The Happy PharmD Blog
Coaching pharmacists into better jobs
Finding the Right Job for You as a Pharmacist
By going through pharmacy school, you have a well-rounded background in various areas, including communication skills through delivering presentations and counseling patients, motivational interviewing experience, and some degree of technical writing experience. The...
How to Get Out of the Pharmacist Job Search Cycle
We have all been at various points in our lives where we felt we have had enough and desired a change. It could be breaking free from an addiction, deciding to start a family, or in this case leaving a job where you have been unhappy and stressed. However, a few days...
Nupoor Kalke: A Success Story
Like many other pharmacists during the COVID pandemic, Nupoor had to take on more responsibilities in addition to the ones she already had. Having to work 16-hour days, the bulk of which was spent on her feet, at work without bathroom or lunch breaks was a tipping...
How Life Caused A Second Act— Not Looking For One, But Ready Nonetheless
What’s a second act? As I said in a previous article, it’s the ability to reinvent oneself. Some people do something that they’re really good at. Or sometimes, a second act involves doing something that one always wanted to do. For the most part, it usually...
Creating A Second Act— Developing A Strategy To Increase Happiness and Decrease Stress
I enjoy watching TV. Several years ago, actress Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle) starred in a TV show called “Carol’s Second Act.”. It was about a woman who worked as a teacher. However, later in her life, she left her teaching position and...
Feeling Stuck in Your Career and How To Get Out
After eight years, Dr. Ken O'Shea recently quit his role as a retail pharmacist to pursue a career in insurance. He shared his experience and reasons for quitting in an interview with the New York Times. One of the reasons he cited was the increasing pressures on the...
Four Imaginary Courses That Should Be Part Of Everyone’s Basic Education
Pharmacy is a very educated profession. On the undergraduate level, pharmacists have a deep knowledge of the sciences. As they progress through school, their clinical expertise expands. Thus, giving them a true understanding of the field of medication. On the...
Why It’s Important to Envision the Future
There comes a time in everyone’s career when we are faced with the question; “what next?” While we arrive at this point by different means and at our own unique pace, it typically occurs when the journey has reached a crossroad. It can come at an exciting time like a...
How To Say “No” When Your Plate is Full
For most pharmacists reading this blog, our specialized training and commitment to work mean that we are high-achievers and take pride in doing our best. It also means we often already have a lot to do on our plates in our career. For the community pharmacist who is...
The Value of Well Being: Why it is Important for Pharmacists to Take Care of Themselves
We’re taught from a very young age that the most important person in the whole wide world is you. Oftentimes this simple truth gets blurred, leaving us feeling empty and unfulfilled. As pharmacists it’s easy to see how this happens. You’re constantly taking care of...
Assessing Your Career Health
On the surface, things often seem perfect - a great salary, a reasonable schedule, a stable job… But it’s also important to evaluate what’s going on inside. At the Happy PharmD, we have been reading up about the psychology of motivation lately. Abraham Maslow, the...
My Deep Admiration For The Night Pharmacy Staff Who Perform A Difficult Job At A Ridiculous Hour
I’m Jewish. I don’t celebrate Christmas. It’s not my holiday. To me, it’s just another day. Now this is a tough concept for someone to grasp who celebrates Christmas. Because for those who celebrate the holiday, Christmas is a big...
Pharmacy Career Coaching
Our Pharmacist Career Coaching is based on our Indispensable Career Model. This model is broken into 3 pillars: Clarity, Strategy, and Systems. By following this model, you will be able to build an indispensable pharmacy career that attracts new job opportunities and...
Why New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work and Why You Need A Guide
New Year's resolutions are beautiful. They constitute one of the incredible ways we showcase our desire for change; to be better. Sadly, only 8% of Americans achieve their New Year’s resolutions. Many factors contribute to this. The most obvious error is perhaps that...
The Power Of Volunteering — Producing A Retirement Benefit For Me As Well As Creating A Job Opportunity For My Students
Producing A Retirement Benefit For Me As Well As Creating A Job Opportunity For My Students Producing A Retirement Benefit For Me As Well As Creating A Job Opportunity For My Students The Power Of Volunteering — Producing A Retirement Benefit For Me As Well As...
Transition Series: Retail to Non-Traditional Clinical
Watch the webinar replay here.In this warm session with Tracy Dabbs (PharmD), Tracy shares details of her life and career journey. She talks about how we helped her move to a non-traditional career from retail that helped her achieve more work-life balance and the...
Transitioning from Retail to Non-Traditional Pharmacy Roles
Job satisfaction has been a common illusion to most working class people. People tend to view conventional work activities differently. Hence, some do not get to have as much fulfillment as they anticipated prior to their recruitment. Pharmacists are...
Transition Series: Retail to Loving Work Again
Watch the webinar replay here.In this episode of the Transition Series, Alex Barker chats with Julie Kidd and Keenan Rea. Julie is one of the coaches at the Happy PharmD and worked with Keenan in transitioning from retail to ambulatory care. Keenan also shares details...
Avoiding The Argument While Encouraging A Meeting Of The Minds
Pharmacy is always wrong. I’ve noticed that. No matter who Pharmacy fights with— whether it’s doctors, patients, nurses, administrators, or other department managers. No matter how logical we are. Or no matter how well we follow the...
Strategies For Selecting The Right Answer And Passing Multiple Choice Tests
I’m a trivia nut. I’ve always loved trivia questions. I wanted an activity to play with my fellow Temple Men’s Club members during the pandemic. So I organized a daily trivia game. In order to make it more interesting, I asked questions on a variety of topics. I...
Why Pharmacies Can’t Find Good Pharmacy Technicians — Is It The School Or Student That’s Not Successful?
I’m from New Jersey. There are a plethora of hospitals in our state. Large ones, small ones, major medical complexes, and smaller specialty facilities. We have a multitude of retail pharmacies, also. There are many larger chain pharmacies—sometimes...
The Never-Ending Process of Devising Schedules – Why Catering To The Staff Made The Schedules Work Out
I’ve performed many difficult tasks as a pharmacy manager. I’ve remodeled a pharmacy, designed a new clean room, and started a chemotherapy program. I’ve even worked with management to present a new contract to our unionized pharmacy staff. But the toughest job...
How to Become a Compounding Pharmacist | Compounding Pharmacy
If you want to download this guide + 48 other pharmacy career paths for you to access later, you can download it here.This article is a part of a series of The Ultimate Guide to Pharmacy Career Opportunities, which has 48 other pharmacy career paths.Summary -...
How to Become an Independent Community Pharmacist | Independent Community Pharmacy
If you want to download this guide + 48 other pharmacy career paths for you to access later, you can download it here.This article is a part of a series of The Ultimate Guide to Pharmacy Career Opportunities, which has 48 other pharmacy career paths.Summary -...
Recognizing Special Individuals Who Excelled In Their Field And Impacted My Career For The Better
I’ve written several articles for The Happy PharmD. Most of them have been adversarial: Me and my pharmacy vs. the doctors. Me and my pharmacy vs. the nurses. Me and my pharmacy vs. the hospital’s administration. Most of the time I’ve painted these groups as the...
How My Short-Lived Role as an Acting Director Allowed Me to Merge as a Valuable Commodity
I really enjoyed working in my first hospital. I was hired by an older gentleman. He was the Director of Pharmacy. I believe he liked the suit that I was wearing. He was very knowledgeable and very soft spoken. He was also very close...
Placing The Pharmacists On The Nursing Units Why It Was Never Viewed As A Beneficial Project
It was 1997 and I was starting a new job. My previous hospital (where I worked eighteen years) was closing. My boss (Director of Pharmacy) had made the transition to another hospital’s pharmacy department. Working with her vice-president, she...
Pharmacists’ Common Occurrence — Absorbing Additional Tasks Despite Excessive Workload
In many of my hospitals, my pharmacy department interacted with three groups. They dealt with the doctors, they dealt with the nurses, and sometimes they dealt with the patients.And dealing with the patients has only been done recently. It has only been...
How to Become a PBM Pharmacist | PBM
If you want to download this guide + 48 other pharmacy career paths for you to access later, you can download it here. This article is a part of a series of Many Paths of Pharmacy, which has 48 other pharmacy career paths. Summary - Pharmacists in PBM Pharmacy...
How to Become a Chain Community Staff Pharmacist| Community Pharmacy
If you want to download this guide + 48 other pharmacy career paths for you to access later, you can download it here.This article is a part of a series of The Ultimate Guide to Pharmacy Career Opportunities, which has 48 other pharmacy career paths.Summary -...
Inconsistencies Occur When Rules Are Established Then Left For Others To Decide
I’ve lived in New Jersey all my life. When I was growing up, I remember driving down to Florida with my family. It would take several days. And it was fun, seeing all the different cities and interesting points along the way. In fact, one of things...
A Celebration Of Roz — A Tribute To My Wife
My wife, Rosalyn, died in December 2020. We were married for 38 ½ years. I loved her. She was my best friend. And I miss her a lot.Before I begin my story, I’d just like to say that my wife did not die of COVID. She had two COVID tests...
The 2021 Pharmacist Salary Guide
Welcome back to The Happy PharmD’s annual salary guide! We’ve made some changes this year to make the guide a bit more palatable.So this year, we’re providing a table with the most important stats for you, followed by an overview of a few important topics. (Okay, we...
How to Become a Regulatory Affairs Pharmacist | Regulatory Affairs
If you want to download this guide + 48 other pharmacy career paths for you to access later, you can download it here. This article is a part of a series of Many Paths of Pharmacy, which has 48 other pharmacy career paths. Summary - Pharmacists in Regulatory...
News Report: 7 Out of 10 Pharmacists Unhappy at Work
Some not so great news has been reported by Drug Topics®. Upon releasing their annual report that surveyed pharmacist salaries, it was revealed that 7 out of 10 pharmacists were not happy with their jobs. This information is key in assessing the overall level of...
The Feelings and Symptoms of Burnout
The term burnout was coined in 1974 by the psychologist Herbert Freudenberger. He used it to describe the consequences of severe stress and high ideals in "helping" professions. Since then, we now realize how common it is in the workplace. Burnout has three...
How I Landed a New Pharmacy Job in 2 Months in a Pandemic – Happy PharmD Review
Over the years, The Happy PharmD has been actively engaged in helping pharmacists create a better future, within and outside the profession. The goal has been to ensure that pharmacists love what they do and get adequately rewarded for it. The feedback from...
How to Become a Drug Information Pharmacist | Medical Writing
If you want to download this guide + 48 other pharmacy career paths for you to access later, you can download it here. This article is a part of a series of Many Paths of Pharmacy, which has 48 other pharmacy career paths. Summary - Pharmacists in Medical...
How Money Matters Plague the Pharmacy while Impacting their Hospital’s Existence
How to Become an Informatics Pharmacist | Informatics
If you want to download this guide + 48 other pharmacy career paths for you to access later, you can download it here. This article is a part of a series of Many Paths of Pharmacy, which has 48 other pharmacy career paths. Summary - Pharmacists in Informatics As...
How to Become an Ambulatory Care Pharmacist | Ambulatory Care
If you want to download this guide + 48 other pharmacy career paths for you to access later, you can download it here. This article is a part of a series of Many Paths of Pharmacy, which has 48 other pharmacy career paths. Summary - Pharmacists in Ambulatory...
How to Become a Medical Science Liaison Pharmacist | Medical Science Liaison
If you want to download this guide + 48 other pharmacy career paths for you to access later, you can download it here. This article is a part of a series of Many Paths of Pharmacy, which has 48 other pharmacy career paths. Summary - Pharmacists in Medical Science...
How to Become a Community Health Center Pharmacist | Community Health Center
If you want to download this guide + 48 other pharmacy career paths for you to access later, you can download it here. This article is a part of a series of The Ultimate Guide to Pharmacy Career Opportunities, which has 48 other pharmacy career paths. Summary -...
How to Become a Clinical Pharmacist | Clinical Pharmacy
If you want to download this guide + 48 other pharmacy career paths for you to access later, you can download it here. This article is a part of a series of The Ultimate Guide to Pharmacy Career Opportunities, which has 48 other pharmacy career paths. Summary -...
How to Become a Cardiology Pharmacy Specialist | Cardiology
If you want to download this guide + 48 other pharmacy career paths for you to access later, you can download it here. This article is a part of a series of Many Paths of Pharmacy, which has 48 other pharmacy career paths. Summary - Cardiology Pharmacy...
How to Become a Pharmacist in Associations | Associations
If you want to download this guide + 48 other pharmacy career paths for you to access later, you can download it here. This article is a part of a series of Many Paths of Pharmacy, which has 48 other pharmacy career paths. Summary - Pharmacists in Associations...
Visualization
In the 1976 Olympics, the Russians were accused of cheating due to their racking up gold medals in nearly every event. Rumors and assumptions were made they had to be abusing drugs to be winning these medals at an unprecedented number. But as the passing drug tests...
Don’t Rely on New Year’s Resolutions to Make a Change
Did you know that 92% of New Year’s Resolutions are never achieved? Perhaps, in a society that expects overnight success, we've set ourselves up for disappointment.Perhaps our goals were not broken down into bite-size things that we could tackle.Perhaps we didn't...
How to Become an Academic Pharmacist | Academia
If you want to download this guide + 48 other pharmacy career paths for you to access later, you can download it here. This article is a part of a series of Many Paths of Pharmacy, which has 48 other pharmacy career paths. Summary - Pharmacists in Academia Academic...
Self-Care
Does prioritizing self-care means betraying your patient care? I asked this question to myself when I was working as a hospital pharmacist and slowly burning out. Our patients have always been our priority as the sole reason for the pharmacy profession, is to take...
Examining the Friction Between the Union and Management – Why Filing Grievances May Do More Harm Than Good – Part Two
I previously wrote an article about unions and management. Two of the hospitals that I worked at had unions. In these facilities, most non-management employees (pharmacists, pharmacy techs, lab workers, nurses, x-ray techs, speech therapists, etc.) belonged to the...
How Other Departments Exceed Their Boundaries and Exert Their Influence Over the Pharmacy
I was very lucky. I had a good boss. He made me the pharmacy manager of the pharmacy in the main hospital. This was shortly after our hospital merged with a smaller hospital. He was the Director of Pharmacy at this smaller hospital. He made a woman the pharmacy...
Do Pharmacists Speak Well of Pharmacy? A Word Sentiment Analysis of Pharmacy Subreddits
Introduction The circumstances for the pharmacy profession are certainly unprecedented, even excluding the COVID crisis. The last two decades have brought about significant changes to the pharmacy profession, some notable changes include mass adoption of the PharmD...
Becoming An Exceptional Leader By Acquiring Traits That Are Extremely Necessary
Cash on delivery. That’s when you must have a check ready when they deliver the merchandise. If the check isn’t there, the merchandise is put back on the truck and taken away. Our hospital wasn’t cash on delivery. We were cash in advance. When our pharmacy ordered...
Recognizing The Signs that Your Facility May Close – Getting Out Before it’s Over
My second pharmacist job was at a hospital. I was there for eighteen years. I enjoyed working at the hospital. I’ll admit it had its moments. But it was a good place to work. The hospital was ahead of its time. We performed innovative procedures. The physicians...
Appreciating Retirement By Making Certain That The Right Ideas Are In Place
I knew in January that I was going to retire later in the year. That was good. It meant that I had a lot of time to plan. Retiring doesn’t mean that you just stop working. There were a lot of things to do before I retired. And since I’m married, my wife and I did...
Examining the Friction Between the Union and Management: Why Filing Grievances May Do More Harm Than Good – Part 1
My first hospital pharmacist job was at a union hospital. That meant every pharmacist, every pharmacy tech, every nurse, every x-ray technician, every lab worker, every security guard— everyone who was not management, was in the union. I didn’t mind being in the...
How To Approach Choosing Your Fourth Year Rotations
Many of you that say the fourth year, the year for rotations in many programs, is the best year of pharmacy school. The freedom that you have during rotations is the glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel toward you becoming a pharmacist and your dream realized. It...
The 2020 Pharmacist Salary Guide
Update: This guide has been since updated with more recent data. Read the 2021 Salary Guide here.Here we are, back with our annual salary guide. We provide these each year not only to provide insight into what may be the most preferable pharmacy jobs, but also to aid...
Obtaining Great Comfort From My Past While Experiencing Life’s Times of Crisis
My wife and I are big baseball fans. Our team is the New York Mets. We’ve gone down to spring training about ten times in the last twelve years. We have a blast! We stay at our favorite hotel, eat out all the time, and enjoy the games. This year was no different. ...