Career On Hold

Apparently, a professor in the state of Georgia has been paying students to reconstruct questions and answers to the NAPLEX pharmacy exam. Then he turned around and "taught" a board review class and sold study packets containing real Q&A. This prompted the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy to shut down the exam and re-write it. Anyone who had an appointment after August 25 had his/her appointment cancelled and no new appointments will be issued until early November.

What does this mean? It means the HUNDREDS of graduates who hadn't yet stood the exam, or whose states required 500 hours of graduate intern experience now are left in the limbo of grad internland. Unable to be licensed, we cannot do the actual jobs for which we were hired. Our student loans are due and Sallie Mae is knocking at our financial doors, yet we are not collecting the full salaries we would have if this suspension never happened. Some of us have relocated and floated moving expenses, anticipating the full salary tied to the completion of the licensing procedure. Some of us are being told that contracts required being licensed within a certain time period, even though that contractual obligation would have been met except for this.
Pharmacy chains are scrambling to cover positions that new hires should be working.

If I need to look at the positives, well, it gives me some more time to study. But I am definitely not a happy camper about this.

Up Time and Down Time

It's been a really busy summer- and it flew by so fast! I've been studying for my licensure exam (NAPLEX) & working at two stores as a graduate intern, and trying to squeeze in family time. I have managed to keep Farmer Hank's garden weeded weekly even though the weeds are so high at my own house that someone stole a bike and stashed it in my garden and I have no idea how long it's been there. (I did buy the push mower I wanted but the weeds are too high- need to tame 'em down before I can use it.) I've been helping out a dear friend who has been ill with rides, errands and company when I am off. I hosted my dear friend Ros from Montreal and her high school friend and ran ragged all over Boston. We squeezed in a few days at the Cape and enjoyed every minute. Visited my "grandbaby" and his sisters and celebrated birthday #1 and trips to the beach. We plan to get together and see summer out on Labour Day if all goes well.
Then it's back to work.