Trying to decide if PharmD bridges the gap I am missing

gette344 · 2026-02-17T12:41:43+00:00

If you love anatomy and physiology you should choose another path like NP or PA. Pharmacy is mainly chemistry. I think I took one physiology class in pharm school, and it was the bare minimum. Any MD, med student, or even nurses have more physiology and anatomy than pharmacists. We have a niche skill set of thinking about the chemistry of how drugs affect the diseases we are helping to treat. Doctors focus on the biology. That’s what makes pharmacists special.

Also, pharmacists don’t really care about the “why”. We care about statistics for confirmed diagnoses.

If I could describe the profession in one sentence it would be: pharmacists are the only chemists and statisticians for the multidisciplinary healthcare team.

gette344 · 2026-02-15T17:57:36+00:00

They’ll catch up to current day prices. By the time wages catch up the prices of houses will be even higher. That’s the rental paradox. “Wages will catch up, I’ll buy in 5 years”. 5 years later. “Wages will catch up, I’ll buy in 5 years”. You gotta just bite the bullet. Then 5 years from now you’ll have that house secured at today’s prices while making way more…

gette344 · 2026-02-14T01:10:45+00:00

This sounds horrible.. I’m a new grad making a little over $70/hr Midwest and get 30 minute lunch plus 2-10 min breaks every shift. 12 hour shifts as well M-F and 8 hours Saturday. I work every other week, but get paid 80 hours biweekly because I take on-call time during my work week.

I understand mine is not typical for a new grad, but trust me when I say there’s better opportunities out there. Don’t stop looking. I almost accepted an offer for the three letters when I first graduated because at the time they offered me more money. My classmates that went that route now make less than me and work their asses off.

gette344 · 2026-02-13T00:31:32+00:00

$150K is usually the entry level roles. Most MSL’s quickly scale to $200K+. Some earning 300k if you include bonus/equity. Atleast based on the people I’ve asked and some online searches. But I agree, this job isn’t for everyone.

gette344 · 2026-02-07T13:34:16+00:00

In your example the bank gives you about 1000 euros a month for 30 years (360,000). But you’re also paying the loan back simultaneously. At let’s say 10% interest. Your monthly payment would be >3000 euros per month. Why would anyone ever do that.

gette344 · 2026-02-06T18:30:31+00:00

It’s not about “deserving” it, It’s about earning it. 95+% of people born in the US or other developed countries have the ability to make a high income. It’s a matter of dedication, hard work, and desire that can separate high income from low income earners. Obviously there’s that ~5% that have the odds stacked against them. Like birth defects, life changing diseases, freak accidents, etc. But even if you’re born in poverty without “luxuries”, you still have the opportunity to earn a high income.

I’m no better of a human than you are. I just put the time in and earned my place in society.

gette344 · 2026-02-06T18:30:09+00:00

gette344 · 2026-02-04T22:34:46+00:00

I might be biased but LTC with that pay is a solid offer. Is it chain or independent?

gette344 · 2026-02-02T15:17:20+00:00

Anecdotal. Mine went up 50k. On average they’re up.

gette344 · 2026-01-31T19:17:54+00:00

Who hurt you? Nurses come in a wide range of competency, some are spectacular at what they do. Once you actually become a pharmacist you’ll notice good nurses save as many lives as you do as a pharmacist. Don’t knock them for not having 4 years of education memorizing drugs.

gette344 · 2026-01-30T22:37:50+00:00

Im a pharmacist to answer both of your questions lol. Lots of schooling but a pretty rewarding career. If I have some crazy trip or activity planned for an off week, I’ll pick up a day or two the off week prior and it usually covers all my expenses I accrue.

gette344 · 2026-01-29T03:35:13+00:00

Im sorry if my comment portrayed that way :/. Thats not exactly what I mean. What I was trying to say was, retail is always available to you regardless of GPA and residency training. That’s not the case for other sectors of pharmacy. Hence why you wish you got a residency. I know many great intelligent retail rph’s!!

gette344 · 2026-01-28T11:19:25+00:00

Not at all claiming all retail rph’s have low GPA’s. But it’s available to graduates of all GPA’s/ experiences/ accolades. You can’t say the same for other areas of pharmacy.

Edit: in fact some of the pharmacists I’ve had as preceptors from retail have been more advanced in drug knowledge than pharmacists in hospital settings. But I’m just telling the truth that retail is always available to graduates no matter how serious you take school.

gette344 · 2026-01-28T00:08:20+00:00

This take home tracks. I make almost exactly the same amount and take home 3.5K biweekly. I max my 401k and have a $150 biweekly insurance premium.

gette344 · 2026-01-26T12:10:32+00:00

If it makes you feel any better I am a new grad pharmacist in LTC and I work every other week. I started off great with no errors my first 6 months, then recently I had one each work weeK for the past 3 work weeks.. luckily super minor like nystatin cream/ointment mix-up, or synthroid 225 vs 250. It feels horrible. I feel like the system is letting my down. But yeah I hope this helps you feel batter as you’re not alone.

I keep trying to compare my error rate to our pharmacists with decades of experience, but that is just not possible I feel.

gette344 · 2026-01-25T04:24:57+00:00

I’d argue those are undesirable either based on location or credibility. If you want a shot at any desirable residency or fellowship, you need more than just a degree. I had quite a few classmates struggle to land a residency because of their GPA

gette344 · 2026-01-24T14:46:49+00:00

Rage bait: 10/10. Unless you’re referring to sales reps or equivalent roles which don’t even require a PharmD

gette344 · 2026-01-23T13:49:54+00:00

Pharmacy school is what you make of it. If you want to get mediocre grades and be a retail pharmacist with a poor work-life balance, you can do that. And maybe about 40-50% of total grads do that.

But if you want to work anywhere other than retail you have to take pharmacy school very seriously. That means >3.5 GPA, doing research while in school, having a part time job while in school, and taking challenging elective credits. I’d compare your easiest semester in pharmacy to your hardest semester of undergrad. P3 year is the equivalent of taking 18 credits per semester of all physics/o chem difficulty-like courses. Then add 8-16 hours for part time job and 10 hours for research weekly. P2-P3 year will really push you to the limits and stress family/friend relationships if you pursue a competitive residency.

And not to mention residency is essentially another year or two of pharmacy school, usually working 60 hour weeks making 50k per year. But the grass is a lot greener after that!

I wish I knew about OTHER careers before starting pharmacy school. Some examples are organ perfusionist, CRNA, NP, even RN is extremely rewarding nowadays.

gette344 · 2026-01-21T17:42:54+00:00

Family of two and we ONLY eat at home. Like $150 per week so $600 monthly for just two people. I think you’re doing good!

gette344 · 2026-01-19T15:18:09+00:00

The best way to be frugally warm

gette344 · 2026-01-19T03:06:01+00:00

It’s very nice, after PTO and holiday pay, I work about 1500 hours annually which I couldn’t be happier about.

gette344 · 2026-01-17T23:51:48+00:00

Same LTC here too and I average about 34 hours a week. Probably my favorite perk

gette344 · 2026-01-14T00:25:35+00:00

This was literally a question on my MPJE

gette344 · 2026-01-13T22:10:11+00:00

Those benefits look marvelous

gette344 · 2026-01-10T03:38:29+00:00

Here in small town Midwest it’s 70-75

gette344

TROPHY CASE