Walmart pharmacist filling less than 150 scripts a week???

[swatchgirl]

Should a new grad work in a store that fills less than 150 scripts a week? If you were a new grad and you were offered a position with Walmart at such a "slow store" (most likely will not have tech support), would you take it?

What would be the pros and cons? My main concern is: would it be a good or bad learning experience? Will I be limited in pursuing future job opportunities due to starting out in such a slow store? Filling less than 50 scripts a day sounds like it may not expose me to as many learning opportunities as I like. I also lack retail experience since I worked as a hospital intern all through school. My only retail experience were 2 months at a chain pharmacy. This will be my first job coming out of pharmacy school.

Thanks for any advice!

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[Momus]

It never stays 150/week forever. My experience is this kind of store is probably new. It will shoot up 600-1100/w at least in a year.

Do you want to stay in retail? Once you are in retail for a couple years, it will be hard to switch to hospital.

 

[swatchgirl]

It never stays 150/week forever. My experience is this kind of store is probably new. It will shoot up 600-1100/w at least in a year.

Do you want to stay in retail? Once you are in retail for a couple years, it will be hard to switch to hospital.

Yes it is indeed a new store. It is actually a "pilot" store that Walmart is pushing out this year. The store sells groceries but requires the customer to first order the groceries online, and then picking up the groceries curb-side... They apparently are looking to staff the store with one pharmacist. I have no idea whether this new model will tank or not, so job stability is my main concern with this position.

I think I might do hospital per diem to keep both options open.

 

[CMUchicka]

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[maria1oh]

Several years ago walgreens had a store inside the cardinal health headquarters only doing around 150/week. They also had a nurse clinic I believe. The idea was having these conveniences made employees more productive. When walgreens ditched cardinal as their primary supplier I'm sure the pharmacy at their corporate headquarters have also changed.

 

[swatchgirl]

Several years ago walgreens had a store inside the cardinal health headquarters only doing around 150/week. They also had a nurse clinic I believe. The idea was having these conveniences made employees more productive. When walgreens ditched cardinal as their primary supplier I'm sure the pharmacy at their corporate headquarters have also changed.

What do you think might be the disadvantages for a new grad to start out work at a really slow store? Would it look bad on my resume (and make it harder to find another pharmacist job later) that my first ever job is filling less than 50 scripts aday?

 

[FarmD711]

I can't imagine that your resume would list the volume that you were doing.

In terms of starting at a low volume store...what I've seen is that sometimes (not always!) new grads that work low volume and then are asked to transfer to a high volume are completely shell shocked by the high volume and unable to handle it having become accustomed to working the low volume.


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[Sine Cura]

I actually put Rx volume down (including % increase in net sales or Rx sold, not if % decrease) as well as demographic information (like % Medicaid) and these actually have been talking points during interviews. I suppose putting down % CIIs and % controls could count against you but it would show you know your business. This information can be useful because field managers should have an interest in seeing what kind of volume you can handle or you have experience handling problem stores.

A clear disadvantage of working at a slow store is that you probably would not work at optimal efficiency and you might not see many "exotic" scripts. It is mind-numbing to see pharmacists verify 15 scripts an hour when the workload is like 300 new and 500 total Rx a day. I doubt it would affect your ability to be hired elsewhere or transfer however. I have never gotten a premium for working at ****ty stores. You get paid roughly the same whether you work at a good, slow store or bad, busy store.

 

[swatchgirl]

I actually put Rx volume down (including % increase in net sales or Rx sold, not if % decrease) as well as demographic information (like % Medicaid) and these actually have been talking points during interviews. I suppose putting down % CIIs and % controls could count against you but it would show you know your business. This information can be useful because field managers should have an interest in seeing what kind of volume you can handle or you have experience handling problem stores.

A clear disadvantage of working at a slow store is that you probably would not work at optimal efficiency and you might not see many "exotic" scripts. It is mind-numbing to see pharmacists verify 15 scripts an hour when the workload is like 300 new and 500 total Rx a day. I doubt it would affect your ability to be hired elsewhere or transfer however. I have never gotten a premium for working at ****ty stores. You get paid roughly the same whether you work at a good, slow store or bad, busy store.

Great response. Thank you!

 

[swatchgirl]

I can't imagine that your resume would list the volume that you were doing.

In terms of starting at a low volume store...what I've seen is that sometimes (not always!) new grads that work low volume and then are asked to transfer to a high volume are completely shell shocked by the high volume and unable to handle it having become accustomed to working the low volume.


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Good point, thanks!

 

[lane one]

Not to derail your thread, but pre-ordering groceries for curbside pick up? what are you supposed to do when they bring you rotten bananas and a carton full of broken eggs? I mean it's Walmart. Not exactly gonna have America's best and brightest picking out your produce.

 

[BidingMyTime]

Should a new grad work in a store that fills less than 150 scripts a week? If you were a new grad and you were offered a position with Walmart at such a "slow store" (most likely will not have tech support), would you take it? What would be the pros and cons? My main concern is: would it be a good or bad learning experience? Will I be limited in pursuing future job opportunities due to starting out in such a slow store? Filling less than 50 scripts a day sounds like it may not expose me to as many learning opportunities as I like. I also lack retail experience since I worked as a hospital intern all through school. My only retail experience were 2 months at a chain pharmacy. This will be my first job coming out of pharmacy school. Thanks for any advice!

Well, if I were a new grad and it was the only job offer I got, I would take (do new grads get more than one offer these days?

No, you aren't going to have many on-the-job learning opportunities, but you would have a lot of free time at work to learn the computer system inside and out, read and study the latest pharmacy news on your own, time to devise and implement all kinds of outpatient pharmacy services. In others words, if you a real go-getter, you could do all kinds of things with that low of a volume.

The real risk is, if the pharmacy doesn't grow, it will probably be shut down. Which is why I wouldn't want that job if others were avilable.....but if no others are available, at least when you are looking again you will have some pharmacist experience to put on your resume.

 

[swatchgirl]

Well, if I were a new grad and it was the only job offer I got, I would take (do new grads get more than one offer these days?

No, you aren't going to have many on-the-job learning opportunities, but you would have a lot of free time at work to learn the computer system inside and out, read and study the latest pharmacy news on your own, time to devise and implement all kinds of outpatient pharmacy services. In others words, if you a real go-getter, you could do all kinds of things with that low of a volume.

The real risk is, if the pharmacy doesn't grow, it will probably be shut down. Which is why I wouldn't want that job if others were avilable.....but if no others are available, at least when you are looking again you will have some pharmacist experience to put on your resume.

Thanks for your advice!