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a friend of mine is starting college and is thinking about pharmacy. does anyone know anything about this occupation, and/or has any advice as to which pharmacy school to go to…..?
LIU has a great program. It’s a great profession. Solid, steady, and lucrative.
A few notes from friends of mine who work as pharmisists…
1) Some jobs (esp in retail) will want you to work saturdays, if you are shomer shabbat (and If you are reading YWN that is probably true) you will not be able to get those jobs. Mind you I have Shomer Shabbat Pharmacists friends and they have jobs, its just there are some limits.
2) When people ask you what you do for a living you can say that you “Sell Drugs” or the like.
3) The job will require you stand for most of the day, if you have bad feet it might not be for you.
IF you think you will like it I would suggest doing some reading and talk to some people who are in the field. Maybe even as a pharmasist if you can shadow them for a day or two. After all if you are not going to like the job its better to find that out sooner rather than later 😉
It’s true that some retail positions may require one to work on Saturdays, but there are many pharmacy specialties by which that may not be the case. Options include hospital pharmacy, clinical, ambulatory care, disease state management, palliative care, mail order pharmacy, R&D, and others. Those options can also address the concern of standing on one’s feet the whole day.
The line about “selling drugs” is so true – I’m in pharmacy school now, and so often when I tell people what I’m studying people tell me “oh, so you’re going to be a drug dealer?” You learn to smile and go with it.
Touro has a great pharmacy school in NY (Harlem, more specifically), which of course has no class on Yom Tov, and no tests on Isru Chag.
Overall – It’s a 4-year doctorate beyond a bachelor’s, with a very nice salary, normal hours, a clear “chessed-oriented” job, and it’s illegal to take your work home (so clear work/family balance). And the degree transfers to Israel. I’ve been told by multiple Rabbis and mentors, “I don’t know why more frum girls don’t go into this profession.”
I’m happy to be in this field, and am happy to answer any specific questions you have!
besides the cost which has gone up very significantly since the requirement for a Pharm-D degree, you also need to keep in mind that most retail settings, even if you can get out of the shabbos issue or if they are closed on Shabbos, will want at least one evening a week and some Sundays. This may not be a big issue as you start out, but as kids get older it can cause child care issues that are not always so easy to deal with.
Is your friend male or female?
I know several girls who went into pharmacy. Like most professions, the field is pretty full, unless you are willing to move out of town.
If you’re willing to work evenings and Sundays, there is still plenty of openings. You may have to work at 2-3 different stores, but they are almost always loking for someone for these times
Research pharmacy (i.e. being the pharmacist for clinical research studies, usually working in hospitals) is one of the most fascinating areas I can imagine for anyone interested in science. Good luck!
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