Anybody currently in pharmacy management?

[Nupe954]

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Anybody currently in management that can offer some advice for me up the road? I would appreciate it.

Im not even close to graduating yet but would like to know what knowledge or skill set it takes to be a pharmacy manager or district pharmacy supervisor in a retail chain.

 

[MyTalon4U2NV]

hopefully you're already working with a retail chain.... thats the first step.

then id say to be very involved with initiatives that the district is rolling out etc and also offer assistance to help open new stores etc.

show that at the work place you're calm and collective, think with a third person point of view (and hopefully your pharmacist in charge will notice and give you leadership responsibilities in the pharmacy).

Be very interested with scores (if cvs, scores like triple S etc), that is ALL they care about, period.

If you do that, you can graduate with an offer of pharmacy manager at a store and work your way up...

I've personally never seen a fresh grad become a pharmacy supervisor right away... may take a couple of years.

thats my two cents anyone can correct me if im wrong but thats what ive experienced in the past 5 years

 

[Nupe954]

hopefully you're already working with a retail chain.... thats the first step.

then id say to be very involved with initiatives that the district is rolling out etc and also offer assistance to help open new stores etc.

show that at the work place you're calm and collective, think with a third person point of view (and hopefully your pharmacist in charge will notice and give you leadership responsibilities in the pharmacy).

Be very interested with scores (if cvs, scores like triple S etc), that is ALL they care about, period.

If you do that, you can graduate with an offer of pharmacy manager at a store and work your way up...

I've personally never seen a fresh grad become a pharmacy supervisor right away... may take a couple of years.

thats my two cents anyone can correct me if im wrong but thats what ive experienced in the past 5 years

Cool, thanks for the advice. I currently work for WAG and plan to stay with them after I graduate ( actually have no choice since I was just approved for the pre-pharm scholarship money). The fastest I've seen someone go from pharmacist to pharmacy manager is one year..hopefully I can top that!

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

Be involve. The first step is usually becoming supervising pharmacy of a store. You generally want to do really well in all of your metrics. Volunteer to help your pharmacy supervisor or district manager.

After that is a pharmacy supervisor (district level). I would say it would take you about 3 years if you are focused. District manager also.

Getting this position is also about luck and how much you are willing to relocation.

 

[StallionRx]

Cool, thanks for the advice. I currently work for WAG and plan to stay with them after I graduate ( actually have no choice since I was just approved for the pre-pharm scholarship money). The fastest I've seen someone go from pharmacist to pharmacy manager is one year..hopefully I can top that!

Dont be in a rush to take that position. Its not easy and it doesnt pay all that much more money. I became a pharmacy manager in 2+ years after graduating and its a lot of extra work. I did it because I wanted to help improve the work environment in my store and I was kind of forced into it.

You need to learn all aspects of running a pharmacy if you plan on becoming a good manager. When a problem arises your going to be the person thats going to be getting asked all the questions. Take some time to really get some experience before you begin to start thinking about climbing the ladder.

Many states have restrictions on how fast someone can become a pharmacy manager, check your local laws.

 

[Nupe954]

Dont be in a rush to take that position. Its not easy and it doesnt pay all that much more money. I became a pharmacy manager in 2+ years after graduating and its a lot of extra work. I did it because I wanted to help improve the work environment in my store and I was kind of forced into it.

You need to learn all aspects of running a pharmacy if you plan on becoming a good manager. When a problem arises your going to be the person thats going to be getting asked all the questions. Take some time to really get some experience before you begin to start thinking about climbing the ladder.

Many states have restrictions on how fast someone can become a pharmacy manager, check your local laws.

Thanks for the feedback and bringing me back to reality a bit. I know its not going to be all peachy all the time so I'm willing to "tighten the chinstrap" when things get tough.

Because you were/are a pharmacy manager how many times did you encounter moderate to serious regulatory issues each month? Im trying to project if my education in pharmacy regulation will give me an advantage over another applicant if we are about equal in everything else (i.e experience, tenure, leadership qualities).

 

[Nupe954]

Be involve. The first step is usually becoming supervising pharmacy of a store. You generally want to do really well in all of your metrics. Volunteer to help your pharmacy supervisor or district manager.

After that is a pharmacy supervisor (district level). I would say it would take you about 3 years if you are focused. District manager also.

Getting this position is also about luck and how much you are willing to relocation.

Can you elaborate on which metrics I should be focusing on? Maybe I can identify them while I work as tech next year and get an idea of what a good pharmacy manager and pharmacy supervisor should be doing for their locations.

 

[SoonerPharmD]

if you plan on working for WAG, good luck!! once the beast is released nation-wide then getting a district position will be nearly impossible. they've been decreasing the number of districts (but slowly opening new stores) and making corporate re-interview for their positions. i've had numerous friends forced into management (it's b/c it's a huge headache and not worth it if you don't plan to pursue a higher position later), so becoming a manager won't be too hard. heck, the only reason i'm not a manager is b/c they were in more need of an overnighter. but the only thing corporate cares about is the bottom line, if you show you have good numbers and can handle a busy store then you'll turn some heads. oh yeah, it never hurts to kiss a little butt too...

 

[Nupe954]

What beast are you referring to? Im currently corporate but not too familar with the current retail strategy?