Retail, Clinical, Travel, or Research: Choosing the Right Direction for Your Career

Making decisions about the future of your pharmacy career is an exciting time. There are so many opportunities available and avenues that you can pursue. There are a lot of choices to be made, but one of the first is the general direction that you want to take with your career path. Considering whether you would be best suited for pharmacy positions in retail, work in a clinical environment, or travel pharmacist jobs is the first step to planning your future.

Retail Positions

Retail pharmacy is, of course, what people often think of first when the word “pharmacist” comes to mind. Filling prescriptions, counseling patients, and ensuring that your counter is well stocked and running smoothly are the things that fill a retail pharmacist’s day. But there is so much more to the job than that. Those who enjoy interacting with people and having a personal connection with the people you care for, then you will fit in wonderfully in a retail pharmacy career.

Clinical Positions

Those in clinical pharmacy positions provide many of the same services as those in retail, but without the direct contact with patients. Often those in clinical positions work in hospitals or residential care centers, making for a very fast paced environment as there are many regular patient needs that must be taken care of each day. If you love a busy, challenging day but can do without the interaction with patients might find that a clinical position is best for them.

Travel Positions

Travel pharmacists fill many different job descriptions, often in retail or clinical settings, but typically in more short-term circumstances. By accepting temporary assignments in locations that have temporary needs, a travel pharmacist has the chance to satisfy their wanderlust while enjoying a lucrative career. Those who find travel pharmacy jobs to be a good fit are people who enjoy change and challenge and who have a flexible lifestyle that supports frequent travel and location changes.

Research Positions

For many, the passion these pharmacists feel for their career is focused less on direct patient care and more on the bigger picture and how they can help more people with their work. Research positions allow you to use your talents, education, and love of your career to find new and innovative therapies that can make a difference in treating conditions and fighting disease. If those are things that sound like the perfect job description, looking into research positions may be the right path for you to choose.

There are many steps along the path to finding the most rewarding career opportunities that will leave you feeling satisfied with the direction you have chosen. Carefully consider the options that are available to you, weighing the responsibilities and daily tasks against your own strengths and personality traits. The right decision will become clear and you’ll be able to begin to explore all of the options that are available. Whether it’s your first pharmacist job or you’re choosing a new career path, you’ll be well on your way to the job that you’ve always dreamed of.