Pharmicists makes $44+/hour

[JustAnotherGuy]

Talking about how much you make is always a bad idea. I did it once. Never again. I will answer this poll though.

[Deegee]

As long as you make enough money to live how you want to live and don't hate your job I wouldn't worry about the dollar amount.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by GreenTeaFrapp

Meh. I've billed out at over $200/hr in the past.

I know sap consultants that made $2500 a day.

[Weiser Wonder]

I make 9 dollars an hour.

[PYroMaNiaC]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

Haha quite true, but they also need the knowledge. There's more than just your superstore pharmacist. A lot work in hospitals and rural areas where they do more than just count pills. It's a good stable career to have, but it's boring as hell.

I don't know about boring. In small communities, that's where the fun and the challenge is. Rural pharmacies have to compete against big box stores that fill prescriptions cheaper so they have to offer more service and varied products. The pharmacists here in Sundre offer a ton of knowledge on vitamins, natural products, home health care options, body building supplements, etc. They do the ordering, sometimes scouring the internet to find the best options available in alternative health care.

Originally Posted by Jedi Ninja

$120K sounds great except for the part about having to be a Pharmacist... Spending the whole day in some supermarket drug store on your feet counting pills, by yourself, with the occasional 1 minute conversation taking money from a sick person. With that kind of boredom, it would just be too tempting to start dipping into the supplies.

The pharmacists in Supermarkets are exactly that. The supermarket pharmacists are filling cheap prescriptions with basic instructions and no personal interactions. There isn't an extensive front store side with lots of health care options, so there's no need for them to step out from behind their counter. Because of the shortage of pharmacists, they get paid well, and their lives probably are boring.

Originally Posted by Jedi Ninja

I don't know, in the two pharmacies near my house (neither of which are that busy), the pharmacists seem to usually be working by themselves at the back. I'm pretty sure they are pharmacists and not techs, these places aren't usually busy enough to have more than 1 staff. (Do techs work alone ever?)

Also, don't you get stuck with a lot of sucky evening and weekend shifts?

No techs never work alone. It's against the law for a pharmacy to be open without a pharmacist on shift. Check their hours of operation. Small pharmacies are usually open shorter hours. And because pharmacists can ask for a variety of benefits (and get them), there exists a loosely jointed network of relief pharmacists that will cover nights, weekends, holidays ect. for the right price.

They might not be busy because of the trend of customers who want the lowest price, not the best service. Small, independantly owned pharmacies will usually bend over backwards to give their clients superior service and they make an effort to establish a rappor with their customers. That way, they can order supplies and products that best serve needs.

Like any job, it's only as challenging as you make it. Absolutely, pharmacists can pick an enviroment that suits what they want their career to look like.

[@theCBE]

They do a lot more than just count pills. Like someone said earlier that is mostly the techs job. They do a lot of patient counseling, teaching them how to take the drugs, insert the suppository etc. If a patient comes in for Plan B without a perscription they need to take 15 minutes to counsel the patient about safe sex and other options.

They are in the process of being licensed to perscribe certain medications as well as administer vaccinations.

They make creams, ointments, mix and administer methadone.

They also have to be aware of drug interactions that may occur with all of the drugs a patient is taking. Lots of their day is spent correcting Drs mistakes.

Pharmacists that work in hospitals do even more stuff and rarely just count pills. Sometimes pharmacists are present when Drs make their rounds.

[LChoy]

Health Guy here:

Pharmacists are more important than ever right now. With a straining health system, the role of practice for Pharmacists is expanding. Pharmacists can now have the option to offer basic prescribing responsibilities and pretty soon, they might be able to give basic travel vaccinations. There are many people without a primary health provider and turn to pharmacists for advice on their health

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Lchoy

Health Guy here:

Pharmacists are more important than ever right now. With a straining health system, the role of practice for Pharmacists is expanding. Pharmacists can now have the option to offer basic prescribing responsibilities and pretty soon, they might be able to give basic travel vaccinations. There are many people without a primary health provider and turn to pharmacists for advice on their health

About freakin' time.

[TSXCman]

For someone's earlier comment: nurses do not make much money, especially when you factor in the amount of work and the fact that it is the work that no one else will do. it takes a rare breed of person.


I recently got prescribed antibiotics, and it happened to be a similar strain to ceclor, which I am allergic to. My doctor did not notice this, but thankfully my pharmacist did, the lady at the desk immediately brought it to my attention once she brought up my info and saw the drug name. She researched a couple alternatives, contacted the doctor, got the prescription changed, and had all matters settled by the time i returned in 15 minutes.

So i'm just trying to add that they aren't completely mindless pill counters, but do have responsibilites and skills on hand that we do not notice on a regular

[Reggie Dunlop]

I consider my pharmacist an integral team member on my road back to health. His advice and concern for my well-being has been crucial.

[schteve_d]

I developed a love affair for pharmacists a few years ago when a girlfriend of mine got a prescription from her doctor and took it to get filled at the pharmacy.

The pharmacist asked if my girlfriend was on birth control. She was. The pharmacist then said: "Did your doctor tell you that this medication will render the pill useless?" He hadn't. I like pharmacists!

[FlamesAddiction]

Pharmacists need to know a lot about chemistry and various medical conditions. It's extremely knowledge instensive work that can be deadly if they are not on the ball.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by fotze

They deserve it too, since that has the be the world's most godawful boring sh*t to work in, did that for an internship, I'd rather suck a bag of dicks for a living than do that crap again.

Oh god, I did SAP for an internship too. I almost hung myself with a jacket one day when I looked at the clock, and it was only 1:45pm and I still had over 3 hours to work.

High paying jobs... one of my dad's friend is some sort of ChemE specialist (he was a university prof for a while too) and made $3000 a day as a consultant, working 5 hours. He was semi-retired at that time, and got flown around the world for that.

I have a friend who is in marketing making $190k (after bonus's, his base salary is $60k) and works 10 hours a week. Makes me wonder why I choose a career where I'll be slaving my ass away for the same annual salary.

A few guys/gals I know working for a Venture Capitalist, or are involved in startups, make $320-420k but work 12-15 hour days.

I think I"ll take the 10 hour a week, $190k a year job please.

[Azure]

Personally, I think people should find a field that interests them the most, and not one that 'pays' them the most.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by Azure

Personally, I think people should find a field that interests them the most, and not one that 'pays' them the most.

If that's the case, there'd be a lot of jobs open when every man decides to become a porn star.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

I have a friend who is in marketing making $190k (after bonus's, his base salary is $60k) and works 10 hours a week. Makes me wonder why I choose a career where I'll be slaving my ass away for the same annual salary.

.

Yeah, but for every 1 marketing graduate that makes it big like that, there are probably another 10 that end up in some crappy unrelated job.

Similarily, I originally went to film school for a year before deciding to get a science degree instead and there is 1 guy that I went to film school with who is doing really well down in California, and one that works for YTV.... most of the rest are working at Blockbuster. Sometimes I am jealous of the couple that are doing alright, but then I think of the rest, and I am happy with my decision.

[DOK]

Originally Posted by Flame Of Liberty

I don't know about that. I always thought all they do is hand you over the counter whatever your doctor prescribed. No?

Doctors know about the diseases and diagnose them, the pharmacists are the ones who know about the medications. It's a fact that pharmacists know more about medication than doctors.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by DOK

Doctors know about the diseases and diagnose them, the pharmacists are the ones who know about the medications. It's a fact that pharmacists know more about medication than doctors.

Yeah, and if doctors don't specialize in something, they're often pretty ignorant when it comes to treating it.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Azure

Yeah, and if doctors don't specialize in something, they're often pretty ignorant when it comes to treating it.

Or they go to their book and look up what the symptoms are and match them up with a diagnosis. Yeah, thanks.... but I could have done that!

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Or they go to their book and look up what the symptoms are and match them up with a diagnosis. Yeah, thanks.... but I could have done that!

I do that

Unless I need to go get a xray or MRI or vaccine, I haven't been to the doctor since... junior high?