Pharmacy- low job prospects? (1 Viewer)

[Blushii]

Is the pharmacy profession really saturated? I've spoken to a range of Pharmacy grad students, and they're almost all warning me not to even consider it because it's so difficult find a job and it's really close to impossible to set up a pharm business due to the financial costs involved (a lot of $) and the competition from major businesses. Most of the grads i've spoken to are unemployed and relying on centrelink.

Many have also told me they hated the course itself and the content, but that may be due to personal preferences, so i'm not sure.

I'm also wondering if physio is in the same boat?

Any opinions? experiences? Thanks

 

[AussieVesti]

Did you ask those graduates what they did during their tenure at university and immediately after graduation? Perhaps ask them whether they had any decent experience working while doing their degree as low job prospects seem to go against the claims stating that job prospects for graduates are high.

 

[me-mfhs]

I know someone who's doing pharmacy at usyd at the moment - his in third year now. His been trying to look for a pharmacy job for ages while studying (as in for like a year now or more); and unfortunately there's no jobs for him. Not AS a pharmacist, but even just as an assistant or even retail etc. So I guess it may not only hard for you to get a job when you graduate, but even finding a job (pharmacy-related) while studying pharmacy. But sorry I don't know much about pharmacy besides what I've heard from him, so I could highly be wrong >.<!

Oh and he also said that 'Chemist Warehouse' is killing all the pharmacy businesses out there since they sell so cheap (even my mum bothers to drive to chemist warehouse when buying vitamin C's etc. instead of our local pharmacy). You should do an allied health course instead e.g. physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, social worker, radiography...? ^____^!!!! - it's probably more rewarding than being a shop keeper right? (just kidding )

 

[Deltan]

I know someone who's doing pharmacy at usyd at the moment - his in third year now. His been trying to look for a pharmacy job for ages while studying (as in for like a year now or more); and unfortunately there's no jobs for him. Not AS a pharmacist, but even just as an assistant or even retail etc. So I guess it may not only hard for you to get a job when you graduate, but even finding a job (pharmacy-related) while studying pharmacy. But sorry I don't know much about pharmacy besides what I've heard from him, so I could highly be wrong >.<!

Oh and he also said that 'Chemist Warehouse' is killing all the pharmacy businesses out there since they sell so cheap (even my mum bothers to drive to chemist warehouse when buying vitamin C's etc. instead of our local pharmacy).

not sure about your friend, but they can be discriminatory if your an international student or not fluent at english- happened to a friend of mine
To OP- if your not considering doing community pharmacy (which is highly saturated), then that shouldn't be a problem if your opting to do something industry or hospital related
job prospect is getting worse with pharmacy- not only are you getting CWH opening but they also have to deal with other competitors; my local soul pattison store recently converted to cincottas, so even the older generation pharmacies are losing their integrity and value
What makes matters worse is that UTS is opening a masters of pharmacy this year -why do we need an oversaturation of pharmacists???!!