Have an interview scheduled for remote Cigna staff pharmacist

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hieun20 said:
Hospital for 9+ years and loving it
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Niceee. What kind of resources did you use for the patient consultation position vs hospital? Is it just the usual like lexicomp and micromedex?
 
MARX22 said:
Niceee. What kind of resources did you use for the patient consultation position vs hospital? Is it just the usual like lexicomp and micromedex?
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same sources, along with facts and comparisons and clinical pharmacology. Good luck finding a job like the OP. I hated it almost as much as retail. I don't work well in corporate types of atmospheres with metrics, that's why I love hospital! I am never leaving hospital until I die
 
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hieun20 said:
same sources, along with facts and comparisons and clinical pharmacology. Good luck finding a job like the OP. I hated it almost as much as retail. I don't work well in corporate types of atmospheres with metrics, that's why I love hospital! I am never leaving hospital until I die
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See, I hate hospital pharmacy. I can never deal with the politics.

OPs job, I wouldn’t mind at all. Just leave me in my corner and let me work, especially if it’s from home.

It’s all about perspective.
 
projektreverb said:
See, I hate hospital pharmacy. I can never deal with the politics.

OPs job, I wouldn’t mind at all. Just leave me in my corner and let me work, especially if it’s from home.

It’s all about perspective.
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What pharmacy setting do you work in?
 
hieun20 said:
same sources, along with facts and comparisons and clinical pharmacology. Good luck finding a job like the OP. I hated it almost as much as retail. I don't work well in corporate types of atmospheres with metrics, that's why I love hospital! I am never leaving hospital until I die
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What kind of questions do patients ask? Are the answers easy to find or is there anything complicated or related to pharmacokinetics? I don’t recall any PK lol
 
MARX22 said:
What kind of questions do patients ask? Are the answers easy to find or is there anything complicated or related to pharmacokinetics? I don’t recall any PK lol
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It was easy to me but that’s bc I’m a fast learner and excellent on the keyboard. You can refer to my previous replies to this thread for what questions patients ask.
 
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hieun20 said:
I wonder why the OP is so quiet. He must be hating the job already LOL. Patients will ask how long does a medication stay in his/her system so you will need to look that up regarding kinetics.
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Do you have to calculate half life or do you go by the 5 half lives rule to get an idea of how long it takes to be eliminated?

Lmaoooo I assumed OP might be busy trying to learn. I hope he doesnt hate it already 😩
 
DoctorRx1986 said:
Update as of April 1: I’m sitting at home around 10 :30 pm and get a text message from the cigna recruiter informing me of an update and that I was offered the position for a work from home patient consultation staff pharmacist position . Pay is $52 per hour . I thanked the recruiter for the opportunity and expressed excitement about this new role but also asked if they could bring me up a few $$ more per hour and she said unfortunately not because the company sticks to certain salary ranges depending on the geographic location . Oh well- I tried . I’ll have my choice of schedule from 5 different choices - the best choice for me is 10:30 am until 7 pm on Monday, Tuesday , Thursday, Friday and 4 hours on Saturday and Sunday on week 1. Week 2 is simply Monday to Friday from 10:30 am till 7 pm with no weekend . Soooo…that’s it - after 9 years and 2 months in retail , I’m out . I will provide my current employer with 10 days notice . Today is April 1/2 and my last shift will be the 12 . After that, I will take a trip to France or elsewhere in Europe for a few days and be back before the 25th of April when training begins .
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Hey DoctorRx1986! I realize you may not see this as it's an old thread but wanted to chat with you regarding how you marketed your resume to suit this position. I'm currently trying to get out of retail as well with 7 years experience. I've applied for some positions like yours but haven't gotten any callbacks. Any tips/help would be appreciated to help increase my marketability!
 
MARX22 said:
Do you have to calculate half life or do you go by the 5 half lives rule to get an idea of how long it takes to be eliminated?

Lmaoooo I assumed OP might be busy trying to learn. I hope he doesnt hate it already 😩
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I just look on clinical pharmacology and tell them it takes such and such time for half of the med to eliminated from the body. I sure hope he doesn't hate it already too. I am sure there are pharmacists out there who love this kind of job where there is no physical movement involved, therefore no standing all day like in retail. It's like a cubicle that you sit in and just talk to patients all day long. It can be exhausting mentally at times but definitely not physically.
 
There's a position for the same job OP has for Cigna in Tempe, Arizona right now. You should apply!!!!!!!!
 
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hieun20 said:
I just look on clinical pharmacology and tell them it takes such and such time for half of the med to eliminated from the body. I sure hope he doesn't hate it already too. I am sure there are pharmacists out there who love this kind of job where there is no physical movement involved, therefore no standing all day like in retail. It's like a cubicle that you sit in and just talk to patients all day long. It can be exhausting mentally at times but definitely not physically.
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I mean, honestly most days if not every day for me, I forget all about it the moment I log out. Retail follows you and you become a zombie even after work.
 
hieun20 said:
I just look on clinical pharmacology and tell them it takes such and such time for half of the med to eliminated from the body. I sure hope he doesn't hate it already too. I am sure there are pharmacists out there who love this kind of job where there is no physical movement involved, therefore no standing all day like in retail. It's like a cubicle that you sit in and just talk to patients all day long. It can be exhausting mentally at times but definitely not physically.
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What if the patient isnt satisfied with just the half life and they want to know how long it takes for the full amount to be eliminated? Is that just 4-5 half lives? I can’t recall 🤣
 
Hey, guys, I’m back . Training officially ended today after 6 weeks Monday to Friday . The amount of information thrown at us was ridiculous and their computer systems/software appear to be more complicated than retail pharmacy . We took live calls these last two weeks with supervision/guidance of the trainers and it wasn’t too bad at all. I can tell I will like this job because it seems pretty easy and chill ONCE YOU LEARN THE SYSTEMS. They use many programs such as “rumba/mainframe” , “TMW”, “ESD” and there are a million and one procedures , protocols , steps to follow . It’s honestly overwhelming. However, I know once I get a handle on all these systems and commit to heart the procedures the job will be cake to me and I can see myself in this position for years . As of tomorrow we all go “live” taking calls and do our own thing . I’m feeling scared/apprehensive but it is what it is . Hopefully with the foundation/training we have received over the last six weeks we’ll be able to put everything together and reach the point where things are routine . Of the six of us , one person quit today on the last day of training . Don’t ask me why because I don’t know . Here’s hoping for the best !
 
MARX22 said:
Different types of transfers meaning rerouting the call to someone else, or transfer of rx refill from pharmacist to pharmacist?

Is there any order verification, or are you strictly answering questions? Basically, do you need to remember laws or is it more drug info based? Hang in there, I’m the type to be super nervous before a new job but don’t give up! Everyone starts somewhere, I’m sure they understand. Did your trainers assure you that you’ll be fine?
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Not all transfers in mail order are standard routine transfers like in retail . A prescription may be in the front end pharmacy being processed , may be in the backend and cannot be transferred out right away , etc . It’s more complicated than retail procedures .
 
DoctorRx1986 said:
Hey, guys, I’m back . Training officially ended today after 6 weeks Monday to Friday . The amount of information thrown at us was ridiculous and their computer systems/software appear to be more complicated than retail pharmacy . We took live calls these last two weeks with supervision/guidance of the trainers and it wasn’t too bad at all. I can tell I will like this job because it seems pretty easy and chill ONCE YOU LEARN THE SYSTEMS. They use many programs such as “rumba/mainframe” , “TMW”, “ESD” and there are a million and one procedures , protocols , steps to follow . It’s honestly overwhelming. However, I know once I get a handle on all these systems and commit to heart the procedures the job will be cake to me and I can see myself in this position for years . As of tomorrow we all go “live” taking calls and do our own thing . I’m feeling scared/apprehensive but it is what it is . Hopefully with the foundation/training we have received over the last six weeks we’ll be able to put everything together and reach the point where things are routine . Of the six of us , one person quit today on the last day of training . Don’t ask me why because I don’t know . Here’s hoping for the best !
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Hey buddy!! I was just thinking of you today and how your training should be almost done. I’m so happy to hear that you like it!! Are you concerned at all that you might not know the answer to certain things? Softwares freak me out too but hopefully it will all get easier for you!

Wow, do you have that person’s phone number or contact info? I wonder why they quit. Maybe they found a different/“better” job or maybe they were overwhelmed and afraid of failure 😞
 
Oh ya, what are the medical benefits like? Any good?
 
DoctorRx1986 said:
Not all transfers in mail order are standard routine transfers like in retail . A prescription may be in the front end pharmacy being processed , may be in the backend and cannot be transferred out right away , etc . It’s more complicated than retail procedures .
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this sounds crazy and absurd to me but i guess i just have to take your word for it.
 
Do they do WOW for recognition or is it called something else at Cigna?
 
OP doesn't care about us any more sadly, even though I answered his questions thoroughly. I am sad.
 
hieun20 said:
NOT True. He was last seen yesterday based on his profile so definitely ignoring us.

DoctorRx1986​

10+ Year Member
Full Member · From Florida
Joined Feb 11, 2008
Last seen Yesterday at 11:50 PM
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Remember how I said I found hospital pharmacy clicky and catty? Yeah…
 
Hey, guys , I have been on and off the site but ,yes, I definitely like the job . Like Hieun mentioned in one of the posts above the majority of calls are repetitive in nature and once you have taken a few you know how to proceed with that same type of call . There are plenty of informational sources to refer to when you need help handling a certain type of call and the SME line is always at your disposal if you get stuck . It’s really chill in comparison to retail . I get my two fifteen minute breaks , my thirty minute lunch and get off when I need to . Also , it is nice to have a “bank “ of pto hours available since day 1 instead of having to earn it by working and accruing hours . I was offered 18 days of PTO to start with and informed since I was hired after January 1 I wouldn’t get the 18 for just this year but that I would be pro-rated and I’ve started off with 12 days . Let me tell you the 12 days has really come in handy because unexpectedly I contracted covid (tell me the irony that I served the public in retail all throughout the pandemic, travelled , and never contracted anything) and had a 100.5-102 degree fever for 1.5 days along with a light cough and had to call out two days . I’m fine now except for this nagging cough . But no biggie since I have the hours to get paid for those two days . In retail at only two months into the job you would barely have enough pto to cover an absence or two . Hieun, the company is tracking metrics to see how we are doing and I’m doing well so far with regards to taking care of the caller’s main issue/problem, referring them to the survey , professionalism , etc . The only one which seems tough is what they call the “ACW” - after call work/wrap- the goal is 20 seconds or less . Mine was 51 seconds and yet one of the leads told me that’s not too bad at all and will only get better with time . I’m feeling more confident on these calls day by day . The only thing that sucks is that I had to miss 2 days this week to recover from covid fever /malaise . I was not planning on losing a day or two in a new job but I had no choice because I felt ill. I do notice the company encourages employees to use their time off and relax etc which is great . I’m truly looking forward to settling down more and more in this new job until it becomes routine . One thing I do notice on calls is that the PCAs are not always clear about what the caller wants and you end up on some call that is not intended for you . But anyway so far so good 😊
 
DoctorRx1986 said:
Hey, guys , I have been on and off the site but ,yes, I definitely like the job . Like Hieun mentioned in one of the posts above the majority of calls are repetitive in nature and once you have taken a few you know how to proceed with that same type of call . There are plenty of informational sources to refer to when you need help handling a certain type of call and the SME line is always at your disposal if you get stuck . It’s really chill in comparison to retail . I get my two fifteen minute breaks , my thirty minute lunch and get off when I need to . Also , it is nice to have a “bank “ of pto hours available since day 1 instead of having to earn it by working and accruing hours . I was offered 18 days of PTO to start with and informed since I was hired after January 1 I wouldn’t get the 18 for just this year but that I would be pro-rated and I’ve started off with 12 days . Let me tell you the 12 days has really come in handy because unexpectedly I contracted covid (tell me the irony that I served the public in retail all throughout the pandemic, travelled , and never contracted anything) and had a 100.5-102 degree fever for 1.5 days along with a light cough and had to call out two days . I’m fine now except for this nagging cough . But no biggie since I have the hours to get paid for those two days . In retail at only two months into the job you would barely have enough pto to cover an absence or two . Hieun, the company is tracking metrics to see how we are doing and I’m doing well so far with regards to taking care of the caller’s main issue/problem, referring them to the survey , professionalism , etc . The only one which seems tough is what they call the “ACW” - after call work/wrap- the goal is 20 seconds or less . Mine was 51 seconds and yet one of the leads told me that’s not too bad at all and will only get better with time . I’m feeling more confident on these calls day by day . The only thing that sucks is that I had to miss 2 days this week to recover from covid fever /malaise . I was not planning on losing a day or two in a new job but I had no choice because I felt ill. I do notice the company encourages employees to use their time off and relax etc which is great . I’m truly looking forward to settling down more and more in this new job until it becomes routine . One thing I do notice on calls is that the PCAs are not always clear about what the caller wants and you end up on some call that is not intended for you . But anyway so far so good 😊
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So sorry to hear you were sick with covid. That’s definitely ironic 🤣🤣🤣🤣 glad they also encourage you prioritizing your health.

I know someone who said they got hired but they feel overwhelmed at all the information. So many resources, links, different softwares. Rumba is always giving some sort of issues he cant work through. Its only week one training that finished though so maybe that will improve with time? He says hes also anxious about bugging the smes too often haha
 
Are you feeling more comfortable in your role now? 🙂
 
DoctorRx1986 said:
Hey, guys , I have been on and off the site but ,yes, I definitely like the job . Like Hieun mentioned in one of the posts above the majority of calls are repetitive in nature and once you have taken a few you know how to proceed with that same type of call . There are plenty of informational sources to refer to when you need help handling a certain type of call and the SME line is always at your disposal if you get stuck . It’s really chill in comparison to retail . I get my two fifteen minute breaks , my thirty minute lunch and get off when I need to . Also , it is nice to have a “bank “ of pto hours available since day 1 instead of having to earn it by working and accruing hours . I was offered 18 days of PTO to start with and informed since I was hired after January 1 I wouldn’t get the 18 for just this year but that I would be pro-rated and I’ve started off with 12 days . Let me tell you the 12 days has really come in handy because unexpectedly I contracted covid (tell me the irony that I served the public in retail all throughout the pandemic, travelled , and never contracted anything) and had a 100.5-102 degree fever for 1.5 days along with a light cough and had to call out two days . I’m fine now except for this nagging cough . But no biggie since I have the hours to get paid for those two days . In retail at only two months into the job you would barely have enough pto to cover an absence or two . Hieun, the company is tracking metrics to see how we are doing and I’m doing well so far with regards to taking care of the caller’s main issue/problem, referring them to the survey , professionalism , etc . The only one which seems tough is what they call the “ACW” - after call work/wrap- the goal is 20 seconds or less . Mine was 51 seconds and yet one of the leads told me that’s not too bad at all and will only get better with time . I’m feeling more confident on these calls day by day . The only thing that sucks is that I had to miss 2 days this week to recover from covid fever /malaise . I was not planning on losing a day or two in a new job but I had no choice because I felt ill. I do notice the company encourages employees to use their time off and relax etc which is great . I’m truly looking forward to settling down more and more in this new job until it becomes routine . One thing I do notice on calls is that the PCAs are not always clear about what the caller wants and you end up on some call that is not intended for you . But anyway so far so good 😊
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I hope someone else told you this: you should be wrapping during the call. Keep the caller on a little longer to finish your documentation.
 
OP, Any updates on your job? Do you find a lot of people staying in this role or moving on to new opportunities in the company? What are the hours/ schedule like for new hires? Thanks!
 
Why did alpha12 and grumpyrph get banned? Two more long time members gone.
 
RXDOC1986 said:
congratulation! happy to see someone take a little step toward job satisfaction. I have been a pharmacist for over 36 years. Never seen anything like what we have now. In 1998, I would laugh and then reject $50/hr AND did at one point! Thankfully, I was recently hired for a hospital job. The HR recruiter asked me on the phone why I had put down $55/hr and I said because the current job market is dictating that. She said oh no! With my 20 yrs of experience, I am at $68. I said, go to page 3 on my resume, I have 36 yrs, she said well, then it would be $74/hr. And plus shift and weekend differential I make about $80/hr. $169K a year. I would have taken $55!!!!!!!!!!!! I work 7on-7off, work 70, get paid for 80. This is in GA, at the largest Hospital system in the SE. In an area with the lowest cost of living.
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Whoa that’s awesome. That’s my goal. Unfortunately I’m learning my loyalty to my grocery store pharmacy is costing my. 13 years I’ve been with them and I feel like all the hospitals are passing up my resume. I keep applying to any/all that I see.

May I ask how the job search was for you? And how the transition was for you? And have you seen/gotten raises since? I was given a meager total of $5 total for the 13 years I’ve been with my company. But I’m seeing hospital pharmacists, even if they were hired on lower than retail, they’re salaries aren’t stagnant like ours.

I’m just hanging on as best I can and hopefully I can get a foot in the door with hospital.
 
Just curious if anyone has interviewed in 2024? Are there any updates with pay? The pay for this position is the one drawback.
 
anchor31 said:
Just curious if anyone has interviewed in 2024? Are there any updates with pay? The pay for this position is the one drawback.
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I know the starting pay has been $52 an hour . It’s now been just over 2 years in this position and I am now at $56 an hour due to merit performance raises . I know $56 an hour is still quite low , especially given the times we live in , but that’s my salary now . I heard a rumor that the company may raise starting pay to $54 an hour but I have no idea if that is true or not .
 
ILovePharmacy2023 said:
OP, Any updates on your job? Do you find a lot of people staying in this role or moving on to new opportunities in the company? What are the hours/ schedule like for new hires? Thanks!
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My job is chill and I’m good at it - all the counseling you can’t really dedicate too much time to in retail you have an opportunity to do in this position . You definitely get to use and reinforce drug knowledge and in my experience I find that many people are very grateful when you explain an interaction , dose of a med , or clarify their clinical questions . It is very satisfying professionally and superior in all respects to retail . All you do is answer calls since this is call center receiving inbound calls . John Doe may ask you about side effects associated with lisinopril . Another person may ask you about alternative GLP-1 meds since they found out their insurance doesn’t cover ozempic . Some other person may ask you about storage and temperature stability of Lantus . The company provides many different clinical resources to access information based on patients’ questions . You basically just talk to patients all day . I really couldn’t tell you about other pharmacists in this role and whether they stay out in this role or move on because it is WFH and you basically don’t really know anyone . What I can say is that I have noticed they seem to be always hiring for this particular position and I’m wondering why ? Could it be because people “burn out “ answering 80-100 calls a shift and get tired of talking or the pay is on the lower end ? They periodically send emails and are always hiring and in their emails they usually state the company is growing etc . I am doubting it’s nonstop growth and I suspect because it’s call center work there are probably many phamacists who leave for other roles . But let me tell you …no matter what , this position is a breeze compared to retail . And now at $56 an hour , I am pretty much making what I was in retail $57.60 an hour . Same salary pretty much . I may soon look for other opportunities within the company or elsewhere now that I have non-retail experience but I’d like higher paying and I just don’t know what kind of positions would offer more money without being management .
 
DoctorRx1986 said:
My job is chill and I’m good at it - all the counseling you can’t really dedicate too much time to in retail you have an opportunity to do in this position . You definitely get to use and reinforce drug knowledge and in my experience I find that many people are very grateful when you explain an interaction , dose of a med , or clarify their clinical questions . It is very satisfying professionally and superior in all respects to retail . All you do is answer calls since this is call center receiving inbound calls . John Doe may ask you about side effects associated with lisinopril . Another person may ask you about alternative GLP-1 meds since they found out their insurance doesn’t cover ozempic . Some other person may ask you about storage and temperature stability of Lantus . The company provides many different clinical resources to access information based on patients’ questions . You basically just talk to patients all day . I really couldn’t tell you about other pharmacists in this role and whether they stay out in this role or move on because it is WFH and you basically don’t really know anyone . What I can say is that I have noticed they seem to be always hiring for this particular position and I’m wondering why ? Could it be because people “burn out “ answering 80-100 calls a shift and get tired of talking or the pay is on the lower end ? They periodically send emails and are always hiring and in their emails they usually state the company is growing etc . I am doubting it’s nonstop growth and I suspect because it’s call center work there are probably many phamacists who leave for other roles . But let me tell you …no matter what , this position is a breeze compared to retail . And now at $56 an hour , I am pretty much making what I was in retail $57.60 an hour . Same salary pretty much . I may soon look for other opportunities within the company or elsewhere now that I have non-retail experience but I’d like higher paying and I just don’t know what kind of positions would offer more money without being management .
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Thanks so much for getting back with me for an update! I previously interviewed and was offered $52 over 2 years ago. I wasn’t so sure about taking such a drastic pay cut. I do feel better about considering it again due to the quick increase in salary! It seems like you can progress quickly. You are so right, you are back to your old salary when you calculate gas, travel time and car expenses. You are actually coming out a bit better! I’d love to work from home. I’m traveling almost 2 hours most days to and from. My job is low stress but I don’t have time for much outside of the commute. I hope the rumored salary is true. Cost of living keeps increasing!
 
DoctorRx1986 said:
I know the starting pay has been $52 an hour . It’s now been just over 2 years in this position and I am now at $56 an hour due to merit performance raises . I know $56 an hour is still quite low , especially given the times we live in , but that’s my salary now . I heard a rumor that the company may raise starting pay to $54 an hour but I have no idea if that is true or not .
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You’ve been so helpful!! Thank you so much. Let me know if you hear any offers from friends, etc. I want to do it but I am afraid of the pay cut.
 
anchor31 said:
You’ve been so helpful!! Thank you so much. Let me know if you hear any offers from friends, etc. I want to do it but I am afraid of the pay cut.
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Here’s the issue though - I may make $56 an hour now and it seems like a raise but my pay at Walgreens when I left was $57.60 per hour and it had been stagnant at that same pay rate since 2016. My salary went up to $57.60 at Walgreens back in 2016 and the following year the company froze salary increases for pharmacists for years . When I left in 2022, after 6 years , I was still making $57.60 per hour and to make matters worse , I had to take a 10% pay cut to about $52 an hour to WFH. Sure , in my WFH role , my salary has gone up by $4 in 2 years and now I’m at $56 but if you truly think about it it’s not a true pay raise because I’m still at about what I was making in retail . In other words , I have not seen a real increase in pay since 2016 and I’ve been a pharmacist now for 11-12 years . Pay is truly stagnant and $50 something an hour today is truly not much as these salaries were common 15-20 years ago with much lower living expenses . My WFH job is cake compared to retail but I am going to see soon if I can find higher paying positions that pay over $60 an hour that are not management or leadership related - I have zero interest in management/leadership positions responsible for other employees . With 2 years of WFH experience consulting patients in a PBM, I now have enough experience to hopefully get my foot in the door for higher paying roles . If I could get $65 an hour, I think it would be a fair and reasonable raise especially after being stagnant for 8 years . I also have both retail and PBM experience so hopefully these things help attain higher pay . Starting salaries in general for ALL pharmacists should be $65-$70 an hour . $50 something is a joke these days .
 
DoctorRx1986 said:
Here’s the issue though - I may make $56 an hour now and it seems like a raise but my pay at Walgreens when I left was $57.60 per hour and it had been stagnant at that same pay rate since 2016. My salary went up to $57.60 at Walgreens back in 2016 and the following year the company froze salary increases for pharmacists for years . When I left in 2022, after 6 years , I was still making $57.60 per hour and to make matters worse , I had to take a 10% pay cut to about $52 an hour to WFH. Sure , in my WFH role , my salary has gone up by $4 in 2 years and now I’m at $56 but if you truly think about it it’s not a true pay raise because I’m still at about what I was making in retail . In other words , I have not seen a real increase in pay since 2016 and I’ve been a pharmacist now for 11-12 years . Pay is truly stagnant and $50 something an hour today is truly not much as these salaries were common 15-20 years ago with much lower living expenses . My WFH job is cake compared to retail but I am going to see soon if I can find higher paying positions that pay over $60 an hour that are not management or leadership related - I have zero interest in management/leadership positions responsible for other employees . With 2 years of WFH experience consulting patients in a PBM, I now have enough experience to hopefully get my foot in the door for higher paying roles . If I could get $65 an hour, I think it would be a fair and reasonable raise especially after being stagnant for 8 years . I also have both retail and PBM experience so hopefully these things help attain higher pay . Starting salaries in general for ALL pharmacists should be $65-$70 an hour . $50 something is a joke these days .
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Absolutely! I definitely see what you mean! Do you think there are opportunities within the company that are not leadership/management related with Cigna with higher pay? Is there a lot of room for growth within the company? I totally agree with you. Pharmacists should make $65-70 plus without question.
 
DoctorRx1986 said:
Here’s the issue though - I may make $56 an hour now and it seems like a raise but my pay at Walgreens when I left was $57.60 per hour and it had been stagnant at that same pay rate since 2016. My salary went up to $57.60 at Walgreens back in 2016 and the following year the company froze salary increases for pharmacists for years . When I left in 2022, after 6 years , I was still making $57.60 per hour and to make matters worse , I had to take a 10% pay cut to about $52 an hour to WFH. Sure , in my WFH role , my salary has gone up by $4 in 2 years and now I’m at $56 but if you truly think about it it’s not a true pay raise because I’m still at about what I was making in retail . In other words , I have not seen a real increase in pay since 2016 and I’ve been a pharmacist now for 11-12 years . Pay is truly stagnant and $50 something an hour today is truly not much as these salaries were common 15-20 years ago with much lower living expenses . My WFH job is cake compared to retail but I am going to see soon if I can find higher paying positions that pay over $60 an hour that are not management or leadership related - I have zero interest in management/leadership positions responsible for other employees . With 2 years of WFH experience consulting patients in a PBM, I now have enough experience to hopefully get my foot in the door for higher paying roles . If I could get $65 an hour, I think it would be a fair and reasonable raise especially after being stagnant for 8 years . I also have both retail and PBM experience so hopefully these things help attain higher pay . Starting salaries in general for ALL pharmacists should be $65-$70 an hour . $50 something is a joke these days .
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Totally get it. I’m making 63 an hour at a PBM working remotely as well. When I left wags I was at 58$ an hour in a higher COL city. Once you factor in no commute my pay increases, or at least to me it does. Luckily I’ll be moving to a lower COL city next month since I’m remote as well.

Like you said, no stress of retail etc but it definitely feels like my salary doesn’t go as far as I’d does when I first graduated 6 years ago despite the fact that I make more. Only way I see is to Segway out of pharmacy with how stagnant our pay it. There has to be a major shift in our pay….
 
projektreverb said:
Totally get it. I’m making 63 an hour at a PBM working remotely as well. When I left wags I was at 58$ an hour in a higher COL city. Once you factor in no commute my pay increases, or at least to me it does. Luckily I’ll be moving to a lower COL city next month since I’m remote as well.

Like you said, no stress of retail etc but it definitely feels like my salary doesn’t go as far as I’d does when I first graduated 6 years ago despite the fact that I make more. Only way I see is to Segway out of pharmacy with how stagnant our pay it. There has to be a major shift in our pay….
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Did your salary grow over time or did you start at this salary?
 
anchor31 said:
Did your salary grow over time or did you start at this salary?
Click to expand...
It grew. I started at 60 an hour when I converted from contractor to permanent in mid ‘21. My pay at Walgreens was stagnant. Pay went up but nowhere near inflation.
 
anchor31 said:
Thanks so much for getting back with me for an update! I previously interviewed and was offered $52 over 2 years ago. I wasn’t so sure about taking such a drastic pay cut. I do feel better about considering it again due to the quick increase in salary! It seems like you can progress quickly. You are so right, you are back to your old salary when you calculate gas, travel time and car expenses. You are actually coming out a bit better! I’d love to work from home. I’m traveling almost 2 hours most days to and from. My job is low stress but I don’t have time for much outside of the commute. I hope the rumored salary is true. Cost of living keeps increasing!
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If I was traveling 4 hours a day, a pay cut is worth it for the quality of life of working at home. If your commute is short - 20-30 min a pay cut is harder to stomach.

I always factor travel time into hourly rate. I live 20 min from my job now. The othe hospital just raised pay rates … considered it, but a 45 -50 min commute means I’d need at least a 10% pay raise to break even on my time.
 
projektreverb said:
Totally get it. I’m making 63 an hour at a PBM working remotely as well. When I left wags I was at 58$ an hour in a higher COL city. Once you factor in no commute my pay increases, or at least to me it does. Luckily I’ll be moving to a lower COL city next month since I’m remote as well.

Like you said, no stress of retail etc but it definitely feels like my salary doesn’t go as far as I’d does when I first graduated 6 years ago despite the fact that I make more. Only way I see is to Segway out of pharmacy with how stagnant our pay it. There has to be a major shift in our pay….
Click to expand...
It’s stagnant , but at the same time , I am wondering about the various types of pharmacist positions PBMs offer . I’ve been in my role 2 years and a few months now and next year I plan on seriously looking into other higher paying roles . But let me tell you one thing - all the roles I have seen seem to require some type of business acumen , extensive knowledge of formularies , Medicare D/medicaid , require a “client facing “ approach , etc . When I read over the job descriptions , I don’t even really understand what the position entails and automatically lose interest in applying because I figure I can’t even do that particular job , have exactly 0 experience or knowledge of the job description and figure I will be turned down . They start mentioning these various programs , STARS, all these acronyms and it doesn’t sound like a pharmacist position at all . Salary range from $116k up to $193k sounds awesome but based on the description , it sounds nothing like I have done at all for the last 11 years so I figure I won’t get hired for that simply because I have no knowledge of all these things they require . My knowledge and skillset has been dispensing (retail ) and now patient consultation . But so many of those positions just seem out of touch for me even if they pay more . They want you to have knowledge of excel , a variety of types of software I’ve never had to use at all as a pharmacist . Would they still possibly hire and train for those positions ? The only other position someone like me would qualify for and at least I have more an idea of is PAs and majority of PAs offer the same type of stagnant mid to high 50s per hour . But most of the other positions listed seem more business oriented and I don’t believe most pharmacists can get them without some type of business , managed care background and so I have never applied .
 
DoctorRx1986 said:
It’s stagnant , but at the same time , I am wondering about the various types of pharmacist positions PBMs offer . I’ve been in my role 2 years and a few months now and next year I plan on seriously looking into other higher paying roles . But let me tell you one thing - all the roles I have seen seem to require some type of business acumen , extensive knowledge of formularies , Medicare D/medicaid , require a “client facing “ approach , etc . When I read over the job descriptions , I don’t even really understand what the position entails and automatically lose interest in applying because I figure I can’t even do that particular job , have exactly 0 experience or knowledge of the job description and figure I will be turned down . They start mentioning these various programs , STARS, all these acronyms and it doesn’t sound like a pharmacist position at all . Salary range from $116k up to $193k sounds awesome but based on the description , it sounds nothing like I have done at all for the last 11 years so I figure I won’t get hired for that simply because I have no knowledge of all these things they require . My knowledge and skillset has been dispensing (retail ) and now patient consultation . But so many of those positions just seem out of touch for me even if they pay more . They want you to have knowledge of excel , a variety of types of software I’ve never had to use at all as a pharmacist . Would they still possibly hire and train for those positions ? The only other position someone like me would qualify for and at least I have more an idea of is PAs and majority of PAs offer the same type of stagnant mid to high 50s per hour . But most of the other positions listed seem more business oriented and I don’t believe most pharmacists can get them without some type of business , managed care background and so I have never applied .
Click to expand...
Consulting to PA is your first jump. After one to two years enforcing the formulary and guidelines, you'll be qualified to write the formulary and/or guidelines. Job titles might look sometime like Formulary Development Pharmacist or Clinical Guidelines Pharmacist. These will be salaried jobs. You'll have time to upskill yourself in this role. Learn all the computer stuff you'll need for the next role, maybe work on that MBA during down time which you might have for weeks at a time now. More importantly, there's both room for advancement in this part of the company (it's no longer a director overseeing 600 people)...and depending on what you want to ultimately be doing, you will be mingling with leadership from other areas of your company: industry relations (which is a nice spring board to pharmacy), client management, analytics. I wouldn't worry too much about all this now, you'll figure out where you want to be as you get more experience in the company.

Note: The 9-5 workday is a myth. Everything above PA will feel like you're back in school. If you're not working on the weekend, you'll be worrying about work on the weekend. The grass is brown all over.
 
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