NUS Pharmacy

[Unknown7383]

Anyone got accepted by nus pharmacy already?

some people have

 

[Louie Liew]

some people have

Anyone with 86.625?

 

[Unknown7383]

Anyone with 86.625?

yes thats most probably the cut off.

 

[Louie Liew]

yes thats most probably the cut off.

I have 86.625 and was rejected last year?

 

[Unknown7383]

I have 86.625 and was rejected last year?

well idk how the system works but most probably by RP. I think there can be 2 scenarios
1) maybe only certain 86.625 accepted based on vacancies
2)this year cut off drop?

 

[Kyoji83]

I was a healthcare student before I quit school & I did study Pharmacy modules. I also have a small circle of friends from multidisciplinary healthcare occupations. I would like to share my view & experience.


1) Compounding

Anyone who study Pharmacy modules should be able to do it especially Pharmacy courses.


2) Employment rate

There are always demand for Registered Pharmacist but the question will be should the organization needs so many Pharmacist when there are more Certified Pharmacy Technicians coming into the Pharmacy sector doing similar jobs for daily operation which is at basic level?

To become a Certified Pharmacy Technician with Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore (PSS), one only needs to have a Polytechnic Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science or WSQ Advanced Certificate in Healthcare Support (Pharmacy Support).

Same thing happen to Registered Dentist when there are more Oral Health Therapists in the sector. So why needs Graduate like Dentist? Cause Oral Health Therapists needs 5 years of direct supervision from Dentist before they can get their 'licence'.

So it is hard to comment purely base on Pharmacist Employment rate when other factors like Pharmacy Technician are affecting the manpower need.


3) Salary wise

The salary range should be around $2800 to $3200 for fresh Registered pharmacist.


4) Competition with Filipino/Malaysian

All along, FT are competing jobs with local in healthcare & other industries. Now you have Pharmacy Technician stepping your tail.


5) "General degree"

Clear cut, this is a specialized degree to allow you to work in Pharmacy sector.


6) Moving on from Hospitals

Most of the Pharmacy jobs are routine in a way which is a reason why Graduate are moving out of this sector with a pay cut in new sector. However this is not the only occupation that move out with a pay cut in new sector.


7) Bell curve

Those can enter NUS are all academically smart. So for bell curve...I believe I don't needs to share more in detail.


8) Types of classmates

All healthcare courses are demanding & your classmates are your competitor whether you like it or not. Indirect group will be form & you will be outcast if you dropout from course & etc since there is no much of friendship (apart from your close classmates in your indirect group).

 

[Unknown7383]

I have 86.625 and was rejected last year?

so did you receive the offer?

 

[Louie Liew]

so did you receive the offer?

Application processing

 

[Unknown7383]

Application processing

oh goodluck you'll receive soon i guess

 

[Silverback84]

Hmm... i from ite... dun bash la.

 

[evilsaigon]

Saw this thread and I had to comment as I graduated from NUS pharmacy in 2016.

Why do I see people writing pharmacy employment rate is 99%? Those who give that figure, either you are a non-pharmacist, you simply copied the number from the NUS website (which is not truly accurate), or you graduated so long ago that you don't know any recent graduates. It's way below 99%, estimated around 85%.

Pre-registration pharmacy training is not secured anymore. There are not enough slots for all graduates. And what's worse, the graduate batch is still increasing in size each year. If the unemployment issue already persists in my batch of 160, I don't have to explain what it's like for the upcoming batches of 200 graduates.

And those who got the pharmacist license, many struggle to find jobs after the 9 months training. 30% of the hospitals will dismiss you after you get your pharmacist license. They simply don't have the budget to take in any more. Retail pharmacists are forced to sign a 1-year contract so they have slightly better job security. Scholarship grads are doing okay, they can't fire you just because their budget is getting low.

But you know, if you are truly passionate, then take it. Enroll in pharmacy if you are 100% CONFIDENT this is the course for your living existence. A pharmacy degree is an irreplaceable tool that serves you well in the pharmacy sector. But if you ever decide pharmacy job is not for you or you are stuck with unemployment, then your degree is useless. You are no better than an O' level cert holder.

Even the professors are worrying how to deal with jobless pharmacy graduates. If you don't believe me, you can personally ask the profs handling pharmacy graduates in Singapore: Ms. Tan Mui Ling or Lita Chew
Ask them how is the employment situation for pharmacy graduates in 2017 and perhaps the outlook for years to come.

 

[kaldorei204]

I am also a graduate and sadly, the doctor does speak some truth although in a rather crude manner.

Anyway here are some hard truths for wannabe pharmacy students

1. Impressive starting pay and employment rate? That is utter rubbish. The employment rate refers to pre-registration enrollment and not how many graduates get a position as a registered pharmacist. Starting pay stated refers to the pay you get when you are a registered pharmacist which is after 1 year of **** pay as a pre-registration pharmacist. So they are fudging the statistics quite a bit. PS: Yes, you are earning less than 3k and mugging your butt off for that license while your equally smart friends in other industries, who work equally hard gets a bigger paycheck and a brighter future. Not to mention about the stagnating pay for the overwhelming workload when you become a registered hospital pharmacist.

2. Low recognition as a hospital/community pharmacist.
Community: Most people are unaware that you even need a degree to stand behind the counter at Watsons and Guardian. You are looked down by your peers in the hospital. Forget the bull about how you are gonna help people manage their medications and conditions at the community setting. Most common questions: toilet where ah, can pay here anot cos cashier queue very long, this hair colour dye nice anot
Hospital pharmacist: You can do all the PhDs, specialise in all the clinical pharmacy you want, be the most knowledgeable pharmacist in the world, and yet you are lower in the hierarchy than the newly graduated house officer. There is nothing you can do to change it cos that is how the healthcare system in Singapore works. Doctors are the gods and the rest of the healthcare system are just the mere mortals to serve them.

3. Oversaturation of pharmacists
The license is something unique. Sure bro. So are the tens of thousands of individuals holding the same license in Singapore. If anything, the heyday of pharmacy ended when they decided to increase the intake of NUS pharmacy and bring in foreigners. So now supply>demand. When those NUS professors wax lyrically about how bright the future can be as a pharmacist, they are referring to their era and not the present. Heck, most if not all my friends regretted the day that they accepted pharmacy.

4. Singaporeans.
Honestly, you are providing a service. And Singaporeans like to believe that their miserly tax dollars entitle them to lord over you. And yes, patients(read: customers) are always right so heaven help you if that patient or his/her relatives decide to write to their MP/hospital management about that minor issue.

However, if you really got the passion for clinical pharmacy; like one big, burning, and fiery passion for it, then go for it. Just ensure that it remains that way for a very long while. Otherwise you will just be one of the many bitter and unhappy hospital pharmacists in Singapore.
Or you can just save yourself the misery and skip hospital work, go straight to pharmaceutical industry. Heck, applying for other courses instead would be a wiser choice.

 

[nethdale]

Thanks to kaldorei204 and evilsaigon for your insightful and truthful write up. I always take a pinch of salt with the data released and outreach programme run by institutions. Once again, thank you very much.

 

[Purplestars]

see who's the one calling pharmacists lowly ..... and you turn around and accuse people of judging pharmacists to be lowly. I never consider pharmacists a lowly profession.

You probably bash pharmacists here, not realising that you are indirectly bashing your own girlfriend. And when people pointed out that based on what you have said, you are actually despising your own girlfriend, who is a pharmacist, you turn around and hit back at others.

Whether your girlfriend is realising her potential and can gain your damn respect or not is none of my business and nobody cares. The fact is you called pharmacists lowly.

I'm only pointing out that you have deemed pharmacist a lowly profession and hence you probably despise her "lowly" profession. (inverted commas lowly)

Once again, losers like you are still unable to separate your person from your occupation. Bashing the occupation does NOT equate to bashing the person. It is your sick mindset that is nurtured by your education system that made you like this. Even after I have explained to you how I reasoned it, you still can't wrap your head around it and insist I am bashing my girlfriend while you state how much I care about her is "none of your business and nobody cares."

This is just a reflection of your weak mindset and your inability to cope with your cognitive dissonance. Imagine how you are feeling now, dealing with some random rude guy from the internet. How would you feel when you wake up everyday facing this reality in your actual life? Can you actually live with it?

 

[Purplestars]

I suggest you stop making these kind of posts.

Should a failed moderator like you really be making such statements? You can't even handle the lame power of being an EDMW mod and let it get to your head making everyone hate you. You have no idea how to deal with actual power and competence.

 

[Purplestars]

Doctors are the gods and the rest of the healthcare system are just the mere mortals to serve them.

These are the words from an actual pharmacist, so you haters can just shut it. Not from me folks, from an actual working pharmacist. You wannabes aren't even working in the system yet, but you still have the guts to come online and talk big like you are in the know.

This is the attitude you need to survive if you want to be a good pharmacist. Follow the experienced guy here and start serving your Gods.

 

[Purplestars]

Purplestars, honestly speaking, I pity your parents.

Are you sure this is my parent's fault? Or maybe it is you and your parent's fault for voting for a government that created such a healthcare system?

 

[Purplestars]

Saw this thread and I had to comment as I graduated from NUS pharmacy in 2016.

Why do I see people writing pharmacy employment rate is 99%? Those who give that figure, either you are a non-pharmacist, you simply copied the number from the NUS website (which is not truly accurate), or you graduated so long ago that you don't know any recent graduates. It's way below 99%, estimated around 85%.

Pre-registration pharmacy training is not secured anymore. There are not enough slots for all graduates. And what's worse, the graduate batch is still increasing in size each year. If the unemployment issue already persists in my batch of 160, I don't have to explain what it's like for the upcoming batches of 200 graduates.

And those who got the pharmacist license, many struggle to find jobs after the 9 months training. 30% of the hospitals will dismiss you after you get your pharmacist license. They simply don't have the budget to take in any more. Retail pharmacists are forced to sign a 1-year contract so they have slightly better job security. Scholarship grads are doing okay, they can't fire you just because their budget is getting low.

But you know, if you are truly passionate, then take it. Enroll in pharmacy if you are 100% CONFIDENT this is the course for your living existence. A pharmacy degree is an irreplaceable tool that serves you well in the pharmacy sector. But if you ever decide pharmacy job is not for you or you are stuck with unemployment, then your degree is useless. You are no better than an O' level cert holder.

Even the professors are worrying how to deal with jobless pharmacy graduates. If you don't believe me, you can personally ask the profs handling pharmacy graduates in Singapore: Ms. Tan Mui Ling or Lita Chew
Ask them how is the employment situation for pharmacy graduates in 2017 and perhaps the outlook for years to come.

Now the experienced pharmacists are steeping in to back my words. So is the idiot who banned me going to come in and apologize and eat his words? Of course not! You think doctors are bad, well internet moderators are far worse. You have no idea what it's like to handle real power over life and death compared to these Mediacorp watching Jayley Woo wankers.

Well it looks like my message has gotten across and now has been backed up. I'm sorry for all the hurt feelings I inflicted on you wannabes, but look at it this way, better to be hurt on the internet than in real life. Now you can avoid the actual pain and move on to a path of true happiness, and in your heart thank your savior on the internet .

 

[Purplestars]

I don't think I have said any wrong info from what I have posted Nor have I posted any defamatory comments that warrants any apology.
The 2 grads who have just came in to weigh on this matter, 1 particular issue they are concerned with is the employment rate as well as recognition and healthcare being a tough industry.
I did note that Pharmacists are not as well recognised as Doctors.
Employment rate wise, yes it's due to the pre-reg training. After training, employment decreases. Why is that a surprising fact? After 5years of mandatory housemanship for Doctors, Doctors' employment drops as well from 100%. Some go study, some start business, etc..

Thirdly, almost every industry is tough work even if you score straight As in yr A levels. A law graduate have to work till 9-10pm daily, coming back on weekends etc.. I'm sure housemanship years were tiring for Doctors as well. Pre-reg will be equally as tiring as well.

Lastly, I've concluded that you should pursue this career if you have a passion and interest for it in my last posts which was consistent with what the 2 recent grads have to say.

You are fucking kidding me. Even up to this point, you still want to argue and defend your position, without even using any point of reference as well, instead of taking a step back and start reconsidering your position. I know you are already into pharmacy school, but it isn't too late to change course or plan for an alternative route the moment you graduate. But instead you want to come here and defend your stance to assuage your cognitive dissonance?

You have no idea how employment rate is calculated. Pharmacy employment rate used to be 100% only just a while back. Does this means no one go study, no one go start business, etc? No, these people are considered 100% gainfully employed, so doctors who do these things do not affect their employment rate at all. The low employment of pharmacist only shows that these fresh grads are unable to find a gig after graduation and also are unable to find an alternate path be it go study, go start business etc.

I don't know why you are comparing a doctor and lawyer's work hours vs a pharmacist. The whole point here is that as a lawyer and doctor, you will be well compensated for the hard work you put in. As a pharmacist, you work real hard for peanuts.

You posts are not at all consistent with anyone who have any experience. Only your cognitive dissonance can see this as consistency when just about every message posted goes against you. You see why I have to be totally crude with my online postings? If I simply posted harsh messages here, your lame brain will simply twist it as if I am agreeing with you. I have to attack your character for you to get the shock you need to wake the fuck up.

This also goes to show your weak mindset and your inability to adapt and make adjustments with changing information. Being such a strawberry, you will be pwned easily by foreigners.

 

[h0lyseer]

Now the experienced pharmacists are steeping in to back my words. So is the idiot who banned me going to come in and apologized and eat his words? Of course not! You think doctors are bad, well internet moderators are far worse. You have no idea what it's like to handle real power over life and death compared to these Mediacorp watching Jayley Woo wankers.

Well it looks like my message has gotten across and how has been backed up. I'm sorry for all the hurt feelings I inflicted on you wannabes, but look at it this way, better to be hurt on the internet than in real life. Now you can avoid the actual pain and move on to a path of true happiness, and in your heart thank your savior on the internet .

I don't think I have said any wrong info from what I have posted Nor have I posted any defamatory comments that warrants any apology.
The 2 grads who have just came in to weigh on this matter, 1 particular issue they are concerned with is the employment rate as well as recognition and healthcare being a tough industry.
I did note that Pharmacists are not as well recognised as Doctors.
Employment rate wise, yes it's due to the pre-reg training. After training, employment decreases. Why is that a surprising fact? Without the mandatory 5 years contract Doctors have or the 4 years contract that dentists have, employment rate for them would not be 100%. Some go study, some start businesses etc.. (note: their employment will still be higher due to higher demand but will not be at 100% if not for the training bond.)

1 fact I wouldn't deny would be the oversaturation of Pharmacists. However, it is occurring in many industries, with law being one of the more badly affected ones. As you have mentioned before, even 1% non employed for students who score straight As is bad. Then why do people still choose law? As I've mentioned and concluded: passion & interest for the industry which should be factors to consider when choosing a degree.

Thirdly, almost every industry is tough work even if you score straight As in yr A levels. A law graduate have to work till 9-10pm daily, coming back on weekends etc.. I'm sure housemanship years were tiring for Doctors as well. Pre-reg will be equally as tiring as well. Other courses have it difficult as well and have their own share of difficulties. It's normal, especially for pre-reg Pharmacists.

Lastly, I've concluded that you should pursue this career if you have a passion and interest for it in my last posts which was consistent with what the 2 recent grads have to say.