Any graveyard Rx's in here? Decisions...Decisions...

[jawnly211]

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first timer here...4th year pharm student

what i wanted to know was, are there any graveyard shift pharmacists in here? how do you like the 7on 7off schedule? what do u do to keep yourself busy at times? 😴

reason im asking is because i have a few job offers lined up...all in socal area...😎

one is with walgreens, where i have been an intern throughout pharm school...money is ok, but the # of rx's could get killer at times...esp. with the drive-thru 👎

cvs put out an offer recentlt...i decided to get the night shift package...pay is great, incentives are great...but how is the computer system they use??? and how is it working nights for 12 hours? im guessing i'll be alone from midnight until 8am...

longs drugs put out alot of money up front but i will have to float a ways....traffic is killer in LA...anyone with experiences with longs?

target is another option...pharmacy is never busy...could get boring at times...any target pharmacists in here?

any advice is appreciated....thanks in advance

 

[pharmacogenomic]

Sorry - not a graveyard pharmacist.

Bless their hearts - those who work graveyard. They are a rare breed & are coveted.

Personally, if you are willing to do graveyard, you'll get compensated well for it no matter what. You don't need that bonus - they'll pay you no matter what.

I wouldn't want to get tied to an incentive or bonus - that will become a noose around your neck. You don't need that noose if you are willing to work a graveyard since you'll ALWAYS get work!

I grew up in the LA area & still have family there. I woudn't float in that area unless they paid me for mileage AND drive time. You will never get time back & in LA, you'll spend lots of time in traffic.

Thirty miles is the drive time limit in my area of N CA for mileage compensation, but 30 miles in LA can translate into 1-2 hours. I'd insist on mileage compensation no matter how far you go - 5 miles or 50 (& 50 is not unreasonable - think about going from the valley to Cerritos).

There are also areas I'd never, ever work in LA. Make sure of what you are getting into when you are the only guy in the pharmacy at night in certain parts of LA. Some gigs just aren't worth the $$$.

Good luck!

 

[MountainPharmD]

I did not know graveyards had pharmacies. I guess that's where you get graveyard Rx's filles....Learn something new everyday!

 

[pharmacogenomic]

I did not know graveyards had pharmacies. I guess that's where you get graveyard Rx's filles....Learn something new everyday!

Funny Guy!👍

No crabby patients, but awful compliance issues!

 

[JESUITM]

OP: Would you mind commenting on the compensation/salary packages? That would help us help you decide, and give a little insight to pharm students of what can be expected of graveyard shifts. Thanks!

 

[Caverject]

you should PM Tussionex...she works graveyard

 

[evilolive]

what is the general pay increase compared to the day?

 

[jawnly211]

night differential is 5 bucks more an hour

trust me........i live in LA so i KNOW LA traffic........all the stores in my district would be within 2 miles LOCAL traffic.........the farthest one would be about 5 miles..........but remember, i'll be working 8pm so traffic is irrelevent

im 30+ years old......married........but no kids YET........therefore i would probably do the night shift for 1 year only.........and the incentive is 10K.........

its a lot of money tossed in my face..........i have hella debt from pharm school.........not as bad as much, but its still lingering..........

i guess it comes down to QOL........distance is definitely NOT a factor.........i live in a pretty affluent area of LA, so the "ghetto" aspect need not apply.........wife is a school teacher, so i would see her for dinner time when i work and still be off 7 days..........

i just want to know.......graveyard shift is definitely not fast paced.........how do pharmacists "kill time" or keep themselves busy?????? can u handle it for 1 or 2 years??????

thanks!

 

[Old Timer]

The computer system at CVS is stupid. It is however easy to use. They are rolling out a new system sometime in 2008.

As long as your wife does not mind and you can make the adjustment 7 on and 7 off, I say go for it.

There is plenty to do:

• Review every new RX that was filled that day for accuracy.
• All compounds
• Most of the store paperwork including perpetual C-II inventory.
• Inventory functions.

Where I am, the pharmacist is alone from 11PM to 7AM. The gate is closed and all transactions occur under the gate or through the drive through.

You do have to be a self directed person to work alone for 8 of your 12 hour shift.

 

[tussionex]

you should PM Tussionex...she works graveyard

nope...tuss works second shift!
i have covered some third shifts...they can be really, really busy! but i've only done summertime nights, so they've been dull!

our nights shifts really do range from insane to mind-numbing....you have to be a self motivator on those long, slow nights! for us, it's at least two overnight techs as well, so there is company.

 

[pharmacogenomic]

Somewhat off topic, but covers the same time range....anybody every babysat a pharmacy when its remodeled?

Each time I've worked in a pharmacy with a remodel - hospital or retail, it goes on at night - THANKFULLY!. But, somebody's gotta be there to babysit the narcs. Talk about easy money - but, oh so hard for me!

I've never done it - I'm just too old & value my time/sleep, etc....I've got colleagues who've done it & they say they have to sing, dance, calisthenics, anything to keep from falling asleep.

Mind you - there is NO business to attend to. The computers are shut down, windows closed, phones shut off - no one knows or expects you are there - nurses, ER, ICU included. I guess I could read for a bit, knit a bit, but I think I'd nod off (I can sleep anywhere....) by 3AM & the contruction workers would clean me out.

I'm not reliable.....anyone ever done that? I guess if you had a friend across the world you could IM.

 

[jawnly211]

i just talked with an overnight pharmacist and they said they bring in their laptops and surf the net or watch DVDs when its dead.........

 

[StallionRx]

A friend of mine does over nights in NY and loves it. Hes making 60+ an hour and checks about 3-4 Rxs from 12-6am. He basically told me he watches movies and plays video games on his laptop all night. The company he works for rewards him after a year of graveyard with the ability to lock in that rate and he can return to normal hours afterwards. When its time for his off week he picks up a few shifts here and there. Hes making killer money and seems to be pretty happy about it.

 

[tlh908]

I work the midnight shift for a major chain and love it. I have techs for 2 out of my 10 hours. The other night pharmacist and I both have XM radio which we can listen to, it helps keep us awake. Some nights are extremely busy and others slow. You get to know customers and usually can get into some good conversations to speed the night along. Plus, don't forget about the one 3 week vacation a year you get.....

 

[tussionex]

Somewhat off topic, but covers the same time range....anybody every babysat a pharmacy when its remodeled?

Each time I've worked in a pharmacy with a remodel - hospital or retail, it goes on at night - THANKFULLY!. But, somebody's gotta be there to babysit the narcs. Talk about easy money - but, oh so hard for me!

I've never done it - I'm just too old & value my time/sleep, etc....I've got colleagues who've done it & they say they have to sing, dance, calisthenics, anything to keep from falling asleep.

Mind you - there is NO business to attend to. The computers are shut down, windows closed, phones shut off - no one knows or expects you are there - nurses, ER, ICU included. I guess I could read for a bit, knit a bit, but I think I'd nod off (I can sleep anywhere....) by 3AM & the contruction workers would clean me out.

I'm not reliable.....anyone ever done that? I guess if you had a friend across the world you could IM.

i did when i worked retail. it wasnt that bad, since we were inside a grocery store....there's a surprising amount of activity going on in a grocery store in the middle of the night!
i basically chatted with the guys doing the work, and then with our HABA people, who got in at 5am.

 

[confettiflyer]

There are also areas I'd never, ever work in LA. Make sure of what you are getting into when you are the only guy in the pharmacy at night in certain parts of LA. Some gigs just aren't worth the $$$.

Good luck!

I see the e-mails from the district requesting pharmacist coverage and ALL the shifts are in the parts of LA that you'll do best to avoid.

 

[jawnly211]

I see the e-mails from the district requesting pharmacist coverage and ALL the shifts are in the parts of LA that you'll do best to avoid.

let me set the record straight........again

grant it, you can not predict who will be bouncing in your store at odd hours of the night..........but my district is a very affluent area OUTSIDE of LA.........

yes, i see areas for compton, watts, wilmington, long beach, hawaiian gardens, paramount, lakewood, inglewood, i turn the other cheek..........so trying to lecture me on avoiding certain areas south of 105, west of 710, north of 91, and east of 110 is just preaching to the choir

 

[confettiflyer]

let me set the record straight........again

grant it, you can not predict who will be bouncing in your store at odd hours of the night..........but my district is a very affluent area OUTSIDE of LA.........

yes, i see areas for compton, watts, wilmington, long beach, hawaiian gardens, paramount, lakewood, inglewood, i turn the other cheek..........so trying to lecture me on avoiding certain areas south of 105, west of 710, north of 91, and east of 110 is just preaching to the choir

lol i'm not talking to you, i'm talking to everyone on here...hence "forum"

 

[terse]

how are the night shifts in a hospital pharmacy? is it the same as a chain pharmacy? i'm assuming there would be night differentials and maybe another pharmacist or tech around?

 

[njac]

at my hospital sometimes they are alone, sometimes there is a 2nd pharmacist. There are always at least 2 techs (1 for the hospital-deliveries, etc and 1 in the IV room) sometimes a 3rd to handle mostly ER stuff.

On weekends it's a 26% differential and weekdays I think it's 14%. The workload varies. Some days it's s l o w and other days you don't get a chance to get up and pee. I like graveyard and may consider it depending where I end up.

 

[sosokk]

Can you tell me how much Target offered you?..I Got offers from CVS and longs but iam waiting for target but I don;t know if it is worth waiting for!