Travel pharmacy equals job security

Since graduating pharmacy college, I soon started to appreciate politics. If you work and earn a paycheck, you too should be concern what your government is doing. Whether we like it or not, we are inundated with rules and regulation that affects us every day of our lives.

I have been getting emails from other traveling pharmacist sharing concerns about the state of the economy–high unemployment, and job security in particular. Now, what I have told them is what I am going to tell you. With the current rate of spending by the federal government, there are three areas that are not being affected: government-related jobs, education, and health care. If you are working in any division of health care, consider yourself very lucky. Doctors, nurses, health care technicians, and pharmacists seem to be immune from the high unemployment numbers we are witnessing.

Yet even compared to other health care professionals, traveling pharmacists have great job security right now. It is all demographic in nature, and the advantage of being a traveling pharmacist is that we have the ability to get assignments for federal jobs in every state in this country and U.S. military bases abroad. You can work in the VA hospital, IHS, federal prisons, or the military.

There is a high demand for pharmacist to take care of our veterans, active and inactive, and those native Americans who need our help. If you call your recruiter, I can assure you that he or she may have a job lined up for you. The only disadvantage is that the location they may send you may not be conducive to your personal situation. But rest assured, jobs are plentiful in the federal sector. Also, if you look hard enough, you may find success in landing an assignment in the private sector as well.

So, don’t give up hope. Your job is secure. Since my current assignment ends next month, I have been offered three positions in both the federal government and the private sector. All I need to do is pick the one I like best.

Do your homework. Go through each agency’s website and see what they have. Call your present recruiter and make them earn their keep and find you an assignment that is worth your time. Don’t wait too long. These jobs are on a first-come, first-served basis. Good luck!

Cyrus Pacis is a pharmacist who often works on long-term relief pharmacy jobs through RPh on the Go.