Why are some FT pharmacist job ads only offering 30 hours/week?

[PAtoPharm]

The thread title basically says it all. Why is it that a particular company (say, Publix, just to use a random example) might advertise a number of full-time jobs all offering 40 hrs/week, and then also list several jobs that are described as being "full-time" but which only offer 30 hrs/week? Are the 30 hr/week positions typically in areas that are saturated with pharmacists?

Thanks....

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[cj98]

This isn't an uncommon thing. A lot of the time, hours are based on whether the pharmacy reaches their profit goals which isnt easy because of low reimmbursement rates. Most retail chains these days do not guarantee 40 hrs/week. My friends in the bay area are only offered 20 hrs a week sometimes and have to travel 1+ hr outside of the district for more hours. I work in a fairly rural undesirable area but even now, new grads are starting at 72 hrs/pay period

 

[steveysmith54]

I mentioned this in plenty of other threads. This is called aftermath of 100000 new schools. Chains are hiring an excessive supply of rph and not guaranteeing them hours. Why should they? The new grads have no choice bc to accept any terms

 

[PAtoPharm]

I mentioned this in plenty of other threads. This is called aftermath of 100000 new schools. Chains are hiring an excessive supply of rph and not guaranteeing them hours. Why should they? The new grads have no choice bc to accept any terms

Do you think that soon, retail chains will only offer to hire recently-graduated pharmacists for part time positions? For example, if a chain can get away with hiring several PT pharmacists to each work 20 hrs/week at a particular pharmacy location and not pay them benefits, do you think they'll start doing that?

 

[steveysmith54]

Do you think that soon, retail chains will only offer to hire recently-graduated pharmacists for part time positions? For example, if a chain can get away with hiring several PT pharmacists to each work 20 hrs/week at a particular pharmacy location and not pay them benefits, do you think they'll start doing that?

In some areas, chains have been hiring pharmacists as perdiem. Chains want as little commitment as possible and to give extra incentive for new grads to accept doing 4-5 hour shifts, long commutes, unfair working conditions, over night shifts, and you name it.

 

[PAtoPharm]

In some areas, chains have been hiring pharmacists as perdiem. Chains want as little commitment as possible and to give extra incentive for new grads to accept doing 4-5 hour shifts, long commutes, unfair working conditions, over night shifts, and you name it.

That's too bad. How much longer do you think these conditions will persist? I'm assuming things will continue to be like this until schools either close down or significantly reduce the number of students they accept/graduate each year? I guess on the bright side, I read that pharmacy school applications have been down for the current admission cycle...

 

[PharmtoCS]

That's too bad. How much longer do you think these conditions will persist? I'm assuming things will continue to be like this until schools either close down or significantly reduce the number of students they accept/graduate each year? I guess on the bright side, I read that pharmacy school applications have been down for the current admission cycle...

These conditions will not only persist for a while but will most likely get much worse. More schools continue to open each yet and some have yet to graduate their first class. The number of jobs will be further reduced with the recent mergers and acquisitions (CVS + Target, Walgreens + Rite Aid), the closing of Walmart stores, and the elimination of CVS overnight stores.

 

[Humble Sloth]

Do you think that soon, retail chains will only offer to hire recently-graduated pharmacists for part time positions? For example, if a chain can get away with hiring several PT pharmacists to each work 20 hrs/week at a particular pharmacy location and not pay them benefits, do you think they'll start doing that?

I think you hit the nail on the head. Most recent pharm grads I know only got floating positions. This is how corporate can effectively lower the financial compensation of pharmacist. With only 20 hours a week a pharmacist will be making around 60k a year which makes sense with the huge increase in supply of pharmacist and the static or lowing demand for their services.

 

[Humble Sloth]

That's too bad. How much longer do you think these conditions will persist? I'm assuming things will continue to be like this until schools either close down or significantly reduce the number of students they accept/graduate each year? I guess on the bright side, I read that pharmacy school applications have been down for the current admission cycle...

I don't think this is a temporary condition. This will be the new normal moving forward.

 

[gwarm01]

That's too bad. How much longer do you think these conditions will persist? I'm assuming things will continue to be like this until schools either close down or significantly reduce the number of students they accept/graduate each year? I guess on the bright side, I read that pharmacy school applications have been down for the current admission cycle...

Who knows. I know you are thinking about applying for this next cycle. Things could be better by the time you graduate, but I suspect they will be worse. To put it in perspective, I applied during the 2008 admission cycle. By that point there was already a lot of talk about saturation and the effects on the job market. I spent four years of school hoping it would run its course, then graduated into a terrible market that has only gotten worse. I have done alright for myself, although my pay is lower than I would like. I suspect it will get worse over the next decade.

 

[PAtoPharm]

Who knows. I know you are thinking about applying for this next cycle. Things could be better by the time you graduate, but I suspect they will be worse. To put it in perspective, I applied during the 2008 admission cycle. By that point there was already a lot of talk about saturation and the effects on the job market. I spent four years of school hoping it would run its course, then graduated into a terrible market that has only gotten worse. I have done alright for myself, although my pay is lower than I would like. I suspect it will get worse over the next decade.

Honestly, I'm just going to go for it and do the best I can. It seems like the majority of good careers that require a specific type of college education are becoming saturated, especially in metro areas. The one upside (I guess) that will hopefully work in my favor is that I live in one of the most undesirable mid-sized cities in the country (as "ranked" by Forbes, Newsweek, and other you've-heard-of-them publications), so maybe the job market here won't reach the point of total saturation for a long time.

 

[gwarm01]

Honestly, I'm just going to go for it and do the best I can. It seems like the majority of good careers that require a specific type of college education are becoming saturated, especially in metro areas. The one upside (I guess) that will hopefully work in my favor is that I live in one of the most undesirable mid-sized cities in the country (as "ranked" by Forbes, Newsweek, and other you've-heard-of-them publications), so maybe the job market here won't reach the point of total saturation for a long time.

What part of the country? I've lived in multiple states in the SE and it hasn't been too bad for me, but I had hospital intern experience when I graduated. I've found that after you get experience it becomes much easier to find a job, at least in the hospital setting. I've just heard that it is much harder to get that first job now. We're entering an era where a PGY1 is considered a minimum requirement to get an entry-level staffing job at a hospital.

 

[PAtoPharm]

What part of the country? I've lived in multiple states in the SE and it hasn't been too bad for me, but I had hospital intern experience when I graduated. I've found that after you get experience it becomes much easier to find a job, at least in the hospital setting. I've just heard that it is much harder to get that first job now. We're entering an era where a PGY1 is considered a minimum requirement to get an entry-level staffing job at a hospital.

I'm in the SE. I don't want to post too many identifying details publicly on the forum, but think 2nd-tier cities in GA (and the one that most people consider to be the "worst of the worst"). At this point, I am leaning towards aspiring to work for one of the better-reputed chains (e.g., Walmart, Publix, Winn-Dixie), but I am definitely going to make it an imperative to obtain an intern position with one of those companies as soon as I (hopefully) start school.

 

[pillpharmer14]

What part of the country? I've lived in multiple states in the SE and it hasn't been too bad for me, but I had hospital intern experience when I graduated. I've found that after you get experience it becomes much easier to find a job, at least in the hospital setting. I've just heard that it is much harder to get that first job now. We're entering an era where a PGY1 is considered a minimum requirement to get an entry-level staffing job at a hospital.

We're there at my hospital, and the entire metro area as well.

 

[confettiflyer]

Isn't the Obamacare legal definition of full time 30 hours anyway? Definitely not an FLSA defined #, but I've seen 30 = FT. It's usually been employer dependent.

 

[steveysmith54]

All chains seem to follow in the footsteps of cvs. As reimbursement decrease, a lot of cvs are starting to close one hour earlier and open one hour later. Unless, your store happens to be a high volume store, the pharmacists overlap will be almost non existant. More and more stores are converting to 4-5 hour shifts, meaning even as staff rph you'll prolly be working 32 hours or so