the "dream" has come to an end

Washoften · May 7, 2009

My husband is a pharmacist. 10 years.

Retail pharmacy will kill you. It is nothing but a customer/clerk relationship. Even managing the pharmacy making 150k a year, he would come home very upset, burnt out, fried with the monotony and saying he made the wrong choice.

Then he went into hospital pharmacy, a real change. Now he is happy. He has more of a relationship with the docs, some of whom trust him enough to call him for advice on medications before they prescribe. Nurses like him and refer to him often. He feels he is part of a team now, with not only a career, but a place in the community. Unlike retail pharmacy, when he was a sad man in a white coat.

And the money ain't bad either. Though you'll make less in a hospital setting, I'd recommend it highly. The feeling of purpose you get makes up for the 20k less a year, trust me. Look into it. It may be the perfect marriage of the nursing and pharmacy worlds for you.

Congratulations on listening to your gut. Most people freeze in fear when faced with that decision and drudge on. Don't get me wrong, there are some very bad days in pharmacy too (some belligerent docs, some error-prone nurses, and ....some belligerent docs). It's not all candy and paychecks. But if you're up to it, there's a potentially long career ahead of you.

In a study, pharmacists are ranked #2 in most trusted professions....behind, you guessed it, nurses.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FSL/is_6_71/ai_64424160/

Both professions are good choices imo. You're in a win/win situation. Go for it. Don't look back.

marilynmom, LPN, NP · May 7, 2009

Good for you! I think pharmacy is a great career!

Even though I have a great job right now if I had to do it all over again I wouldn't do nursing.....no way. Your making a good and SMART decision :)

I've though about pharm as well....they is a shortage and all the pharmacists I know are very happy.

summersent · May 7, 2009

wow thanks everyone for so much support. I really appreciate it because this is such a hard time for me but I am happy on my decision. I might need some counseling from this experience but that is OK because I will get over it. I am really excited about pharmacy school. I really hope that if anyone is unhappy with anything in life, they will go on to do what they love. Even if you are 60. It really is never to late. From what I believe, this is our only life. I've see a few good women nurses who remind me of my mother and it would hurt me so much to see my mother get treat the way those women get treated on a daily basis.

As for the posts about sticking it out, I have tried. I know its not to for me and I'll take the loss and move on. I'll lose more if I try to stick this out and lose more of myself in the process and self esteem and possibly my health. I'm a sweet kind healthy person and I want to keep it that way.

thank you again and I wish you all well. I know its not easy

:)

caliotter3 · May 7, 2009

Hey, you're making it sound like farewell. Nobody said you have to stop coming around here just cuz you're going to pharmacy school!

twow · May 7, 2009

good luck. you need to do what's right for you.

i'm going through something similar, by the way. i was nearly finished with my program, and i am not sure if i will return. i also considered pharmacy school, lol.

HeartsOpenWide, RN · May 7, 2009

At least you are discovering this now and not in 20 years after its even harder for you to change careers.

nursemike, ASN, RN · May 7, 2009

I'm sorry to hear you're leaving, but I can't imagine anyone better suited to make that decision for you than yourself. Best of luck in your future endeavors.

Hey, it's ten to six--where's my Nexium?

(Just getting you prepared.)

diane227, LPN, RN · May 7, 2009

Everyone has different experiences. I loved nursing school but it was quite different when I went to school. Nursing students today seem to spend more time on paperwork and less time doing actual patient care. I think one of the reasons that nursing school was easy for me is because I worked as a nurse tech at a very large teaching hospital. I had a job ready for me when I graduated. I learned a lot from my tech job and it make the transition to nursing easier. I had a few instructions that were A holes but I did not let them get to me.

It is sad to think that there are areas where nurses are still making $20.00 per hour. It really depends on where you live. I don't know what new grads start at here because I have been a nurse for 31 years and always get hired at the top of the pay scale. My husband and I work in Seattle and the pay up here is great, but housing is also very expensive. But because our salaries are so high, we don't have to work full time.

I am glad for you that you have determined that nursing is not for you. It would be horrible to be in a career that you do not like. And because nursing is so specialized it would be hard to transfer into another career without additional training. Good luck to you. I hope you find a great, rewarding career.

CseMgr1, ASN, RN · May 7, 2009

I commend you on your decision to pursue an alternate career path.

Had I known 28 years ago what I now know, I would have done the same thing.

Less than two months into my new job as a nursing supervisor, I was told yesterday that due to "budget constraints", one of my nurses is being let go, and the other is going to have to "take ownership" of the Clients who live near her. If she refuses, then I am going to wind up being responsible for every Client that we currently serve...in addition to all the new referrals as well as my responsibilities as a manager.

I should have known something was up earlier, when the woman who made this decision told me, smiling: "You're going to need to learn some 'time management skills'".

What she really meant was: "You're salaried, therefore we can do anything we want with you, so suck it up".

I was told about all this within minutes after she made a hasty retreat back to her Ivory Tower in her luxury SUV.

Hell, I wish I had a car!

I just looked at my Manager and remarked sarcastically: "Happy Nurses' Week, eh?"

I didn't care. This was the final straw in my career as a nurse. Period. I told my sister last night that one way or the other, I am going to find a way to retire and get out of this business....once and for all.

You have your whole life ahead of you, and I wish you every happiness...away from nursing.

denise0815 · May 7, 2009

Hi All,

What in the world is lateral violence???

Reading these posts that are so negative, freak me out!!! I am trying to get into a program, finishing my pre-req. and I am scared to death....what goes on in nursing school????

I guess I better stop reading....lol.....

TuTonka · May 7, 2009

It is far better for you to change direction than to be miserable. Good luck in your endevors. May you find your passion in Pharmacy.

TuTonka

jjjoy, LPN · May 7, 2009

This is a big decision and it sounds like it's well-considered on your part, as opposed to an impulsive reaction to one or two negative experiences.

Life is full of such decisions and without the ability to see the future, we have to do what we determine is best even though we can't know *for sure* how it will turn out. We all come at life from different backgrounds and so our perspectives differ. And, then there's the simple fact that we all are different in regard to preferences and strengths and weaknesses. And some things we can't know until we have first hand experience.

Some people really take to nursing and love it. Some don't love it, but it's not that bad either. Some may come to the conclusion that they'd rather not be nurses but feel trapped by situational issues. It sounds like your experiences thus far have led you determine that nursing isn't for you. And you have reviewed your own situation and determined that it's worth it to you drop out of nursing school at this point. Some can't relate to your choice because they may have a very different experience and situation. The nursing education you've had to date isn't "a waste" either. That experience will inform your future path and the nursing profession will have one more non-nurse out there who better understands the dilemmas nurses faces in ways that those without any inside exposure to nursing usually don't get.

I'm talking to myself here, you see, as I can at times doubt myself when others express incomprehension at my perspective. So I'm encouraging anyone who has the tendency to second-guess themselves to death to have faith in our own judgement (when based on solid information and experience) and know that even if things don't turn out as hoped for (say pharmacy school ends up being a disappointment) that one can still feel that they truly made good choices. That is, one needn't have a perfect, ideal outcome to feel that one made a good decision. Best wishes to you!!!!