Pay decrease
Started by Recycled
Pretty sure you meant to say insurance companies, LOL.
what company and why the 30% cut?
^^^^this. LOL
Fair enough. Many RPh functions have been shunted to techs, automation, or RNs and LPNs. This includes clinical counsels (DDIS, medication events, OBRA counseling requirements) and new/transfer rxs. I try to show my worth but there is only a certain amount you can do when there are an acceptable amount of "allowable errors" over and above the RPh error rate.
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They can just decrease your pay by 30% like that? I would think there would be some taper...or gradual decrease. WTH?
While nobody wants to be painless, pay decrease isn't too bad if it means a correspondingly lower workload /responsibilities. My wife makes almost $30k less than I do, but her job is so cushy, I'm jealous.
Anyway, 30% does seems pretty outrageous. Also did you go from $130k to $100k, or more like $100K to $70k? There is a difference.
Anyway, 30% does seems pretty outrageous. Also did you go from $130k to $100k, or more like $100K to $70k? There is a difference.
I would agree that if it were a lower workload, it would be understandable. I expect however that the workload will be increasing. The job itself isn't horrible (to me) so it's got that going for it. The decrease is more of a 120's to around 90's type of range. FWIW, it is a management role, not staff.
I'm glad my loans are paid off after a few years of blood, sweat and tears, so I'll be fine and 90 k isn't anything to sneeze at - It's just a bit of a letdown.
I'm glad my loans are paid off after a few years of blood, sweat and tears, so I'll be fine and 90 k isn't anything to sneeze at - It's just a bit of a letdown.
I have also paid back my student loan. We are one step ahead of most people.
I'm sorry to hear that. At least you've already paid back your student loans.
Personally, I think there may only be about five 'good' years left in pharmacy. Obamacare will put the squeeze on everyone starting next year. I've paid off my student loans as well, and now I'm working on my mortgage, so that I can still live comfortably on a reduced salary. That way I also won't care if they jack tax rates through the roof to pay for all these government programs, because my income will be low anyway 😛
Personally, I think there may only be about five 'good' years left in pharmacy. Obamacare will put the squeeze on everyone starting next year. I've paid off my student loans as well, and now I'm working on my mortgage, so that I can still live comfortably on a reduced salary. That way I also won't care if they jack tax rates through the roof to pay for all these government programs, because my income will be low anyway 😛
Hell no, at 3.125% 30 years fixed. I don't want to pay off my mortgage early. Every extra money goes to portfolio allocation lol >_>
Are you saying you have a manager position but compensated less than a staff rph? That's a kick in the nut.
I'm in awe of those of you who have paid back your loans. I'm happy to finally be <6 figs
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We didn't borrow as much and made some sacrifice.
The ones who are going to these low standard for-profit pharmacy schools will be in monthly repayment hell for the next 25 years. Just when they are about to retire, they are going to get a huge tax bill from the IRS.
Staff RPh are also getting reduced salaries if not straight up termed. (More the 100 k to 80 k example). The only RPhs that are being retained are the ones that fulfill my state's RPH:tech ratio. I hate seeing people that put 22 years (or so) into a company being let go for no good reason.
Yes, the low interest rate was a factor, but I'm more concerned with the cash flow situation, should my salary get reduced like the OP.
I went to a public school and lived frugally.
If you had water light and Internet you were not living frugally enough. You have to make sacrifices.
Water is fine but just not hot water!
i recall pumping water out of a ground well, boiling it, mixing it with cold water, and bathing with a plastic cup at some point when i was young.
+ candles for light
anything more than that, you were living the luxe life.
+ candles for light
anything more than that, you were living the luxe life.
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can you tell us if it is retail or hospital? or mail order?
I have heard from a friend that her hospital hasn't had a pay increase for pharmacists for the past three years. Wonder if pay decrease will be next for them next.
It is mail order.
I have wondered that for hospitals in my area too. They haven't decreased the salaries of RPh already on staff, but no raises and the starting salary for a new staff member is about 85k when it used to be a little over 100.
Without going into detail, I know that there are several states around here that allow techs to take new verbal rxs without RPh ever talking to prescribing agent or office rep. The order is then checked by RPh totally offline. The techs must be certified to take new orders. For now, I've only seen one state that allows techs to do copies/transfers, but there may be more.
I had never seen the use of RNs to provide the new patient counseling, including drug interaction checks and medication event reporting. That was new to me.
Boy that is really scary if RNs are doing interaction checking rather than an RPh ,RN training in general is really light on both drugs, their classes, and drug interactions. I am not trying to knock RNs, I was one before I went to pharm school but I don't think they are adequately educated to adequately assess the type and severity of most drug interactions. It just is not adequately covered in any nursing curriculum I've seen. (unless they are just basically triaging interactions or issues and then referring them to RPHs for follow up.
how the hell isn't there an rph there tho? it's not like we don't have un/underemployed rph's in the usa.
Many rural hospitals do not have 3rd shift pharmacies....some don't even have 2nd shift pharmacies. Many do teleremote verification of the ordering, but will still have a trained charge nurse enter the pharmacy to get out a needed medication that isn't available in the stock machine.
As for the OP, I'm guessing (s)he works at a hospital, since he mentioned the cuts were department wide. I worked at a struggling hospital once that did across the board cuts for everyone from the CEO down (only 5% though....30% is one huge cut, if the hospital is struggling that badly, its definitely time to look for another job.)
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he said it was medco not a hospital.
This sounds like the worst idea ever. I hope I never end up in a hospital that does this.
Can't they do telepharmacy or have another hospital in the area do the verification and checking with an RPh over webcam?
There's a lot more of us and not a lot of growth. To be expected.
I was actually oblivious to how terrible hospital pay can get. I tried to transition from retail to hospital, after a very long search and some interviews. When I finally got an offer, I almost chocked at the $45 bucks I was offered....apparently coz I have been pharmacist for only 1 year. I took a hard look and decided to suck it up with retail. Too large a pay cut for me. Id rather stack up now for worse times ahead, than be low balled and bad times come anyway.
Did you attempt to negotiate for a higher rate?
Yep! It was non-negotiable due to 'internal equity'..... the first time I ever heard the term.
Sounds about right for hospital--hospitals have always paid notoriously low compared to retail. Even during the best of times (the shortage of the mid 2000's), hospital pay tended to be about $5.00/hr less than retail.
Just had a long-term retail pharmacist come staff at our hospital for our 7-on-7-off overnight shift. She said the pay was the same that she was making at Wags. However, she said this included the $3.00/hr overnight differential she makes. She also said all of her pharmacist friends flat out refuse to believe her that her pay is the exact same here at our hospital. I was just amazed that someone came back to hospital after as long of a break as she did.. you don't see that very often.
Off topic: Another ON pharmacist we have has been working here for 25+ years now.. happened to see his paycheck laying out the other day (wasn't intentionally snooping it was sitting out in our work area as I think he was working on his taxes or something), and he's making $68/hr + $3/hr differential. The ON shifts aren't bad at all.. 70 hours and you get paid for 80.. then take 7 days off. The sweet thing is when these guys go on vacation if they time it for the week they work they take 1 week of vacation and get 3 weeks off (the week on either side of the week they would normally work). Not a bad gig if you can get used to working nights.
The one week they take off is considered 2 weeks, not 1 week since they get paid for 80 hours that week.
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