Many pharamacists even with little experience make in excess of $100,000 per year. I wouldn't think you would actually need a PharmD degree to fill a prescription, only the ability to follow basic instructions and count. Just one more level of cost added to our medicines.
Of course I agree that our health is important, and that someone handling something we will ultimately ingest should be competent, but couldn't the same argument be made then that restaurant workers be just as highly paid?
2006-11-10 01:36:01 · 5 answers · asked by budget strapped 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Higher Education (University +)
yeah, to some extent. but you need a degree that takes 6-8 years, that's a pretty typical salary if not lower than salaries of people in other fields who have that much schooling. and there is a shortage right now, so the increased demand has driven up salaries. really, that big salary doesnt increase the price of drugs as much as people say.
id estimate the average pharmacy does about 200 prescriptions a day. 100k a year salary comes out to about $50/hr, or $400 for an 8 hour day. so if you dropped the salary down to $50k that would mean the pharmacist is making $200 a day now, which comes out to a savings of $1 per prescription if all that money was given back to the consumer. and $1 isnt much to insure you have a quality well educated person back there to answer your questions and make sure you get the right stuff- even if youre on a "strapped budget" i would think. also, pharmacists are underutilized and can answer many of your health questions, give you recommendations for over the counter stuff, recommend cheaper prescription drugs to talk to your doc about if you cant afford something, etc. people just dont realize that and take advantage of htem as a free resource. theyre really one of the best deals in healthcare. drug prices are high because most of your moeny goes to the manufacturer/insurance company, not the pharmacist.
2006-11-14 05:04:57 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Let me address the 'little experience issue' By the time a person is licensed as a Pharmacist they have already worked in multiple pharmacy settings for about 3000 hours. That is hardly inexperienced.
If you think that following basic instructions and counting is all that's required to fill a prescription then you are completely up in the night.
You are right about one thing. Most Pharmacists (myself included) make in excess of 100k annually. But after 4 years of schooling AFTER you get into Pharmacy school, taking courses that are widely acknowledged as being tough, coupled with a nationwide shortage, working where we are open for 13 hours straight.......we got it coming.
2006-11-13 05:11:20 · answer #2 · answered by jloertscher 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If the degree of responsibility equates with pay, I wouldn't do it for $100,000. There are so many interactions and so many ways to mess up. That doesn't sound like a job that can be done when your tired or maybe a little hung over. All it takes is one mistake for your life to be ruined. Imagine your wife just told you she want's a divorce, has cleared out all the bank accounts, etc. and your on your way to mix grandpa's Rx? Smells like lawsuit!
2006-11-10 02:15:12 · answer #3 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well when you go to get cough syrup and you are giving something that stops your heart I would think one with a degree and certified to take responsibility would be more credible. You should be mad at the doctor that charged you 60.00 to sit in the office for an hour only to see you for 10minutes. And most of the time the diagnosis is based on the drug reps peddling of a particular brand for the sole benefit of getting extras.
2006-11-10 01:39:34 · answer #4 · answered by Karrien Sim Peters 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No they have a very important job.
2006-11-10 01:51:00 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋