CVS Pharmacist Demand Hours

[maliciousmotive]

My DL sent out the budgets for all the stores in the district next year and mine is only one of 2 stores they expect to have growth (~3%). Currently we get 74 pharmacist hours. We’re open 74 hrs a week and this is in California so it’s hourly. I’m not naive to think this means we’ll get a bump in pharmacist hours (in fact with all the cost cutting I wouldn’t be surprised if they cut) but based on the volume we’ll be at, there’s another store in our district at that level and they get 76 hours.

Anyway, I’m a bit lost as to figure out where I can find out our actual pharmacist demand hours. Green sheets has had us at fluctuating hours every week over the last year, while the DL has sent out an email and said we’re definitively at 74. My manager is on LOA so I have no one to really ask. Don’t want to ask DL or scheduler in case we have been cut :x can anyone help me out?

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[WVUPharm2007]

It's all random and based off of the ****tiest algorithm ever concocted.

 

[farmadiazepine]

You can expect to get hours cut.

 

[maliciousmotive]

It's all random and based off of the ****tiest algorithm ever concocted.

I mean that’s fine but where do I see it? Or is green sheets the only place in which case it’s not even accurate?

 

[maliciousmotive]

You can expect to get hours cut.

I was kidding. Unless our store is going to close earlier they can’t cut hours without there being a pharmacist on duty. But actually I’ve done the schedule through the 3rd week of January and I’m getting a ton more techs hours the first 2 weeks and still more the 3rd. I expect it will go down eventually for techs.

 

[6GodPharm]

It’s stupid. CVS is giving more tech and less RPH. Go figure. Before ready fill smoothing and Double verification it was ok but now you need more rph

 

[meltyblend]

Has your store been beating budget and getting 5's monthly on script count? Corporate doesn't care about your projected increase in volume. They care about actual increase in volume. So essentially, your volume will have to increase first. You'll have to struggle for months before they finally adjust the hours. Of course, by that point you've probably lost half your staff because no one wants to work like a dog and be paid pennies.

I'm basing this all on what I see in my district. There was a store in my area that had a sudden surge in volume, we're talking about going from a 300-400 script count to 400-500 script count, and didn't have hours adjusted until later into the year. My store also struggled a lot due to lack of hours and we were beating budget by at least 5-10% weekly. We're doing around 500 more scripts weekly compared to last year. Surprisingly enough, they gave us 15 extra pharmacist hours. Jokes on us though. They have trouble covering the floater overlaps.

TL;DR: CVS doesn't care until you've struggled for at least half a year before they'll do anything to adjust your hours.

 

[Chrish]

Cvs in my town has come up with a great plan to deal with the hour situation: NOT answering ANY calls!

It has gotten to the point where we tell people to tell their doctors to send prescription directly to us whenever they request a transfer. And by chance if you call, you would be extremely lucky to get rph on line even after third trial after holding for 20 minutes each time!

I am just surprised how board is playing deaf and not doing something about this.. At least someone must have complained surely?

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Cvs in my town has come up with a great plan to deal with the hour situation: NOT answering ANY calls!

It has gotten to the point where we tell people to tell their doctors to send prescription directly to us whenever they request a transfer. And by chance if you call, you would be extremely lucky to get rph on line even after third trial after holding for 20 minutes each time!

I am just surprised how board is playing deaf and not doing something about this.. At least someone must have complained surely?

The day shift people don't answer the calls here, either. They don't have time. They all call me at night to complain. I literally field 20 calls a night sort day shift not answering the phone.

It's getting absurd to the point of comedy.

 

[maliciousmotive]

Has your store been beating budget and getting 5's monthly on script count? Corporate doesn't care about your projected increase in volume. They care about actual increase in volume. So essentially, your volume will have to increase first. You'll have to struggle for months before they finally adjust the hours. Of course, by that point you've probably lost half your staff because no one wants to work like a dog and be paid pennies.

I'm basing this all on what I see in my district. There was a store in my area that had a sudden surge in volume, we're talking about going from a 300-400 script count to 400-500 script count, and didn't have hours adjusted until later into the year. My store also struggled a lot due to lack of hours and we were beating budget by at least 5-10% weekly. We're doing around 500 more scripts weekly compared to last year. Surprisingly enough, they gave us 15 extra pharmacist hours. Jokes on us though. They have trouble covering the floater overlaps.

TL;DR: CVS doesn't care until you've struggled for at least half a year before they'll do anything to adjust your hours.

Hmmm ok I see. We don’t get a 5 every month but we’ve been at an at least 3 every month since March so meeting. I believe from August onward we got a 4 or 5 every month in budget. I just did the schedule for 3 weeks out and they cut another 9 hours a week so I’m super confused. Hoping it’s just a fluke or something and we’ll be back up in February...? I don’t understand why I get 176 hours next week

 

[maliciousmotive]

Hmmm ok I see. We don’t get a 5 every month but we’ve been at an at least 3 every month since March so meeting. I believe from August onward we got a 4 or 5 every month in budget. I just did the schedule for 3 weeks out and they cut another 9 hours a week so I’m super confused. Hoping it’s just a fluke or something and we’ll be back up in February...? I don’t understand why I get 176 hours next week

Whoops my post got cut off somehow. I get 176 hours next week which is far too many hours imho and then 2 weeks later I’m down to 160. What the heck?

 

[steveysmith54]

Cvs in my town has come up with a great plan to deal with the hour situation: NOT answering ANY calls!

It has gotten to the point where we tell people to tell their doctors to send prescription directly to us whenever they request a transfer. And by chance if you call, you would be extremely lucky to get rph on line even after third trial after holding for 20 minutes each time!

I am just surprised how board is playing deaf and not doing something about this.. At least someone must have complained surely?

I don't think this would work in a lot of the areas. Would lead to corporate complaints which would lead to write ups, etc.

 

[meltyblend]

Whoops my post got cut off somehow. I get 176 hours next week which is far too many hours imho and then 2 weeks later I’m down to 160. What the heck?

The beginning of January tends to have an increase in hours due to the holidays and insurance changes. Once the initial chaos is expected to die down, the hours also goes down with it.

 

[maliciousmotive]

The beginning of January tends to have an increase in hours due to the holidays and insurance changes. Once the initial chaos is expected to die down, the hours also goes down with it.

That makes sense. I randomly checked my schedule today and it updated since I last checked Wednesday...and they gave me my 9 hours back. I’m really confused but I guess I’ll take it. I still don’t know how to check what the pharmacist demand is or if it’s changed.

 

[meltyblend]

The DL is the person who will tell you your pharmacist demand. It's updated once a year so whatever number they tell you stays the same for the whole year. I'd reach out to the DL and ask for your pharmacist demand.

 

[maliciousmotive]

The DL is the person who will tell you your pharmacist demand. It's updated once a year so whatever number they tell you stays the same for the whole year. I'd reach out to the DL and ask for your pharmacist demand.

Damn that’s too bad. I’ve made it a point to not speak to my DL unless forced to. I’ve spoken to her probably twice in the month and a half my manager has been gone and I hope to keep it at that number before she comes back. Oh well. Guess it will be her problem soon. I’ve just found no good comes from speaking to these people so I won’t unless I’m literally dying.

 

[meltyblend]

Damn that’s too bad. I’ve made it a point to not speak to my DL unless forced to. I’ve spoken to her probably twice in the month and a half my manager has been gone and I hope to keep it at that number before she comes back. Oh well. Guess it will be her problem soon. I’ve just found no good comes from speaking to these people so I won’t unless I’m literally dying.

Sounds about right. My DL walked in to do her monthly visit and saw that we were killing script budget by almost 30% Monday (we're normally a 500-600 script store but Monday was a 700 day). She was like, "that's really good" while I told her we're overwhelmed and it's not sustainable. I also mentioned to her who the floater she sent to close was (spoiler alert: he the worst thing that can happen to a store) and her reply to me was, "do you want to close instead and have him leave at 7?" Yeah, sure. Let me do a 13 hours shift even though I closed the night before and have to open the next morning. Seems like an amazing solution. I'm sure I won't fall asleep and kill someone while I do my 40 miles drive to and from work.