Working remotely forever changed how we work. A friend recently had two job offers (not in healthcare). Job offer #1 * Work from home 2 days per week. Work in office 3 days per week. No flexibility on time at work. If not in office must use PTO. * 4 weeks of PTO * 20k higher salary then competing offer. * Promotion in job title Job offer #2 *Work remote full time *Unlimited PTO * Lateral move in regards to job title My friend took Job offer #2 even though it is less money then Job #1 and a lateral move. (It ended up being only 10k less after negotiations. ) This got me thinking.🤔 If I knew the work from home revolution would have occurred, would I have chosen pharmacy again? The answer is a hard no. A majority of pharmacy jobs require pharmacists to be on site. I wonder if this consideration is also a reason pharmacy school enrollment is declining. I wonder if this will also cause a decline in interest for many healthcare positions. #healthcare #pharmacy
It’s a huge hurdle to overcome in the current dispensing based model. WFH has its pros and cons but for anyone who wants to raise a family it’s tough to look past the flexibility. Great insights Carrie.
Remote positions are dependent upon the healthcare sector you work in as a pharmacist and over the years have of course become more and competitive. So much so it is unfortunately actively driving salaries down substantially. Having multiple state licenses, varied experience as well as hybrid experience also helps. For myself it isn't a nice to have in terms of remote work. It's a must have for myself as we usually end up in rural areas where work otherwise is extremely limited.......the US Forest Service (my husband's career) is also extremely limited and competitive in terms of placements in an urban area. If I am unable work hybrid/remote I am usually unemployed for 6 months or more. "Over qualified" (I'm not but the letters after my name don't help) for community and often too big of a clinical fish for local hospitals (again I've tried but why hire me if they can hire a new grad at 20 dollars an hour less). Good luck ❤️
I’ve also been interested in the conversations around flexible/remote work for faculty. I think a lot of that group will leave if we can’t adapt. (I am not faculty and am lucky to be 80% telework in my role which is perfect for my lifestyle.)
Reshma Patel
5mo
I don’t think I the option of not working from home is deterring people from applying to pharmacy school. I think the knowledge of what job opportunities, the dread of if you don’t get a residency then you are stuck in retail mentality, the harsh realities of what retail pharmacists go through and the lack of compensation for the field. Why would someone go into a six figure debt when you see job offers anywhere from $35-50 an hour? Retail is made out to be the devil even in pharmacy schools. Hell all through Covid everyone thanked drs and nurses etc but pharmacists got zero appreciation. We were there and got the brunt of the anger. Even for majority of health care discounts do not include pharmacists. I feel the mentality and situation of being a pharmacist is what causing the decline vs ability to work from home.
Don Torman
5mo
Pharmacy school enrollment is declining due to a saturated market, downward trending pay rates and in some cases negatively viewed work environments. Contraction in pharmacy is likely to continue due to extremely poor reimbursement rates which will continue to compound the issues created by a saturated market.
I agree. My husband works from home and I am so thankful one of us has the flexibility for the sake of our family’s needs, it has truly changed our lives. However, I am not optimistic that I will ever have the same opportunity. Remote pharmacist positions seem so rare.
Ronak Amin
5mo
I remember ~20 years ago when I was a technician, some of the seasoned mom pharmacists saying going to pharmacy school was a great idea. You only needed a bachelors degree and retail/hospital pharmacies had plenty of part-time/PRN opportunities. The tide has turned.
SMK Medical
5mo
Remote work has truly changed the game for many industries. It's fascinating to see how job preferences are evolving in response. 💼 Carrie Carlton, Pharm.D
NICU Dad, Cross-Functional Pharmacy/Healthcare/PBM Leader, and #Dadjokes Extraordinaire
5moUnlimited PTO is just a scam for companies to avoid paying out unused PTO when an employee leaves. Its not a perk.