Where the jobs are: pharmaceuticals
Posted on July 6th, 2009 in College degree, Online Option
After graduating in chemical engineering in 1993, Chad Lundstrum worked for three companies, each with its own set of frustrations. Treatment was weak at first, the second led to a reduction of only five months later and the third requires you to lay face – more than once a year.
“I wanted to be in an area where it has stability and can go anywhere in the United States and find a job,” said Lundstrum, 37, of Joplin, Mo. “And when you decide to withdraw, I want a job where if you still want to work part time, I can not. ”
He decided to leave his full-time job as director of equipment and Leggett Platt (LEG – news – people) and return to school to obtain a medical degree from the online pharmacy of Creighton University in Omaha .
The wishes of his career may seem a difficult task these days, but Lundstrum probably what you want. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of pharmacists provides an increase of 22% between 2006 and 2016, which is much faster than most occupations.
The payment is good. The average annual salary is $ 104,260, according to May 2008 for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average salary of a pharmacist in a hospital is $ 103,480, in a grocery store, $ 102.310, and in a community pharmacy, $ 105.560.
I finished the online pharmacy Creighton in 2006 (age 46) and had a job 3 months before graduation. The opportunities are there, and this program is ideal for the elderly ….
Creighton began his degree program in 2001, when there was a serious shortage of pharmacists throughout the country. “The profession is changing the way pharmacists trained and, therefore, there was a year when we have the pharmacy,” said Jim Owen, director of the Professional Practice of the American Pharmaceutical Association.
Severe shortage in completing degree programs in pharmacy have increased over the last decade. There are currently about 112 of them, “said Owen. However, demand remains strong for pharmacists. The aging population requires more prescription drugs. Also, pharmacists are now considered part of the medical team that treats patients in institutions such as hospitals, long-stay care facilities and nursing homes. In some patients, this economy is to consult your pharmacist for advice instead of spending money to see a doctor, “says Owen.
Obama President of the reform proposal of care can also help the profession. “Their work plan emphasizes a team approach to care,” says Owen. “There is a shortage of primary care physicians, so that if pharmacists are included in a core team, there will be a greater demand for them.” Pharmacists could provide vaccines and monitor the blood of people who take anticoagulants, for example.
This is not an easy field to get training, especially if you have a family and can not afford to leave the workforce. A doctor of pharmacy degree takes four years to complete if they had basic math and science courses. If not, add a class or two years. Three years are spent in the classroom and laboratory, the last year is a residence in a frame as a pharmacy or hospital. Then you must take a state exam for licensing.
There are now several programs that are condensed into four years, 36 months, “said Owen. We recommend that you check the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education to find a program in your area.
At Creighton, the curriculum online is exactly the same as on campus. Video conferences are recorded so that students can watch at your convenience. The exams are given on days of distance and local students. Distance students go to school for several weeks during the summer to do laboratory work.
“If not for this program online will never be able to continue this,” says Lundstrum. He is married to a teacher, and has three children of 11, nine and seven years. “I had to uproot my family, because there is no pharmacy program in the region. I’m not sure it would have been a sale. ”
He maintains a schedule. In addition to school and be a father and husband also works in the lab of a friend. It is about 8:30 every morning and take some breaks during the day to school. When the house after 8 hours is the time to help with dinner, children put to bed and to finish their class work. He goes to school for a week this summer to do laboratory work.
A 37, Lundstrum is slightly above average Creighton. The typical age is 31 and 22 on campus, said Tom Lenz, director of Creighton’s doctor of pharmacy program online. Clearly, many alumni career switchers. “We had former lawyers, engineers, doctors,” says Lenz.
Despite his busy schedule Lundstrum is satisfied with his career change and wishing to return to work. “I was not happy with the work I had, and I’m almost 40,” he says. “The next half of my life I feel good about what I do, instead of a dollar for a company. My grandmother used to say – and I’ve had in the back of my mind a lot recently – ‘What have you done today? “I wanted a job where I could do something good.”
July 6th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
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