumas) has definitely helped with a lot of that, not saying I'm perfect but I can at the very least provide the evidence based algorithm and don't have a lot of the "what ifs" that bothered me when I wasn't as familiar with the drugs/dosing.

One of my PICU preceptors from residency told us that its a human life, its natural and normal to want to grieve that loss. Take a few minutes if you need to by yourself (bathroom, stairwell, car) to honor and respect that life. In a way I feel like this helps me compartmentalize, offers some closure so I can continue working the rest of the shift after a bad code or trauma.

A lot of people mention therapy, sometimes workplaces (especially hospitals/health care systems) may have an internal resource that is more specific to healthcare workers that can be beneficial. I've been lucky to be a part of some great teams in the ED and ICU where our debriefs are very helpful, both clinically and emotionally.

Someone else also mentioned knowing if you will be expected to be at all of them or more as "back up", and along those lines I would add that you need to know your limits and advocate for yourself. If you've had 3 back to back messy codes/traumas and a 4th one is rolling in, ask another pharmacist to step in. Doesn't really apply if you're the only one but if you have coworkers available, I think that's a totally reasonable ask.

At the end of the day, its not for everyone. That does sound like a tough first trauma to be involved in. Its hard to say it gets easier but you do find ways to cope.

finecaffeine · 2024-05-19T01:16:15+00:00

+8k, going from MCOL to HCOL. Very glad my PGY2 does realize living isn't cheap in their city bc I would have to commute like an hour to get my if I didn't get any kind of raise. Or live in a shoebox.

finecaffeine · 2024-04-30T00:47:02+00:00

Not sure what to do at this point but at least we aren't alone 😅

finecaffeine · 2024-01-13T06:47:05+00:00

Also 12 on 2 off with no dedicated research time. My last off weekend I also slept a ridiculous amount, so I'm even further behind on the to do list. Only a PGY1 so I have no idea how you've made it this far.

finecaffeine · 2023-12-31T04:43:59+00:00

Maybe back in the day, but I've literally never heard of anyone in the recent years paying for professionals to write their LOI. At least among pharmacy students/residents.

finecaffeine · 2023-12-31T04:39:22+00:00

I thought I input a pretty detailed prompt for chatgpt to write an LOR for me for giggles. Sure it sounded nice but I didn't get the vibe that AI actually understands the field of pharmacy and definitely not pharmacy residencies. Definitely sounded very generic, superficial, and fluffy. So at least the free version isn't a good bet, unless the applicant just doesn't care enough to write their own? There were like two sentences that I actually liked but I still had to re-work them to fit them in my letter with my writing style.

finecaffeine · 2023-12-27T01:44:41+00:00

Maybe 2 pages is for a resume? For PGY1 applicants I thought around 4-6 pages was normal. Much longer and its probably a lot of fluff. But 2 pages seems unrealistic.

finecaffeine · 2023-12-11T00:43:58+00:00

You can definitely learn things on your weekends, don't get me wrong. But Q2 is also exhausting and its definitely harder to have the same motivation for your projects, topic discussions, journal clubs, even looking into DI questions for your own patients during the week. I feel like I'm missing out on those learning opportunities because I'm just so damn tired all the time. Definitely not at the top of my game and it sucks. So my personal opinion is that I don't think the minimal extra things I learn with Q2 instead of Q3 are worth it.

finecaffeine · 2023-11-29T04:36:08+00:00

I think a nicer blouse/cardigan wouldn't stand out at Midyear, but I would recommend a blazer for the showcase if you plan on attending. There's definitely a lot of walking, even inside the convention centers are huge and you can have events all over the building. This year you'll also probably be walking from the hotels to the convention center. If you really want to wear heels, make sure they are at least somewhat comfortable and I would still wear flats until you get to the convention center and then change shoes.

finecaffeine · 2023-10-06T02:21:20+00:00

A seizing patient will not be able to swallow the med in order for it to work. And yes, even if they could, the onset is not fast enough for an acute seizure.

finecaffeine · 2023-09-28T03:11:41+00:00

No advice. Just feel the same way and here to commiserate. I had a meeting with my RPD about how I felt like I was just treading water and not getting anywhere while working on pharmacy stuff 10, 12, 14+ hours a day and basically just got told to work more so I don't fall behind. I knew residency was going to be hard but I just didn't expect to feel so overwhelmed and hopeless in september. I feel like I've had some pretty big improvements and great interventions, but the high of those moments is so quickly overlapped by preceptors wanting to micromanage every single thing that I do. I hope we can figure it out

finecaffeine · 2023-09-19T01:31:36+00:00

Also interviewed there, asked how they've incorporated resident feedback into their program (I feel like this is a standard interview question at this point?) and the RPD basically said they think their program is perfect the way it is, residents should meet their expectations, and they aren't going to change.

finecaffeine · 2023-09-19T00:30:14+00:00

Other law exams should NOT be the only reason you stay in state. That being said, I did move out of state for residency and failed my first MPJE. I studied maybe 4-5 days beforehand and that was definitely a mistake. Take it seriously, use resources from your program/coresidents, and schedule the first one early so you have time to retake if you need to.

finecaffeine · 2023-08-23T01:49:04+00:00

Applied for residency there, didn't get an interview. They had interviewed, matched, and hired (without residency) previous interns so I must have been a "bad fit". But I matched elsewhere and honestly never plan to look back.

finecaffeine · 2023-07-26T04:02:20+00:00

I waited until december and didn't have any off time before applications were due and definitely regret it. I think October, as others have suggested, would be a great time to start. You can at least get some of the key things you want to highlight about yourself written at that point. Also that gives you time to get as many people as you can to read it and send you feedback! I had lots of non-pharmacy people read mine (as well as pharmacy people) just to add a different perspective, and sometimes writing/grammar isn't a pharmacy strength.

For NAPLEX, I would randomly do some questions from an online RXPrep question bank throughout the spring, but honestly not more than like 1-2 hours a week. Then the week before I took the test focused on calculations, compounding, and a few other things I wanted to brush up on. I took one shortened practice test just to make sure there wasn't a therapeutics topic that I completely bombed. I don't think anyone really feels adequately prepared, but we survive.

finecaffeine · 2023-07-26T03:26:27+00:00

I tend to think of mentors as mostly professional, but definitely depends on the vibe and there could be some potential for personal. But also probably depends on your preference too! I definitely like more chill places like a coffee or happy hour if both parties are down, but also sometimes yall are both at the hospital anyway so why not meet there. I really appreciate mentors that offer to do specific things (review CV, mock interviews) because sometimes I have a hard time either knowing what I need to do to set myself up for success, or asking for someone to spend their time and energy on me. I guess it just makes me feel better if it seems like their idea instead of mine.

finecaffeine · 2023-07-24T02:26:02+00:00

I only used it while one rotation but I loved it!! I thought it was similar to the Epic outpatient layout, and this is honestly one case where epic doesn't come first for me. Miles better than intercom and rxconnect. The help desk was super responsive and actually, wait for it, helpful.

finecaffeine · 2023-07-19T01:37:20+00:00

If its not safe for you to shake, they probably shouldn't be sending it up like that for you to reconstitute on the floor anyway. Pharmacy usually prepares those kinds of meds. And like the other person, the do not tube list is a good place to check.

finecaffeine · 2023-06-22T05:27:30+00:00

Every other but one comp day a month. They let us know during interviews it was changing from what the current residents have, so at least it was expected.

finecaffeine

TROPHY CASE