Hospital Tech

[Reverent]

I've worked for Walgreens for about seven months now. Seven very long months. I like people, I hate customers. I like medicine, I hate ringing up groceries when people are picking up their prescription (that happens to have 0 copay). I love learning about the industry, I hate dealing with insurance issues. I wouldn't mind being a pharmacist in retail, since the ammount of flak you catch is greatly reduced by your technicians. But I sincerely hate being a technician for a retail pharmacy. They say our 24 hour store is the worst to work at in the district. 3836 in Port Richey, FL. If anyone knows it.

Forgot to mention that my aspirations are to be a pharmacist, but I guess that's a given if I'm on this forum.

I feel like I could learn so much more in a hospital pharmacy, away from all the other bs that goes with retail. The pharmacists I work with say it's just as bad, you deal with the nurses yelling at you and the like, but I can't imagine it could be any worse than retail with corporate breathing down your neck to make numbers.

I should be getting my certification results back in about a month. Anyone who has worked both retail and hospital pharmacy, should I try to get out of the hell that is walgreens? What are the pros and cons of working in a hospital?

Thanks for any replies.

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[ultracet]

hahaha
i love it...

the grass is always greener.......

honestly it will depend on the hospital you work in just like it does the store you work in

i have see hospital techs who couldn't wait to get back to retail and retail techs who would die to get into hospital....

don't go into hospital thinking that you wont have people breathing down your neck...
you will...

 

[Reverent]

One of the pharmacists I work with tells me that too. The grass isn't any greener... I just can't help but think getting away from the retail aspect of things and being in a healthcare facility would be better suited for someone wanting to learn more about medicine and less about customer satisfaction.

I'm all about patient care, and being helpful and friendly. I've been on the other side of the counter enough times to understand the difference in someone who treats you well and someone who treats you like an inconvenience.

Another reason I was curious about hospital pharmacy is the salary. I've been told hospital techs make a good bit more, and Wag is paying me just above minimum wage to do the job of six people. Unfortunately I have to work fulltime while going to school fulltime, and I don't feel that I'm adequately compensated at all.

 

[basil411]

One of the pharmacists I work with tells me that too. The grass isn't any greener... I just can't help but think getting away from the retail aspect of things and being in a healthcare facility would be better suited for someone wanting to learn more about medicine and less about customer satisfaction.

I'm all about patient care, and being helpful and friendly. I've been on the other side of the counter enough times to understand the difference in someone who treats you well and someone who treats you like an inconvenience.

Another reason I was curious about hospital pharmacy is the salary. I've been told hospital techs make a good bit more, and Wag is paying me just above minimum wage to do the job of six people. Unfortunately I have to work fulltime while going to school fulltime, and I don't feel that I'm adequately compensated at all.

DUDE, work for target pharmacy. and make sure it's a place that's not too busy. hospital can be just as bad bc ur dealing with the egos of docs and nurses.

 

[spacecowgirl]

I've done both; right now I've been a hospital tech for two years. I hate it. I don't feel like I've learned much. I'm out of touch with new drugs that have come out in the last two years. I know very little about Medicare Part D. I am a technician in the true sense (although my title is intern); what I do requires very little thought or problem-solving. I do think, like retail, it depends on your location. We are heavily restricted by our administration and interns are not "allowed" in the IV room, which would break up the monotony if I could work there and in the unit dose area.

I have stayed this long because I love the hours and the pay, much better than retail. I like the people I work with. It's very low stress, but for me personally, it's too low stress.

There are no customers, but there are nurses. Pick your poison. There is no insurance but at my hospital there are way too many administrators so we feel micromanaged.

I am obviously biased but since I have spent a sizeable amount of time in both environments (I worked for 7 years in retail in 4 different settings) I can give you my perspective on both.

 

[starsweet]

I'm a little confused from reading these posts. I thought retail pays more, even to interns, than hospitals do. Am I wrong?

 

[pinkyrx]

I'm a little confused from reading these posts. I thought retail pays more, even to interns, than hospitals do. Am I wrong?

I think it really depends on the place/position. Most of my friend make more in the hospital setting than I do in the retail setting.

 

[Reverent]

I've done both; right now I've been a hospital tech for two years. I hate it. I don't feel like I've learned much. I'm out of touch with new drugs that have come out in the last two years. I know very little about Medicare Part D. I am a technician in the true sense (although my title is intern); what I do requires very little thought or problem-solving. I do think, like retail, it depends on your location. We are heavily restricted by our administration and interns are not "allowed" in the IV room, which would break up the monotony if I could work there and in the unit dose area.

I have stayed this long because I love the hours and the pay, much better than retail. I like the people I work with. It's very low stress, but for me personally, it's too low stress.

There are no customers, but there are nurses. Pick your poison. There is no insurance but at my hospital there are way too many administrators so we feel micromanaged.

I am obviously biased but since I have spent a sizeable amount of time in both environments (I worked for 7 years in retail in 4 different settings) I can give you my perspective on both.

Interesting. I never imagined working in the hospital setting would be boring. That's one thing good about retail, it's always sure to be interesting. The other night we had a woman bring in a kid with a spider bite on her leg that formed a hole about the size of a first and wanted to know what over the counter remedies we had. And the elderly are always entertaining.

And I have learned a lot in retail. I forget that hospitals don't deal in so many different drugs.

Thanks for your imput and more detailed response.

 

[GatorRxGirl]

I've worked for Walgreens for about seven months now. Seven very long months. I like people, I hate customers. I like medicine, I hate ringing up groceries when people are picking up their prescription (that happens to have 0 copay). I love learning about the industry, I hate dealing with insurance issues. I wouldn't mind being a pharmacist in retail, since the ammount of flak you catch is greatly reduced by your technicians. But I sincerely hate being a technician for a retail pharmacy. They say our 24 hour store is the worst to work at in the district. 3836 in Port Richey, FL. If anyone knows it.

Forgot to mention that my aspirations are to be a pharmacist, but I guess that's a given if I'm on this forum.

I feel like I could learn so much more in a hospital pharmacy, away from all the other bs that goes with retail. The pharmacists I work with say it's just as bad, you deal with the nurses yelling at you and the like, but I can't imagine it could be any worse than retail with corporate breathing down your neck to make numbers.

I should be getting my certification results back in about a month. Anyone who has worked both retail and hospital pharmacy, should I try to get out of the hell that is walgreens? What are the pros and cons of working in a hospital?

Thanks for any replies.

Hey. I think I'm the one to answer this: I work 2 jobs: 1 as a tech at Walgreena and ALSO in an inpatient pharmacy. Yes, I hate Walgreens also but I've been there 2 years. It's a whole different world in hospital. NOTHING is the same and you do learn a lot, and yes, the nurses suck. If you want to be a pharmacist, try it. I'm sure the schools will like applicants who have already begun to explore the different options of pharmacy.

 

[bananaface]

Of course you hate Walgreens. It's Walgreens.

Very few people enjoy being systematically understaffed and run ragged.

 

[GatorRxGirl]

Of course you hate Walgreens. It's Walgreens.

Very few people enjoy being systematically understaffed and run ragged.

That's the best response ever lol

 

[Glycerin]

Maybe I can give you some perspective. I worked at Wal-mart as a tech from 97-99. In retrospect, I learned a great deal about brand/generics, how to compound, how to read prescriptions, how to deal with insurance, etc., in the retail setting, but I found the job a bit monotonous, and as a tech, the pay wasn't paying the bills.

Switched over to mail order in Clearwater, FL in 2000. Mail order was a lot like retail, only the customers were over the phone and not in your face. Still, they could be nasty to you. Then I went to hospital in 2001 and have been in hospital ever since.

At first I worked at a hospital that was mostly adults and only a small wing was sectioned off for peds. I instantly liked it more, and though I didn't end up staying at that hospital, I loved making IVs and dealing with Pyxis and just being at the hospital. Sure, the nurses can be pains just like customers in retail, but there's no perfect job. The pay was also much better than in retail.

Then I switched to a peds hospital, and this is where I really found my place in pharmacy. I loved working there, and I even was the main chemo tech for a year. I only left because I was accepted to pharmacy school out of state.

Now I'm back at an adult hospital, but at 425 beds, this is the largest hospital at which I've worked. It's also the first place I've worked that has labor and delivery and 4 ERs, so that's kind of cool.

My advice would be to check out hospital. The experience will only do one of three things: make you realize you could never return to retail, make you wish you'd never left retail, or leave you liking/disliking both the same. Without trying it, though, you won't have it as a comparison tool. I personally think the more experience you can gain, the more well-rounded you will be. Good luck.

Oh, and if you're interested, I have contacts at the places I used to work, since you're in the same vicinity. Just PM me.