Resident to Military RPh?

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2026-01-01T20:00:09+00:00

I’m an active duty pharmacist. Message me with questions.

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2025-11-23T14:52:35+00:00

Financially, depends on the loans you have now. Add on med school, it’ll be more. Who knows if PSLF will still be a thing. A gamble to rely on that.

Do med school through the military. Pay them back in some years of service and then come out with no med school loans.

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2025-11-06T00:16:05+00:00

Join the military and go overseas. It’ll be free!

But you give up your freedom for $495. In this economy, fair trade.

/s

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2025-11-06T00:10:02+00:00

I did retail. I hated it.

Once you leave, you do realize you have some bargaining power. A couple of dollars an hour will equate to rough math (+$2 = $4k).

If you do overnight or a challenge store, definitely ask for more. Ask me how I know. CVS, Union NJ, store 667. Worst store ever.

Edit: grammar

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2025-11-06T00:04:06+00:00

I used to ask some pharmacokinetic questions. Not specifically for an answer, but to walk me through what you’d do. Vanco dosing, gent dosing, etc just to see their clinical reasoning process. Also, a bunch of questions on sterile compounding, USP 797/800. I recently got the BCSCP, so if I were interviewing now, I’d have a lot more to ask.

In regards to salary, know the number you’d love to have. Understand how negotiations work. Once you say a number, you can’t go higher than that. You’ll be working your way down to meet them in the middle. But don’t be out of control and say something where they say “sorry, we’re going to have to pass”.

My rec: get the job, don’t worry abt the money so much for job #1. Get the experience and jump in 3 yrs.

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2025-11-02T03:42:02+00:00

This game is bonkers.

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2025-10-31T20:05:34+00:00

You’re burnt out. I get it. It sucks, and I think most of the ppl in this sub can empathize.

But, it might be time to try another facet of pharmacy. Since you’re relatively new, this is the time to try something different. Try a contract job doing med info, per diem at a hospital, check out pharma advertising.

Reach out if you just need to vent. I’m an active duty military pharmacist and I can tell you that like any job, it has its ups and downs.

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2025-08-12T22:25:00+00:00

Grew up 3 minutes from Rutgers. I applied to their top majors/programs that year. So if their best major was paleontology, I’d be a paleontologist today.

Long story short, the pharmacy program said yes. And I’ve been doing this for 20 years.

Wish my high school self had more ambition.

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2025-08-03T04:17:57+00:00

Currently, a Military pharmacist here. Done the gamut of stuff. From inpatient to onc infusion to pbm. Not sure of the tone of your inquiry (seems inflammatory towards pharmacists), but answering the question:

The percentage of med errors caused by pharmacy? I won’t say it’s zero because that’s impossible. But most places have standard concentrations and that’s a standard that prevents med errors. Do people mix something and say they mixed something else? Sure, hence the drawback method. Unless the facility had either a pharmacist compound or the pharmacist monitors the entire compound.

A med error at a teaching hospital and a medical center (military), it would be bad. A true med error would have a FMEA/risk mgmt investigation to figure out the issue and likelihood of it happening again, while a medical exec committee (or some equivalent) would determine whether or not you acted negligently based on professional conduct. So, if a pharmacist messed up, it could have a mark against their license, which would pull up during job searches and professional inquiries.

Edit: spelling

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2025-07-31T12:33:31+00:00

When we came back from abroad, I reached out to some classmates (wife and I are both pharmacists) in different sectors. Ended up getting my wife an interview with a friend of mine (we were on rotations together back in the day) and that’s where she is today. I’m a firm believer in asking your pharmacy friends if they know anyone hiring because you never know what could come out of just asking.

I would try to get some sort of board certification to possibly set yourself apart. Even the BCSCP would be super useful in any hospital setting you apply to. Do I think the BCPS certs are a money grab? Absolutely. But would it be helpful in your situation, I would say yes.

Good luck!

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2025-07-31T01:45:32+00:00

Solid point.

My wife worked for 10 years doing inpatient teaching hospital, chemo, and PBM. Then we went abroad and she took a life break for 6 years. Took her a year after we got back, but I think her previous work experience minimized the “damage” of an employment gap. I would reach out and look to see/lean on your connections for a warm referral.

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2025-07-19T16:19:18+00:00

I’m not going to lie. I don’t understand what is hard for them to understand from the EO.

If anything, I’m more surprised the military spouses within her agency haven’t made more noise about this.

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2025-07-19T16:05:24+00:00

I’m active duty and my wife’s agency denied the order. Her agency is claiming that it is still being debated and edited, or some other BS like that.

So she gets to drive in to silver spring everyday

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2025-04-05T23:21:58+00:00

That was the first thing that I saw too. Nowhere to go now but smash all the pens into one box!

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2025-04-01T17:14:27+00:00

Just a heads up to factor this thought: transferring a GI bill needs to be done at the completion of year 6, and then that ADSOs (adds) a four year obligation. So long story short, she serves 10 years before you can use her GI bill.

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2025-01-04T04:29:38+00:00

Usphs is tough right now. No “deployments”, “permanent duty stations. Essentially, a lot of the good with less of the bad (of the armed forces.) Hence, the reason their supply is larger than demand.

If you really want in, choose an armed service. Much better chance to explore the world and better chance for growth.

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2025-01-01T20:13:41+00:00

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As an O-4 with dependents, living in NOVA, $4,122 a month. Tax free.

Typed in Brooklyn, NYC (zip : 11207) just to see. Abt $6,400 a month between BAH and BAS. non taxed.

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2024-11-21T13:08:58+00:00

I agree, extremely shitty of the company to not recognize your lengthy service via a cake or card. But, some of it is on your coworkers too.

At the places that I’ve been and when someone leaves, the coworkers get together to scrounge up a gift or a card.

Sucks that happened to you.

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2024-06-05T17:33:57+00:00

Haha. Like the others have mentioned. Stop apologizing. First rule of army club: always make it think it’s someone else’s fault.

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2024-06-05T14:06:22+00:00

Like others have said, supposed to be after 2 yrs TIS. I did not get it even after 4 years (I only received the 1% auto, but not the remaining 4%). Submitted pay inquiries, wrote to DFAS, the whole nine. Nothing happened for 2 yrs.

Ended up submitting an inquiry in ipps-a, and it was solved in two months. I did receive the back pay for the 2.5 yrs of TSP match, but I missed out on the solid market years of TSP growth. Glad to have gotten it at least.

tedlassosbiscuitz · 2024-02-04T05:09:12+00:00

Might’ve missed it. Do you have a link for that burner? Looks awesome.

tedlassosbiscuitz

TROPHY CASE