"Pharmacist? ano yun? diba yun yung nagtitinda o tindera ng gamot?"
Is there still hope on how can we change this kind of thinking and stereotyping pharmacists, especially here in the Philippines?
I was so appalled when I so this ad:
I would like to ask my pharmacist friends, former professors, faculty members and pharmacy practionioners out there. Are you guys earning this little? Very little that can't hardly make a living here in the Greater Manila Area. What can you buy with 4000 pesos? Can that feed you and your family?
I studied pharmacy in college and part of my disinterest to the profession is the compensation. I will be a hippocrate if I say that I was dying to earn the degree and not to be paid well. Here's a salary report on how much Filipino Pharmacist are getting.
Pharmacy and Nursing are among other professions that are being neglected and are underpaid here in our country. Antonio Luna, one of our national hero is a licensed pharmacist. I believe this is the time to take steps to uplift the profession, the morale of the practitioners and revitalize the spirits of students and the youth that are planning to get the degree.
Pharmacist is listed in the Highest Paying Jobs - Ten Hottest Careers in the US.
Pharmacists: Pharmacists are health professionals practicing pharmacy. Pharmacists generally cater to the requests for medicines from a prescribing doctor and then supply or dispense the medicine to the patient. Pharmacists also counsel the patients as to the proper use, and any side or adverse effects of the medicines. Today, pharmacists also participate in a disease state management and therefore manage drug therapy.
Pharmacists ranked 11th Jobs That Pay the Most with $53.00/hr; $110,240/yr. Pharmacist are listed with Surgeons, Pilots, CEOs, Orthodontics, et al. To see the complete list click here
How come Filipino pharmacist are not getting what is proportional to what it's American counterparts? There's no need to glamorize the pharmacy profession, pharmacy is indeed a noble profession and an important member of the health care team.
Consider the serious effort you need to make taking up pharmacy. Pharmacy is never a no-brainer course. I've heard of a study that you need an above average IQ to take up Pharmacy. But thats not the point. After you study, you need to review and take the board exam. Look for a job to gain experience. I have pharmacist friends working abroad as Pharmacists, and it's no easy feat.
A few weeks ago, I saw on TV, a government-labor rep discouraged high school students on taking up nursing, for there's a great amount of surplus on this profession, and suggested to take Pharmacy instead. As he said, Pharmacy is well paid abroad compared to nurses. Which is true, however, not all can and wants to go abroad.
For me, the presence of the Pharmacy profession in the Philippines is not imminent and well received.
Is there anyone to blame? This issue has been lingering the corridors of universities since my college days. But it clearly shows that this issue is not yet addressed. There's Philippine Pharmaceutical Association (PPhA) and The Philippine Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, are they aware of this? I'm sure they do. But I wanna see some action, on how they fight against the stigma and obstacles that pharmacy students, graduates and practitioners face in the real world.
2 comments:
Hi Dhon, true Pharmacist are one of the highest paid in Canada. The cousins of my hubby is getting about the range that you mentioned here...
Both of my relatives are pharmacist managers in the States and they are being paid $120,000 a year. I agree that it is no easy feat. I am aspiring to become a pharmacist and was just accepted to a pharmacy program in Boston. I'm not sure how the pharmacy education in the Philippines goes, but if you're not doing the fast-track pharmacy program, it could take up to 8+ years to get a pharmacy degree in the States (its a doctorate in the states). Yes, being an aspiring pharmacist and having relatives who practice the very profession, I am outraged by how underpaid pharmacists are in the Philippines. In other countries, we have to compete with among the brightest in the country to get into a respectable pharmacy program. And I'm thinking that it would be the same for the Philippines. Pharmacists play an integral role in the health care system and they deserve a reward that will compensate for the struggles they go through as pharmacists.
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