Just offered a Pic position

[ancienbon]

I have been working for cvs for nearly 2 years now. I had previously worked for Walgreen for abt 3 years. On Friday, the Dm offered me a pic position at closer store to where i live with 6 percent raise. I am very reluctant to take it but i dont want to commit professional suicide, as a dm can actually transfer you to floater. So guys please advise me. I have until Friday to respond.

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[Sine Cura]

IMO is it professional suicide. At least you are actually getting a decent raise and your destination store might be better. I got a negligible raise and I took over a very difficult store (if it was easy-street to hire a PIC there why would they let a new grad who worked all of 4 months take the PIC job?). I am actively looking to transfer to a different region but it looks like it is more likely I will quit after finding work elsewhere

 

[Prepharm1214]

3-4 dollar raise to be PIC at CVS, not a chance for me...Unless your current store is a far drive or the new store is better staffed/well run then it would be an easy decision for me

 

[ineeddrug]

Before you decide whether to be pic or not, find email with CVS metric in your district from DM. (My DM sends out mails whenever metrics results come out. Usually all stores' score listed.
Find the stores you are offered.
Take a look at metrics.
If its metrics are bottom of the districs, better not to take PIC...
If its rank is medium to high rank, take the position.

 

[pillpharmer14]

I turned down and similar offer a month ago and haven't regretted it yet. But I guess every RXS is different.

 

[Estrace]

Before you decide whether to be pic or not, find email with CVS metric in your district from DM. (My DM sends out mails whenever metrics results come out. Usually all stores' score listed.
Find the stores you are offered.
Take a look at metrics.
If its metrics are bottom of the districs, better not to take PIC...
If its rank is medium to high rank, take the position.

I agree with this. Take the position if it's a good store.

 

[farmadiazepine]

I would need a $15/hr raise minimum. I'm dead serious.

 

[owlegrad]

I doubt the DM will 'demote' you to floater if you don't take the PIC job, after all if you are good enough to be a PIC your DM won't want to do anything that would threaten your job. I have not personally witnessed an "up-or-out" mentality/culture at CVS.

I was a PIC and recently stepped down. I am not exactly sorry I accepted the position, it was good to personally experience it and I got to keep the salary, but I am much happier now than I was as PIC. Some people presumably are happier as PIC. I don't know your base salary of course but I am assuming 6% is something like $3. Personally I would say it is not worth it. Twice that probably wouldn't be worth it to me.

How much do you know about the staff at the store you are meant to go to? If your partner is not on the same page as you, you will never get any traction on anything you try to implement. If the front store ignores pages for assistance it is going to be much harder to get anything done. If the techs are not mostly supertechs (or at least competent), your life will be hell.

A shorter commute of course is great. Everyone is different, you just have to decide what is right for you. I am highly doubtful there will be any retaliation for not accepting the position.

 

[type b pharmD]

You should ask for 10+% . Wags seems to be offering around that amount for PIC .

With a 15% raise I still feel like the money isn't motivation enough . Maybe you could negotiate an extra week of vacation or two ? It is clear they want you so the ball is in your court

 

[Sine Cura]

If a store needs a new PIC, it is probably a bad store (check the KMI flash report and any emails sent out by the sup showing "performance" across the district), but you might have to clean house, which can be difficult if your store manager doesn't help you).

 

[ancienbon]

I should also point out there are 4 pic openings in the district now. some pics stepped down and others left.

 

[Old Timer]

You need to find out about the store before you go. It's critical. What about your partner(s)? What about the staff. If the staff is ok and the partner has your back, you'll be ok.

 

[ancienbon]

You need to find out about the store before you go. It's critical. What about your partner(s)? What about the staff. If the staff is ok and the partner has your back, you'll be ok.

I dont know anything about the store. Right now there is no staff, no pic. Staff just left and pic is on maternity leave and asked to step down when she comes back. Dont know abt the techS.

 

[pillpharmer14]

I dont know anything about the store. Right now there is no staff, no pic. Staff just left and pic is on maternity leave and asked to step down when she comes back. Dont know abt the techS.

Run. No staff = floaters and a huge mess

 

[wagrxm2000]

I usually say take it and delegate but if there is no staff there's no delegating so stay away.

 

[Old Timer]

I dont know anything about the store. Right now there is no staff, no pic. Staff just left and pic is on maternity leave and asked to step down when she comes back. Dont know abt the techS.

Staff as in staff pharmacist? I meant the tech staff. Unless you have a partner, DON'T, I repeat DON'T take this position.

 

[ineeddrug]

I dont know anything about the store. Right now there is no staff, no pic. Staff just left and pic is on maternity leave and asked to step down when she comes back. Dont know abt the techS.

Other than store metric report, if you want to get some info, ask any floater pharmacists about that stores.
Most floater pharmacists know how each store in your district actually is..
So if your current store has any floaters coming to work, ask his honest opinion about that store.


But from what you are saying about that store, I wouldn't take pic role there... Run when you can. Dont look back. Run.

 

[zelman]

Staff as in staff pharmacist? I meant the tech staff. Unless you have a partner, DON'T, I repeat DON'T take this position.

Hmmmm... Interesting. It might be an opportunity to request a partner.

 

[M0df]

It seems like we have this topic come up once a month. Most of the time the answer is don't take this position. There is usually a good reason there is an opening. So unless you are brave enough to fight the situation as is, for a few extra bucks, it is not worth it. Some sups make you think you have a choice in this decision but you really do not. If that is the case and you think you will be forced into accepting this promoting, start asking for more $.

 

[ancienbon]

Thank you all. I made up my mind now and i will decline it . I will send him an email. But what if i am forced to it?.

 

[BidingMyTime]

Thank you all. I made up my mind now and i will decline it . I will send him an email. But what if i am forced to it?.

You can't be forced into it. You probably won't even be blackballed from future management positions (because there is always a greater need for PICs then for staff pharmacists.) If you do want to get into management, you will probably have to start at a bad store (the established PICs will be first in line to move to openings at good stores), so if you do want to get into management, bite the bullet and do it. If you don't, then decline politely, say something like you don't feel you have enough experience as a staff pharmacist to take on being a PIC yet, or that you have a family obligation that would prevent you from devoting the time to the job that would be necessary, yadda yadda. Your boss will probably try to sweet talk you into the position or ask you to just "try it out" (don't, if you "try it out", you will be locked there FOREVER!), but just be firm and consistent if you don't want to do it.

 

[Sine Cura]

Even with market saturation, it's probably hard to find people that 1) actually want to work for CVS, 2) can actually tolerate the conditions, and 3) won't quit in 4 months, so better for a sup to fume and leave you alone than... what? (The only reason I even wanted to take a PIC job is that I really didn't like my first store and thought I could put up with being PIC at another store... oops. Well, at least it will make it easier for me to transfer since I showed I can actually get people to follow WeCare and can motivate people to turn a store around on paper--no longer bottom 1% in the nation on anything measured except competence of certain techs--so my new sup wouldn't have any reservations. Oh wait, my current sup has to sign off on a transfer too)

 

[SpartanLaser]

PIC is the worst position. I quit in 3 months for the following reasons:

1. Lack of tech help and techs in the area
2. The techs call out sick, im doomed. No other store in the district has enough tech help either
3. Sup force us to use myschedule, which includes 3 hour shifts. No tech is gonna drive 20 minutes to work, work 3 hours, then back.
4. Crazy metrics to obtain, not enough hours. In Cali, I can't even work off the clock to compensate
5. No staff pharmacist, only floaters

RUN far far away from CVS PIC positions

 

[ancienbon]

Thank you all again. I did run. I sent him an email and politely declined the offer. By the way i heard the store is a mess. Every RPH left, no pic, no staff, a permanent floater just left, and lead tech left also

 

[Ackj]

Thank you all again. I did run. I sent him an email and politely declined the offer. By the way i heard the store is a mess. Every RPH left, no pic, no staff, a permanent floater just left, and lead tech left also

What I can't understand is why the volume wouldn't decrease. If it's that much of a disaster, why aren't the patients leaving? They must get frustrated with all of the issues too, right? I would imagine that at some point, enough would leave that you'd no longer be so busy that you bang your head against the wall.

 

[BidingMyTime]

What I can't understand is why the volume wouldn't decrease. If it's that much of a disaster, why aren't the patients leaving? They must get frustrated with all of the issues too, right? I would imagine that at some point, enough would leave that you'd no longer be so busy that you bang your head against the wall.

Stores that are that highly problematic, are usually filled with problematic patients (the patients that have either been banned from other stores, or who are drug seekers who are know at all the other stores, so they want the store with a new pharmacist each week who won't know them.) ....or the store is in such a location, that the patients can't easily access another store, so they have no option but to be stuck at the bad store. So these patients won't be going anywhere.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

I'd need about $180k/yr before I even thought about it. $200k would entice me. What they pay now, like $140k our so for most stores? Pffft, no.