Easy job where you don’t do anything or real job with real responsibilities?

[sunnyandseventytwo]

Just like the title says:

You have a choice of an easy inpatient job, days only, a work load so low that you could not show up and probably nobody would notice.

Alternatively, a management position (at another facility) that would likely include real work and accountability.

Money isn’t an issue, but the management job pays $40k more a year. Which job would you take? And yes, the easy job is as boring as it sounds.

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[Saiyo]

Depends on the actual numbers, but I'm leaning towards the easy inpatient job

 

[mentos]

Easy job. Life is too short to be stressed. No thanks to anything management related. I'm not going to think about work once I clock out.

 

[bacillus1]

I'd take the management job as long as senior management at the hospital are conducive to your success and as long it's not an insanely high number of employees that you will have to manage. Plus you could do a lot with 40k. If those conditions were not met (and they aren't in most places), then I'd take the easy job.

 

[Dred Pirate]

I have done both - easy job all the way. So much less stress and usually time to enjoy your life (again assuming the $$ doesn't make a huge difference in lifestyle).

I have so much less stress in my life- the job might not be easy for everybody- but at this point in my career I think it is. Most people in pharmacy (hospital) get into mgmt to feed their ego, but generally the $$ just isn't that much more.

I ahve always said- I don't mind being bored with my job, as long as I am not bored at my job - meaning, even if the work is boring as hell, as long as am around fun people it is all good

 

[projektreverb]

Easy job all the way. I’ve done the challenging job. Not worth the stress. I work to live not live to work.

 

[quickpic007]

depends on the time in life of course. depends on your boss at each post. Easy jobs dont stay that way forever many times. If you want to bulid a brag book take the tuff one.

 

[RXDOC1986]

Just like the title says:

You have a choice of an easy inpatient job, days only, a work load so low that you could not show up and probably nobody would notice.

Alternatively, a management position (at another facility) that would likely include real work and accountability.

Money isn’t an issue, but the management job pays $40k more a year. Which job would you take? And yes, the easy job is as boring as it sounds.

Just my opinion, based on 37 years of experience. Started off my career as Pharmacy Manager, then Regional Director for a National Home Infusion Company. Responsibility for P&L, budgets and employee/staff. After 10 years, Got burned out and wanted more clinical and patient focused. Stepped down to staff pharmacist at same infusion pharmacy, the new director did not want me around as staff, very threatened. Started at a hospital, staffing and clinical. Never wanted back into management. Over the long term, staffing/order entry, you age out. Meaning management wanting you to step up and be team leader and then manager. I lost my first hospital job, 11 years at a Pediatric Hospital, basically for not stepping up. Now at 62, it is exceedingly difficult to find entry level hospital staffing jobs (easy inpatient job). There is an expectation of a pharmacist with a 5 page resume to be in at least mid-management. It is hard to compete with 27yo, that would be paid 1/2 what I am making.
I have a great entry-level job now, got very lucky, I wouldn't hire me over a new graduate!
This is just a long term picture, if you are interested.
To answer your question; I would have, and did, stay with the boring staff job.
Just a cautionary tale, your results may vary!

 

[RXDOC1986]

I have done both - easy job all the way. So much less stress and usually time to enjoy your life (again assuming the $$ doesn't make a huge difference in lifestyle).

I have so much less stress in my life- the job might not be easy for everybody- but at this point in my career I think it is. Most people in pharmacy (hospital) get into mgmt to feed their ego, but generally the $$ just isn't that much more.

I ahve always said- I don't mind being bored with my job, as long as I am not bored at my job - meaning, even if the work is boring as hell, as long as am around fun people it is all good

All very valid points, this was my exact sentiment.........until at the age of 61, I was trying to land another "easy" job, competing with new grads.
Not gonna lie, it got difficult.

 

[Dred Pirate]

All very valid points, this was my exact sentiment.........until at the age of 61, I was trying to land another "easy" job, competing with new grads.
Not gonna lie, it got difficult.

I get ya- I am still probably 15 years from retirement, a few years ago I through some resumes out there when I was seeing what is going on. There were jobs I was likely over qualified for and actually was passed over. I am sure some thought my salary demands would be too high. One director actually knew my current director and called him and asked "Why do you have a manager applying for a staff position here?"

I think once you get to the halfway point in your career, if you want to stay in a staff position, you often likely are going to have issues finding a place to match your salary and benefits of having seniority. There are always exceptions to this of course, but options might be a tad limited.

 

[owlegrad]

“Know thyself”

Personally I would take the easy job.

 

[RXDOC1986]

I get ya- I am still probably 15 years from retirement, a few years ago I through some resumes out there when I was seeing what is going on. There were jobs I was likely over qualified for and actually was passed over. I am sure some thought my salary demands would be too high. One director actually knew my current director and called him and asked "Why do you have a manager applying for a staff position here?"

I think once you get to the halfway point in your career, if you want to stay in a staff position, you often likely are going to have issues finding a place to match your salary and benefits of having seniority. There are always exceptions to this of course, but options might be a tad limited.

Very valid points, good information. I like this thread, the responses are all age appropriate. Yes, 15 years ago, I would have picked the easy job, and did! Now with hindsight being 100% correct, I am saying, maybe the harder management job would have served me better. Pharmacy has been berry, berry good to me (very old reference)! Just a bit of advice from the senior citizen brigade.

 

[nampa]

Just like the title says:

You have a choice of an easy inpatient job, days only, a work load so low that you could not show up and probably nobody would notice.

Alternatively, a management position (at another facility) that would likely include real work and accountability.

Money isn’t an issue, but the management job pays $40k more a year. Which job would you take? And yes, the easy job is as boring as it sounds.

No way that hospital job is going to last like that--is this LTC, in which case, even if you are the only rph there, the facility could easily close or change ownership--LTC is much more marginal than general hospital.

 

[mustang sally]

Depends on how you feel about management. Personally, I hate it so I would take the easy job and maybe try to make it more interesting if I felt like doing something.

 

[nampa]

Depends on how you feel about management. Personally, I hate it so I would take the easy job and maybe try to make it more interesting if I felt like doing something.

Which has more stress? I have never seen a pharmacy staffing job, which informs the clinical component, that has less than a zero accuracy component.

 

[Sakonji]

Just my opinion, based on 37 years of experience. Started off my career as Pharmacy Manager, then Regional Director for a National Home Infusion Company. Responsibility for P&L, budgets and employee/staff. After 10 years, Got burned out and wanted more clinical and patient focused. Stepped down to staff pharmacist at same infusion pharmacy, the new director did not want me around as staff, very threatened. Started at a hospital, staffing and clinical. Never wanted back into management. Over the long term, staffing/order entry, you age out. Meaning management wanting you to step up and be team leader and then manager. I lost my first hospital job, 11 years at a Pediatric Hospital, basically for not stepping up. Now at 62, it is exceedingly difficult to find entry level hospital staffing jobs (easy inpatient job). There is an expectation of a pharmacist with a 5 page resume to be in at least mid-management. It is hard to compete with 27yo, that would be paid 1/2 what I am making.
I have a great entry-level job now, got very lucky, I wouldn't hire me over a new graduate!
This is just a long term picture, if you are interested.
To answer your question; I would have, and did, stay with the boring staff job.
Just a cautionary tale, your results may vary!

I really appreciate these kinds of posts from people with long careers. I always feel like pharmacy is like being a professional sports player. The longer your career is, the more it will count against you. Though I am very surprised that someone with such skills and experience in a non-retail setting still face that same issue.

I think once you get to the halfway point in your career, if you want to stay in a staff position, you often likely are going to have issues finding a place to match your salary and benefits of having seniority. There are always exceptions to this of course, but options might be a tad limited.

Off topic but what do people put for "desired salary" on a job application? I put "negotiable" because I don't think submitting an application is the time to worry about that.

 

[lord999]

I really appreciate these kinds of posts from people with long careers. I always feel like pharmacy is like being a professional sports player. The longer your career is, the more it will count against you. Though I am very surprised that someone with such skills and experience in a non-retail setting still face that same issue.

Off topic but what do people put for "desired salary" on a job application? I put "negotiable" because I don't think submitting an application is the time to worry about that.

Negotiable is the correct/appropriate professional response. You may change your range depending on an interview. Just have a floor in mind.

 

[Dred Pirate]

I really appreciate these kinds of posts from people with long careers. I always feel like pharmacy is like being a professional sports player. The longer your career is, the more it will count against you. Though I am very surprised that someone with such skills and experience in a non-retail setting still face that same issue.

Off topic but what do people put for "desired salary" on a job application? I put "negotiable" because I don't think submitting an application is the time to worry about that.

I like negotiable but not all applications will allow something other than numbers, which I hate because at this point in my career salary (which is obviously important) is far from The only thing I am interested in when it comes to taking a job. If you have to put a number in. Best bet is to be truthful to avoid wasting people’s time. I usually put 10% over what my floor is for the job. But sometimes people don’t even pay attention, case in point. I applied for a job at a non traditional workplace that is notoriously low paying. I made 120k at the time and based on the job description you couldn’t tell really where on the ladder the opening fell. I put $150k as my expected salary, as soon as the interview started I could tell this was not a $150k job. They offered me $85k. I told them we were so far apart it wasn’t even worth our time to negotiate and wished them well.