3rd Shift

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How do you like the VA? I hear it's a unicorn job from some. Others have said management makes it miserable, so each location must be different.
 
mentos said:
How do you like the VA? I hear it's a unicorn job from some. Others have said management makes it miserable, so each location must be different.
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So far it's great. A totally different animal from retail to inpatient clinical.. Standing 8+ hours per day to sitting. The processes here are very slow. Took a long time to even get my ID badge (which grants access to doors, computer access, etc). The management here seems to be pretty efficient but then again it's only been about 7 weeks since I started.
 
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One of the best perks is stacking weekend and night differential. You get +10% of your hourly rate if you work any time after 1800. If you work more than half your shift after 1800, your entire shift is paid out at +10%. If you work a weekend shift you get +25%. So if you work a weekend night, you get +35% hourly rate.
 
ValeRx said:
One of the best perks is stacking weekend and night differential. You get +10% of your hourly rate if you work any time after 1800. If you work more than half your shift after 1800, your entire shift is paid out at +10%. If you work a weekend shift you get +25%. So if you work a weekend night, you get +35% hourly rate.
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wow. do you do 7 on 7 off? what does that come out to in yearly salary?
 
ValeRx said:
One of the best perks is stacking weekend and night differential. You get +10% of your hourly rate if you work any time after 1800. If you work more than half your shift after 1800, your entire shift is paid out at +10%. If you work a weekend shift you get +25%. So if you work a weekend night, you get +35% hourly rate.
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Holy crap! What if you work Christmas on a Saturday?
 
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Just turned down a 3rd shift in rural pacific NW for 83/hr after differentials. 7 on 7 off....just can't bring myself to sacrifice my health for that money even though that's a lot of money!
 
indianatransplant said:
Just turned down a 3rd shift in rural pacific NW for 83/hr after differentials. 7 on 7 off....just can't bring myself to sacrifice my health for that money even though that's a lot of money!
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Any chance they'd take a new grad?
 
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ValeRx said:
So far it's great. A totally different animal from retail to inpatient clinical.. Standing 8+ hours per day to sitting. The processes here are very slow. Took a long time to even get my ID badge (which grants access to doors, computer access, etc). The management here seems to be pretty efficient but then again it's only been about 7 weeks since I started.
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Do you guys get CACs? I did a few rotations at an Army base hospital and received one (went through all the background checks for it).
 
Hedgehog32 said:
Do you guys get CACs? I did a few rotations at an Army base hospital and received one (went through all the background checks for it).
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It's not a CAC, those are for the DoD. It's a PIV card but essentially the same thing.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
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I'm overnight shift. 7 on 7 off. I'm happy I took the offer when I did, the independent where I was working before (the place with the juice bar) went out of business and a bunch of the employees and the owner got covid.
 
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Sparda29 said:
I'm overnight shift. 7 on 7 off. I'm happy I took the offer when I did, the independent where I was working before (the place with the juice bar) went out of business and a bunch of the employees and the owner got covid.
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Guess the kale/carrot smoothie didn't keep them safe?
 
ValeRx said:
That's a matter of confusion around here. I've tried to get a straight answer as to whether or not the holiday pay (100% increase) is applied before or after weekend/night differential.
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www.law.cornell.edu

5 U.S. Code § 5546 - Pay for Sunday and holiday work

www.law.cornell.edu www.law.cornell.edu

5 USC 5546 states that you get one of the weekend premium or holiday, not both.
OT IS NOT a differential, that stacks on basic + premium, but it goes from basic rate.
5 USC 5542 defines night differential as separate.

There's also rota pay for on call, though night pharmacists do not normally take rota.
 
ValeRx said:
k a weekend shift you get +25%. So if you work a weekend night, you get +35% hourly rate.
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Interesting. I usually see flat differentials rather than percentage ones and yours starts quite early too at 1800. I usually see it split between 2nd shift differential (after 3pm, must work 4 hours into it) and 3rd shift (after 11pm, must also work 4 hours).

Your weekend differentials are very impressive at 25%. Your night shift differential is mediocre; after converting to percentages, I usually see it around 12-18% depending on your base rate. But the fact that you're working 40 hours a week instead of 35 (7 on 7 off) means you're effectively being paid 15% less than 7 on 7 off.

ValeRx said:
We don't do the 7 on 7 off here. I'm not sure if it's the way the pay schedules work or just the preference of the person who does the schedules. Right now it's 4 days on, 3 days off.
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It's probably the way your pay schedule/work schedules align. For example, our pay schedule is calculated weekly from Sundays to Saturdays. If I worked more than 40 hours during that period, I receive overtime pay for that week but receive less pay the following week.

The way most hospitals get around that is by starting the 7 on 7 off on a day so that you work 40 hours during the one pay schedule week immediately followed by 30 hours for the next pay schedule week. Quite frankly, I couldn't do 4 days on 3 days off for night shifts. I couldn't imagine having to shift my internal clock so quickly but more power to you if you can.

I also agree with lord999 about the weekend premium/holiday pay. I've never seen holiday pay or overtime pay be applied after differentials; it's applied to your base pay rate.


I do have a question regarding how retail pays compared to VA, as not many people are able to make that jump.
 
According to OPM website:

Work on Holidays
Night Work
Employees are entitled to night pay for regularly scheduled work at night, including actual work performed at night during holiday hours or overtime hours. Night pay is paid in addition to holiday premium pay or overtime pay. (See 5 CFR 550.122(c).)

Employees also are entitled to night pay when they are excused from regularly scheduled night work during holiday hours. A General Schedule employee who is excused from night work during holiday hours receives his or her rate of basic pay plus night pay. (See 5 CFR 550.122(a).) Night shift differential is part of basic pay for Federal Wage System employees. (See 5 CFR 532.505(b).)

Sunday Work
An employee is entitled to holiday premium pay and Sunday premium pay if he or she is required to work during holiday hours on Sunday and Sunday work is part of the employee's regularly scheduled basic workweek (or basic work requirement). If an employee does not work during the holiday hours on Sunday, the employee receives basic pay for the holiday hours, but is not entitled to Sunday premium pay. This is because Sunday premium pay cannot be paid unless an employee actually performs work on Sunday. (See section 624 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 1999; 5 U.S.C. 5546(a) and 6128(c); and 5 CFR 550.172.)
 
TheBlaah said:
The way most hospitals get around that is by starting the 7 on 7 off on a day so that you work 40 hours during the one pay schedule week immediately followed by 30 hours for the next pay schedule week. Quite frankly, I couldn't do 4 days on 3 days off for night shifts. I couldn't imagine having to shift my internal clock so quickly but more power to you if you can.
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Our schedules also run Sunday to Saturday on a biweekly basis. The schedule itself doesn't matter which or how many days you work as long as you get in 80 hours per 14 days. The whole 4 on 3 off thing was something that the previous RPhs had set up for like 10 years. It was the same two people all the time. We now rotate working two weeks like that. The problem is that nobody wants to work the 4-3 weird schedule so they're going to have a really difficult time finding someone to willingly accept that schedule on a long term basis.
 
Sparda29 said:
I'm overnight shift. 7 on 7 off. I'm happy I took the offer when I did, the independent where I was working before (the place with the juice bar) went out of business and a bunch of the employees and the owner got covid.
Click to expand...


Once again, the amount of luck you have absolutely amazes me.
 
ValeRx said:
Our schedules also run Sunday to Saturday on a biweekly basis. The schedule itself doesn't matter which or how many days you work as long as you get in 80 hours per 14 days. The whole 4 on 3 off thing was something that the previous RPhs had set up for like 10 years. It was the same two people all the time. We now rotate working two weeks like that. The problem is that nobody wants to work the 4-3 weird schedule so they're going to have a really difficult time finding someone to willingly accept that schedule on a long term basis.
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That schedule sounds awful. Does that mean you work every weekend? Can't you guys just change it to 7on7off?
 
indianatransplant said:
No, likely not as it is 3rd shift. Though if they were desperate enough to give me an offer... ;)
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Just to put it out there, if you happen to know of any hospital DOPs who are looking to hire a pharmacist for a 7 on/7 off position and are willing to consider a new grad, I'm willing to move pretty much anywhere for a position like that. I'm single with no kids and am dependable and can provide lots of flexibility (e.g., I would often be available to fill in for open shifts during my "off" weeks). I would also be happy to include a stipulation in the employment contract stating that I will work all holidays (regardless of whether they fall on my on/off weeks) for at least the first year of employment. I have just shy of two years of inpatient intern work experience and can provide references from both my former work supervisors as well as my preceptors.
 
BidingMyTime said:
Once again, the amount of luck you have absolutely amazes me.
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I dodged it three times.

#1 -getting out of that independent pharmacy
#2 - 2 people on the day shift at my hospital had it along with some docs and nurses
#3 - I was sitting on the same table smoking a hookah with someone who had it (i went to a hookah lounge about a week before the NY lockdown started)
 
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mentos said:
That schedule sounds awful. Does that mean you work every weekend? Can't you guys just change it to 7on7off?
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No, the other person keeps the weekend shift to themselves so they get the weekend night differential all to themselves.

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We have the 4 on 3 style here, its not too popular.
 
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