End of Spring Break

The week after spring break always tends to be a bit slower. It's the end of the work week and I feel like I've been in school for 3 weeks already. After much waiting, friday finally crept up.

You know, they say there are a lot of opportunities for PharmD's but graduates still tend to gravitate towards retail pharmacy immediately after graduation and it's not without rational-retail pharmacists make the most money. Clinical pharmacists make less and newly grads are paid among the lowest starting out in industry. But unlike retail pharmacy where a pharmacist's learning curve (and income) tends to plateau, pharmacists working in industry have more opportunities for growth. More opportunities for growth means more opportunities for leadership and advancement in areas where a pharmacist's education is valued-the organic chemistry, interactions, pKa and bioavailability calculations and the like. Today I visited Gilead Pharmaceuticals, a rapidly growing company due to it's pioneer of HIV and Hepatitis B drugs, and was amazed at the opportunities pharmacists had beyond retail. At Gilead, pharmacists are dipping their toes into drug information and even marketing, chairing and directing phase 3 and 4 drug trials, working in managed care facilities and affecting the lives of millions of individuals. At Gilead, degrees are not thrown around, but rather a person's experience and knowledge is the basis for advancement. No wonder why newly grads usually enter retail pharmacy, their degree is valued more. But the great thing is that if retail seems not be your match, industry will always be option-as long as you do not mind being paid a little less than your retail job.