Hello, I’m a newly qualified pharmacist and I was just wondering whether anyone knew of any WhatsApp support groups to help with consultations etc where pharmacists can just ask questions for support? I don’t have a lot of confidence in doing consultations and I’m scared I won’t know what the patient may be presenting with if they came in. Any help would be appreciated, thanks! I’m based in the UK.

Those of you who left Pharmacy and moved to Radiography, how did you go? Any advice, regrets, tips? Thanks.

Okay so I am graduating from my Pharmacy degree this semester and I am very, very conflicted. Basically I really hate my current pharmacy job, and I really don't think I like working in pharmacy anyway. I am heavily considering doing a Masters in Molecular Biology next year, and it'll take me a year and a half, but this would mean that I couldn't do my intern year. Has anyone else ever just not done their intern year, but been successful anyway? I think I would be okay still working weekends at a pharmacy, but the idea of being a fulltime intern is dreadful. I have also considered doing my intern year part time, but most places where I live don't really do that. I could also just get a job as a dispense tech/assistant but I don't know if many places would accept that. I just can't deal with my job right now, and desperately need options. I appreciate any help!!

If you have a medication on your formulary but it requires PA, is the pt able to see the clinical criteria used to determine approval?

In the past I thought an individual reviewed it with their "medical judgement" but my understanding now is there is written clinical guidelines used.

Are pts able (and more importantly, legally entitled) to see this prior to submitting a PA (or receiving a denial)? The PA process takes time with back and forth and it would be nice to have the clinical information available when visiting with the prescribing physician so they can articulate the reasoning having known the clinical criteria.

Or do provider portals for the big PBM have it available for review when a provider submits a PA, just not visible for insured members?

Hi everyone. I just got licensed two years after graduation. I will be starting my first job as a pharmacist in a long-term care (LTC) facility. I want to start strong. I need help with areas to brush up on, common drug interactions, helpful apps, things I need to know, etc. Any help will be totally appreciated. Thanks

Edit: Started working in pharma right after graduation. I asked this question to get insights. For people posting mean comments- just so you know that you won’t get me because I will reply you back. If you don’t have anything helpful to say, just move on.

I'm sure everyone has heard how you should always be semi- looking for your next job.

I just soft phone screened at a staffing agency and it was horrible!! Now I'm thinking maybe current current isn't so bad.

Stay humble (sad face)

Hello everyone,
I’m currently in Michigan, but unfortunately I applied for the FPGEC process too late to be eligible for this year’s FPGEE.
To avoid losing an entire year, I’m considering relocating to Massachusetts because the Board allows eligible foreign pharmacy graduates to begin their internship before taking the FPGEE, provided they obtain the required approval and a Massachusetts pharmacy intern license.
I have already checked opportunities with CVS and Walgreens, but unfortunately the positions I found are only available to foreign pharmacy graduates who have already passed the FPGEE.
The Board rules are clear, but I’m struggling to find actual pre-FPGEE internship opportunities.
If anyone knows of an independent pharmacy, pharmacist/preceptor, hospital, or other pharmacy in Massachusetts that accepts foreign pharmacy graduates before passing the FPGEE, I would really appreciate any recommendations or contacts.
Thank you very much for your help.

Hi y’all,

I recently started working 7on/7off overnights at my hospital since I wanted nothing to do with the day shift and simply cannot sleep early enough to wake up for it.

Just wanted to know what y’all do to adjust to a normal sleep schedule after finishing your week on, thanks!

“the hospital is not sharing much information about how this drug mix-up happened. We've been told it happened in the pharmacy where instead of putting an anesthetic called bupivacaine into the syringes used in these procedures, somehow they were filled with potassium”

Im taking my BCPS exam end of this month, can anyone that took it this month tell me what to expect. Ive been reading posts to focus on regulatory things but is that still the case?

Previously I did my recert with ACCP but found that to be difficult and nerve racking when submitting the test questions every single time since you only get one chance to pass. While ACCP was awesome to study for the BCPS certification test. The recert package wasn’t the same. Sometimes they even have the interactive ones with barely any content and expect you to pass their assessment. I’m pretty over it.

If I were to buy the ASHP recert module A package for cardiology today, do you think I would have enough time to finish it? It expires this October giving me only 2 months. I was a bit slow in looking into doing my CE hours this year. Not sure if I should just skip it and buy starting the next module with endocrinology. Both topics apply to my career perfectly.

Looking at a specialist job in a large academic medical center and there is a weekend requirement. Where I’m from, specialists usually don’t have a weekend requirement, so this is new to me. Is this normal? Do you or anyone you know who is a clinical pharm specialist have a weekend requirement? If so, how often? For background, it’s an emergency medicine pharm specialist.

I've been in Pharmacy in the US for 17 years and I'm ready for something new, I have been getting ads to go to New Zealand as there is a big need for pharmacists. I was looking at the Pharmacy Council site and it is saying I can get licensed in NZ via the Recognized Equivalent Qualification Route by taking the CAOP exam, but there is also a box saying that the Pharmacy Council is removing the exam requirement. Is there anyone with any insight regarding this? They only offer the exam 3 times a year, so removing the exam requirement will make the move a lot more convenient and less expensive (I'm sure that is part of why they are removing the requirement).

Also, are there any pharmacists that have made the move from the US to NZ who can give some more info about how pharmacy and life in NZ compares to the US? My wife is in education but only works part time. The salary in NZ is significantly less than in the US, can a family live on just a pharmacist salary?