Government Pharmacy

[songaila]

I just wonder how many of you planning to do pharmacy for Air force, Indian health reserve, etc. Since they pay all your tuition and after twenty years you can retire with half pay. I understand rite aid,etc will pay a heck a lot more than government. However, aren't the benefits and retirement offset the negatives?

Thank you

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[Hels2007]

I just wonder how many of you planning to do pharmacy for Air force, Indian health reserve, etc. Since they pay all your tuition and after twenty years you can retire with half pay. I understand rite aid,etc will pay a heck a lot more than government. However, aren't the benefits and retirement offset the negatives?

Thank you

I loved my Indian Health Service rotation, and I would have joined - but I cannot do the twenty year commitment. I want to go back to Europe within next 5-10 year. IHS really is the way pharmacy is supposed to be practiced... the VA system is similar, I just liked the people at my IHS rotation better than at the VA - but it all depends on the specific location. And it's financially attractive too.

 

[AvocadoLover]

I loved my Indian Health Service rotation, and I would have joined - but I cannot do the twenty year commitment. I want to go back to Europe within next 5-10 year. IHS really is the way pharmacy is supposed to be practiced... the VA system is similar, I just liked the people at my IHS rotation better than at the VA - but it all depends on the specific location. And it's financially attractive too.

Im not sure what you mean by 20 yr commitment? I am working at IHS and have made no commitments except for my one yr residency. The most you can commit for is four years in which you get a 30,000 bonus.

 

[ZpackSux]

I would have done it.

One of the pharmacists I worked with retired as a Director of VA...so he gets a nice pension...then he now works as a staff working 40 hours a week at a small hospital.

I believe he gets 65% of current VA Pharmacist salary...for the rest of his life and as the salary goes up, his pension goes up also.

 

[Hels2007]

Im not sure what you mean by 20 yr commitment? I am working at IHS and have made no commitments except for my one yr residency. The most you can commit for is four years in which you get a 30,000 bonus.

Well, a residency is a residency, all PGY-1 are one year, regardless of the setting. After you are done, would you be working as a civilian? To get most of the benefits, such as housing allowance, gov't pensions and early retirement, don't you have to be Commisioned, and serve for 20 years? Of course you can work as a civilian, without any commitment, but then it really doesn't have any advantages over any other job, except maybe nicer work environment, and your pay then would be lower than in retail.

 

[no-see-um]

Well, a residency is a residency, all PGY-1 are one year, regardless of the setting. After you are done, would you be working as a civilian? To get most of the benefits, such as housing allowance, gov't pensions and early retirement, don't you have to be Commisioned, and serve for 20 years?

It depends what "benefits" you are talking about. Pension? Yeah, you better have put in about 20 years. $30,000 signing bonus? About 4 years. GI Bill (which can allow you to be able to go back to school and take extra coursework towards another degree), a few years. Health converage? You get that on active duty. Life insurance? You get that too. Housing allowances on top of your salary? Yep.

NO ONE gets a pension for nothing.

 

[ZpackSux]

Is that like Government Cheese..

 

[MountainPharmD]

Is that like Government Cheese..

Sometimes we have so many people in line I wonder if we are giving away government cheese....I suppose all the Medicare D and Medicaid scripts are like gov cheese...

 

[aboveliquidice]

Sometimes we have so many people in line I wonder if we are giving away government cheese....I suppose all the Medicare D and Medicaid scripts are like gov cheese...

Well I'm poor... and a pharmacy student... what types of gov't cheese do I qualify for?