BIG MONEY for Pharm School Interns?

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JVket04

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10+ Year Member
I work at CVS and make 7/hr - I do this STRICTLY for experience and planned on quitting once I enter pharmacy school since I make NO MONEY.👎

I recently heard that retail pharmacy pays pharm students pretty well - with decent increases in pay each year you matriculate in pharm school. 👍

Anyone have any figures? I've heard P1's making 15-18/hr - sounds like a lot?

Thoughts?? 😎
 
JVket04 said:
I work at CVS and make 7/hr - I do this STRICTLY for experience and planned on quitting once I enter pharmacy school since I make NO MONEY.👎

I recently heard that retail pharmacy pays pharm students pretty well - with decent increases in pay each year you matriculate in pharm school. 👍

Anyone have any figures? I've heard P1's making 15-18/hr - sounds like a lot?

Thoughts?? 😎
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P1 is around $16-18 depending on location. It's not necessarily a lot since most will have Bachelor degrees and that's about how much starting pay is for recent college graduates.
 
I totally agree - until recently I assumed I would have to fully depend on loans in pharm school. Never thought that my 7/hr job would see a 100% raise in 1 year LOL.

Anyone know which retail company pays the most?
 
Depends on location. You might get $16....in California. I live in Philly and here they pay about $10-11 starting for retail interns (Rite Aid/CVS) and goes up to about 16/hr for P4s. Walgreens is a little more, but they never have open spots and they don't have many locations here. Also some companies are saving money and are hiring interns at tech pay, and the interns still accept the job, because no one else is hiring. If your area is less saturated, maybe the conditions are more favorable.
 
Yea - I had a feeling the numbers I was hearing were inflated. I'll probably being going to a school with a significantly lower cost of living than that of California.

Anyone know what the pharmacy interns are making at schools like Ohio State, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh?
 
Dang thats low. I charge 45 hourly for tutoring. I guess tutoring will be my side job while going to pharm school.
 
CVS in California starts at ~$16 or $17 for P-1 interns (+$1 each year that goes by...grad interns make $21-$22/hr), as I tech I made $11-$12/hr. I'm in philly as an inpatient intern and i'm making $15 + $2/hr extra shift differential for 2nd shift if i choose to do so.
 
kimbebe51 said:
Dang thats low. I charge 45 hourly for tutoring. I guess tutoring will be my side job while going to pharm school.
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😱 Wow $45/hr? Do you have a bachelors/other degree? I'm a tutor for the biology and ochem series here but would feel guilty for charging that much since I don't have a degree...lol
 
i'm a tech at CVS making 7.15/hr in Pennsylvania - am I the lowest paid tech in the country? I really hope I can be making at least 12/hr once I start interning in pharm school.

Otherwise - I think tutoring sounds like a nice alternative haha
 
ieatkimbap said:
😱 Wow $45/hr? Do you have a bachelors/other degree? I'm a tutor for the biology and ochem series here but would feel guilty for charging that much since I don't have a degree...lol
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Maybe you should try to get a hospital job or something. 7 bucks is pretty damn low. Who is in charge of your wages?! In hospital I make 20. They would at least start you at 15. Either that or you should ask for a raise.
 
JVket04 said:
i'm a tech at CVS making 7.15/hr in Pennsylvania - am I the lowest paid tech in the country? I really hope I can be making at least 12/hr once I start interning in pharm school.

Otherwise - I think tutoring sounds like a nice alternative haha
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The federal minimum wage currently is $7.25, so you really shouldn't be getting paid less than that. PA isn't very good tech-pay-wise. The techs at my store start at 7.65, I believe. I think you wouldn't make 12 starting unless you were either at a hospital or an independent that paid generously.
 
Dang, PA doesn't pay very well. ~$7?!?!? I got paid $11 and 16.50 working at Costco (on their lowest pay scale). Also got $15.50 as an undergrad intern at a cosmetics/health/beauty company in CA.

Maybe you should take a look at Costco. I don't know if the pay is the same across the country but minimum pay for any position at the CA Costco's was $11.
 
confettiflyer said:
CVS in California starts at ~$16 or $17 for P-1 interns (+$1 each year that goes by...grad interns make $21-$22/hr), as I tech I made $11-$12/hr. I'm in philly as an inpatient intern and i'm making $15 + $2/hr extra shift differential for 2nd shift if i choose to do so.
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what is the difference between a grad intern and a pharmacy intern?
 
I don't know much about this subject, do the pharmacy students work at the pharmacies for extra money as a pharm tech and get paid more or are they being paid to work there as part of the school's curriculum? Thanx
 
i worked for CVS as an intern after my 1st and 2nd pharm school years. I made 11/hr 1st yr and 14/hr by 2nd yr. didnt pay a lot but for a 22 yr old, damn thats a good amt of money. i pulled in 300/wk. internships are 12 wks +/- 2 wks, so thats around 4k over a summer...👍
 
JT0914 said:
I don't know much about this subject, do the pharmacy students work at the pharmacies for extra money as a pharm tech and get paid more or are they being paid to work there as part of the school's curriculum? Thanx
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Pharmacy students often do the duties of technicians, especially their first year of pharmacy school. At my pharmacy, the only thing that interns can do that techs cannot is counsel patients on drugs. I don't think it's required by all pharmacy schools as part of the curriculum, but it certainly helps.
 
Can someone clarify this for me? If you have a regular part-time job, do you accrue your intern hours that way? I was told at my current job that I can do that so that I don't have to do a billion low paid hours. Then I only have to worry about doing all my rotations and be done with it. Does it work this way everywhere? Because if I stay in state, I will be working 20 hours a week at my current job and it won't take me too long to get all those intern hours.
 
I don't know if you guys know this or not but planning to fund your pharmacy school education by working as an intern isn't the smartest idea in the world. You will be lucky to work 10 to 20 hours a week and that is pocket change compared to expense. The schools I interviewed at suggested not working your first year and then if you are able to manage your time well you can work.

$16-$20/hr is not good money, even for a college student.
 
I disagree. Many P1s have told me they wish they would have worked their first year. I make 20 bucks an hour and I bring in over 2000 after taxes a month. I am pretty happy with that! I also get tuition reimbursement which will be 4000 a year for grad school, health insurance, PTO, and time and a half on holidays. I think I will stick to working if I stay in state or go to UMN. Less debt to take out for housing/board 🙂
 
rxlea said:
I disagree. Many P1s have told me they wish they would have worked their first year. I make 20 bucks an hour and I bring in over 2000 after taxes a month. I am pretty happy with that! I also get tuition reimbursement which will be 4000 a year for grad school, health insurance, PTO, and time and a half on holidays. I think I will stick to working if I stay in state or go to UMN. Less debt to take out for housing/board 🙂
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I feel like 25 hours a week is a bit much if you're in school. Every weekend is gone + an additional 9 hours during the week at some point.

I mean...sure you have less debt, but c'mon...you gotta live a little. I completely maxed out my loans but the PSLF/IBR program that's now in effect will slash my loan balance big time after I graduate.
 
ieatkimbap said:
😱 Wow $45/hr? Do you have a bachelors/other degree? I'm a tutor for the biology and ochem series here but would feel guilty for charging that much since I don't have a degree...lol
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Yeah, I have my BS degree from a UC school. I tutor AP Chem and AP Bio and Geometry. Teaching them really helped my PCAT scores.
 
confettiflyer said:
I feel like 25 hours a week is a bit much if you're in school. Every weekend is gone + an additional 9 hours during the week at some point.

I mean...sure you have less debt, but c'mon...you gotta live a little. I completely maxed out my loans but the PSLF/IBR program that's now in effect will slash my loan balance big time after I graduate.
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25 hours? How would that add up?
19 credits for me this semester, with some credits taking over an hour, so approx. 20 hours a week.

Studying about an hour per credit so 19 hours a week
+25 hours of work = 65 hours a week.
Some weeks I'll have to do IPPE, so then it'll be bumped up to 69 hours.
Plus I do some stuff for APhA (conferences+some weeks with 1-4 hours of time commitment)

If people exist that work that much, do they eat or sleep? I reduced my work hours to 7 this semester, and I still find myself quite busy.
 
bacillus1 said:
25 hours? How would that add up?
19 credits for me this semester, with some credits taking over an hour, so approx. 20 hours a week.

Studying about an hour per credit so 19 hours a week
+25 hours of work = 65 hours a week.
Some weeks I'll have to do IPPE, so then it'll be bumped up to 69 hours.
Plus I do some stuff for APhA (conferences+some weeks with 1-4 hours of time commitment)

If people exist that work that much, do they eat or sleep? I reduced my work hours to 7 this semester, and I still find myself quite busy.
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I was responding to rxlea who says she brings in $2k/mo making $20 an hour. that translates to 25hrs a week. except i just noticed she said AFTER taxes (whoops), but then that's ~$2700 gross and 33hrs.

crap, i reread and realized she's not even in pharm school. i got all confused cuz she prefaced her post with P-1's wishing they worked during their first year. eh...forget that post.

I work 16hrs a week... 8hrs are scheduled by me (i do special projects, so i don't come in during heavy exam weeks or change days around) and the other 8 hours is one weekend day (i alternate weekends).

i think 8-12 hours is good
 
joh0472 said:
I don't know if you guys know this or not but planning to fund your pharmacy school education by working as an intern isn't the smartest idea in the world. You will be lucky to work 10 to 20 hours a week and that is pocket change compared to expense. The schools I interviewed at suggested not working your first year and then if you are able to manage your time well you can work.

$16-$20/hr is not good money, even for a college student.
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hmmm i don't know what you are talking about 16-20 bucks is good for a college kids. Considering you are doing the same thing as a tech. And considering most pharmacy students don't even have a bachelors degree.

the schools you applied at are a bunch of *****s who don't care about anything but the money in their pockets. do they really think that time management is extremely important (i mean that is basically what a pharmacist has to do...manage their time effectively)
 
Yea I heard about $15-20 in California, depending on your experience. So my guess is if you have experience as a pharmacy technician then you might get a higher pay rate. I'm a pharmacy tech so any increase in pay would be great 😀 then finish pharmacy school for the ULTIMATE raise lol!

I do want to work while in school, probably start off 10 hours a week or something and see if I can gradually handle more hours. I think it'd be a good experience (take what you're learning in class and apply your knowledge at work) and to pay off loans and what not. We'll see though.
 
I started as a tech and they paid me in peanuts and an occasional swift kick in the nuts.

Now I roll with a whopping $14/hour. Just doing it for the exp and connections. That job isn't worth anything less than $20/hour imo.

The HELL I would be a retail technician if I wasn't pursuing a pharmd.
 
No, I work 40 hours- I contribute a substantial portion to my 403b so that takes a lot out of my takehome.

I can work 10 hours a day Sat and Sun while in pharm school since I work in a hospital so 20 hours total only giving up Sat and Sunday from 6am to to 430pm.

I hope a I get a raise with intern status :/
 
atticus27 said:
I started as a tech and they paid me in peanuts and an occasional swift kick in the nuts.

Now I roll with a whopping $14/hour. Just doing it for the exp and connections. That job isn't worth anything less than $20/hour imo.

The HELL I would be a retail technician if I wasn't pursuing a pharmd.
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Amen. We have lifers making ~15/hr.
 
atticus27 said:
I started as a tech and they paid me in peanuts and an occasional swift kick in the nuts.

Now I roll with a whopping $14/hour. Just doing it for the exp and connections. That job isn't worth anything less than $20/hour imo.

The HELL I would be a retail technician if I wasn't pursuing a pharmd.
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wtf, you're in NYC and you make $14/hr? how the hell do i make more than you?
 
Heylo said:
Yea I heard about $15-20 in California, depending on your experience. So my guess is if you have experience as a pharmacy technician then you might get a higher pay rate. I'm a pharmacy tech so any increase in pay would be great 😀 then finish pharmacy school for the ULTIMATE raise lol!
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CA CVS -- all interns are paid the same rate (based on year) regardless of previous tech experience.
 
joh0472 said:
I don't know if you guys know this or not but planning to fund your pharmacy school education by working as an intern isn't the smartest idea in the world. You will be lucky to work 10 to 20 hours a week and that is pocket change compared to expense. The schools I interviewed at suggested not working your first year and then if you are able to manage your time well you can work.

$16-$20/hr is not good money, even for a college student.
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I definitely see your point and was not planning on working in pharm school. After talking to some students at my interviews - almost everyone works (at an average of 8 hours a week). Although this isn't a lot of hours, 8 hours a week at 12/hr ends up being about 80 dollars a week --> 320/month. I think that's worthwhile - esp if it only means working one 9-5 each week on a saturday or sunday.
 
rxlea said:
I disagree. Many P1s have told me they wish they would have worked their first year. I make 20 bucks an hour and I bring in over 2000 after taxes a month. I am pretty happy with that! I also get tuition reimbursement which will be 4000 a year for grad school, health insurance, PTO, and time and a half on holidays. I think I will stick to working if I stay in state or go to UMN. Less debt to take out for housing/board 🙂
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You make 20/hr as a pharm tech that is not in pharm school??? Where do you work? And are they hiring?? lol
 
We actually are hiring LOL we just hired 3 techs and I think they are looking for a 4th. I work in a non-profit hospital in Arizona. I love working there- there is one in Minnesota too so I can just transfer. We get raises every year which is nice and it isn't based on your performance. It's a great place to work and I don't want to give it up if I don't have to!
 
rxlea said:
We actually are hiring LOL we just hired 3 techs and I think they are looking for a 4th. I work in a non-profit hospital in Arizona. I love working there- there is one in Minnesota too so I can just transfer. We get raises every year which is nice and it isn't based on your performance. It's a great place to work and I don't want to give it up if I don't have to!
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Ahh - won't be an option for me on the east coast, but thanks for dropping the reply. I have noticed that hospitals do offer the best compensation - but unlike the west, it is IMPOSSIBLE to find a job teching at a hospital around here. I'll definitely be looking into it once I pick a pharm school though
 
Can you be classified as a pharm intern (get paid as a pharm intern) the summer before your first year in pharm school? I have heard that retail companies will honor the pharm intern title if you can prove it with a letter of admittance. I don't see any info about it on CVS's website though
 
JVket04 said:
Can you be classified as a pharm intern (get paid as a pharm intern) the summer before your first year in pharm school? I have heard that retail companies will honor the pharm intern title if you can prove it with a letter of admittance. I don't see any info about it on CVS's website though
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Depends on what state you're in, and who you work for. In new york you don't get your intern license until after you complete your p1 year. So even if the company you work for is nice enough to grant you "intern status" you technically can't do anything until you actually have your permit.

If they give you any sort of a raise before it would most likely be to keep you around for the next year when you actually can practice as an intern. As an intern you will definitely make more. Hospitals also pay much better right away than retail sites (for interns). Retail around buffalo starts around 12/hr or so depending on the company. Hospital around 16/hr.
 
CVS wouldn't recognize intern status until you had an intern license...makes sense since they don't want you practicing as an intern (counseling, taking scripts, etc...) unless you have a license to do so (liability/risk mgmt stuff).
 
ttopping said:
Depends on what state you're in, and who you work for. In new york you don't get your intern license until after you complete your p1 year. So even if the company you work for is nice enough to grant you "intern status" you technically can't do anything until you actually have your permit.

If they give you any sort of a raise before it would most likely be to keep you around for the next year when you actually can practice as an intern. As an intern you will definitely make more. Hospitals also pay much better right away than retail sites (for interns). Retail around buffalo starts around 12/hr or so depending on the company. Hospital around 16/hr.
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Good deal - theres actually a good chance I'll be at Buffalo next year. When I was at my interview though, one of the students was saying that it was impossible to get a tech position in a hospital. Do you agree? Do you know of any other jobs pharm students are taking on out in Buffalo? (mail order, pharm companies, research sites, etc)
 
JVket04 said:
i'm a tech at CVS making 7.15/hr in Pennsylvania - am I the lowest paid tech in the country? I really hope I can be making at least 12/hr once I start interning in pharm school.

Otherwise - I think tutoring sounds like a nice alternative haha
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If you're PTCB certified, most major retail pharmacies in most states will pay at least $10/hr
 
Wooow. Most of the posts sounds like a really low pay rate. I make 17.20 as a regular tech in CA. I think our interns get over $20/hr, I'd have to check with my buddy though. We're technically not supposed to be sharing our pay rates with each other. Not that that's ever stopped us :laugh:
 
JVket04 said:
Good deal - theres actually a good chance I'll be at Buffalo next year. When I was at my interview though, one of the students was saying that it was impossible to get a tech position in a hospital. Do you agree? Do you know of any other jobs pharm students are taking on out in Buffalo? (mail order, pharm companies, research sites, etc)
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Depends on the time of year. When p4's are leaving for work, and p3's are leaving to do rotations near home, hospital positions open up a lot. I work at a smaller local hospital and we just hired 4 interns and will probably need more by next year because of the turnover. Retail site vary here and there. Not really sure about other job opportunities, mostly just retail and hospital from what I know (although im sure there are others out there)

As for the post above about lower pay rates, I'm sure it reflects living expenses depending on region. The pay rate in CA is higher because it's most likely more expensive than here in the east. Relatively speaking, the pay rate in buffalo along with costs is probably equivalent to your higher pay rate yet higher expenses. Just a thought
 
I've been working at the same place for 5 1/2 years, been certified for 6 and I make $11/hr

When I worked for a different outfit for a short while I was making $18/hr and when I worked as a pharmacy consultant I charged $24/hr

I know intern pay rates depend somewhat on your experience and what you know. Those interns who are setting their foot in a pharmacy for the first time won't make a whole helluva lot.
 
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