CVS Pharm Techs

[caramel334]

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i applied as a pharm tech at cvs and got the job. Im not certified or anything. they told me that i had to start off as a clerk/cashier. Does anyone kno how long it takes before i can go into the pharmacy? I asked my managers and one of them told me 2 weeks, while the other told me a couple of months. Does anyone know? Thanks!

 

[SquidAT2]

Depends on their needs. If they have plenty of techs then you'll probably stay a cashier for a while. I worked for a few months at CVS as a cashier before I moved on up.

When your not too busy try to work beside some of technicians and maybe fill a couple of scripts. You will probably go from cashier, to counting pills, then to typing in the RXs. Just try to learn as much as you can that way they move you back before any other cashiers.

 

[caramel334]

a couple of months?! is it worth it? Where i work, im the only cashier whos going to be going to the pharmacy, yet they still said it would take a few months...

 

[hello18]

a couple of months?! is it worth it? Where i work, im the only cashier whos going to be going to the pharmacy, yet they still said it would take a few months...

Like the other member said, it really depends. At my CVS pharmacy, I started as a cashier, however, I worked my way up by getting acquainted with the pharm techs that were already working there. If they like you, you'll be able to work side by side by them and ask them to teach you things. If they don't, then you'll have a harder time moving up the ranks. It took me about a week to go from cashier to typing scripts/filling, etc... however, I still would work the cashier. Atleast that is what've seen. In addition, it also helps to have a great pharmacist. Hope that helps...

 

[caramel334]

So its not up the manager, its up to the pharmacist? Also were any of u guys certified?

 

[SquidAT2]

Yes it's up to the pharmacist in charge, and no I never got certified. They said it wouldn't have made any difference in pay. And the majority of pharmacies out there will gladly hire someone who worked as tech before, but wasn't certified, over a certified tech with no actual experience.

 

[xmalibu26]

im in the same situation...one person said a couple of weeks, while another said a couple of months. I could try talking to the phamacists, but most of them are pretty stuck up and dont talk to ppl lower than them..do i have any hope lol? Plus whats the test that they make all the new employees take? i heard it was hard...

 

[DASicari]

At my CVS I was started in the pharmacy, but as a PSA, which was primarily working at the register and familiarizing myself with how to use all of the functions of the computer system.

 

[chem123]

at my cvs, i spent 1 day working in the front as a cashier, the next day i immedietly started doing what every1 else in the pharmacy was doing 🙂...i didnt have to be certified ( i am now though)...but they let me fill prescriptions and all that

 

[gaba101]

When your not too busy try to work beside some of technicians and maybe fill a couple of scripts.

caramel, you would want to work on being certified first.

Which CVS allows techs to fill without having proper certification?? or is this many CVS????

 

[rxlynn]

caramel, you would want to work on being certified first.

Which CVS allows techs to fill without having proper certification?? or is this many CVS????

It's somewhat dependent on state law. In Georgia there isn't any such thing as state certification of techs, so I was filling/counting Rxs from the first hour I walked into a pharmacy.

 

[doublehh03]

u don't have to be a "tech" to do tech work.

i'm a clerk at CVS since september 06. but i've done everything a tech does except filling (which i can, but we always have at least one tech for that).

clerks can type prescriptions, refills and so on.

so don't worry if you're just a clerk at CVS.

but going to a tech title always helps b/c of the bump in wage 😀

 

[PharmDstudent]

In La, cashiers can only run the register and answer the phone. You have to apply for a technician candidate permit from the Board of Pharmacy before you can even touch medicine. I don't think cashiers can type RXs either.
I like the system of permits and licenses, because it holds everyone accountable.

 

[confettiflyer]

caramel, you would want to work on being certified first.

Which CVS allows techs to fill without having proper certification?? or is this many CVS????

yeah i need clarity on California law specifically on what a clerk can or can't do. I just got hired as a "tech" for payroll purposes, but I take the PTCE in August, with CA License by the end of October. So from now through October, I'll be doing everything that doesn't require a tech license.

I have no idea what that entails!

 

[gaba101]

u don't have to be a "tech" to do tech work.

i'm a clerk at CVS since september 06. but i've done everything a tech does except filling (which i can, but we always have at least one tech for that).

clerks can type prescriptions, refills and so on.

so don't worry if you're just a clerk at CVS.

but going to a tech title always helps b/c of the bump in wage 😀

Your CVS pharmacist (and CVS itself) is taking a big risk by offering a non-licensed personnel (in this case, the clerk) the opportunity to fill prescriptions.

Per California Code of Regulations Article 11 Title 16 Section 1793.2:


"s 1793.2. Duties of a Pharmacy Technician.


"Nondiscretionary tasks" as used in Business and Professions Code section 4115, include:
(a) removing the drug or drugs from stock;

(b) counting, pouring, or mixing pharmaceuticals;

(c) placing the product into a container;

(d) affixing the label or labels to the container;

(e) packaging and repackaging."

As for duties of a non-licensed pharmacy personnel (examples include pharamcy clerks):

"s 1793.3. Other Non-Licensed Pharmacy Personnel.


(a) In addition to employing a pharmacy technician to perform the tasks specified in section 1793.2, a pharmacy may employ a non-licensed person to type a prescription label or otherwise enter prescription information into a computer record system, but the responsibility for the accuracy of the prescription information and the prescription as dispensed lies with the registered pharmacist who initials the prescription or prescription record. At the direction of the registered pharmacist, a non-licensed person may also request and receive refill authorization."

 

[doublehh03]

Your CVS pharmacist (and CVS itself) is taking a big risk by offering a non-licensed personnel (in this case, the clerk) the opportunity to fill prescriptions.

Per California Code of Regulations Article 11 Title 16 Section 1793.2:


"s 1793.2. Duties of a Pharmacy Technician.


"Nondiscretionary tasks" as used in Business and Professions Code section 4115, include:
(a) removing the drug or drugs from stock;

(b) counting, pouring, or mixing pharmaceuticals;

(c) placing the product into a container;

(d) affixing the label or labels to the container;

(e) packaging and repackaging."

As for duties of a non-licensed pharmacy personnel (examples include pharamcy clerks):

"s 1793.3. Other Non-Licensed Pharmacy Personnel.


(a) In addition to employing a pharmacy technician to perform the tasks specified in section 1793.2, a pharmacy may employ a non-licensed person to type a prescription label or otherwise enter prescription information into a computer record system, but the responsibility for the accuracy of the prescription information and the prescription as dispensed lies with the registered pharmacist who initials the prescription or prescription record. At the direction of the registered pharmacist, a non-licensed person may also request and receive refill authorization."

let me rephrase. i DO NOT fill at all. i filled once or twice b/c my pharmacist was preparing me to become a tech. sorry for the mistake.

 

[WestTXisGr8]

Your CVS pharmacist (and CVS itself) is taking a big risk by offering a non-licensed personnel (in this case, the clerk) the opportunity to fill prescriptions.

but the responsibility for the accuracy of the prescription information and the prescription as dispensed lies with the registered pharmacist who initials the prescription or prescription record. At the direction of the registered pharmacist, a non-licensed person may also request and receive refill authorization."

It doesn't matter what State your in, it is ALWAYS the pharmacist's responsibility for the accuracy of the prescription etc, etc. It doesn't matter if that prescription is being typed and/or filled by a registered Tech or not. It is ALWAYS the pharmacist's responsibility. Being a registered Tech doesn't relieve that pharmacist of that responsibility. The California law you quoted is written oddly in that it indicates the pharmacist is only responsible for the actions of non-licensed techs, which I am sure is not the intent or the actuality.

That being said, each State has different laws. In Texas if you aren't a certified Tech, then you register as a tech-in-training (immediate registration) and you can do most things that a tech can do except put labels on a bottle. However, tech or not, the pharmacist is responsible and should be the only person doing the final verification on a prescription. Their license is on the line, they are the responsible party.

-----------------------------------------------
"Some people are like a Slinky...not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs."

 

[No1 Pusher]

CVS is so cheap!

 

[confettiflyer]

we're not in it for the money, we're in it for the experience 😀

unfortunately, experience doesn't pay the bills 🙁

 

[No1 Pusher]

They start me @ $8.75 👎

Why not make it even $9 lol

Does anyone know who decides the salary for Pharmtechs?

Is it the Manager? or is it the store policy?

The CVS 30 min away starts @ $9

 

[confettiflyer]

^^did you even try to negotiate?

 

[No1 Pusher]

No.....🙁

 

[xmalibu26]

$9??? They started me at 7.50 lol, but Im in MD..what state are u in? BTW, i totally ignored my manager and waltzed right up the pharmacy and started talking to them, and i think they said that i have to start as a PSA, but atleast Im in the pharmacy now, so thanks for the advice.

BTW, what exactly does a PSA do? When they trained me, they had me learn how to use the comp, find diff medications, fill, answer phones, handle the register....
Thanks.

 

[confettiflyer]

we're probably in california, so $9 is like making $6/hr in any other state. haha

 

[xmalibu26]

Quick question. The manager just tole me that i have to go in and take a certification test( i think its for all employees) over the phone or something..does ne one know what that is, and am i supposed to study for it?

 

[caramel334]

i officially hate wrking at CVS.

 

[floating Tech]

I applied to CVS months and months ago, and it took them 1 whole month to tell me I wasn't going to be hired. Thank goodness, I work at Walgreens now. Night and Day difference. Sorry people, but in my opinion CVS sucks. Good luck out there.