Interning

[luke123]

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I was just wondering about interning. I was accepted to pharmacy school and i am going to start interning soon. Is the intern above the lead tech or no?

 

[StaviZFingerZ]

Way below a tech. You know nothing. Be humble and learn from them.

 

[luke123]

Way below a tech. You know nothing. Be humble and learn from them.

I have been a tech for 4 years... so i wouldnt say i know nothing.. And the intern makes more than the tech so how are they lower?

 

[StaviZFingerZ]

I have been a tech for 4 years... so i wouldnt say i know nothing.. And the intern makes more than the tech so how are they lower?

I pay my lead techs usually around $20 per hour... and $10 to $12 for interns. And you've been a tech for 4 years and still didn't know?

 

[StaviZFingerZ]

Basically you're not the boss of the techs. In fact, I would have the lead tech supervise the interns. yeah sure..interns can do certain things techs can't...but it sure aint about "lower" or "higher." Your job as an intern is to learn.

 

[FarscapeGirl]

I wouldn't say as an intern you're above or below a tech. Both of you are working for and with the pharmacist. When you don't know something, take advantage of learning from the techs if you can. This is especially true when you're just starting out or starting out at a new place. For instance, at my intern job, the techs know way more about billing insurance companies than I do (and even more than some of the pharmacists). Same for the interns that have been there longer than I have.

You have the ability to legally do more than a tech, as long as it's under the supervision of a pharmacist. But I would consider yourself more along the same lines as techs, with all of you following the direction of the pharmacists.

 

[luke123]

Ok, I am referring to retail, not independent pharmacies. Also at fry's pharmacy where I work at lead techs make a max around 15.50 and hour. P1 make 16.50, P2 makes 17.75, P3 makes about 18.50ish, and P4 make 24.50. graduate interns make 40.00. Also, I have been working at fry's for 4 years there isn't much a tech can teach me. So is there anyone in a big retail chain that can answer this for me. Remember I have Lots of experience, the techs arent going to be showing me ins cause i already know how to do it. They're not going to show me how to fill a script, any ***** can do that, and they're aren't going to be showing me how to counsel, thats the pharmacists job.

 

[Old Timer]

Ok, I am referring to retail, not independent pharmacies. Also at fry's pharmacy where I work at lead techs make a max around 15.50 and hour. P1 make 16.50, P2 makes 17.75, P3 makes about 18.50ish, and P4 make 24.50. graduate interns make 40.00. Also, I have been working at fry's for 4 years there isn't much a tech can teach me. So is there anyone in a big retail chain that can answer this for me. Remember I have Lots of experience, the techs arent going to be showing me ins cause i already know how to do it. They're not going to show me how to fill a script, any ***** can do that, and they're aren't going to be showing me how to counsel, thats the pharmacists job.

You need an attitude adjustment. It does not matter how much money you make. It depends on your performance. When you start a new job, you start at the bottom. As a student, you can rise much faster. My students get their education when they have to vacuum the floor at the end of their first shift, it puts things in perspective. Do what your preceptor asks you and your performance will speak for itself.

 

[luke123]

You need an attitude adjustment. It does not matter how much money you make. It depends on your performance. When you start a new job, you start at the bottom. As a student, you can rise much faster. My students get their education when they have to vacuum the floor at the end of their first shift, it puts things in perspective. Do what your preceptor asks you and your performance will speak for itself.

I am talking about working as an intern, not working rotations. It would be a promotions of sorts

 

[Old Timer]

I am talking about working as an intern, not working rotations. It would be a promotions of sorts

I'm talking about interning. You start at the bottom.

 

[StaviZFingerZ]

I am talking about working as an intern, not working rotations. It would be a promotions of sorts

why is this so important? Let me guess....you were bossed around by a lead tech and now feel like it's time for a revenge...

Promotion???? Is this really that important?????

 

[luke123]

I'm talking about interning. You start at the bottom.

How is interning starting at the bottom when you already work as a tech? Also you can only be an intern if you get accepted to an accredited pharmacy school, anyone can be a tech.

To respond to the last responder no, I am only curious as to the hierarchy of pharmacy as it is going to be my career.

 

[StaviZFingerZ]

How is interning starting at the bottom when you already work as a tech? Also you can only be an intern if you get accepted to an accredited pharmacy school, anyone can be a tech.

To respond to the last responder no, I am only curious as to the hierarchy of pharmacy as it is going to be my career.

I just told you.. as an intern, you're not above a tech... only when you graduate and become a graduate intern, then you'll be a notch above tech and a notch below an RPh. Now give it a rest as you're not an intern yet.

Be humble and treat yourself as being below a tech. You'll recieve more respect that way.

 

[Old Timer]

How is interning starting at the bottom when you already work as a tech? Also you can only be an intern if you get accepted to an accredited pharmacy school, anyone can be a tech.

To respond to the last responder no, I am only curious as to the hierarchy of pharmacy as it is going to be my career.

You will work your way up. You earn respect, you don't get it handed to you because you were accepted to pharmacy school.

 

[FarscapeGirl]

You are not the best thing ever just because you got into pharmacy school. Plenty of technicians are capable of attending pharmacy school, too.

If you currently work in a place as a technician and get hired there as a tech, you will have a better knowledge base of how to do things in that store. You will be more independent than another first-year intern who hasn't worked much in a pharmacy.

However, the only person with final say about who does what is the pharmacist.

If you're really this concerned about who you'll be higher than, ask your new bosses. But be prepared for them to think that you're thinking a bit too highly about yourself.

 

[StaviZFingerZ]

Well said...

You are not the best thing ever just because you got into pharmacy school. Plenty of technicians are capable of attending pharmacy school, too.

If you currently work in a place as a technician and get hired there as a tech, you will have a better knowledge base of how to do things in that store. You will be more independent than another first-year intern who hasn't worked much in a pharmacy.

However, the only person with final say about who does what is the pharmacist.

If you're really this concerned about who you'll be higher than, ask your new bosses. But be prepared for them to think that you're thinking a bit too highly about yourself.

 

[confettiflyer]

I mean the President makes ~$400k? So does that make everyone who earns more than that "above him?"

I mean the man has the nuclear football...

 

[bacillus1]

There may be a thing or 2 that the pharmacist will let you but not any techs do, but there will be some other things that only the lead tech will be able to do, especially if the lead tech has been at the store for years and years and knows the store and its computer system better than anyone else there.

So basically you will not be able to boss the techs around. In the end, the only person that's "above" is the pharmacist.

 

[CynicalIntern]

I was a lead tech for three years. Now I got into pharmacy school, and I'm an intern. Same company different store. According to my district manager, the move was a "promotion"

However, if the lead tech there asks me to do something, I do it.
If a regular tech there asks me to do something, I do it.
And if I ask either of them to do something, they do it.

It's the lead tech's responsibility to get some of the other **** in the pharmacy done so the pharmacist doesn't have to do it. Depending on the pharmacist, they're empowered to direct you to do whatever it is they need done.

If I'm misinterpreting this, I apologize, but this seems like a "I don't want to do [x task] as an intern, because I feel like that is below me." If that's the case, either suck it up and deal with it, or find a job where [x task] is not necessary.

 

[PHARMDhope2b]

Respect is EARNED not given just because you attend pharmacy school. When I changed stores, yes I was in pharmacy school but it did not make me any better than anyone else. I soon realized that some techs had degrees already and clearly could have gone to pharmacy school, but guess what....EVERYONE DOES NOT WANT TO BE A PHARMACIST!

I respected the techs and let them know that I had been with the company for 4 years so I wasnt a newbie, so dont try to direct me on the menial stuff like I didnt know. In the same vein, techs work more hours than I did as an intern therefore they knew the operations of the pharmacy better than I did. They could order properly and knew how to receive an order the correct way for instance. I had no clue how to do those things. Its a give an take situation where we all learn from one another to get the job done. Soon they started respecting me as "the intern who is gonna be a pharmacist so I can learn from him". Now they ask me questions b/c they know that I have learned it in pharmacy school and see me as someone who has a deeper drug knowledge who can help them become better techs. I love the techs and they love me...we work hand and hand.

You have to remember that the tech you S**t on today, could be the tech that you are working with as a pharmacist. And they will shaft you in the end. Just my 2cents.

 

[Sparda29]

Depends. I started as a PSA, worked as a tech for 2 years, then became an intern. So in my case, I'm ranked above the techs. They want me to work more hours but because of school I can't.

But if you just started working when you got in, you're much lower than the techs.

 

[type b pharmD]

You need an attitude adjustment. It does not matter how much money you make. It depends on your performance. When you start a new job, you start at the bottom. As a student, you can rise much faster. My students get their education when they have to vacuum the floor at the end of their first shift, it puts things in perspective. Do what your preceptor asks you and your performance will speak for itself.

anyone who has problems with vacuuming shouldnt even be working a job period

 

[Sparda29]

anyone who has problems with vacuuming shouldnt even be working a job period

Vacuuming is fun. I just don't like refilling the bottles and caps.