Pharmacist Wages? (Mart, Parker: credit, community college, salary)

[Torrey]

For the cost of living in CALIFORNIA, a wage of $50 an hour is ridiculously LOW. Why don't the Pharmacists in California strike?

Pharmacists and Doctors are the most powerful in terms of careers, and the Medical industry controls everything the government does with the prescription drug market.

My wife is going to be graduating with her Doctor of Pharmacy degree soon (PharmD) and we are looking to move out of Texas for personal reasons.

What companies are trying to do with current students is make them feel like it's a 'privledge' to work for their company. Hogwash! Do everyone a favor here who is a Pharmacy student, and don't accept low wages, DEMAND high wages to keep it that way.

[islandsunshine]

Well in California they were talking $50 an hour/ about 100K w/5K sign on. I hear that Northern Cal was higher. This was SoCal I am speaking of. Here (ohio) $54 per hr/110K is the norm and 2 yrs ago new grads were getting 30 K sign on.

If your wife is willing to go to Northern Cal to work she will do better there but the weather in southern Cal is so nice. If she wants to work hospital pharmacy tell her to look into Scripps. They are all over and we were told they are great to work for. One of their facilities over looks a golf course and then the ocean. Very nice! go to scripps dot org and you can look into it. I heard GREAT things about working for them.

We have a friend in So Cal who got a great job as manager of a specialty pharmacy. Lots of compounding. Anyway, she sent pictures and I swear it looks like a Pier one store! LOL It it really nice.

Have you thought of Hawaii? That is were we would be going now if we didn't have dogs.

Good luck.

[WVUPharm2007]

Originally Posted by Torrey

Do everyone a favor here who is a Pharmacy student, and don't accept low wages, DEMAND high wages to keep it that way.

That's why I like my class. Everyone tells everyone else what they are being offered and making each others employers match what their friends are making.

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

What is a realistic max age to become a Pharmacist? I can tell you from a "hi tech" employee perspective, $50/hour sounds pretty good. How many years school is required? I guess that depends on the undergrad, so let's assume a business degree.

[Torrey]

Originally Posted by FromCalitoSteinerRanch

What is a realistic max age to become a Pharmacist? I can tell you from a "hi tech" employee perspective, $50/hour sounds pretty good. How many years school is required? I guess that depends on the undergrad, so let's assume a business degree.

Here in San Antonio, it's a 6 year program. 2 years of Pre-Pharmacy, and 4 years of Professional school. You have to do the 2 years of Pre-Pharmacy, take the PCAT, have a 3.4 or higher GPA, and on top of that, get interviewed, and IF accepted, you will enter the 4 years of Professional school to earn the Doctor of Pharmacy degree - PharmD.

A LOT of chemistry classes are involved. Luckily my wife already had a chemistry degree when she went back to school to do the program. She is in the Professional program right now. Over the summer she is doing an internship with a local Pharmacy.

[Torrey]

Originally Posted by WVUPharm2007

That's why I like my class. Everyone tells everyone else what they are being offered and making each others employers match what their friends are making.

Glad to hear that. Keep doing it! Letting the companies low ball you will only encourage other companies to do the same. DEMAND HIGH WAGES. DEMAND HIGH SIGN ONS..... Don't SETTLE. They are NOT doing YOU a favor, you are doing THEM a favor by working for them. Remember that!

[Torrey]

Originally Posted by islandsunshine

Well in California they were talking $50 an hour/ about 100K w/5K sign on. I hear that Northern Cal was higher. This was SoCal I am speaking of. Here (ohio) $54 per hr/110K is the norm and 2 yrs ago new grads were getting 30 K sign on.

If your wife is willing to go to Northern Cal to work she will do better there but the weather in southern Cal is so nice. If she wants to work hospital pharmacy tell her to look into Scripps. They are all over and we were told they are great to work for. One of their facilities over looks a golf course and then the ocean. Very nice! go to scripps dot org and you can look into it. I heard GREAT things about working for them.

We have a friend in So Cal who got a great job as manager of a specialty pharmacy. Lots of compounding. Anyway, she sent pictures and I swear it looks like a Pier one store! LOL It it really nice.

Have you thought of Hawaii? That is were we would be going now if we didn't have dogs.

Good luck.

I hate California. I lived there TWICE as a kid. We moved there two two different times because my dad had an itch and had to scratch it. We plan on moving back to New England once she's done with school and I plan on going back to school for M.D., more than likely.

[WVUPharm2007]

What is a realistic max age to become a Pharmacist? I can tell you from a "hi tech" employee perspective, $50/hour sounds pretty good. How many years school is required? I guess that depends on the undergrad, so let's assume a business degree.

Keep in mind a minority of students can actually do it in 6 years. Most take 7, some 8+. The average GPA was 3.7 for those admitted last fall at my school. 80 out of about 500 applicants accepted. The California schools are even more selective. Prereqs include Physics, Calculus, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology, and all of the minor biology and chemistry courses. It's a lot like getting into medical school, actually. Over 80% of people that seriously try fail. They are very selective.

But if you think you got it, go for it. As soon as your graduate, you start raking in 6 figures at entry level. There were many students in my graduating class in their 30s. I'm 24 (birthday was 5/10) and I was among the youngest in the class if it means anything to you.

[WVUPharm2007]

Originally Posted by Torrey

Glad to hear that. Keep doing it! Letting the companies low ball you will only encourage other companies to do the same. DEMAND HIGH WAGES. DEMAND HIGH SIGN ONS..... Don't SETTLE. They are NOT doing YOU a favor, you are doing THEM a favor by working for them. Remember that!

Preaching to the choir, man. If the entire profession is going to prostitute itself out to the corporate pharmacies, they are definitely going to pay for it. And the companies really wine and dine you to try to get you to sign. A know a guy 2 years ago who was being propped by Walgreens - he was flown out to Knoxville, TN first class, put up in the Hyatt, taken out to 4-* restaurants, and further treated like gold. That's how desperate they were in Knoxville at the time. It's definitely an employee's market.

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

Originally Posted by WVUPharm2007

Keep in mind a minority of students can actually do it in 6 years. Most take 7, some 8+. The average GPA was 3.7 for those admitted last fall at my school. 80 out of about 500 applicants accepted. The California schools are even more selective. Prereqs include Physics, Calculus, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology, and all of the minor biology and chemistry courses. It's a lot like getting into medical school, actually. Over 80% of people that seriously try fail. They are very selective.

But if you think you got it, go for it. As soon as your graduate, you start raking in 6 figures at entry level. There were many students in my graduating class in their 30s. I'm 24 (birthday was 5/10) and I was among the youngest in the class if it means anything to you.

Do GPAs go up to 3.7? Oops, probably counts me out. Also, I was a sophmore in HS when you had your 1st B-day! I have much invested in my career, but Pharmacy doesn't sound like a good second career choice because of the lack of synergy with what I do now.

I will leave it to those with situations that don't require a high income to keep one's lifestyle up. I may look into Patent Law if my spouse can hold the household down when she starts teaching, but we will have to make even more financial sacrifices, and since my car is already 10 years old, need to think of areas where we could cut if we decided... No, no, not our beautiful home...