I received a job offer for a Pharm Tech position (PT) and I need opinions.

[pillgates03]

Hi everyone,

I finally was able to get a job as a part-time Pharmacy Technician at Walgreens and I need to consult with you for some thoughts and opinions based on the offer and my experience:

I do not have any pharmacy experience nor certification. I am currently enrolled in college to obtain my AS in Pre-Pharmacy. That said, the position is going to be part-time as I will be going to school. My objective was to start working as a Pharm Tech at a pharmacy to work the overnight shift and work full-time but they were the only ones that are going to give me a chance and unfortunately, they close at 11:00 PM Monday to Friday and Saturday and Sunday reduced hours so full-time will not be possible. My experience is all in finance.

I will also probably have to restructure and drop them for online to be able to work the evenings. I am working on getting a full-time job remotely also.

The position will be part-time working anywhere from 25-30 hours per week at $17 and I am curious about where I stand to be given this position. Should I negotiate it or just move forward with the job offer?

Also, has anyone tested positive on their drug testers for any types of controlled substances? I take two and there are all prescriptions, but I already went trough making the mistake of going to a job with the drugs still in my system and failing the drug test and not even getting the job because the other company I was going to be hired by was contracted by the federal government and they were prohibited to have employees on any type of controlled substances as part of the contractual agreement.

TL;DR:

Position: Pharmacy Technician (part-time)
Offer: $17 hour, part-time
Experience: None
Certification/licensing: No
Objective: To become a full-time Pharmacy Tech working the overnight shift at retail or hospital.

Is this a fair deal considering the offer and my experience?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Take care.

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[WorthlessOxygen]

Do you have any reason as to why you're even debating?

I would take it. Hard to gauge pay without location info but $17 seems decent for a tech in training. Anyway, the experience is more important than the income at this point. Everyone should work in the field before devoting 6+ years and 6 figures in tuition expenses to it.

Re: medications, I've never dealt with it directly, but the people I have known who did fail tests due to Rxs had warned HR that they were taking something that may cause a positive result and the lab coordinated them to get that information.

 

[BC_89]

You have no negotiating power - I say take it and start getting that experience. Walgreens will be a good start in seeing how the pharmacy operates from the other side of the counter. This is also a good way to eventually pivot over to work in a hospital setting once you have some level of retail under your belt (and decide to study and sit for the PTCB).

As for the drug screen for Walgreens, if you test positive for legal drugs prescribed by your provider, you can't be penalized for it. Just bring your prescription to whoever the medical review officer would be at the time you take your test.

 

[RXDOC1986]

Ditto, the above comments.
The long term plan of working full time overnights, and attending school full time during days, would be extremely difficult, nay impossible, to achieve.
As for legal/prescription controlled meds, I don't see how you "failed the drug test" and wasn't given the opportunity to present proof of Rx!
These would have to be Benzo's or Narcs. I don't think they test for a large spectrum of prescription drugs.

 

[RxPreceptor]

Ditto, the above comments.
The long term plan of working full time overnights, and attending school full time during days, would be extremely difficult, nay impossible, to achieve.
As for legal/prescription controlled meds, I don't see how you "failed the drug test" and wasn't given the opportunity to present proof of Rx!
These would have to be Benzo's or Narcs. I don't think they test for a large spectrum of prescription drugs.

Yeah don’t be like my half assed overnight tech (daytime school) who says he can handle it but really can’t based on how inconsistent he is. Think about your hierarchy of priorities (school > work)