Sorry!!!!1 A misunderstanding. I think I was looking at the median salary which was lower for USYD Pharm in comparison to UNSW Science and Mathematics. I know its very shallow to be worried about salaries at the moment but it really isn't just that. I really think I'll enjoy pharmacy because I love the idea of leanring about drug development and how medicines affect the human body. But I also want to take into account all factors in terms of future employment, not just whether I'll enjoy it. Do you know what I mean? I'll add some links to some articles where pharmacists are getting underpaid and the workforce is becoming more and more oversaturated.
Pharmacists are among the lowest-paid workers in the nation, despite their years of formal training, new data suggests.
thenewdaily.com.au
A pharmacy owner has criticised pharmacist pay rates, saying female community pharmacists are being ‘ignored’ Sydney pharmacist and owner Peter Feros has slammed community pharmacy pay rates, pointing out that ...
ajp.com.au
New data shows that pharmacists are among the lowest-paid workers in Australia – and pay may be going backwards The recently released Community Pharmacists’ Employment and Remuneration Report has revealed ...
ajp.com.au
Okay...
I don't think I will be pursuing medicine if I don't get it through undergraduate, but I just wanted to see other's opinions on pharm in comparison to ad sci.
Also, any opinions on the second half of my post?
Anyone have experiences to share about pharmacy at USYD? Like the cohort, student life at the university and student support?
oh, but wait. This is MEDstudentsonline. Not SCIstudentsonline. Don't think I'll get any thorough opinions then.
Haha, then go and ask SCIstudentsonline in the first place, saves you from having to post twice and wasting your precious time.
FYI, I'm a current Medsci student, and work as a pharmacy assistant part-time. Here are my thoughts:
Advanced Science: The Advanced Science degree at UNSW seems to be quite research-oriented with an Honours year. Not that research isn't fulfilling, it's a great career choice, it just isn't known for job stability - or even guarantee of a job, as most research operates on short-term contracts/grants.
In general:
upsides of studying science: lots of varied job opportunities. It's true that you can go anywhere with a Science degree. You never know where you're going to end up, which
can be exciting for some people.
Downside: I personally know many people who graduate with no idea about what field they want to go into in the future. It's hard to find a job, too- 'going anywhere' could mean unemployment as well.
Pharmacy: Pharmacy leaves you with a clear-set career path: you end up a qualified pharmacist in the end!
In regards to your articles, they do raise some genuine concerns about
community pharmacy. Yes, it's true that pharmacists rarely get a proper lunch break, the industry is seeing a downturn, and yes they have to cop a
lot of abuse from customers/patients sometimes. Their pay rates are ridiculously low for their level of training, plus they're expected to do a wide range of tasks besides dispensing.
However, the conditions for laboratory/hospital-based pharmacists are much better, or so I've heard. And pharmacy is also a rewarding career too. And!!! You'll have a relatively stable job.
Plus, not all pharmacists are paid that low: “The survey does show that many pharmacies, particularly the non-discount model pharmacies are paying pharmacists well in excess of the minimum award rate.” It's certainly a liveable wage anyways. Like
Mana has mentioned, the hours: pay ratio for doctors isn't brilliant either, so imo this is a non-consideration for choosing pharmacy.
Glad you've decided against medsci, by the way. With a medsci degree, you're officially qualified to do, well, very little really. Haha. I think you've already got the gist, though.
Feel free to interpret this how you wish. I get the feeling that you've already discarded the idea of pharmacy, however I urge you to consider your options more carefully and think about what you want your career to look like.