Is it still possible to work as a relief pharmacist?

[PharmD123456]

Considering the surplus of pharmacists these days, is it still possible to work as a relief pharmacist? Is there even a need for relief pharmacists? I am a recent graduate/newly licensed pharmacist. Could I sign on as a relief pharmacist, until I find a full time position somewhere? Thank you very much for your input. I really don't know that much about working as a relief pharmacist but have seen some listings for such positions on various job sites.

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[PharmaTope]

Considering the surplus of pharmacists these days, is it still possible to work as a relief pharmacist? Is there even a need for relief pharmacists? I am a recent graduate/newly licensed pharmacist. Could I sign on as a relief pharmacist, until I find a full time position somewhere? Thank you very much for your input. I really don't know that much about working as a relief pharmacist but have seen some listings for such positions on various job sites.

very rare depending on where you are located. the problem is, pharmacy budgets (esp in hospital) view the per diem as positions. it may not affect the dollars but for some reasons management hates having a bunch of per diem and are even limited by the directors from having them. not sure why

 

[Got Em]

very rare depending on where you are located. the problem is, pharmacy budgets (esp in hospital) view the per diem as positions. it may not affect the dollars but for some reasons management hates having a bunch of per diem and are even limited by the directors from having them. not sure why

There is a difference between per diem and PRN. If you are per diem, most likely the directors will have to pay for your meals, hotel, and mileage if necessary. The plus side is that they don't have to pay OT, so the cost most likely evens out. However, if you are PRN, and don't need any of the the per diem benefits, then they would love to have you on board, especially if you have hospital experience elsewhere. It's very hard to find a hospital that will train you for a PRN position if you're not hired already, but there are PRN/Relief positions available in hospitals.

As far as retail, most will not need you in the bigger cities. However, if you switched to a full time hospital job, and have prior experience with the retail chain, then they'll be more than happy to use you as PRN.

 

[JonPrePharmD]

Considering the surplus of pharmacists these days, is it still possible to work as a relief pharmacist? Is there even a need for relief pharmacists? I am a recent graduate/newly licensed pharmacist. Could I sign on as a relief pharmacist, until I find a full time position somewhere? Thank you very much for your input. I really don't know that much about working as a relief pharmacist but have seen some listings for such positions on various job sites.

I'd say try to get a job as a floater at a grocery store chain. I've never seen any problems....Some floaters at my grocery chain complain that they work too many hours, some even saying they can't work anymore days due to working to many days in a row. There is always a need for relief pharmacists as long as a store doesn't have 3+ pharmacists on staff, work for a chain with only 2.

I've seen relief pharmacists get their own stores after only being a floater for a short amount of time, so yes, go for it. You can always continue looking.

 

[gsinccom]

Considering the surplus of pharmacists these days, is it still possible to work as a relief pharmacist? Is there even a need for relief pharmacists? I am a recent graduate/newly licensed pharmacist. Could I sign on as a relief pharmacist, until I find a full time position somewhere? Thank you very much for your input. I really don't know that much about working as a relief pharmacist but have seen some listings for such positions on various job sites.

it seems that there is some confusion between relief, prn, per diem and float. These are all different types of employment. Relief agencies are certainly called upon less than they used to be especially in states where supply = demand. I think this is a fairly accurate measure of the need for relief services: http://www.pharmacymanpower.com/usstatemap.jsp . If the state has a 4 or greater than they likely need relief help and if they are in the 2s or 3s then they probably don't. Of course this is a broad generalization but hopefully helps describe why relief agencies aren't as common as they used to be. In many states, retail stores have enough of their own floaters that they don't need the agencies much anymore.

 

[moissanite69]

http://www.pharmacymanpower.com/usstatemap.jsp . .

Most BS*** demand index ever created. California is very very very saturated and the demand index is still 4.2

 

[gsinccom]

Most BS*** demand index ever created. California is very very very saturated and the demand index is still 4.2

It certainly is not perfect but another tool to use. One previous poster provided some valuable insight saying as far as retail goes relief agencies aren't needed very much any more for the large metro areas-inthinkmthat is what you are trying to sy about Cali.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

I work in a small town pharmacy as part of my community practice residency and we still use relief pharmacists from time to time to give the full timers a break.

 

[Don Quichotte]

I worked fulltime as a relief pharmacist for a while before finding a permanent position...I had no problem getting enough hours and did a long term assignment at a hospital and lots of short term work with various retail places (large chains and independents). But that was some time ago...
When you look at a relief company's job listings, some are permanent placement and some are temporary. Temporary ones in a bad/less desirable area can be a good way to get some experience to make you a more attractive canididate in a place you would rather live.

 

[PharmD123456]

Thanks for all of the replies! In that case, I think I will go ahead and submit my resume to some of these companies. It definitely wouldn't hurt, as a job is better than no job.