If you work in Kroger, how many hours do part-timer work?

Do pharmacists have a life?

• I'm a senior in high school and I'm still trying to find a job I'm interested in. Science is definitely my favorite subject in school; I'm taking three AP science classes next year. Anywho, at first I wanted to be a doctor. Being a doctor seems very "sciencey" and (very importantly) has a good salary! But I've read that doctors have a very stressful life and barely have enough relaxation time. If money was everything, then I'd have no problem with this. But if I get married and have a family to support, I don't just want to support them financially, but I also want to be there for them. So I came to the realization that maybe being a doctor isn't right for me... so I started to consider pharmacy. Here are my questions: 1) Do pharmacists have a life? I use to work at Kroger and the pharmacist that was there worked very early in the morning and late at night... to me, that's scary. 2) Do pharmacists at hospitals and retail stores work different hours? As stated above, 12+ hours at work not only seems unbearable, but I'd never be home... 3) Is being a doctor as bad as they say? Of course, this is a pretty vague question - there are many types of doctors! A dermatologist would hardly ever get called in, but I've also read that dermatology is one of the hardest residencies to get into after med school! So, if such a job exists, are there any types of doctors that don't have an extremely stressful life? 4) If a pharmacist works all the time and a doctor works all the time, is there any other good paying science job that could potentially work for me? Ya, I know... 4 questions that aren't all completely related... but if someone could answer some of them, that would be very helpful! Thank you very much!

• Answer:

  let me take these on one at a time. Also, while I know many physicians, I am not one of them. As such I won't answer for them. 1) Do Pharmacist have a life? For starters the phrase 'have a life' is a tired cliche. The answer is yes. I've really enjoyed the last 21 years I've been one. 2) Some hospitals are open 24 hours as are certain retail pharmacies. One crucial difference? Hospitals don't close on holidays. Are you asking about the length of shifts perhaps? I've have worked for hospitals and retail. Hospitals use more 8 and 10 hour shifts. Retail makes more use of 12 and 13 hour shifts. My personal record for retail is 17 hours. Hospital? 30 hours!! 4) Doctor's and pharmacists who work "all the time" choose to do so.