How would you describe a “unicorn” job?

[Amphetamine Salts]

I may have a potential for one of these jobs coming up. While I was interviewing I was told they have a very nice break room and I would get a 30 minute lunch. I would get a desk too I suppose and consult patients and review patient profiles all day basically. I will be paid $45 an hour and a 2% raise each year. No retail, no phones blaring, barely any customers I assume. It’s a small start up company. Very new and close knit, and they are looking for pharmacists. I haven’t worked at all for them or heard about them, but I have a feeling that this is a “unicorn” job. Thoughts?

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[projektreverb]

Go on the interview and check it out.

 

[rolltide23]

Tbh I guess I can see the appeal over standard retail but that does not sound like a unicorn job to me. I mean, you get a break room, time for lunch, and an actual desk? This is expected of most jobs in America.
$65/hr pay (before bonus) fully remote position is my unicorn job. 😉

 

[mentos]

The raise is nice but starting pay is low, I'd try to negotiate. Also a startup usually means you'll stay late all the time and work weekends. Not a unicorn job IMO.

 

[trailerpark]

All competent technicians.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Pay isn't high enough to be a unicorn job. Unicorn job is all that plus $60/hr+ and good benefits. You are still giving up something. I can argue that getting that extra $40k+ a year to mitigate the psychosis caused by the general public/RxConnect/CVS Robot Voice makes sense and is a fair tradeoff.

 

[confettiflyer]

Starting pay is too low unless you have equity options as you mentioned it was a startup.

Unicorn to me is $90+/hr (or equivalent in low cost of living areas), bankers hours or swing shift, functionally requires a residency or 3-5 years experience + board cert *and you actually have to use it*

Allows you to sit, have time to answer emails, 3+ weeks paid vacation a year, and your value is not based on a numerical metric.

Stress is for the right reasons (is patient is dying right now) and not the wrong ones (hope I’m verifying orders fast enough).

 

[JustFillIt]

I have a unicorn job... It wasn’t always this way. Fortunately I got laid off a few months ago and started a new job that is entirely different.

Unicorn job pros:

I entirely set my own schedule. I have a given job and am told to just get it done with no complaints.

My job is very quiet and I do not deal with the general public

I can do the majority of my job from home.

The only hard part is deciding where to go for lunch that day

Unicorn job cons:

It pays 10%less than what I made managing retail..

 

[TheBlaah]

Unicorn to me is $90+/hr (or equivalent in low cost of living areas), bankers hours or swing shift, functionally requires a residency or 3-5 years experience + board cert *and you actually have to use it*

Allows you to sit, have time to answer emails, 3+ weeks paid vacation a year, and your value is not based on a numerical metric.

Stress is for the right reasons (is patient is dying right now) and not the wrong ones (hope I’m verifying orders fast enough).

Do clinical positions like the one you describe go to codes at your hospital? At my hospital, if a code happens on the weekend while the ED or ICU pharmacist isn't there, the clinical pharmacists all look at a staff pharmacist to go.

 

[confettiflyer]

Do clinical positions like the one you describe go to codes at your hospital? At my hospital, if a code happens on the weekend while the ED or ICU pharmacist isn't there, the clinical pharmacists all look at a staff pharmacist to go.

Yes, and we have 7 day clinical Rph coverage (usually the more junior pharmacists work the weekends). Late hours/overnight it is expected “staff” go unless there are other competing critical situations (at the Rph’s discretion).

Staff is a bit of a misnomer since we’re a hybrid hospital so most (but not all) of our decentralized clinical staff will dip into central for more dispense-heavy roles. Again, this will skew young, our 20+ year experienced clin specs aren’t gonna be doing that (nor is that a great use of resources)

At my other hospital, pharmacy residents are on call with the code pager.

 

[awval999]

I may have a potential for one of these jobs coming up. While I was interviewing I was told they have a very nice break room and I would get a 30 minute lunch. I would get a desk too I suppose and consult patients and review patient profiles all day basically. I will be paid $45 an hour and a 2% raise each year. No retail, no phones blaring, barely any customers I assume. It’s a small start up company. Very new and close knit, and they are looking for pharmacists. I haven’t worked at all for them or heard about them, but I have a feeling that this is a “unicorn” job. Thoughts?

It's not a unicorn job if it's a pot dispensary Amphetamine.

 

[Lexington2012]

$45 an hour? Are you a grad intern?

 

[Nguyen]

$45 an hour? Are you a grad intern?

LOL HAHA

 

[rxkrafted]

how many posts are you going to create about potential job opportunities lol? come back to us with updates once you get an offer.

btw, the 2% raise sounds like an annual eval raise they do at most places anyways...

 

[Amphetamine Salts]

from what i understand: to get to "unicorn" level the pay needs to be high and the work needs to be inherently low stress, low volume, etc. this is essentially "unicorn"

Pay isn't high enough to be a unicorn job. Unicorn job is all that plus $60/hr+ and good benefits. You are still giving up something. I can argue that getting that extra $40k+ a year to mitigate the psychosis caused by the general public/RxConnect/CVS Robot Voice makes sense and is a fair tradeoff.

btw, as is i currently make around 100 per year since my hours change each pay period. so i'm not really gaining much benefit suffering mentally

 

[TerryTerry]

Physical Security
Job Security
Health Benefit
Pay at least $100000 a year
Non-chain-Retail setting

The job you described sounds nice. As far as I am concerned they most likely will check how many patients you counsel and complete the service though.

 

[Litha]

For me, a unicorn job is...

NO ON CALL REQUIREMENT
No metrics
Banker hours
Good benefits
Good technicians
>$120k
Get a chair
Allotted lunch break

To the OP, a start-up company is risky and $45/hr is low. How many guaranteed hours? At 40hr/week, that is only 90k. Difficult to justify if you have massive student loans.

 

[PumpkinSmasher]

Unicorn job
-Something you enjoy doing
-You feel you are paid well, at least 120k but preferably >150k if in an expensive area
- plenty of vacation
- good health and retirement benefits
- banker hours
- Office/desk to sit
- lunch break

 

[confettiflyer]

If that start up qualifies as a QSBS you essentially retain tax free gains up to $10M...so $90k a year isn’t bad if you’re willing to take the risk and are an initial recipient of restricted stock or ISO/NSO. The five year hold requirement is from the date of option exercise, so it will depend on what the grant is.

 

[mentos]

Y'all know that the chains are offering close to $50/hr now right? So $45/hr isn't that low compared to grinding at Walgreens, who hasn't given a raise in two years. A guaranteed 2% raise is more than you'll get at Wags.

 

[Dred Pirate]

unicorn
-7-on 7-off day shift 10 hour days - or 4 x 10 hour days a week (currently have 7 on 7 off nights)
-hospital setting in my area of choice - check
-8 weeks pdo - will be there in 2 years
-ability to take PDO whenever I want - good luck with this one - not realistic
-work with a great team - check
-no to busy, not to slow - check
-time spent doing order entry, clinical consults, and dealing with random stuff that comes up - check
-no dispensing - check

 

[mentos]

unicorn
-7-on 7-off day shift 10 hour days - or 4 x 10 hour days a week (currently have 7 on 7 off nights)
-hospital setting in my area of choice - check
-8 weeks pdo - will be there in 2 years
-ability to take PDO whenever I want - good luck with this one - not realistic
-work with a great team - check
-no to busy, not to slow - check
-time spent doing order entry, clinical consults, and dealing with random stuff that comes up - check
-no dispensing - check

Does 7on7off days exist? I think 4x10 would be better, no weekends.

 

[PharmDBro2017]

unicorn
-7-on 7-off day shift 10 hour days - or 4 x 10 hour days a week (currently have 7 on 7 off nights)
-hospital setting in my area of choice - check
-8 weeks pdo - will be there in 2 years
-ability to take PDO whenever I want - good luck with this one - not realistic
-work with a great team - check
-no to busy, not to slow - check
-time spent doing order entry, clinical consults, and dealing with random stuff that comes up - check
-no dispensing - check

Add in good 4-6% 401k/403b match and a non profit for student loans/PSLF. That would be a unicorn.

Sounds like a great gig you have Dred. You step down from a management role recently? I saw your other post about taking stress home with you... I'm trying to work through that one myself.

 

[Dred Pirate]

Add in good 4-6% 401k/403b match and a non profit for student loans/PSLF. That would be a unicorn.

Sounds like a great gig you have Dred. You step down from a management role recently? I saw your other post about taking stress home with you... I'm trying to work through that one myself.

I do get that 403b match - graduated before the whole PSLF thing - so that doesn't mean anything to me, but have friends trying it. Yes - stepped down from mgmt - just not worth it - which ironically is the same thing all of my MD friends tell me. I do really like my job, obviously could make a few tweaks, but I honestly can say it is better fit for me than 98% of the jobs out there. PM me if you want to chat about taking stress home

 

[Dred Pirate]

Does 7on7off days exist? I think 4x10 would be better, no weekends.

do unicorns exist? lol. I know several 7 on 7 off 2nd shifts that exist, the hospital I interned at back in the early 2000's had a day shift 7 on 7 off, no idea if it is still around.

but seriously - occasional weekends don't both me, it is nice to have some weekdays off to deal with life and adult stuff- but if you had 4 x10, that would solve that

 

[gwarm01]

You can claim unicorn status if this job actually allows you to use the product you are selling when you are off the clock. "Legal" or not, most employers would still fire you. Just seems hypocritical to literally be dispensing something as medicine but not to allow your staff to use it as such.

..

You know, assuming you are talking about the MMJ job.

 

[bacillus1]

Jeez...many people would put 100k/year as a salary for a unicorn job? No wonder I'm not getting offers...I'm just trying to get the salary of my current unicorn job matched, with another unicorn job in a more desirable city within a few hour radius.

As far as my "unicorn" job:
Pros:
-125k/year
-Don't have to work evenings, weekends, overnights or holidays
-Pension, loan reimbursement program (already completed), etc...

Con:
-In the murder capital of the US (depending on which population cutoff you use).

 

[TheBlaah]

Does 7on7off days exist? I think 4x10 would be better, no weekends.

There's 7on7off evenings. Earliest I've seen it start is from noon to 10pm.

 

[mentos]

There's 7on7off evenings. Earliest I've seen it start is from noon to 10pm.

Second shift is the worst IMO. You get up in the morning and wait around all day for work to start. Then 1st shift goes home at 3-4 and you're working with a skeleton crew, but it's just as busy if not more.

 

[samven582]

Anything in pharma industry.

 

[TheBlaah]

Second shift is the worst IMO. You get up in the morning and wait around all day for work to start. Then 1st shift goes home at 3-4 and you're working with a skeleton crew, but it's just as busy if not more.

Why wake up in the morning and wait around? Just shift your schedule up a bit and wake up before work. It works out better for people who naturally sleep and wake later though.

You're definitely right about the second part though about how it becomes busier.

 

[Dred Pirate]

Second shift is the worst IMO. You get up in the morning and wait around all day for work to start. Then 1st shift goes home at 3-4 and you're working with a skeleton crew, but it's just as busy if not more.

this is one of the reasons I turned down a similar 7 on 7 off position - start at 3 pm, home at 1:30 - I get home my wife is in bed, she gets up, I am in bed - we don't see each other for the week (assuming your SO works business hours) other than while we are sleeping

 

[bacillus1]

Anything in pharma industry.

Not sure about that. MSLs sure do get paid a lot, but 60-70% travel with a new city every day is pretty rough on one's body.

 

[confettiflyer]

Not sure about that. MSLs sure do get paid a lot, but 60-70% travel with a new city every day is pretty rough on one's body.

I used to think traveling for work was glamorous and something to aspire to...now I realize it’s one of the many ways to waste your life away and die a slow death, one flight at a time.

 

[confettiflyer]

this is one of the reasons I turned down a similar 7 on 7 off position - start at 3 pm, home at 1:30 - I get home my wife is in bed, she gets up, I am in bed - we don't see each other for the week (assuming your SO works business hours) other than while we are sleeping

Yeah I’m not a fan of second shift either. The only ones who work it at my hospital are childless new grads and those close to retirement.

I suppose if you’re disciplined enough to work out and do your groceries in the morning, you have no social penalties for working these hours, and the position comes with other ancillary benefits (ie you have set days forever, like 7on7off), you can make it work.

At that point, I’d rather work 7on7off overnight with a generous pay differential.

 

[owlegrad]

I have never heard of 7o7o for second shift, only overnight (unless there are only two shifts and second shift means graveyard?). I would take 7o7o second shift in a heartbeat. That’s literally half the year off without considering vacation time.

Although I am not sure how those hours would work out - would it be 56 every two weeks? That wouldn’t even be full time would it?

 

[TheBlaah]

I have never heard of 7o7o for second shift, only overnight (unless there are only two shifts and second shift means graveyard?). I would take 7o7o second shift in a heartbeat. That’s literally half the year off without considering vacation time.

Although I am not sure how those hours would work out - would it be 56 every two weeks? That wouldn’t even be full time would it?

You work 10 hour shifts for 7 days, and you're usually paid for 80 hours for the two weeks.

 

[owlegrad]

You work 10 hour shifts for 7 days, and you're usually paid for 80 hours for the two weeks.

So does first shift also work 10 hour shifts? Why would second shift work 10 hours?

I just don’t see the benefit for the employer at all. I mean it’s an amazing deal for the employee but I just don’t see why any employer would offer such a sweet sweet deal. It’s also weird to me that one shift would work a longer shift than the other. Or that they would overlap that much, unless the pharmacy is open 20 hours a day.

 

[TheBlaah]

So does first shift also work 10 hour shifts? Why would second shift work 10 hours?

I just don’t see the benefit for the employer at all. I mean it’s an amazing deal for the employee but I just don’t see why any employer would offer such a sweet sweet deal. It’s also weird to me that one shift would work a longer shift than the other. Or that they would overlap that much, unless the pharmacy is open 20 hours a day.

Basically for all the reasons other posters have made:

Second shift is the worst IMO. You get up in the morning and wait around all day for work to start. Then 1st shift goes home at 3-4 and you're working with a skeleton crew, but it's just as busy if not more.

this is one of the reasons I turned down a similar 7 on 7 off position - start at 3 pm, home at 1:30 - I get home my wife is in bed, she gets up, I am in bed - we don't see each other for the week (assuming your SO works business hours) other than while we are sleeping

Yeah I’m not a fan of second shift either. The only ones who work it at my hospital are childless new grads and those close to retirement.

At that point, I’d rather work 7on7off overnight with a generous pay differential.

Because without that deal, it'd be much harder to recruit quality candidates. Most places I've heard about, evening and night shift are essentially bare bones crew. If day shift was 10 hours, they'd be paying a LOT more pharmacists for more hours that are probably unnecessary. On the other hand, if there were no overlap, evening and and some night shifts would essentially become non-stop workhorses.

 

[spacecowgirl]

I worked second shift as an intern and it was terrible for reasons mentioned. And that was as a lazy student without a house or family. It would really suck with other responsibilities.

 

[Dred Pirate]

working 70 and getting paid for 80 is slowly going away - too many people want the deal, and places are not being forced to pay it. It saves them money - not only a 12.5% pay cut, but also you acrue PDO at a lower FTE rate - sucks but it is becoming reality.

10 hour shifts for first and second were used to recruit people, doesn't really help the employer much, if at all - not to many of those positions around anymore either, unless it is in a hard to staff area,

 

[confettiflyer]

I once had a coworker that worked the 7o7o shift, and he would fly to another city and work 7o7o there.

Married, no kids, and he basically just took his money and bought property/land/houses. Crazy.

 

[Jbrl]

Personally I always liked this diagram:

A bit vague and conceptual, but that’s what a unicorn job looks like to me. If this job fills at least a few of those buckets to satisfaction for you then I’d say it is. I don’t think you need an external benchmark.

 

[spacecowgirl]

Not sure about that. MSLs sure do get paid a lot, but 60-70% travel with a new city every day is pretty rough on one's body.

I don't know any MSLs that travel like that on a consistent basis. The 60% travel usually means 60% of the time you are not in your home office. So if you live in a large city, you might be spending some of the 60% of the time traveling in your own city. It can be tiring but there are ways to make it better.

 

[imclarkent]

My unicorn job:

- 145k/year + weekend/evening shift diff
- decentralized/clinical
- 4x10’s, dayshift, 1 hr lunch
- relocation reimbursement
- sign on bonus
- student loan reimbursement (up to a certain amount)
- qualified for PSLF
- ability to cross train in specialty areas
- up to 4% raise based on annual review
- appreciated by (most) providers

 

[bacillus1]

I don't know any MSLs that travel like that on a consistent basis. The 60% travel usually means 60% of the time you are not in your home office. So if you live in a large city, you might be spending some of the 60% of the time traveling in your own city. It can be tiring but there are ways to make it better.

Hmm...not for the 2 jobs my MSL friend has had so far. Granted, he has worked for small companies with large territories.

 

[spacecowgirl]

My friend just got an MSL job covering one city. Large company.

 

[Jbrl]

My friend just got an MSL job covering one city. Large company.

Depending on territory the lifestyle and travel changes a lot no? If you’re in a dense area e.g. NYC/tri-state you barely travel. I think the MSLs based in the Four Corners would have a rougher time with this

 

[spacecowgirl]

For sure. But there are ways to optimize your travel and make it manageable.

 

[sakigt]

Weve really made the 7 on 7 off 2nd shift work for our family. I meal prep so they don't eat mcdonalds every night. Every morning I wake up and handle the kiddos. Then I hit the gym or run and exercise the dog. Next you thing you know its time to eat and head off to work. Workingg evenings and not being home to pick up the kids from school is hard, and due to my weird schedule Im not sure how were going to handle after school activities, if ever. Once my loans are paid off Im hoping to not pick up any extra but right now I kill it on my week "off."