Pessimistic Pharmacist

"MUR's are cynically designed"

"ACT's (aka cheap labour)"

"Inherently flawed/ rotten to the core our profession"

"Never underestimate the stupidity of the public"

Its very easy to fall into a pessimistic attitude once you become a pharmacist. If you get bogged down in the monotony of getting a box of a shelf, printing labels, sticking them on boxes and giving them to patients you will inevitably turn into one of the many scornful pharmacists which seem to inhabit so many articles in the Journal and online forums.

Realistically, this is unfortunately the core of our profession. To accurately dispense medicines against little green bits of paper, signed by someone who is constantly telling you what to do is hard. No doubt, to be a lackey of doctors, bending to their every whim is extremely arduous. But is it? As pharmacists do we not have the choice in what we do? Do we not have options?

When I get fed up of blistered fingers from putting labels on boxes or being sneezed on by "front line contact" patients I thank the heavens I am not a doctor. The responsibility, the liability, the workload of it all, is horrendous. As a pharmacist I am free to do as I please, the liquidity of the labour market is such that I can easily find work in another pharmacy as quickly as it is to speak on the phone to one of the many locum agencies begging for pharmacists.

The greatest aspect of the pharmacy profession is flexibility, to have options to do as you wish. You are not tied down to a regimen of appointments and rely solely on thoroughfare, it gives you periods of quiet where you can do as you wish. If this is to do marketing to generate more business, online pharmacy, import export, medical journalism, CPD, talking to patients the options are infinite.

I honestly think pharmacists have it good in comparison, not only to doctors, but to the vast array of professions out there. What other profession can you enter where you immediately gain the wage nearly twice of your peers of similar age? Understandably, this wage does not, as in many other professions increase as you progress. But the compensation is increased flexibility, free time, and the ability and opportunity to explore other avenues to generate income.

Make the most of it.