Job Hunt 2014

[Pharmgrlnxdor]

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In less than 3 months I will be finishing my P3 year. I want to plan out my job hunting strategy in advance. My feeling is that job hunting this next year, for employment in 2014, will be slightly different than in 2013, which was probably slightly different than in 2012, etc. etc. Each year that passes, I think, will find the job hunt a little tougher, as long as the economy continues to stagnate, and the COPs continue to churn out new grads. So, keeping in mind that job hunting today may be significantly different than it was when you were a new grad in the process, what do you think is the most proactive game plan?

WHEN:

For starters, when do you think is the earliest that I can begin contacting potential employers? What do you consider too early? Multiple opinions on this would be greatly appreciated. I have heard of people starting a year before graduation.

HOW

I am currently a pharmacy intern for C_ _ (fill in the blanks) and do not necessarily want to stay in the district that I am in. The pharmacy supervisor is a bit micromanagey and seems to be very aggressive with the newest grad hires, calling some at home on their day off to yell at them when PCQ calls did not all get done, among other things. All the floaters have warned me away from working for him in this area. Most likely I will want to begin contacting other pharmacy supervisors in other areas, some in the state, some out of state, etc. Any pointers on how to obtain the information about the pharmacy supervisors is appreciated. I figure worst case scenario, I will just break out a state map of the states I am interested in working in and use the store locator function found online to call individual stores one by one and inquire who the pharmacy supervisor is and ask for a contact number and/or email. Does this sound like a feasible tactic?

STRATEGY

I have read several recent posts about P4s who were able to secure more than one job offer. I figure I have a good chance of being offered a position with my current (neurotic) pharmacy supervisor and if so do not want to refuse it because generally my take on that is then you are basically terminated very quickly, or so that is what happened to a grad last year that implied she wasn't sure what she wanted to do after graduation. Her indecision basically got her taken off the work schedule...and frankly I need to work to support my small family so I can't take a chance of alienating anyone either way. At the same time, I want to be able to go solicit all the opportunities I can in order to locate the best situation for me. How would you handle this situation?

I sort of feel like I am trying to walk across a minefield, what with not wanting to get removed from the work schedule prematurely, and also not wanting to alienate what may be the only job offer I can secure with my current pharm superv, but also wanting to really search out all the available opportunities since I know that is just a matter of persistence and leg work. All opinions are welcome....well except the ones that will just reiterate the STAY AWAY FROM RETAIL, GO GET DIAPERS, ETC. diatribe. Not saying I disagree with you but I have heard (read) it on here already a few million times so it is just redundant.

 

[525329]

HOW

I am currently a pharmacy intern for C_ _ (fill in the blanks) and do not necessarily want to stay in the district that I am in. The pharmacy supervisor is a bit micromanagey and seems to be very aggressive with the newest grad hires, calling some at home on their day off to yell at them when PCQ calls did not all get done, among other things.

Wow. If this is how bad retail pharmacy has become?

 

[xiphoid2010]

Wow. If this is how bad retail pharmacy has become?

I personally think retail is the beginning. As the baby boomer wave hits the retirement age, its logical\rational to think of the response as initial expansion based on demand\previous reimbursement followed by budget tightening at the governmental level and realization at local\private level of over expansion. Retail\out patient should experience the first wave, followed by the inpatient side. Indeed, we are already seen significant penalties on 30 day re-admissions. Maybe Z has a more experienced view point from which he can chime in.

 

[Pharmgrlnxdor]

There are bad bosses in every field in every town everywhere. Pharmacy is no exception. I remember working for an attorney about a decade ago who use to get up into his associate's faces and scream expletives. Trust me jerks are everywhere. The floaters have kindly let me know (one after another) that this pharmacy supervisor is more difficult than most...as you can see from my example. n=1 in this situation however, I have heard good news about pharmacy supervisors all around this area so I am not worried.

 

[glory4england]

Does your school offer on-campus interview days with retail companies? I got two offers through there (still had to go through a few more interviews to get the location I want).

 

[africanpharmd14]

I haven't started pharmacy school yet (I'm applying this June); but I have worked at C_ _ as a tech for a couple of months and trust me, I'd rather do anything else in the world than work retail again.

I'm aiming for a position with a pharmaceutical company. or a hospital position. anything but retail

 

[rxlea]

I haven't started pharmacy school yet (I'm applying this June); but I have worked at C_ _ as a tech for a couple of months and trust me, I'd rather do anything else in the world than work retail again.

I'm aiming for a position with a pharmaceutical company. or a hospital position. anything but retail

If you.want to do industry, I highly suggest you do an industry internship at some point.

 

[joetrisman]

I personally think retail is the beginning. As the baby boomer wave hits the retirement age, its logical\rational to think of the response as initial expansion based on demand\previous reimbursement followed by budget tightening at the governmental level and realization at local\private level of over expansion. Retail\out patient should experience the first wave, followed by the inpatient side. Indeed, we are already seen significant penalties on 30 day re-admissions. Maybe Z has a more experienced view point from which he can chime in.

Haven't heard from Z in a dog's age

 

[rxlea]

Haven't heard from Z in a dog's age

He's riding his tractor through the apple orchard. I asked him for a ride once. His price was too high

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Haven't heard from Z in a dog's age

There are waves of people that come and go. I'm the only constant.

 

[xiphoid2010]

I'm aiming for a position with a pharmaceutical company. or a hospital position. anything but retail

If you are looking for pharmaceutical research, there is another option than just pharmaceutical companies: CROs (contract research organizations).

There has been a trend for big pharmas to outsource the parts of research that could be done outside at lower cost, plus other research companies that don't have the capabilities to conduct it in-house. That's where CROs come in. CROs can be involved in early drug discovery (optimizing drug candidate SAR) to late stage (phase 1 to 3 clinical trials).

There was a head hunter who called a while ago about a Lead Pharmacist position (basically equivalent to pharmacy manager/DOP) at one of the nearby CRO sites. Pay is $130-140K/yr + monthly profit sharing in a major Texas metro, all the typical benefits package. 2-5 years hospital experience preferred, IV certification a must. But the major draw back is the irregular schedule, as you might have to be there at 5AM some days to do first dose and 9 PM on other days. Your ability to manage and schedule your staff probably will directly how often you end up do that, however I doubt you can be 100% immune. But might be a good career staring position for young unmarried residents or fellows.

 

[xiphoid2010]

double post

 

[Travex]

P4 student here with a related question... I know that chain retails start recruiting grads in the Fall/Winter (they have recruiters coming to my school every October from what I've heard). However most hospitals do not seem to hire that far in advance. I called one that I interned at briefly (one summer) and was told I would be notified of any open positions a few months in advance, max. Online listings also seem to be open for positions that need to be filled ASAP. If my first choice is staff hospital and second choice is retail... How do I go about finding a job? Do I have to ignore the retail recruiters come October... then scramble to find a hospital job in May-ish? Then if I fail... have no job and be totally screwed?

 

[glory4england]

P4 student here with a related question... I know that chain retails start recruiting grads in the Fall/Winter (they have recruiters coming to my school every October from what I've heard). However most hospitals do not seem to hire that far in advance. I called one that I interned at briefly (one summer) and was told I would be notified of any open positions a few months in advance, max. Online listings also seem to be open for positions that need to be filled ASAP. If my first choice is staff hospital and second choice is retail... How do I go about finding a job? Do I have to ignore the retail recruiters come October... then scramble to find a hospital job in May-ish? Then if I fail... have no job and be totally screwed?

Go for retail first. You'll probably get offers March/April. Hold on to the offer. Once you're done with school apply for hospital positions, if you get a hospital position, back out of your retail offer.

Retail district managers and recruiters know the game, no hurt feelings, you just burn your bridge with one company and move on to the next.

 

[iFarm]

2-5 years hospital experience preferred, IV certification a must.

IV certification a must? Seriously? Through what association?

 

[glory4england]

IV certification a must? Seriously? Through what association?

APhA. Most schools have it as part of their curriculum and the certificate is good for the rest of your career so no re-certification needed.

 

[owlegrad]

APhA. Most schools have it as part of their curriculum and the certificate is good for the rest of your career so no re-certification needed.

Never heard of it.

 

[glory4england]

Never heard of it.

nvm lol got it mixed up with APhA's immunization course. I got my IV certification through my school too though

 

[xiphoid2010]

IV certification a must? Seriously? Through what association?

I'm assuming it's NPTA, or some other programs such as:
http://education-portal.com/articles/Pharmacy_IV_Certification_Information.html#relatedSchoolsList

FYI, I dug up the the f/u e-mail the head hunter sent me. My memory is off a bit, they do say you can get certified within 90 days of hire, but I though she told me it was a must. I think might be a good starting position for an un-tied down PGY-2/fellow or someone with operation/management experience. Here's it is:

Our client is XYZ <confidential> and this is the Lead Pharmacist position in their <confidential> facility. XYZ is a Clinical Research Organization that offers site research services for Phase I-IV clinical trials.

The Lead Pharmacist is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Pharmacy, ensuring that study medications are received, maintained, dosed and retained/destroyed under stated conditions for the conduct of all clinical trials. In addition, the Pharmacist must be proficient in all pharmacy procedures and regulations and ensure training of all applicable staff. Regular duties will include reviewing protocols; handling/overseeing drug preparation; sourcing documentation; overseeing dosing of subjects per department operating procedures; working with sponsors, director of operations, physicians and study coordinators; handling schedule II drugs, Preparing IV, IM and SC injections; write operating procedures and training pharmacy techs.

The Lead Pharmacist will be responsible for scheduling pharmacy staff members and will schedule him/herself according to study requirements which vary week to week and sometimes can include early morning and/or weekend hours as required by sponsors. Compounding and IV experience strongly preferred. IV certification must be obtained within 90 days of employment if not already certified.

Company provides a competitive salary (in the $130-140k range) plus full benefits including paid time off, 401k, monthly profit sharing, medical, dental, vision, short-term disability, long-term disability, life insurance, and childcare reimbursement. BS in Pharmacy required, as well as active TX license in good standing. Must be able to work independently and have excellent communication skills.

responsibilities: <too long, truncated>

REQUIREMENTS:
Bachelor of Science Pharmacy or Doctorate Degree in Pharmacy
2-5 years of Pharmacy Experience is preferred
Must have good customer service skills and be able to perform duties at a fast pace without errors
Must be organized and have good attention to detail
Must be willing to perform repetitive tasks
Preferred skills include knowledge in performing technical and compounding procedures; IV admixtures, and administering IV medications through the use of stationary infusion and syringe pumps

Award winning benefits package includes Medical, Dental, Vision, Basic Life Insurance paid by company, Optional Life Insurance, Flex Accounts, 401K plan, performance incentive plan and childcare reimbursement.

Thanks!!

 

[xiphoid2010]

Do you trust Grand canyon or
Univ of Arizona for their IV certification courses or am I just looking at the wrong links.....

Not sure, we don't use any since our hospital system has our own IV training/competency program.

Spoke with another DOP, he said that they do it externally, and uses a company called Pharmacy Education Resources, and he mentioned that University of Houston has one as well.