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Pharmacy Jobs in Unique Places, Part 2
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Work all over the globe with pharmacy jobs.
In the first part of this series, I included links to jobs in Saipan, Antarctica, the United Arab Emirates, and Singapore. I have received a number of emails, especially from current student pharmacists, that feel disappointed because our pharmacy schools are generally only familiar with delineating careers by type of pharmacy, rather than location, and they would like to be able to go somewhere amazing, and still get to be a pharmacist. It is possible!
Even if it is harder to get licensed it is worth it in the end—just see it as completing your own ‘residency’ for pharmacy practice in that area. I am going to take you around the globe with jobs that are open today in pharmacy. Check these out:
Bermuda
The job: Bermuda Hospitals Board
The location: Bermuda is a great location for several reasons; first, this island is located only 600 miles off the coast of North Carolina, and flights out of Newark, NJ only take around 2 hours. Because of this, especially if you are from the East Coast, you can easily go home to visit family (probably more easily than if you moved to the West Coast). Also, Bermuda is very developed, and has a high standard of living.
There is a lot of immigration in Bermuda, with most people coming from Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. I think pharmacy practice would be unique here because pharmacists come mostly from these 3 countries, so you would be exposed to a variety of international brand names as well as medications, that might not be approved in the United States but are approved in the United Kingdom or Canada.
Activities include world-class golf, both reef and wreck diving (which is uncommon to have in one place), snorkeling, and other water sports; pink sand beaches, beautiful resorts, and world-class shopping. The cost of living is extremely expensive, which is a downside, but the tax rate is Bermuda is generally lower than the US which offsets some of the difference.
Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales)
The job:
Licensing with the General Pharmaceutical Council of Great Britain
The location: There’s too much to say about Great Britain for 1 article. From world-class London. to the beautiful, lush-green landscapes of Scotland and Wales, Great Britain has something for everyone. One incredible thing about working in this country, compared to the United States, is the vacation system: Boots UK (part of the Boots-Walgreens Alliance) openly advertises 25 days of paid vacation per year. While this is common in Europe, most pharmacists do not get this kind of vacation here. Because it is English-speaking, it is much easier for United States pharmacists to get licensed here than in most of Europe. There are still work and testing requirements, but they are manageable, and if your dream has always been to live in Europe, then it’s well worth it.
Angola
The job: Regulatory Affairs and Compliance Manager
The location: OK, this location is for the very adventurous. Angola is a developing country in Southwest Africa that was originally a Portuguese territory, and obtained independence in 1975. They boast beautiful national parks, including Iona National Park, and Camela National Park that would be a dream for someone who has always wanted to do an African Safari.
One huge benefit of this job is that it would provide experience that would look really good when applying to other, international global health organizations. Most WHO jobs, for example, require experience at the national, and international level in the field they are seeking, and seek experience in the developing world. If that is your dream this is an enormous stepping stone to that.
Trinidad and Tobago
The job:
The location: Trinidad and Tobago is an independent state consisting of the two islands that gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. It is a developing country and, while beautiful, crime, and security are serious concerns here. Still, the beaches are beautiful, the diving is beautiful, and, just as it would with Angola, a pharmacy job here would set you up with the global health experience in a developing country that would be highly sought after by international global health organizations.
