Hospital intern job--what to do?

[bacillus1]

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I interviewed last week for a pharmacy tech job at a hospital (it doesn't have official intern positions) last Monday, and they told me they'd let me know by the end of last week if I got the job. It's now past the timeframe that they told me they'd let me know by. What should I do? Should I call them and ask them what the timeframe for their decision will be?

This is basically my last chance for a hospital job while in pharmacy school, as I'm going to be a P3 this fall, and I really want the hospital experience to more easily get either a hospital job or a residency upon graduation. So what should I do to lead them down the path of decision making without automatically disqualifying myself from the job?

 

[owlegrad]

I interviewed last week for a pharmacy tech job at a hospital (it doesn't have official intern positions) last Monday, and they told me they'd let me know by the end of last week if I got the job. It's now past the timeframe that they told me they'd let me know by. What should I do? Should I call them and ask them what the timeframe for their decision will be?

This is basically my last chance for a hospital job while in pharmacy school, as I'm going to be a P3 this fall, and I really want the hospital experience to more easily get either a hospital job or a residency upon graduation. So what should I do to lead them down the path of decision making without automatically disqualifying myself from the job?

Just call and ask how it's going. As long as you're tactful on the phone they shouldn't mind you calling.

Good Luck!

 

[Farmtastic]

I would e-mail.

 

[aboveliquidice]

I would e-mail.

There are a couple of issues here. One, it shows lack of concern / respect when any hiring manager doesn't follow through. The good ones keep the time-frames vague in order to still be professional. The bad ones straight up make deadlines they have no intentions to keep.

Secondly, you want to be forward enough to not be ignored, and at the same time avoid coming off the wrong way. I would call and talk with someone. Frame it under the auspice of reiterating your interest in the position.

Email is useful for communications with people you know - but it is way too easy to ignore an email.

 

[confettiflyer]

Be aware the hiring manager may be waiting for something that is out of his/her control (ie budget, formal approval for the position, etc...).

If you know the hierarchy at the hospital, leave a message with the secretary of the hiring manager. That puts you on their radar and confers interest without "confronting" said manager, if that was your concern.

 

[Farmtastic]

Just don't catch a high level person off-guard by calling them, i.e. when they are busy doing more important things than talking to a student.

E-mail them and if they don't get back to you, call. You want to be ambitious and show that you're keen but not aggressive to the point where you are a turn off.

 

[Old Timer]

I personally think you call and speak to the person. E-mail is the wrong way to go. I have hired literally hundreds of pharmacy students and when they follow up, I know they are interested. I would try to speak directly to the person.

As an aside. This is a bad sign on so many levels:

• He doesn't want to hire you and he doesn't have the class/balls to call you back and give you the bad news, as if it gets easier when time goes by.
• He want's to hire you, but he is so disorganized, he lost your contact info.
• He want's to hire you, but the higher ups have not approved so either doesn't have real control of the department or he did not give you a realistic time frame.

So I would definitely follow up with a phone call.

 

[aboveliquidice]

Be aware the hiring manager may be waiting for something that is out of his/her control (ie budget, formal approval for the position, etc...).

If you know the hierarchy at the hospital, leave a message with the secretary of the hiring manager. That puts you on their radar and confers interest without "confronting" said manager, if that was your concern.

^this

Just don't catch a high level person off-guard by calling them, i.e. when they are busy doing more important things than talking to a student.

E-mail them and if they don't get back to you, call. You want to be ambitious and show that you're keen but not aggressive to the point where you are a turn off.

Not this^

 

[Farmtastic]

Do w/e works for you. Ambitious people find a way to get the job and do so in a cordial way.

I just know that all of the Pharm Admin I work with in a health systems have patients, physicians, meetings coming outta their ass and the last thing they need is someone calling them in the middle of a busy day asking for a job.

 

[Old Timer]

Do w/e works for you. Ambitious people find a way to get the job and do so in a cordial way.

I just know that all of the Pharm Admin I work with in a health systems have patients, physicians, meetings coming outta their ass and the last thing they need is someone calling them in the middle of a busy day asking for a job.

Listen, he is NOT asking for a job. He is asking for the courtesy of a response that the J-O promised him he would have by last week. The least he could do is tear is ass away from his important duties or take the 2 minutes after his work day is over and keep is commitments. It doesn't seem like this is the ideal job as this guy is not doing his job well.

 

[bacillus1]

Listen, he is NOT asking for a job. He is asking for the courtesy of a response that the J-O promised him he would have by last week. The least he could do is tear is ass away from his important duties or take the 2 minutes after his work day is over and keep is commitments. It doesn't seem like this is the ideal job as this guy is not doing his job well.

Maybe not the ideal job, but the only hospital job left for me to apply for. The fact is, I really want the hospital experience, and I imagine that almost any non-retail job would be better than my current retail job (I did enjoy my hospital IPPEs, though I'd like a more "clinical" job, but there is usually no such thing as a clinical pharmacy intern).

Thanks everyone for your opinions. I'll be busy all day long tomorrow due to my current internship so I won't be able to check if I have been notified of the job, but I guess I'll call the director of pharmacy Thursday (that's who I interviewed with). I'm guessing I wasn't hired as they said they need to finalize everything by the 16th (drug test/background check), since that's when orientation is set for. I guess I'm too far along in my schooling for the tastes of the people that hire.

 

[Its Z]

LMAO,

why the f are you guys aruging over this.

Just call the dop...and if he doesn't answer, leave a message. Then send an email.

Hospital pharmacy administrators are busy but they're by no means unapproachable.

 

[tungsten87]

Maybe not the ideal job, but the only hospital job left for me to apply for. The fact is, I really want the hospital experience, and I imagine that almost any non-retail job would be better than my current retail job (I did enjoy my hospital IPPEs, though I'd like a more "clinical" job, but there is usually no such thing as a clinical pharmacy intern).

Thanks everyone for your opinions. I'll be busy all day long tomorrow due to my current internship so I won't be able to check if I have been notified of the job, but I guess I'll call the director of pharmacy Thursday (that's who I interviewed with). I'm guessing I wasn't hired as they said they need to finalize everything by the 16th (drug test/background check), since that's when orientation is set for. I guess I'm too far along in my schooling for the tastes of the people that hire.

what year are you?

 

[bacillus1]

what year are you?

As I said earlier, I will be a P3 this fall. This is why this is my last chance pursuing a hospital job.

 

[aboveliquidice]

LMAO,

why the f are you guys aruging over this.

Just call the dop...and if he doesn't answer, leave a message. Then send an email.

Hospital pharmacy administrators are busy but they're by no means unapproachable.

^This guy doesn't have a clue how the "Real Business World" works...

 

[owlegrad]

Be aware the hiring manager may be waiting for something that is out of his/her control (ie budget, formal approval for the position, etc...).

If you know the hierarchy at the hospital, leave a message with the secretary of the hiring manager. That puts you on their radar and confers interest without "confronting" said manager, if that was your concern.

Secretary of the hiring manager? How many DOP's out there have secretaries?

On a side note, I think many of you are being kinda hard on the DOP; so he/she missed the "deadline", it's really not a big deal for the applicant to just call back and ask how things are going. Now if he/she continues to ignore our friend here, yes that would be discourteous.

 

[aboveliquidice]

Secretary of the hiring manager? How many DOP's out there have secretaries?

On a side note, I think many of you are being kinda hard on the DOP; so he/she missed the "deadline", it's really not a big deal for the applicant to just call back and ask how things are going. Now if he/she continues to ignore our friend here, yes that would be discourteous.

Any hospital above 150-200 bed community hospitals have large pharmacy departments. Of the hospitals I have worked for, only one did not have a technician / secretary position dedicated to doing the DOPs bidding.

And your word in business means more than you think. At Burger King, no one cares if you are dishonest. Things change the higher up you go.

 

[owlegrad]

Any hospital above 150-200 bed community hospitals have large pharmacy departments. Of the hospitals I have worked for, only one did not have a technician / secretary position dedicated to doing the DOPs bidding.

And your word in business means more than you think. At Burger King, no one cares if you are dishonest. Things change the higher up you go.

I wouldn't equate missing a deadline with breaking your word. Disrespectful, discourteous - sure. Dishonest - that's a stretch.

I doubt the people Burger King agree with you about how important honesty is to them.

 

[aboveliquidice]

I doubt the people Burger King agree with you about how important honesty is to them.

I see your passion here - I admire it...

The importance of honestly is diminished by the lower level of professional work. It is a regular occurrence to fire fast food employees for failure to show for work, stealing, (insert random reason for termination here), etc.

The turnover for a pharmacist - especially due to this reason - is greatly reduced.

Back on topic - The first impression is a lasting one. This is his/her first impression...

 

[owlegrad]

I see your passion here - I admire it...

The importance of honestly is diminished by the lower level of professional work. It is a regular occurrence to fire fast food employees for failure to show for work, stealing, (insert random reason for termination here), etc.

The turnover for a pharmacist - especially due to this reason - is greatly reduced...

Back on topic - The first impression is a lasting one. This is his/her first impression...

I wouldn't say it's the importance that diminishes though, just the frequency that it is found. You are right if what you are getting at is that the lower level you go professionally the rarer it is to find good honest labor. As you point out, turnover is quite high at entry level positions, partly because it is hard to find people at that level who will keep their commitments, so I can see your point about honesty, although I wouldn't phrase it quite like that. I can see your point now though.

Yes it's certainly a bad first impression and would make me question how the rest of his operations run. But sometimes things happen, so I wouldn't blow it to far out of proportion.

Back on topic - Boring 👎

Edit: Forgot to mention: I admire someone who's ethics equate setting a deadline with giving someone your word. You don't see that kind of commitment to honesty/integrity anymore. Impressive. 👍

 

[confettiflyer]

Secretary of the hiring manager? How many DOP's out there have secretaries?

mmm... most of the ones i've interacted with (larger hospitals/health systems).

even in retail (DM), not a secretary per se, but essentially a "right hand woman" who quasi-functioned as one.

sounds like you're from a small town

 

[owlegrad]

mmm... most of the ones i've interacted with (larger hospitals/health systems).

even in retail (DM), not a secretary per se, but essentially a "right hand woman" who quasi-functioned as one.

sounds like you're from a small town

I guess so. I just have never heard of a pharmasict having a secretary. I have only worked at one hospital (90 beds) so far, but even in the larger hospital's that I have shadowed I never encountered such a person. Of course that doesn't mean there wasn't one, I just didn't meet them. Good to know.

 

[bacillus1]

So I called today. The DoP wasn't there so I left a message. I called at 12:15, he didn't respond. I guess he may be ignoring me on purpose...Hopefully I will not have to work a life of retail because of my lack of hospital experience in school.

 

[Sparda29]

So I called today. The DoP wasn't there so I left a message. I called at 12:15, he didn't respond. I guess he may be ignoring me on purpose...Hopefully I will not have to work a life of retail because of my lack of hospital experience in school.

Use your experience during rotations as an advantage. I had a hospital IPPE this June. I called up the DOP in July and I'm being hired.

 

[bacillus1]

Use your experience during rotations as an advantage. I had a hospital IPPE this June. I called up the DOP in July and I'm being hired.

Small problem, one hospital where I did my IPPE was in Delaware and the other also not in Philly. It would really be a hassle commuting, especially since I don't have a car. Probably just should have went ahead and applied to the one in DE this Spring, but I didn't want my parents/grandparents driving me every day and was worn out after sending 10 job apps and interviewing at 5 places (and afterwards only getting one offer, an internship that I'm finishing this week). I do hope that I make good contacts on rotations.

Too late to apply for jobs now though, since my P3 year is starting in 3 weeks. They really won't have time to train me, as training usually requires at least a week full-time.

 

[confettiflyer]

Small problem, one hospital where I did my IPPE was in Delaware and the other also not in Philly. It would really be a hassle commuting, especially since I don't have a car. Probably just should have went ahead and applied to the one in DE this Spring, but I didn't want my parents/grandparents driving me every day and was worn out after sending 10 job apps and interviewing at 5 places (and afterwards only getting one offer, an internship that I'm finishing this week). I do hope that I make good contacts on rotations.

Too late to apply for jobs now though, since my P3 year is starting in 3 weeks. They really won't have time to train me, as training usually requires at least a week full-time.

Christiana? my friend works there, that place is HUGE. like >900 beds.

 

[confettiflyer]

I guess so. I just have never heard of a pharmasict having a secretary. I have only worked at one hospital (90 beds) so far, but even in the larger hospital's that I have shadowed I never encountered such a person. Of course that doesn't mean there wasn't one, I just didn't meet them. Good to know.

yeah i've only worked in/with hospitals >250 beds or part of a larger health system with 5 digits for beds, so understandable there's a secretary involved.

 

[bacillus1]

Christiana? my friend works there, that place is HUGE. like >900 beds.

No, Christiana is too far away. I was at AI DuPont. It's a nice hospital and I wouldn't mind working there as a pharmacist.

 

[confettiflyer]

No, Christiana is too far away. I was at AI DuPont. It's a nice hospital and I wouldn't mind working there as a pharmacist.

lol, i applied there...essentially same situation as you long time ago, i capped it at 2 phone calls (left messages) & one last email and let it go.

 

[theunderminer]

Wow, a lot of delaware connections here haha. I work at dupont as a tech now, its pretty nice.
Know a few people from christiana too (rotated there a few times), pretty nice place.

As far as calling pharmacy heads, I find that around 12 is when a lot of meetings happen, so sometime in the morning 9-11ish or afternoon 2-3 tend to work the best. Good luck.

 

[bacillus1]

Called today at 4:30 and got in contact with the DoP.

He said that I'm a good candidate, but apparently their census is down (lower reimbursement) and one of the techs that thought she could get another job didn't find one, so they don't have any hours to give me. He said that he'll hire me if anything changes within a few weeks.

Well, at least it's not that I'm a bad candidate...

 

[tungsten87]

Called today at 4:30 and got in contact with the DoP.

He said that I'm a good candidate, but apparently their census is down (lower reimbursement) and one of the techs that thought she could get another job didn't find one, so they don't have any hours to give me. He said that he'll hire me if anything changes within a few weeks.

Well, at least it's not that I'm a bad candidate...

bummer. and he couldn't call you to tell you this?

 

[owlegrad]

Called today at 4:30 and got in contact with the DoP.

He said that I'm a good candidate, but apparently their census is down (lower reimbursement) and one of the techs that thought she could get another job didn't find one, so they don't have any hours to give me. He said that he'll hire me if anything changes within a few weeks.

Well, at least it's not that I'm a bad candidate...

Sorry dude. I hate that word. It has a definition but all it means to me is, "go home early, we don't have any more hours (for you)". Boo "census" boo. 👎

 

[spacecowgirl]

Our census has been in the toilet all week too. Sorry to hear the news.