Question:
I'm feeling concerned about the future of pharmacy. I've heard stories from current community pharmacists that I admire being "let go" from their jobs because they weren't meeting the company's script count quota. Community pharmacy is where the majority of jobs are, and possibly a route I may want to take. However, I've been told by many pharmacists that it seems like community pharmacy is headed down the road of caring more about numbers over patient care. On top of that, there are so many pharmacy schools opening in the US and oversaturating the job market. International graduates that may not be meeting the quality of pharmacy grads here seem to be reducing the standards and expectations of the profession, and are agreeing to jobs that pay very little, which cause employers to think this is acceptable. I love how passionate and optimistic my classmates are about the future of pharmacy, but I want to be able to have serious discussions about the dark sides of it as well. I'm feeling extremely lost and sad, so really what I'm looking for is some reassurance and hope that the career I'm working and studying so hard for isn't taking a wrong turn.
Response:
Despite the passion and optimism for the profession of pharmacy that we have in our school, your concern is one that many share. You made some valid points about the pressures affecting our profession, and it’s important to be aware of this and to be able to have open discussions with others about these realities. It’s really easy, however, to feel scared about the future of pharmacy when these concerns are focused on in an imbalanced way. For example, although you’ve heard stories about great pharmacists being let go, there are many great pharmacists out there that this hasn’t happened to. And despite all of the international graduates, I have heard of many UWaterloo grads finding a job with relative ease, even if it’s not exactly the job they wanted. There is pressure on our profession, because there is pressure on our healthcare system in general. This is a sad reality, but you can still provide the best quality of care to your patients possible, given the limitations that the healthcare system has put onto us. You mentioned your concern about reduced quality and standards, and this is an important reason why the public needs us more than ever. Pharmacy is an extremely valuable, well-trusted profession. It has pressures and downsides, as any other job has (especially nowadays), but my opinion is that it is by no means doomed or a mistake to get into. I’ve heard many times that employers know the value of UWaterloo Pharmacy grads, so be confident in the quality of education you are getting and how that will set you apart. In addition, advocating for the profession is a really great way to try to gain better control over the uncertainties of the future of pharmacy, so that may be something you could end up getting involved in.