pharmacy manager salary of Walgreens pharmacist

[type b pharmD]

His ONLY option was quitting. ( which he wound up doing anyway). He absoluteky DID NOT have the option if paying his techs a higher wage; that comes from his DM and corporate. And if he would've done what you wrote: tell patients that it'll be a 6 hour wait he would've simply been fired with the rash of complaints he would have received. Being a PIC for a chain is in fact accepting additional risk for some processes that are out of the PICs control. Paying wages commensurate with keeping his techs happy was one if those things. He tried to be the good company man by trying to trudge through a time of transition and he paid for it literally

I agree as manager you're accepting some risks that are hard to control, but honestly what DM would fire you in that situation? I've worked at stores with average wait time of 3 hours on a good day and as far as I can tell, regional, while frustrated, is nowhere near firing anyone. If you get fired cause you had a bad day or week due to all the techs quitting, something else is/ was going on.

Granted, under the pressure of the environment, it is easy to understand why the guy took the illegal route, but still can't really sympathize with him on the penalty. Allowing unlicensed staff working in the pharmacy is a pretty big deal.

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[BF7]

I agree as manager you're accepting some risks that are hard to control, but honestly what DM would fire you in that situation? I've worked at stores with average wait time of 3 hours on a good day and as far as I can tell, regional, while frustrated, is nowhere near firing anyone. If you get fired cause you had a bad day or week due to all the techs quitting, something else is/ was going on.

Granted, under the pressure of the environment, it is easy to understand why the guy took the illegal route, but still can't really sympathize with him on the penalty. Allowing unlicensed staff working in the pharmacy is a pretty big deal.

The Permian Basin region of Texas has an unemployment rate of like 3-4%...it's because Gas and oil companies are hiring anyone with a pulse to drive water trucks, dig ditches, etc. There are people who would normally be good Pharm Techs being offered employment at these companies and driving water trucks or being admin for $20-25 per hour. The average Tech wage is around $13 per hour. The pool from which to draw from is incredibly limited in the midland-Odessa area and this poor PIC personally and professionally suffered while being powerless in his circumstance.

Quit and worry about paying bills and supporting your family or be a good company man and break the rules to keep those daily RX production reports looking spiffy?

As a rule of thumb, QUITTING is the best option when you don't control your circumstance and the good standing of your license is at stake. At the chain stores, you'll ALWAYS be just another fireable employ anyhow....

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

No argument here on the need to delegate as a PIC. But as a PIC, the actual control over staff pharmacists is rather minimal. You still have to go through your DM/Sup to get anywhere. There is more control over your techs but if you are pulling the plug on a more experienced tech because they are not performing their delegated tasks, can you really find quality replacements with the current tech starting salary/raise system in place? By the time they are ready to contribute, they can find better pay and work conditions elsewhere.

The control over staff, at least for CVS is pretty good. I am the one talking to them about myimpact scorecard, giving them their reviews, etc. Obviously, I have to partner with the sup for anything more. My sup supports me pretty good.

I think managing staff pharmacists is different than managing hourly employees such as technicians. I don't influence them by giving them direct orders. I ask them to help with x, and I tell them I do y. I make sure they have the support and I follow up with them. I think the key is to have good partners. However, most grad interns are scared for their jobs... so that helps too.

About techs, they used to care... but with the economy getting better... I find that they do have more options. I engage them in other ways...

 

[M0df]

I guess I see things differently. I know in NY they want PIC giving reviews to staff pharmacists (varies state to state). The actual NI/ME/EE still comes down from the sup. You are simply the one delivering the message. So your control is highly dependent on the sup. I realize they ask for your staff reviews to be faxed to them... and then your sup might use SOS number with 3.0 as cut off for raises. Obviously, in your situation SOS wasn't an issue and everyone should have gotten something nice.

Now that raises for techs are also fitted into tiers based on what they are currently making, it makes it hard to reward them with anything of significance. At $10 an hour and possible 5% increase, it nets them... well you do the math. And that is with an EE rating. Many of the old timer techs have been 'maxed out' for years now in the ~$18/hour area. Their next bump, if it was to happen, would be 0.5 - 1%.

Starting salary for a tech at CVS is $8-10 depending on the location.

 

[knight on horse]

You are a *****. Being a PM isn't all about money. Everyone talks about this "extra work" when in reality, it's LESS WORK. As a PM, you are running the store. You are the boss. Whatever you say, as long as it isn't illegal or against policy goes. I make my staff rphs do all the work. I know how to do it, so I delegate it. I end up getting everything done properly, get paid more, and having less work done. More than one DM has told me to delegate all day so as to increase desirability of the PM position.

Plus, being the boss and not having to answer to anyone is a plus as well. Who's drinking the kool aid now?

It seems the people who blast chains and PIC positions are the ones who probably couldn't ever handle being one or just simply don't know how to lead. I know so many staff rphs that would **** their pants if they actually had to coach someone or delegate a task. More power to them. They can do all the paperwork while I oversee it.

But yeah, I'm drinking the "kool aid".

Less work? Delegate? Lol I have to agree, way too much kool-aid

I'm smarter than everyone and can delegate everything. Good luck with that in a menial understaffed job. Just the way corporate likes it.

Unicorn store only. Having to recruit and train everyone to actually do a good job otherwise and then have all the menial homework, for only several percent more salary, totally not worth it. My standards are too high and I can do better with my time. If I'm that well rested to bother with that nonsense then I can even convince the PIC to do it my way

If I get more sleep I can blag my way into a corporate position. That is the real deal

 

[type b pharmD]

Less work? Delegate? Lol I have to agree, way too much kool-aid

I'm smarter than everyone and can delegate everything. Good luck with that in a menial understaffed job, just the way corporate likes it

Like I said, unicorn store only. Having to recruit and train everyone to actually do a good job and then have all the menial homework, for only several percent more salary otherwise, totally not worth it. My standards are too high and I can do better with my time. If I'm that well rested to bother with that nonsense then I can even convince the PIC to do it my way

If I get more sleep I can blag my way into a corporate position. That is the real deal

Is corporate really worth the risks with regard to career track, office politics, and corporate atmosphere for the pay? Are DMs making that much more? You'd have to pay me at least 180k for that ****, there are only a few DMs. Become a star store manager, get one of the good stores, make $160 working your system, sit back and relax. Much easier once you have your **** together than trying to survive corporate. Store manager or "fixer", = big fish in a district.. entry level corporate, you are being scrutinized by a whole lot of insanely powerful people who already have everything figured out, know how to play the MBA career level game, and not that willing to let someone in or up. Is a DM really going to get promoted to some kind of VP position ? There is not that much salary room above a top dog rph that doesn't require a low level officer position, and they don't just give those out based on merit. Who else is making >200k , even in a big org ? Not that many people.

Why not become a great store manager, open your own shop, poach customers, and take home millions?

Nobody at Walgreens or CVS is taking home that kind of money except the top 5 execs. Pharmacists can do it without THAT much work compared to becoming executive vp or some such.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

I guess I see things differently. I know in NY they want PIC giving reviews to staff pharmacists (varies state to state). The actual NI/ME/EE still comes down from the sup. You are simply the one delivering the message. So your control is highly dependent on the sup. I realize they ask for your staff reviews to be faxed to them... and then your sup might use SOS number with 3.0 as cut off for raises. Obviously, in your situation SOS wasn't an issue and everyone should have gotten something nice.

Now that raises for techs are also fitted into tiers based on what they are currently making, it makes it hard to reward them with anything of significance. At $10 an hour and possible 5% increase, it nets them... well you do the math. And that is with an EE rating. Many of the old timer techs have been 'maxed out' for years now in the ~$18/hour area. Their next bump, if it was to happen, would be 0.5 - 1%.

Starting salary for a tech at CVS is $8-10 depending on the location.

The PIC has a lot of say in the review of a staff. The supervisor don't have a lot of say... because they go off SOS. We are just looking at the other 30 percent..., which comes from us because we know if our staff put in the effort or not.

For example, if the store's SOS is a 2.6... the staff pharmacist can get a rating of NI or ME... If the PIC says that the staff fosters team culture, engages staff, drives flu shots, etc... the staff will get ME. If the PIC says otherwise, the staff then gets NIs.

Starting salary for a tech went up for NY region. Starting is 10.65...

I think the raises can be better. However, I do see the corporates view that if the tech is doing more, they should then be promoted to lead tech.