Pharmacist Salary Thread

rutpharm · May 12, 2003

Now how much do u guys all expect to make when u graduate or if you have graduated how much do u make? Please list job, area of country, and $$$ per hour.

Let see in NJ I think retail is $43/hr
hospital is more like $37/hr.

Brill · May 13, 2003

Average salary for my area (Houston) is around $40-45 for retail and $34-38 for hospital. As far as what I expect to make when I graduate I'm not quite sure. Some people say salaries are starting/will start to level off while others say they're going to continue to rise for the near future. Only time will tell.

Triangulation · May 13, 2003

Dunno. In SF, Walgreen pharmacists start at $47/hr plus a signing bonus, but the annual increases in salary are pretty miniscule, like a dollar an hour increase.

I'm planning on working in policy, so i'm afraid my salary is gonna be crap. Not sure what crap is, but it's probably not $47. Hopefully, $70K/yr. Dunno.

My boss wants me to work for walgreens in administration and try to attack my goals from there, but i'd probably have to move to Illinois, and I don't plan on ever leaving the west coast.

I'm not really into money, but the people i'm taking fat loans from probably are, so I'm gonna need to make dough.

My other idea was to work the week at a policy institute, and then work a saturday at some retail chain. The guy who runs the pharmacy on saturdays is this retired pharmacist from a convalescent care facility who just wanted to work once a week.

What are other people's ideas of how they're gonna make money?

Brill · May 13, 2003

With the cost of living in San Francisco $47/hour is what.....like minimum wage anywhere else? :laugh:

Triangulation · May 13, 2003

With the cost of living in San Francisco $47/hour is what.....like minimum wage anywhere else?

I know. I was just thinking the exact same thing, when i read how much they make in houston. In real dollars, your salary is so much better. What's up w/that sh#@!!

Alright, i amend my former statement i'm either living in the west coast or houston😉 By the time i get there hopefully yao ming will have bulked up.

Triangulation · May 13, 2003

What are your plans LVPharm?

Brill · May 13, 2003

Originally posted by Triangulation
In real dollars, your salary is so much better. What's up w/that sh#@!!

According to this calculator 100k in Houston is equivalent to 236k in San Francisco 😱

I don't know how accurate that is, but if the cost of living adjustment is even close to that then that's insane. I was reading an article about a janitor who lives in SF making $36k/year and who has to pay $1500/month for a small two bedroom apartment. In Houston that'll get you a nice 4 or 5 bedroom 2-story house. I don't know how y'all make it out there.

Triangulation · May 13, 2003

JDpharmd.......?

I don't know if the threads are starting to coalesce, but do you guys plan on trying to make decent dough as interns throughout school? I've been thinking about that a lot. Even if I have to sacrifice a little gpa, i'd be willing. I have a feeling the experience gained would compensate for potential deficiencies. I also think that pharmacies would be fairly understanding if you needed to take additional time to study since they can truly appreciate what you're doing.

Feel free to tell me if i'm smoking crack, i'm still gonna work though.

LVPharm · May 13, 2003

It depends on where I end up practicing. It'll be in the $37 range here in LV if I should decide on becoming a hospital "staff pharmacist"...if I end up in CA, that'll be a different story, the salaries are higher, but so is the cost of living (in the LA/Orange county area). I saw an ad for "clinical pharmacist" positions at Cedars-Sinai in LA a few months ago in the print version of "PharmacyWeek"...it said $55/hr. What the?! That's over 100k a year! I need to dig up that old issue and check that over again...was I seeing things?

About the intern thing...the best pay around town here is with Safeway/Vons, I think it's ~$17.00/hr...not bad. I'm finding it hard to schedule hours at my hospital job, especially as the coursework demands have increased. Thank goodness the pharmacy supervisors are indeed understanding of my situation...one of my supervisor's daughter is a classmate of mine, so he knows when my exams are, and can anticipate my schedule.

You're only taking one "hit" off the crack pipe, Tri! It's kinda "doable" if you are ambitious enough. I know one hospital intern working part-time hours for benefits right now, she's in her second professional year, and doing fine in school (at least she says so).

jdpharmd? · May 13, 2003

Originally posted by Triangulation
JDpharmd.......?

I don't know if the threads are starting to coalesce, but do you guys plan on trying to make decent dough as interns throughout school? I've been thinking about that a lot. Even if I have to sacrifice a little gpa, i'd be willing. I have a feeling the experience gained would compensate for potential deficiencies. I also think that pharmacies would be fairly understanding if you needed to take additional time to study since they can truly appreciate what you're doing.

Feel free to tell me if i'm smoking crack, i'm still gonna work though.

I'll work through school, but it's not like intern money is that good until 4th year and after (before boards). I've been working in retail for 3 years and I can balance a classload and work too. Most retail chains will give loans to interns, and that can help a heck of a lot. A quick poll of a random BS pharmacist (class of 2002) at rite aid yielded $43/hour +$10k sign-on bonus. The day that I talked to her, she was filling in and making double time ($86/hour, YEY!). The experience working will make year #4 so much easier. I would highly reccomend at least 6 months in the trenches to any student!

Jd

Triangulation · May 13, 2003

How many hours/wk are you guys talkin about?

LVPharm · May 13, 2003

Many of my classmates are shooting for around 12-16 hrs/week. The motivation is a little different than yours, Tri. Although the money is a good thing...many of us are doing intern work to obtain ~900 hrs required by the California Board of Pharmacy. It has to be earned through employment in a pharmacy (experiential rotations from school only count for a portion of the required total of ~1500 hrs).

Triangulation · May 13, 2003

who has to pay $1500/month for a small two bedroom apartment.

That's actually not bad. That must be since the economy tanked. Two years ago a two-bedroom in the hood was at least $1900/mo. Makes no sense.

I'm paying $750 for a room in a house now. Having that much torn out of your paycheck ea month is such a drag. You feel like you work for nothing in SF.

jdpharmd? · May 13, 2003

Originally posted by Triangulation
That's actually not bad. That must be since the economy tanked. Two years ago a two-bedroom in the hood was at least $1900/mo. Makes no sense.

I'm paying $750 for a room in a house now. Having that much torn out of your paycheck ea month is such a drag. You feel like you work for nothing in SF.

I'll be paying somewhere around $700/month for a small, one bedroom apt. near Chicago next year. The prices seemed to fall between about $650 and $1200 for a 1 bedroom. I don't think that you can get into the two-bedrooms for under $1100.

Jd

jdpharmd? · May 13, 2003

Originally posted by Triangulation
How many hours/wk are you guys talkin about?

I'll probably be looking for something like 8-12 hrs/wk. (one full day/week or two half-days/week)

Jd

rutpharm · May 13, 2003

hmm Houston must be one of the cheapest city in US cause I compared San Fran considered one of the most expensive cities in US to my town in NJ and San fran is 132,000 to my town 100,000. So the salary increase should make up for the living expenses. Good WOW Houston is really cheap 52 some thousand to my town in NJ 100,000.

Brill · May 13, 2003

Yeah, Houston has a really low cost of living, especially compared to most other major cities. A lot of that has to do with the cost of housing -- it's extremely cheap to get yourself a house down here. It seems like most of Texas is just about the same way.

Redrum16 · May 16, 2003

What's the highest you've ever heard of a pharmacist making (retail or clinical)?

jdpharmd? · May 16, 2003

Originally posted by Redrum16
What's the highest you've ever heard of a pharmacist making (retail or clinical)?

My ex-boss made 140k in 1 year of retail. The owner of an independant pharmacy nearby sold out to rite aid for something like 3 million, and I frequently see pharmacists working for $85+/hour (overtime, etc), but I'm sure there are pharmacists who make much more.. Are you counting management/corporate positions or dual degrees? ie PharmD/MBA?

Jd

Brill · May 16, 2003

The CEO of Walgreen's is a pharmacist 🙂

legrita · May 17, 2003

oh my goodness! 😱 you al make me feel sooo grateful to live in FL. I will be living in a very luxurious apt. community when I start this fall. I got a 3/2 for $1180/mo. It is beautiful...you can check it out yourself: www.sanmarinoatlagunalakes.com

I am not bragging so please, do not get mad @ me. I am just soooo shocked at the cost of living in Cali. I was actually considering practicing up there because the pay is so nice....but I am having a change off heart. Either way...

I will be interning @ Jackson Memorial Hospital(very large hospital) this summer and they are paying me: $12/hr but I will not work once school starts

At Jackson, a clinical pharm. makes about $46/hr (a residency in the field is needed for that position)
A walgreens pharm makes about $30/hr before boards and $45 after boards here in Miami

I am very interested in hospital pharmacy, but i may start off in the most lucrative area in order to pay off some debt and acccomplish some goals.

I have a questions: Does anyone know anything about tuition reimbursement? who does it? is it 100%? How much time must I give back? please help b/c i am borrowing almost 200K!!!!!!!!!

Thank you so much!
Rache

dgroulx · May 17, 2003

Hey Rache,

You're going to PBA, right? I thought the cost of living down there was way too high. I couldn't afford it at all.

The salaries are about the same here, too. Of course, the best thing about Florida is no state tax coming out of your paycheck.

Walgreens has tuition reimbursement, but it's not a lot of money. However, if you sign an agreement now to work in SW Florida, they will pay lots more. They are in severe need of retail pharmacists from Venice down to Naples. You have to work one year for each year that they pay towards your tuition. You also have to be a Walgreens employee, so you would have to work there this summer.

legrita · May 17, 2003

Hey Dana!
Yes! I am going to PBA. Thank you so much for the 411! Who do I speak with to get some more information about this tuition reimbursement program? BTW, do you have IM or MSN messenger? I'd like to chat and get some more 411 from you! Thank you soo much!

Rache

ps my IM name is rachee33167 and my msn name is [email protected]

legrita · May 17, 2003

Oh yeah...
Dana,
The cost of living in Palm Beach (which is east of I-95) is VERY outrageous. I will be living in west palm beach where it is more reasonable.

Rache

dgroulx · May 17, 2003

Hey Rache,

My MSN name is [email protected] and my IM name is JamisRider.

The walgreens info is on their web page. www.walgreens.com. Go to career opportunities and follow the links.

Heyyyyy · Sep 11, 2003

Assuming your current salary is $84,000. Can your employer lower your salary for whatever reasons? Is it legal or illegal?

Heyyyyy · Sep 11, 2003

no answer?????

TCB · Sep 11, 2003

When a company hires a potential employee, they usually sent him or her an offer of employment stating the salary, etc... Unless it is written in that offer of employment that the employer has the right to lower your salary if push come to shoves , it would be illegal to do so. That is why you should always read the contract entirely and make sure that you know all your rights and privilege.

baggywrinkle · Sep 11, 2003

Originally posted by TCB
When a company hires a potential employee, they usually sent him or her an offer of employment stating the salary, etc... Unless it is written in that offer of employment that the employer has the right to lower your salary if push come to shoves , it would be illegal to do so. That is why you should always read the contract entirely and make sure that you know all your rights and privilege.

On the other hand they can just let you go then replace you with cheaper help. This is what you will see if Pharmacy ever becomes a buyers market. When Rite Aid got too big for their britches after buying that big west coast chain - what WAS their name Thriftway? - there was dark talk among Rite Aid middle managers in Colorado of pharmacists having to "give some back and like it"
But pride goeth before the fall. I talked to former Thriftway pharmacists that hadn't been paid in three months in the chaos of that transition. Repercussions came swiftly as loyal pharmacists jumped ship en mass. Suddenly Rite Aids in Washington were forced to close due to lack of help - damned legal requirements. Had it been a glut market things might have played very differently.....

ordinaryguy · Nov 7, 2003

I was wondering how much pharmacists make at retail chain stores (i.e., Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Safeway...) and at HMOs (e.g. Kaiser). I saw on salary.com that on the average, pharmacists earn $80,000 a year. However, I saw on a website (I can't remember which one) that the average salary is $50,000 at Kaiser.

bgreet · Nov 7, 2003

The average retail salary is, on the average on the east coast, around $85,000 a year.

jdpharmd? · Nov 7, 2003

There are a few chain stores in the area that hire on around 90k fresh from school, plus the bonuses, loan repayment, etc.

babinski bob · Nov 9, 2003

I can assure you that starting pay for a pharmacist at Kaiser in soCal is ~80K. I know this because my dad manages one... On the other hand, you max out pretty fast and it's pretty difficult to make more than 95-100K unless you move up into managing.

Caverject · Nov 10, 2003

But as you look at real estate, one thing you look at is location location location! A walgreens pharmacist can make over 110 K a year in California, but that same pharmacist will make about 85 in Florida. It all depends and what it is that your doing. You HARDLY ever see any pharmacists getting paid 55k a year. That is usualyl reserved for the pharmacists that are in the military, but you have to look at other benefits you get from the miltary to offset that income. (Like housing and food stipend etc)

Brill · Nov 10, 2003

When considering location don't forget cost of living though. 85k in Florida will usually go a lot further than 110k in California (in many places anyway).

Caverject · Nov 10, 2003

Good point Brill! Im still amazed at how low prices are here in Savannah compared to Ft lauderdale or Chicago (Im from both places) Im also amazed by how much alcohol is here! Much more expensive than Florida. I guess I know im in the bible belt when alcohol is taxed to death! 😱

raptor5 · Nov 14, 2003

Clinical pharmacists make a descent buck85k to start in PA. Academic PharmD's liket the one you do rounds with in your 4th year. About 60K.

Ivorymist · May 3, 2004

Alright I know this topic has been beaten to death, but it seems like everytime I tell someone that I'm in pharmacy school the first reply I get is that "wow, they make lots of $$." Don't they realize that if I was just getting into something for the money I would have gotten into something like law or try to get into a top MBA program? The financial rewards in the end for either of these fields would be much greater!

There's a thing to be said though about these rising salaries in Rx. I think that the current shortage of Rphs has to do with how fast they're opening all these drugstores (if an Eckerd's opens, Walgreens will open one across from them to compete, etc) and that Rx schools simply can't keep up for the time being. If they weren't opening so many chain stores it's likely that the shortage will be much less severe or maybe even nonexistent. That's the main reason I think why all these salaries have almost doubled in the past 10 years or so. Thoughts?

djbacklash · May 3, 2004

I'm interested in knowing how much clinical pharmacists who go on to specialize (ie, infectious diseases, oncology, nuclear pharmacy, etc) make compared to a regular hospital or retail pharmacist. I know some of the cancer pharmacists at MD Andersen in Houston make a great deal, but I also know they teach at the university in addition to their clinical work or research. This seems to me the most rewarding path for pharmacists so I plan on doing it regardless of the income benefits (or lack thereof). I just haven't heard much about it since most everyone I've spoken to is working in a hospital or retail setting. Any thoughts?

dontworry · May 3, 2004

Im also interested in that information. I havent heard alot of information from specialized pharmacists.

surgical · May 3, 2004

Ivory admit that money is important. If being a pharmacist did not pay well, lets say $40,000 a year, many of us (probably you too) would find something else for a career. Money may not be the most important thing but when choosing a career it plays a MAJOR factor. You still have to put food on the table and money in the bank. Do you agree?

28657 · May 3, 2004

Ivorymist said:
Alright I know this topic has been beaten to death, but it seems like everytime I tell someone that I'm in pharmacy school the first reply I get is that "wow, they make lots of $$." Don't they realize that if I was just getting into something for the money I would have gotten into something like law or try to get into a top MBA program? The financial rewards in the end for either of these fields would be much greater!

There's a thing to be said though about these rising salaries in Rx. I think that the current shortage of Rphs has to do with how fast they're opening all these drugstores (if an Eckerd's opens, Walgreens will open one across from them to compete, etc) and that Rx schools simply can't keep up for the time being. If they weren't opening so many chain stores it's likely that the shortage will be much less severe or maybe even nonexistent. That's the main reason I think why all these salaries have almost doubled in the past 10 years or so. Thoughts?

Pharmacists DO make good money and that's one of the perks. I don't know why some people want to feel bad about being compensated for working their asses off in school and/or work. Of course you would make more money if you graduated from a top MBA program or top law school, but it's probably a lot more difficult to get accepted to top schools.

Salaray is all relative. If you don't have the time to enjoy the cash you earn then that defeats the purpose of making the cash! Those who graduate from top MBA programs and all lawyers I imagine put in 60+ hours/week working. What's the fun in that?

If you have chosen pharmacy simply for the benefit you can provide your community (without the hefty compensation) there are quite a few Native American reservations in AZ seeking your help! 👍

As for the pharmacist shortage - Walgreens and Eckerds are opening stores because there is a demand. (I'm sure they've hired some top MBA grads to help them figure that out 😉 )

Ivorymist · May 3, 2004

Whoa guys...points well taken. I was just trying to say that I don't want the public to just believe that pharmacists are doing it SOLELY AND ONLY for the money. I do not dispute the fact that money is important because we all have to make ends meet. I was simply stating that money wasn't my ONLY consideration.

But unfortunately on the other topic, many drugstores are being opened due to corporate greed and not necessarily because of demand. I'm sure there are many stores that are opened due to local demand, but for every one of those that I've seen I also see one where the pharmacist sits there all day and fills 40-50 scripts/day even though the store's been open for a couple of years (I've worked for one of those). Again, it's not a bad thing for all of us who are related to the profession; it's just a simple observation that myself and some of the folks I worked with made.

djbacklash/dontworry - The clinical specialists I come across make salaries that are comparable to retail pharmacists. I work in a large teaching hospital in the SE with >12 clinical pharmacy specialists and they are paid around the same as the community pharmacy folks. They are salaried however and many get to leave early/come in late if the workload is less on that particular day. They are among the most satisfied pharmacists I have met too.

28657 · May 3, 2004

Ivorymist said:
But unfortunately on the other topic, many drugstores are being opened due to corporate greed and not necessarily because of demand. I'm sure there are many stores that are opened due to local demand, but for every one of those that I've seen I also see one where the pharmacist sits there all day and fills 40-50 scripts/day even though the store's been open for a couple of years (I've worked for one of those). Again, it's not a bad thing for all of us who are related to the profession; it's just a simple observation that myself and some of the folks I worked with made.

If the majority of the stores being opened are slow (as you say), how is corporate greed to blame? How does Eckerd make money if it has to first build the building and then pay for more pharmacists/techs/cashiers/store managers/etc and then have little to no revenue coming in? I'm just trying to point out that Eckerds isn't opening up more stores solely for the fact that they can offer new grads jobs.

bananaface · May 3, 2004

I am one of the people who would still go into pharmacy if it paid crappy. Now, don't go telling that to my potential employers. I'm just lucky that what I like to do pays quite well. That said....

I have heard stories about pharmacies in CA with long wait times and "now serving this number" pickup lines. So in some areas, it may be that there are simply not enough pharmacists to go around. But, there are alot of newer and older retail pharmacies in my area with low Rx counts. It may be that eventually we need these multiple pharmacies once the baby boomers are all worsening in health. But for now, that is not the case, at least in the Seattle metro.

This fall, I spoke to an exec at a local chain with 52 drug stores about the need for pharmacists. He said that Seattle proper in saturated with pharmacists, and he outlying areas are pretty close to saturated. Many companies (Walgreens being the exception) have scaled back or stopped store opeings in the area, because of economic uncertainty. He thinks it will be 2-3 years before his company contemplates opening another store. And, he thinks most other companies are int he same boat.

spacecowgirl · May 3, 2004

As you can tell from my sig, I have no qualms about being excited about making good money when I graduate. Considering all the hard work I've done up to this point and many more years ahead of me, I think it will be well-deserved because I know I will make a hell of a pharmacist because I CARE about patients. Sure I'm going to pharm school for the money.....and because I've worked as a tech for 7 years and loved it, and because I like to help people, and because I am interested in health care, and because there are lots of flexible options, esp for women, and because it can provide the life style I want - which is to live simply and without worrying about money constantly.

I'm perfectly happy to say that I will make close to 6 digits - but that the other things are important to me as well.

People work to make money - otherwise where's the incentive? I'm not going to spend my life eating Beanie Weenie when I don't have to :laugh:

angelil_yu · May 3, 2004

Well, talking about salary, it's all are relative. Do you know the starting salary of MD in CA? Approximately $200 Gs after completing the residency (you know before MDs are graduated and go for the residency, they are only paid minimum wage/hr). So, if people said that pharmacists make a lot of money, I say, hey, wait a minute, who are you comparing with? Even with dentists, pharmacists make much lower money after they start working. And also, for doctors and dentists, their salary will significantly increase after they start working, but for pharmacists, their salary only increase gradually and it also depends on location you're working on because CA is known for its high paid in salary and high living expenses.

So, yeah, I think being a pharmacist at least make a GOOD living in terms of salary. And don't forget to deduct the tax from your net salary as well coz the more you make money, the more you pay for the taxes.

/ 🙄

Ivorymist · May 3, 2004

Not the majority, just many of those new stores are slow. But that is also why greed is precisely to blame - they want to make more and more profits by opening stores when sadly such an action sometimes doesn't equate to revenue. And that is why here in the SE (similar to bananaface's scenario) many chains are scaling back their new store openings, and with the slowdown of store openings many are predicting a lesser pharmacist shortage in the near future. Chain stores are not opening stores for the benefit of new grads, but the fact remains that they need somebody's pharmacy license to be able to open a store so we are directly affected.

Yeah I agree that salaries are all relative. I guess we're getting more publicity and people know about our financial situation these days due to the rapid rise of pharmacist salaries over just a few short years.

djbacklash · May 3, 2004

Sure it's all relative but do you have any idea how much doctors have to pay for malpractice insurance and other expenses if they have their own practices? Deduct all that and the average doctor who's making $180-200k really isn't making that much more (maybe even less) than a pharmacist pulling $100k.

That's why I think it's funny when you have all these greedy bastards going into medicine solely "for the money." My dad is an OB/GYN who makes a comfortable living (let's say between 300-400k) but even he was the first to tell me to NOT go into medicine if my heart's not fully in it because the money really isn't that great after you deduct all the expenses and factor in the hectic lifestyle.

I'm sure we can all agree that pharmacy is a great profession, and that both the lifestyle and financial rewards definitely play a significant role. Not only will we get to do what we love, but we will also have time to actually enjoy what we earn.

KauaiGirl13 · May 3, 2004

djbacklash,
where does your dad work at? he makes $300,000-400,000 a year? holy crap!! my mom does the same thing, and she is only making about $75,000 a year.

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