New Pharmacist Salaries - Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid

[Sine Cura]

AI would decide eventually that health care delivery in the U.S. is complete B.S. and go Skynet on everyone rather than waste resources fixing it

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[Lubeckd]

AI would decide eventually that health care delivery in the U.S. is complete B.S. and go Skynet on everyone rather than waste resources fixing it

Tech companies going into pharmacy and insurance companies already.

 

[projektreverb]

AI would decide eventually that health care delivery in the U.S. is complete B.S. and go Skynet on everyone rather than waste resources fixing it

There’s a company that developed an algorithm that was more accurate at reading xrays/mri/ct than a trained radiologist. It had a way bigger database to pull from. Margin of error was less than human. Off the top of my head I forget their name, but the dude did a ted talk recently at northwestern.

 

[Lubeckd]

There’s a company that developed an algorithm that was more accurate at reading xrays/mri/ct than a trained radiologist. It had a way bigger database to pull from. Margin of error was less than human. Off the top of my head I forget their name, but the dude did a ted talk recently at northwestern.

If you go to the radiology forum here, they are scared. I think the amount of staff will be downsizes. unless you you wanna go the canada route

A self-serve pharmacy that dispenses drugs like an ATM opened in Toronto

A drug dispensing kiosk billed as the first “self-serve pharmacy” launched in downtown Toronto on Tuesday.

toronto.ctvnews.ca

I wont participate in the destroying of pharmacy field, but some people may

 

[wagrxm2000]

Okay I'll look into it and train machine learning to do it. If it works I'll show you on GitHub. If tech keeps increasing it will happen. First I will need to access these scripts and phi. Diagnosis is already happening. Even in micromerchant systems the computer on e rx picks up the script and translates it. You need the deep learning part for the other parts to happen. Why do you think Canada is having self service pharmacy or in the hospitals?

How hard is it to train AI to not repeat 1 tablet by mouth every day just because the MD somehow sent it that way?

Apparently pretty hard.

 

[Lubeckd]

How hard is it to train AI to not repeat 1 tablet by mouth every day just because the MD somehow sent it that way?

Apparently pretty hard.

Well bots are already watching movies and doing art. Watching movie scripts

 

[owlegrad]

How hard is it to train AI to not repeat 1 tablet by mouth every day just because the MD somehow sent it that way?

Apparently pretty hard.

It can’t be that hard. I can only guess there must not be very much interest in doing it.

 

[Stella14]

If the pay is going to be so low, eventually I guess I might as well be a hospital tech making $20-25/hr and dealing with less mental stress....

 

[angelsplight]

Independents offer less but I know people do just take the hours from independents on a as needed basis. One of the independents I was with earlier in the year paid pharmacist who worked there with $40-50/hr cash up front. No taxes or anything as they are there but they aren't considered pharmacist that belong to the pharmacy. Those pharmacist are just there on their off days from the retail chains and need some money on the side. Of course, since this is in no way legal, this is done within a circle of independent pharmacies and with pharmacist they are familiar with.

 

[mentos]

So why hasn't it yet? Seems like a very simple task.

Until MDs aren't allowed to enter directions, it can't be fixed.

CVS already gets automated escripts for renewals. No typing. It goes straight to the production queue, a tech prints the label, the robot fills it, a tech caps it then the pharmacist verifies it's the correct pill. They don't even look at the script.

 

[sozetone]

CVS already gets automated escripts for renewals. No typing. It goes straight to the production queue, a tech prints the label, the robot fills it, a tech caps it then the pharmacist verifies it's the correct pill. They don't even look at the script.

I remember having one of those robots when they were ancient. I was a tech in miami (kendall), and the store by the interstate did like a huge volume, right? and i would get sent to this store on occasion to help.... the machine has like 200---300 drugs in it? and fills, labels, up a conveyor belt, where the tech caps it right? is that still the game? cuz this was like 2007. or is it even better now?

 

[mentos]

I remember having one of those robots when they were ancient. I was a tech in miami (kendall), and the store by the interstate did like a huge volume, right? and i would get sent to this store on occasion to help.... the machine has like 200---300 drugs in it? and fills, labels, up a conveyor belt, where the tech caps it right? is that still the game? cuz this was like 2007. or is it even better now?

Yes that sounds like ScriptPro and the stores I've worked in usually have 200 drugs which fill like 67% of the store's scripts. It is inefficient to maintain because you have to take empty cells out individually to fill them, then load them back in the machine.

I heard that Walgreens has robots where you just dump the stock bottle in a chute and it goes to the correct cell, it also caps the bottles for you. Not sure if that's true or not.

 

[wagrxm2000]

CVS already gets automated escripts for renewals. No typing. It goes straight to the production queue, a tech prints the label, the robot fills it, a tech caps it then the pharmacist verifies it's the correct pill. They don't even look at the script.

Walgreens does too but when the MD can't send simple directions it has to be fixed. I don't know about you but I don't want to give someone a bottle that says: take daily, take 1 tablet every day. Take with food. Don't fill until September 11th. No early fiills.

Or; take 1 tablet every day #180, 90 day supply. MD notes not included on bottom, take bid.

It just looks bad

 

[gopoopants]

You can pull over 42 hours as a floater. Minus all the headache of being a PIC.

This 100%. 64 Hrs q 2 weeks. I have been closer to 72 hrs. Quite literally have been 80+ hrs for about 8 weeks. Helps to have a huge area to cover with less than desirable locations. And the fact that I got good as a floater.

 

[King2440]

I’m reading on Reddit that WAG may start mid 40s soon

 

[mentos]

I’m reading on Reddit that WAG may start mid 40s soon

Didn't some people already report $48/hr in some areas?

 

[sozetone]

I’m reading on Reddit that WAG may start mid 40s soon

It starts either Sept 1 or oct 1, yes.

 

[sozetone]

My buddy is a manager at a wags in S florida, he was told today, no more raises for anyone (3rd year in a row) until the COMPANY makes 90% of its profit goal. The next thing they didnt tell him was salaries are dropping and cuts are coming....

 

[nickw2401]

hospital $56.77/hr...work 72 get paid for 80hrs. 7 days on 7 days off

 

[Twentytwelve2]

My buddy is a manager at a wags in S florida, he was told today, no more raises for anyone (3rd year in a row) until the COMPANY makes 90% of its profit goal. The next thing they didnt tell him was salaries are dropping and cuts are coming....

Rite aid removed staff rph store bonus. Also, SM/RXM only qualify for bonus if the company makes a profit.

 

[Twentytwelve2]

I remember having one of those robots when they were ancient. I was a tech in miami (kendall), and the store by the interstate did like a huge volume, right? and i would get sent to this store on occasion to help.... the machine has like 200---300 drugs in it? and fills, labels, up a conveyor belt, where the tech caps it right? is that still the game? cuz this was like 2007. or is it even better now?

Scriptpro machines. It only works for meds on automated refills. My DM told me they are getting rid of the machines in stores because it causes too many problems and is not cost effective.

 

[morenife]

hospital $56.77/hr...work 72 get paid for 80hrs. 7 days on 7 days off

Where is this?

 

[mentos]

Scriptpro machines. It only works for meds on automated refills. My DM told me they are getting rid of the machines in stores because it causes too many problems and is not cost effective.

LoL what? So they're going to fill everything by hand now? Good luck to all overnighters at busy 24 hr stores. I was getting 13-14 pages per night before I escaped. No way could I have finished all that without a ScriptPro.

 

[Lubeckd]

LoL what? So they're going to fill everything by hand now? Good luck to all overnighters at busy 24 hr stores. I was getting 13-14 pages per night before I escaped. No way could I have finished all that without a ScriptPro.

reverse put back, then all the refills for the morning. with patients coming at the same time and feeling ****ty

 

[mentos]

reverse put back, then all the refills for the morning. with patients coming at the same time and feeling ****ty

What is reverse put back?

 

[Lubeckd]

What is reverse put back?

ahahaha I meant 14 days. I remember working night shifts

 

[nickw2401]

Where is this?

Virginia....keep in mind this is an overnight shift so its not for everyone. I actually prefer it and for most new hire hospital pharmacists...this is where you get your in.

 

[nickw2401]

I've had opportunities to move to day shift but 7 on 7 off is hard to let go

 

[mentos]

I've had opportunities to move to day shift but 7 on 7 off is hard to let go

I love 7on7off but working every other weekend kinda sucks. 1st shift sounds like a nice schedule, only one weekend per month and leave at 3:30. More stressful of course.

 

[gwarm01]

I love 7on7off but working every other weekend kinda sucks. 1st shift sounds like a nice schedule, only one weekend per month and leave at 3:30. More stressful of course.

I used to work for a hospital that made everyone work every other weekend. It really sucked. The one perk was having a random day off in the middle of the week, but it really felt like your life revolved around the hospital.

 

[researchpharma]

I've had opportunities to move to day shift but 7 on 7 off is hard to let go

I loved 7 on 7 off! It was supposed to be a 1 or 2 years max thing to pay off loans, but I let it drag on for 4 years because I loved going on vacation every month. I don’t recommend it for too long for your health though! I noticed I started getting hangovers after working nights— I thought it was my age catching up to me, but now that I work M-F 9-5, I don’t get hangovers anymore, so I know it was the night shift, not my age. Now I can only go on 3-4 vacations a year, but I’m not exhausted during my days off trying to readjust. And there’s no more falling asleep inappropriately at dinner and I can watch football every Sunday. But I do miss having 27.5 weeks off a year!

 

[MilknCheerios]

I loved 7 on 7 off! It was supposed to be a 1 or 2 years max thing to pay off loans, but I let it drag on for 4 years because I loved going on vacation every month. I don’t recommend it for too long for your health though! I noticed I started getting hangovers after working nights— I thought it was my age catching up to me, but now that I work M-F 9-5, I don’t get hangovers anymore, so I know it was the night shift, not my age. Now I can only go on 3-4 vacations a year, but I’m not exhausted during my days off trying to readjust. And there’s no more falling asleep inappropriately at dinner and I can watch football every Sunday. But I do miss having 27.5 weeks off a year!

My wife did 7 on 7 off for a year and a half and loved it as well. She would tell me about the joys of working alone, doing the back end stuff like refilling the yuyama robot, filling all night, filing, and managing tprs. There were some crazies here and there, but nothing terrible. Any problems that couldn't be solved would be left for the morning Rph. She also enjoyed the massive amount of time off. After about a year, it started to mess with her cycle so she eventually moved to a normal schedule which was fine since the store converted to 8am-10pm but it was great while it lasted.

Back to the topic, ~$55/hr is about the norm for floater and staff Rphs in the midwest. Managers make slightly more including performance bonuses. Talking salary/pay in person is such a taboo thing and you never know who's blowing smoke, so definitely get other people's insight.

 

[morenife]

My wife did 7 on 7 off for a year and a half and loved it as well. She would tell me about the joys of working alone, doing the back end stuff like refilling the yuyama robot, filling all night, filing, and managing tprs. There were some crazies here and there, but nothing terrible. Any problems that couldn't be solved would be left for the morning Rph. She also enjoyed the massive amount of time off. After about a year, it started to mess with her cycle so she eventually moved to a normal schedule which was fine since the store converted to 8am-10pm but it was great while it lasted.

Back to the topic, ~$55/hr is about the norm for floater and staff Rphs in the midwest. Managers make slightly more including performance bonuses. Talking salary/pay in person is such a taboo thing and you never know who's blowing smoke, so definitely get other people's insight.

I would love to have. A 7 on 7 off schedule tbh. Right now, schedules are all over the place and my scheduler is still getting a hang of the job.

Btw, Salaries starting at $51 in my area.

 

[mentos]

I would love to have. A 7 on 7 off schedule tbh. Right now, schedules are all over the place and my scheduler is still getting a hang of the job.

Btw, Salaries starting at $51 in my area.

Ouch I started at $53.50 in 2015 and that was considered low back then (it was my only offer I didn't have a choice) which would be $57.24 today.

$51 in 2019 dollars would be $47.67 in 2015 dollars.

 

[nickw2401]

I love 7on7off but working every other weekend kinda sucks. 1st shift sounds like a nice schedule, only one weekend per month and leave at 3:30. More stressful of course.

It does...but knowing that you get consecutive days in a row helps you push through. Ideally, I would love a second shift 7 on 7 off which my old hospital did for all second shift pharmacists and techs. That way you dont really lose a full day or two trying to flip back around. Nights are just so different. It sucks in that none of the doctors that put in orders that make no sense are available but its nice in that its not a complete mad house with the phone ringing off the hook.

 

[nickw2401]

meant to say that the docs with nonsense orders are obviously not available

 

[Amicable Angora]

I’m concerned about a rise in suicides by new graduates who can’t find a reasonable paying job.

 

[bacillus1]

Ha, 127k for hospital (per article above)? I should be making that come next March, but I've been looking in Philly (which is higher cost of living than where I live now), and NO ONE is offering that much, even to someone with experience, unless the person takes on an administrative or leadership role. Maybe it's a skewed distribution favoring California.

Just asked someone how much a pharmacist with residency and BCPS should expect to make in Philly, in reference to an open position, and was told 120K if that.

 

[wagrxm2000]

I’m concerned about a rise in suicides by new graduates who can’t find a reasonable paying job.

?

 

[Mambo#5]

?

Not sure about the question mark. Hard to fathom the hopeless feeling when you’re employed. I know of a few pharmacists that feel pretty down due to the circumstances. Mounting debt, few job openings and if they picked up other jobs, which start really low, the debt just snowballs.

 

[wagrxm2000]

Not sure about the question mark. Hard to fathom the hopeless feeling when you’re employed. I know of a few pharmacists that feel pretty down due to the circumstances. Mounting debt, few job openings and if they picked up other jobs, which start really low, the debt just snowballs.

It's just a comment I don't think needs to be said is all

Linking people dealing with thoughts of suicide to people who made a bad decision based solely on greed just seems like a poor comment.

That is simply my opinion and I won't be responding to it anymore.....well unless I'm attacked.

 

[PointBreak]

SoCal Kaiser is $81 (union)
SoCal Rite Aid RxManager is $70-$75 depending on store volume

 

[Dred Pirate]

Virginia....keep in mind this is an overnight shift so its not for everyone. I actually prefer it and for most new hire hospital pharmacists...this is where you get your in.

I really don't think you should put a new hire in an overnight position - depending on your set up - at my hospital I am the only "clinical pharmacist" - I get anything from NICU, to ECMO, to impellas, to overdoses, to strokes - most new hires (myself included when I was younger) are just not prepared to be able to deal with such a wide ranging amount of patients.

 

[gwarm01]

I really don't think you should put a new hire in an overnight position - depending on your set up - at my hospital I am the only "clinical pharmacist" - I get anything from NICU, to ECMO, to impellas, to overdoses, to strokes - most new hires (myself included when I was younger) are just not prepared to be able to deal with such a wide ranging amount of patients.

Agreed. An annoying shift like 1400-2230 is perfect for new grads however. It's a crappy schedule that no one likes, gives you overlap with the more experienced people on days, and gives you opportunities to cover clinical stuff in the evening but with backup. I couldn't imagine doing overnights as a new grad unless it was a small hospital with low acuity... Which likely wouldn't need an overnight pharmacist to begin with.

 

[Dred Pirate]

Agreed. An annoying shift like 1400-2230 is perfect for new grads however. It's a crappy schedule that no one likes, gives you overlap with the more experienced people on days, and gives you opportunities to cover clinical stuff in the evening but with backup. I couldn't imagine doing overnights as a new grad unless it was a small hospital with low acuity... Which likely wouldn't need an overnight pharmacist to begin with.

this exactly - this is what we do for the most part

 

[sakigt]

I really don't think you should put a new hire in an overnight position - depending on your set up - at my hospital I am the only "clinical pharmacist" - I get anything from NICU, to ECMO, to impellas, to overdoses, to strokes - most new hires (myself included when I was younger) are just not prepared to be able to deal with such a wide ranging amount of patients.

Did you move to nights?

Im 99% ready to move as well. Ive been doing the junk evening shift for 6 years and am at my wits end with school-aged kids

 

[Dred Pirate]

Did you move to nights?

Im 99% ready to move as well. Ive been doing the junk evening shift for 6 years and am at my wits end with school-aged kids

yup and don't regret it at all. once the kiddo gets older i will probably go back to days but for now gonna make that bank

 

[sakigt]

yup and don't regret it at all. once the kiddo gets older i will probably go back to days but for now gonna make that bank

That's my game plan as well. More time with the kids. I miss so many after school things right now. You see a lot of crazy stuff without a lot of daytime backup and drama. The ED night shift is hyped bc after 1130pm its single coverage without a critical care Pharm

 

[Dred Pirate]

That's my game plan as well. More time with the kids. I miss so many after school things right now. You see a lot of crazy stuff without a lot of daytime backup and drama. The ED night shift is hyped bc after 1130pm its single coverage without a critical care Pharm

second shift sucks with a family - I did it when I was younger- was great - could go out afterwards, sleep in and still get an 8 hour day - night shift >>> 2nd shift

 

[pharmalt82]

$61/h staff, east coast, 40h/week. Moderate volume.