Cancel your APhA membership

[BenJammin]

As if you didn't already need a reason to cancel your membership to that terrible organization, read this

http://www.pharmacist.com/new-federal-overtime-rules-likely-have-implications-pharmacy-residents

New federal rules could raise pharmacy residents’ salary as pharmacy resident programs must comply with a final rule issued by the Department of Labor (DoL) that takes effect December 1, 2016.

Employers must increase minimum salary for certain employees to keep them exempt from wage regulations, such as those related to overtime pay. According to APhA, the final rule does not exempt pharmacy residents, leaving them among the millions of health care workers who will soon see a bigger paycheck.

Under the final rule, the initial increase to the Fair Labor Standards Act minimum salary level to qualify for an exemption is from $455 to $913 per week (i.e., from $23,660 to $47,476 annually). Future automatic updates to the thresholds will occur every 3 years, starting on January 1, 2020.

Practicing physicians—including medical residents—are not entitled to a minimum salary or overtime because they qualify for an exemption for the practice of medicine. According to APhA comments to DoL, pharmacy residents should qualify for the same exemption as medical residents because pharmacists cannot accept a residency until they have completed their PharmD—just as medical residents must complete specialized education before being permitted to practice as a resident.

APhA wrote in comments to DoL on its proposed rule that the new rules could place a prohibitive strain on already cash-strapped residency training programs, particularly those that are community-based, and could have a damaging effect on patients.

APhA also requested more flexibility in the implementation of the new rule.

“Without proper time to plan for salary increases,” the Association wrote, “entities, many of which are community pharmacies as well as small businesses, may face budget constraints and some may be forced to discontinue these important programs that assist in training pharmacists as clinical care providers.”

Pharmacy technicians may be affected by the DoL final rule, depending on their job duties.

APhA has finally been exposed. They don't like the fact that residencies, who get pharmacist work at 1/3rd the going rate, will now have to pay overtime to pharmacy residents. I thought APhA was supposed to represent the pharmacy profession! No! Don't pay us the overtime pay pharmacists deserve! Provider status!

Funding limited? **** you Thomas Menighan! This is what you get for pushing these cheap labor programs onto the profession.

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[owlegrad]

Pretty bold move to side against wage increases for the next generation of pharmacists. I suppose APHA knows which side of the bread gets the butter though, of course they are going to side with the residency directors.

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[Pharmd = Phake Doctor]

This issue was already discussed in the pharmacy residency posts.

Are Pharmacy Residents Getting A Raise?

I knew the ASHP were trying to lobby congress to have pharmacy residents exempt from overtime rules.

ASHP Urges Caution on Department of Labor Overtime Rule-1

But I didn't know the APhA were doing it also. Isn't the APhA primarily concerned with community pharmacists? Why would they support exemptions for pharmacy residents?

Both organizations can go to hell.

I would never send those crooks a dollar of my hard-earned cash.

 

[zelman]

As if you didn't already need a reason to cancel your membership to that terrible organization, read this

http://www.pharmacist.com/new-federal-overtime-rules-likely-have-implications-pharmacy-residents



APhA has finally been exposed. They don't like the fact that residencies, who get pharmacist work at 1/3rd the going rate, will now have to pay overtime to pharmacy residents. I thought APhA was supposed to represent the pharmacy profession! No! Don't pay us the overtime pay pharmacists deserve! Provider status!

Funding limited? **** you Thomas Menighan! This is what you get for pushing these cheap labor programs onto the profession.

If you have any questions please contact, Jenna Ventresca, Associate Director for Health Policy, by email [email protected] or phone (202) 558-2727.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

I guess I'm one step ahead of you because I've never had one.

 

[Rukn]

wtf is a community pharmacy residency? ??

 

[ChalupaBatman86]

The real problem for the chains is the salaried front store "managers" but it's safer to talk about pharmacy residents.

 

[zelman]

wtf is a community pharmacy residency? ??

B S

 

[Prepharm1214]

Does anyone actually continue apha membership past pharmacy school thinking it will somehow help them further their career after graduation?

 

[confettiflyer]

We strictly limit residents to 40hrs a week (way less than 80 if they help staff) and they're paid hourly per California law (they are pharmacists like the rest of us, no different from grad interns doing on the job training until they get licensed). Everyone earns OT by law, whether you're the resident making $25/hr picking up shifts or the pharmacist making $75/hr, so this ruling is irrelevant.

But yeah...APhA....pfff...they never got my money in the first place, so hah!

 

[gwarm01]

I cancelled my membership when I still in school. The student officers for our local chapter couldn't believe it and kept trying to get me to sign up.

 

[radio frequency]

We strictly limit residents to 40hrs a week (way less than 80 if they help staff) and they're paid hourly per California law (they are pharmacists like the rest of us, no different from grad interns doing on the job training until they get licensed). Everyone earns OT by law, whether you're the resident making $25/hr picking up shifts or the pharmacist making $75/hr, so this ruling is irrelevant.

But yeah...APhA....pfff...they never got my money in the first place, so hah!

California sure sounds like the promised land for pharmacists.

 

[Dalteparin]

If I were a member of APhA, I would have cancelled my membership when one of their presidents opened Chapman University.

 

[PharmDBro2017]

This is despicable. Shame on you APhA.

 

[Chalupa_Batman86]

@ChapmanPharmacy ...

Which side do YOU support? And no, you are not allowed to use provider status as an answer.

 

[Digsbe]

This is unacceptable. Why would any organization claiming to look out for the best interest of members in a profession not support rightful wage increases? If you work 60-80 hours a week you should get duly paid what you put in. It's abusive in my opinion to work someone on a ~40k a year salary/stipend and then demand way more than full time employment from them. It's not as if residents don't do work for their practice sites...

 

[confettiflyer]

Wow- wish I would have known that when I was looking at residencies. Would have been fun to slum it in LA for a year or two hahah..

Is it all hospitals that only allow residents to work 40/week or just yours?

I literally heard quotes like "I can't afford to live the city with this salary" "I haven't had a chance to see the sights yet" " if I eat two meals a a day I'm lucky" "take out a little bit extra student loans to have free cash" at midyear from current residents -- none were from California, but it scared me away.

Not all hospitals, and some hospitals expect residents to do their research and proposals outside of this set 40 hour thing. It's very grey, but it's not overt like they're scheduling you to be on call for 80 hours a week or something like that.

Most residencies in CA pay between $45k-$60k on the high end, most residents moonlight. Most residents I knew in the bay area had enough free time to go do stuff - I was very close to many of them and we were always out and about. But it was seasonal, we sort of had to hunker down in the winter/early spring going into WSC, but we had plenty of time at the bookends...up front and at the end. Lots of us took vacations in the final month of residency.

 

[bacillus1]

Not all hospitals, and some hospitals expect residents to do their research and proposals outside of this set 40 hour thing. It's very grey, but it's not overt like they're scheduling you to be on call for 80 hours a week or something like that.

Most residencies in CA pay between $45k-$60k on the high end, most residents moonlight. Most residents I knew in the bay area had enough free time to go do stuff - I was very close to many of them and we were always out and about. But it was seasonal, we sort of had to hunker down in the winter/early spring going into WSC, but we had plenty of time at the bookends...up front and at the end. Lots of us took vacations in the final month of residency.

My old hospital's residents (in CA) were there at least 6 days a week most weeks. ICU and medicine rotations they were mandated to be there 6 days a week, in addition to their staffing. Sometimes I saw them there at 10PM on a Saturday. I don't know how those poor souls didn't have nervous breakdowns.

 

[confettiflyer]

My old hospital's residents (in CA) were there at least 6 days a week most weeks. ICU and medicine rotations they were mandated to be there 6 days a week, in addition to their staffing. Sometimes I saw them there at 10PM on a Saturday. I don't know how those poor souls didn't have nervous breakdowns.

I know your old site - yeah my friends there as residents had it rough, but it was also a federal facility. Seeing as they don't even need a California pharmacist license, I somehow don't think they need to follow California labor law (I could be wrong though).

If you need me to delete the reference to federal facility let me know.

 

[PolarPop]

I guess their letter didn't do anything if it was written 2 months ago? My program is figuring out what to do with the salaries now but I think I will get paid a couple thousand more. Not a lot but it helps when you are in a high cost of living city.

 

[rph3664]

wtf is a community pharmacy residency? ??

It is exactly what it sounds like - a way for a pharmacy to get hours covered at less cost.

I know a woman whose daughter was offered this in 2012; she declined. It was an independent pharmacy in a small town with a large Spanish-speaking population, and a high percentage of Medicaid patients, so naturally they needed to cut corners wherever they could, and this was one way to do it.



I haven't belonged to APhA for a long time, but I still get their magazine. I did belong to it for a couple years after I graduated, because my employer paid for it AND it was a mail order facility, so their reps knew to keep their mouths shut whenever they spoke in our area.

 

[MatCauthon]

I'm still leaning towards agreement with APhA. There are limited dollars for residencies out there. My hospital actually decreased the residents pay so that they could bring on more residencies. Since Medical residents are exempted from overtime rules, shouldn't pharmacy residents be exempt as well. These are training periods, after-all, and payback comes in experience and knowledge.

Also, I can't be too much in favor of residents getting overtime when I don't even get it myself. I think we have bigger battles to fight than this. Residents know they are going to make peanuts in exchange for getting their '3-5 years of experience' per residency year.

 

[Topcat15]

I'm still leaning towards agreement with APhA. There are limited dollars for residencies out there. My hospital actually decreased the residents pay so that they could bring on more residencies. Since Medical residents are exempted from overtime rules, shouldn't pharmacy residents be exempt as well. These are training periods, after-all, and payback comes in experience and knowledge.

Also, I can't be too much in favor of residents getting overtime when I don't even get it myself. I think we have bigger battles to fight than this. Residents know they are going to make peanuts in exchange for getting their '3-5 years of experience' per residency year.

Most pharmacy residency programs are complete scams. The '3-5 years of experience' is bull**** propagated by ASHP. Where I work, our hiring manager considers residents worse than new grads because they come out with horrible attitudes and bad habits. These organizations are supposed to represent pharmacists. They don't have to lobby for overtime pay, but to actively lobby against it is a slap in the face. But it sounds like you're a pharmacist who suffered in residency and wants to make sure other people suffer, instead of trying to make things better for those who follow.

 

[MatCauthon]

Most pharmacy residency programs are complete scams. The '3-5 years of experience' is bull**** propagated by ASHP. Where I work, our hiring manager considers residents worse than new grads because they come out with horrible attitudes and bad habits. These organizations are supposed to represent pharmacists. They don't have to lobby for overtime pay, but to actively lobby against it is a slap in the face. But it sounds like you're a pharmacist who suffered in residency and wants to make sure other people suffer, instead of trying to make things better for those who follow.

I actually didn't do a residency and I think the '3-5 year of experience is BS as well, which is why I put in that statement in quotation marks. We all know how the residency game is played. People are making a choice to do residency. The emphasis on suffering is your own as that is a completely subjective thing. I personally don't like to frame my life as a form of suffering because that is not an empowering way to live.

 

[zelman]

The whole argument is built on a straw foundation. What percentage of residency positions are run and funded by community pharmacies and small businesses? It can't be more than 2 percent. Probably less.

 

[gwarm01]

Most pharmacy residency programs are complete scams. The '3-5 years of experience' is bull**** propagated by ASHP. Where I work, our hiring manager considers residents worse than new grads because they come out with horrible attitudes and bad habits. These organizations are supposed to represent pharmacists. They don't have to lobby for overtime pay, but to actively lobby against it is a slap in the face. But it sounds like you're a pharmacist who suffered in residency and wants to make sure other people suffer, instead of trying to make things better for those who follow.

It's almost hilarious. I've met plenty of fresh residents with bad attitudes because they seem to think they have to act like pompous know it all, but I've yet to meet one with the skills to back it up .

 

[bacillus1]

I'm still leaning towards agreement with APhA. There are limited dollars for residencies out there. My hospital actually decreased the residents pay so that they could bring on more residencies. Since Medical residents are exempted from overtime rules, shouldn't pharmacy residents be exempt as well. These are training periods, after-all, and payback comes in experience and knowledge.

Also, I can't be too much in favor of residents getting overtime when I don't even get it myself. I think we have bigger battles to fight than this. Residents know they are going to make peanuts in exchange for getting their '3-5 years of experience' per residency year.

I think I agree with this. Residents are NOT independent practitioners. This is a training program where most of the residents' work is supervised.

 

[zelman]

I think I agree with this. Residents are NOT independent practitioners. This is a training program where most of the residents' work is supervised.

So every McDonalds employee besides the manager can be demoted to "trainee" and then they don't deserve overtime pay?

 

[bacillus1]

So every McDonalds employee besides the manager can be demoted to "trainee" and then they don't deserve overtime pay?

There's a difference. Employees can count cash and cook burgers by themselves. Residents in many institutions require supervision for almost every single task they do.

 

[zelman]

There's a difference. Employees can count cash and cook burgers by themselves. Residents in many institutions require supervision for almost every single task they do.

Based on residents with whom I've worked, as well as the staffing requirement of every residency, I disagree.

 

[confettiflyer]

I was wondering when this would once again devolve into a "residency = stupid" thread.

Residency is useful if it's useful. Residences are dumb when they're not. The end.


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[rph3664]

It's almost hilarious. I've met plenty of fresh residents with bad attitudes because they seem to think they have to act like pompous know it all, but I've yet to meet one with the skills to back it up .

Sounds like new graduates from any time period.

 

[BenJammin]

I was wondering when this would once again devolve into a "residency = stupid" thread.

Residency is useful if it's useful. Residences are dumb when they're not. The end.


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I wish this thread would stay on topic with the "APhA = stupid" statement.

 

[ldiot]

APhA spams me with 4238698742 emails about the FDA approval status of drugs and pending legislation bills every day; it's annoying. The only reason I joined in the first place is so I can throw it on my CV as an extracurricular. Plus they auto-billed me for next year's membership 6 months in advance, wtf? Not to mention the articles they send me promoting community pharmacy residencies.

 

[gwarm01]

APhA spams me with 4238698742 emails about the FDA approval status of drugs and pending legislation bills every day; it's annoying. The only reason I joined in the first place is so I can throw it on my CV as an extracurricular. Plus they auto-billed me for next year's membership 6 months in advance, wtf? Not to mention the articles they send me promoting community pharmacy residencies.

The funny thing is that no one cares if you are an APhA member and putting it on your CV doesn't really mean anything. I did it too as a student, but after joining the real world I tossed that crap. I try my best to keep a simple one page resume, so I need all the space I can get.

 

[Momus]

I never join APhA... wasting money. Never in my book.

 

[ldiot]

The funny thing is that no one cares if you are an APhA member and putting it on your CV doesn't really mean anything. I did it too as a student, but after joining the real world I tossed that crap. I try my best to keep a simple one page resume, so I need all the space I can get.

I always planned on dropping it after school but I'm thinking about dropping it now and just joining a different club that I might actually be active in. If it's on my CV they are going to ask about it and with APhA I haven't done a damn thing because the events and meeting are pointless and stupid.

 

[knight on horse]

Cheap labor, the siren song of our globalist managerial class

Don't be a helot