We all know the benefits of adding a part-time position to our current workload, which usually includes a full-time, nine-to-five job during the traditional workday. But if you're more interested in the pharmaceutical industry as a whole, a great place to start may include your neighborhood pharmacy. If you're new to this industry, it's an ideal place to learn not only how to recognize the endless varieties of medicines, but you can also gain important and potentially life-saving information, such as which medicines spell trouble when combined. Also, you're in a prime place to learn federal laws that govern the pharmaceutical industry. Many consider positions such as these a gateway that can help them determine if they really want to pursue a degree that would allow them to become pharmacists.
You have to consider the potential downsides, too. Part-time positions, regardless of what field they're in, seldom offer health benefits, vacation time, or retirement plans. This is important to remember, especially since many are considering part-time positions either to supplement full-time positions or simply as a way to offset a recent layoff. In fact, many report that they've accepted two or three part-time positions due to the inability to find other full-time positions after a layoff.
Many successful agents who work in the pharmaceutical sales field will tell you it's an uphill climb, but the rewards outweigh the climb tenfold. They're afforded the opportunity to meet extraordinary physicians and their support staff as well as the patients their company's offerings benefit. Still, they will tell you that although part-time work can be synonymous with a successful career, it often takes several years to reach that goal.
Perhaps you're most interested in how lifesaving drugs are created. If so, there are many lucrative chemistry jobs for those with the proper education. Fair warning: these positions require an extensive and inclusive understanding and education regarding all things chemical. Scientists who create the pills we take for sinus headaches and sore throats and antibiotics that allow wounds to heal agree that they do it for the satisfaction of their contributions to mankind, and very rarely do financial aspects play into their decisions to remain in the pharmaceutical field. Many of the larger pharmacy chains have their own labs to not only conduct their own quality assurance testing, but to make a contribution to the up and coming pharmacists and chemists majoring in pharmaceutical-related fields. As such, these laboratories also offer positions, some of which are part-time. You must be willing to expand your horizons and consider some of the options that may not be advertised. Often you can get all of the information you need for those positions not advertised simply by visiting the chain's website and clicking on the career tab.
Another position within the pharmaceutical arena is the pharmacy technician. These positions are typically in hospital pharmacies and involve filling doctor's orders for patients currently in the hospital as well as nurses’ requests for drugs such as over-the-counter pain medicines. The technician receives the request, fills it (with the exception of Schedule III, IV, and V drugs, which strictly prohibit handling by anyone other than a registered pharmacist), and then the pharmacist verifies the order, including dosage and other specifications, signs off on it, and the order is delivered to the appropriate nurse's station for distribution.
Despite the gloomy predictions of both our economy and job markets, there are positions available, even within the part-time sector, for those who are really willing to do the search and put out the effort. It boils down to the same commitment we make when looking for our primary jobs. Be willing to put yourself out there, accept a ground floor position, and prove your worth over time. Those committed to quality and loyalty almost always enjoy a successful career full of promotions, accolades, and pay increases.
