I've been working at CVS for almost 3 years now and I'm starting to consider whether to intern there or not? Its the only pharmacy I have worked in, so I'm comfortable, but should I expand my options?
Input on the best pharmacy to work at
- Thread starter pink16
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When you find the best pharmacy, stick to it like glue. 
I work for one of CVS's competitors. The atmosphere at this pharmacy is pretty unique within the chain. I call it my 1960's drugstore, because it doesn't have a drive-thru, it's raised a foot or so like the pharmacies of yesteryear, it's tiny and far from updated, and the pharmacists sport their gray hair pretty well in this so-called hole-in-the-wall.
Honestly, I don't know if I'll ever work in a pharmacy like this again, because when I graduate in 2010, I'll have to move on. So, I'm sticking to this job until my time runs out in a couple of years.
I work for one of CVS's competitors. The atmosphere at this pharmacy is pretty unique within the chain. I call it my 1960's drugstore, because it doesn't have a drive-thru, it's raised a foot or so like the pharmacies of yesteryear, it's tiny and far from updated, and the pharmacists sport their gray hair pretty well in this so-called hole-in-the-wall.
Honestly, I don't know if I'll ever work in a pharmacy like this again, because when I graduate in 2010, I'll have to move on. So, I'm sticking to this job until my time runs out in a couple of years.
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Well, Rite Aid certainly isn't the worst pharmacy to work at, but its far from the best.
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At this point in the game I'm planning on staying with Target (though moving to a different market). I've worked in a few other places and I'm by far most satisfied with my job there.
A couple of highlights:
In general, you have more and better tech help than most other places. Though it is a metric crap load of paperwork, they really try to ensure that their techs are appropriately trained. Most of the pharmacists that I've worked with really push going for the CPhT title, too. Also, volume tends to be lower than with regular chain drug stores, and in general pharmacists seem to be able to spend more time with patients if they want to do so. Now, that's not to say that we don't have stores in our area that do 500+ a day during the week and 200+ daily on weekends; but those stores will also have three pharmacists overlapping while supervising six technicians. There's NO drive-thru, and no immediate plans to build stores with drive-thrus. Though they've extended their overall pharmacy hours, you still have shorter days on weekends (9-6). And did I mention that you get a 10% discount, with an opportunity to get an extra 10%? Benefits are not the most outstanding, but they will certainly do (for full-timers). Part-time benefits are not as great. Their 401k is pretty awesome; they had a deal going a few years ago where you became fully vested if you signed up by a certain date. I'm proud to say I've had my 401k for less than two years and I already own the entire thing. They do match dollar for dollar up to 5%, but also remember there is a cap on how much you can contribute (for "highly compensated" employees).
The computer system is antique at best. PDX is light-years behind what other places use (including the little old independent I did my rotation at this summer). It is very easy to use, but if you're a tech guru, you'll definitely find fault with it. There seems to be more paperwork involved for RPhs, much more so than other places. The pharmacy manager also has to answer to the store manager (which has created some friction in our store in the past), instead of being considered equals. (This used to not be the case.) When they cut hours, they do it on a store-wide basis. This means that even if the pharmacy is booming, if the "front-end" is slow, then we get hurt. This isn't a particularly huge deal for most places, but I do know of a few stores that are really struggling because of this rule.
And finally, the $4 generics. It's great to see how many people this has truly helped out (as one lady told me: "Poor America can now afford to be sick") but it's caused us a fair amount of trouble. Not only are we losing a crapload of money on this (it makes sense that they cut our tech hours by over 20 a week when you are checking an Rx and see that you lost $10+ on it), but I can't tell you how tired I am of arguing with people about why certain strengths of certain drugs are on the list while other strengths of the same drugs are not, why there are no controlled substances on there, why a 34 days' supply is $6 versus $4 for just 30 days, and why it's not the pharmacy's fault that their doctor thought a drug was on the list when in reality it is not. (Zocor is the one we see this the most with.) Granted, we deal with it very well, but it still gnaws at me when someone whines: "But my doctor TOLD me it was on there..."
Hope this helps. PM me if you have more specific questions.
A couple of highlights:
In general, you have more and better tech help than most other places. Though it is a metric crap load of paperwork, they really try to ensure that their techs are appropriately trained. Most of the pharmacists that I've worked with really push going for the CPhT title, too. Also, volume tends to be lower than with regular chain drug stores, and in general pharmacists seem to be able to spend more time with patients if they want to do so. Now, that's not to say that we don't have stores in our area that do 500+ a day during the week and 200+ daily on weekends; but those stores will also have three pharmacists overlapping while supervising six technicians. There's NO drive-thru, and no immediate plans to build stores with drive-thrus. Though they've extended their overall pharmacy hours, you still have shorter days on weekends (9-6). And did I mention that you get a 10% discount, with an opportunity to get an extra 10%? Benefits are not the most outstanding, but they will certainly do (for full-timers). Part-time benefits are not as great. Their 401k is pretty awesome; they had a deal going a few years ago where you became fully vested if you signed up by a certain date. I'm proud to say I've had my 401k for less than two years and I already own the entire thing. They do match dollar for dollar up to 5%, but also remember there is a cap on how much you can contribute (for "highly compensated" employees).
The computer system is antique at best. PDX is light-years behind what other places use (including the little old independent I did my rotation at this summer). It is very easy to use, but if you're a tech guru, you'll definitely find fault with it. There seems to be more paperwork involved for RPhs, much more so than other places. The pharmacy manager also has to answer to the store manager (which has created some friction in our store in the past), instead of being considered equals. (This used to not be the case.) When they cut hours, they do it on a store-wide basis. This means that even if the pharmacy is booming, if the "front-end" is slow, then we get hurt. This isn't a particularly huge deal for most places, but I do know of a few stores that are really struggling because of this rule.
And finally, the $4 generics. It's great to see how many people this has truly helped out (as one lady told me: "Poor America can now afford to be sick") but it's caused us a fair amount of trouble. Not only are we losing a crapload of money on this (it makes sense that they cut our tech hours by over 20 a week when you are checking an Rx and see that you lost $10+ on it), but I can't tell you how tired I am of arguing with people about why certain strengths of certain drugs are on the list while other strengths of the same drugs are not, why there are no controlled substances on there, why a 34 days' supply is $6 versus $4 for just 30 days, and why it's not the pharmacy's fault that their doctor thought a drug was on the list when in reality it is not. (Zocor is the one we see this the most with.) Granted, we deal with it very well, but it still gnaws at me when someone whines: "But my doctor TOLD me it was on there..."
Hope this helps. PM me if you have more specific questions.
