Pharmacist Salary Thread

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I'm not a Target RPh, and my only work experience there was 5 weeks of rotation during school.

But, I do know that you shouldn't expect a set "everybody in the market gets the same thing" salary, like with Walgreens. A girl in my graduating class got hired on by Target as a staff RPh, and her salary was higher than a staff RPh that had been there ~ 10 years. ...comfy work environment compared to many alternatives, as long as you're not the type to get hung up on issues like this.
 
NaOH said:
Escalade hybrid sounds pretty cool, but I don't know if a $70k hybrid that gets 20mpg will impress most people. :\ Full marks for style and comfort, definitely.
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Mmm...you have a point but I am so in love with it. I can't stand cars, whether 4dr or 2dr. Well, let me not declare any profound hatred for them since I happen to drive a 4dr.
 
Yes, that's a competitive pharmacist salary for southern CA -- I'm sure you can move up to the $130k mark, although none of my friends make $150k.

Best of luck,

John
 
I don't dislike SUVs and trucks at all, but I'm a very small person so it's just easier to me to drive cars. My dad had a navigator when he lived in Georgia and it was very convenient for traveling and pulling trailors and stuff, but it was hard for me to drive and park. Not to mention the gas mileage was horrible (this was back in 2002 so maybe that's why?). I think it depends entirely on where you live and your lifestyle. Everyone is entitled to like whatever suits them the best. If you live somewhere like GA or TX and you have horses or have to pull things or transport things with your vehicle than having an SUV or truck is kinda necessary.
 
Tinkerbell22 said:
I don't dislike SUVs and trucks at all, but I'm a very small person so it's just easier to me to drive cars. My dad had a navigator when he lived in Georgia and it was very convenient for traveling and pulling trailors and stuff, but it was hard for me to drive and park. Not to mention the gas mileage was horrible (this was back in 2002 so maybe that's why?). I think it depends entirely on where you live and your lifestyle. Everyone is entitled to like whatever suits them the best. If you live somewhere like GA or TX and you have horses or have to pull things or transport things with your vehicle than having an SUV or truck is kinda necessary.
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Lol. You are stereotyping my state :meanie:. Not because you have a truck does that constitutes pulling things. I like them for luxury. I won't be on a farm so I won't have to worry about pulling things
 
my offers.....grant it, they were over a year ago (2007-2008)

socal

cvs: 56/hr graveyard
wags: 55/hr float
wmt: 61/hr hard to hire area
target: 56/hr float
longs: 53/hr float
ralphs: 52/hr float
savon: 53/hr float
 
lol @150k+ a year? maybe you are talking about DOP position but no staff rph retail in socal makes that much w/o overtime...

Burkster website and Jawnly quote give very accurate estimate. If you go the cities LA/SD/OC you'll get lower $/hour compare to hard to fill areas
 
pharmaz88 said:
I'm not a Target RPh, and my only work experience there was 5 weeks of rotation during school.

But, I do know that you shouldn't expect a set "everybody in the market gets the same thing" salary, like with Walgreens. A girl in my graduating class got hired on by Target as a staff RPh, and her salary was higher than a staff RPh that had been there ~ 10 years. ...comfy work environment compared to many alternatives, as long as you're not the type to get hung up on issues like this.
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I'm working at Target right now. The phone hasn't rang in over an hour.
 
what about the salary for the east coast?
 
Started in May at $111,000/yr in Florida with a 42hr work week.
 
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delano2000 said:
Lol. You are stereotyping my state :meanie:. Not because you have a truck does that constitutes pulling things. I like them for luxury. I won't be on a farm so I won't have to worry about pulling things
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Buying a truck/SUV and not hauling/towing things = you're doin' it wrong 😛

I miss having a truck... drove a '92 Silverado 4x4 all through high school... had tons of fun with it. I think that body style still looks as good as any modern truck.
 
wow, when target pays that much $, what is the point of working for 20k less in a hospital or university, or 40k less for the government?
 
pharmaz88 said:
I'm not a Target RPh, and my only work experience there was 5 weeks of rotation during school.

But, I do know that you shouldn't expect a set "everybody in the market gets the same thing" salary, like with Walgreens. A girl in my graduating class got hired on by Target as a staff RPh, and her salary was higher than a staff RPh that had been there ~ 10 years. ...comfy work environment compared to many alternatives, as long as you're not the type to get hung up on issues like this.
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Thats probably true anywhere else... unless the place is union
 
Yeah that's true... you don't need to pull things if you have a truck... I'm just saying it's one good reason to get one... lol I loved GA when my dad lived there, and I like TX too 😀 We don't all live on farms in the south... trucks are good for pulling boats too = )
 
Man, I wish there were more cities in America with good public transportation. Personally, I think owning a car is a lose-lose. A car's value deprecates so fast that it's not even worth owning (unless you have to of course). Buy a $50,000 BMW, and its worth half that in a few years. I would only consider a car with the slowest deceleration of value such as a Honda Accord or Camry. These cars also have the best resale value. Also, you have to deal with maintenance and insurance and the stress of traffic and parking. Getting an oil change on a new BMW or Benz requires you to go to the dealer so they can gouge you.

But living in San Diego since I was born, I needed a car even when I was in high school. I lived in the suburbs where no public transportation existed. And when I attended UCSD, the drive and finding parking was just miserable.

If I am lucky, I will get to live within walking or biking distance to my work. That will be ideal. If not, I hope there will be efficient and reliable public transportation around my house. Around my neighborhood in San Diego, I see families with 3-4 cars in their garage and driveway. My goodness. I think in the near future, families will shift to one car rather than 3 or 4.
 
I bike 3 miles to campus everyday. It is prolly the best thing ever
 
I'm sure it depends where you live at. A lot of pharmacists start below 6 figures, but I'm not sure if you are talking about large retail chains or just pharmacists in general. My GUESS is that the large retail chains will at the very least stay the same, and probably just hire less. The cost of living generally increases as time passes, so maybe the salaries won't keep up as they did in the past, but I doubt they will lower significantly. I know a lot of people are worried about paying off debt and everything, but personally it's worth it to me as long as pharmacy jobs stay at least in the stable area of the job market. It's worth it to know that you will probably get hired at least SOMEWHERE, which is better than I can say for most of my recent graduate friends in other career fields. If you're becoming a pharmacist because you love it than it shouldn't matter as long as you are comfortable right? I don't think anyone graduated from pharmacy school and became an instant millionaire, but it's great if you want a rewarding job that won't have you struggling financially as long as you live within your means. I'm not really sure what factors in to who is most likely to get the more 'coveted' jobs because right now I'm just trying to finish my application to schools... but my personal game plan is to just start off with an open mind, try to get involved in some research, experientials, interning, getting involved in different organizations, networking, or whatever extra things I can get involved with at whatever school accepts me so that I can figure out exactly what I'm aiming for after graduation. I think the students who have more "real world" experience as far as being persistent with job applications, interviewing skills, work experience, etc will be more likely to get hired at a competitive place. I've had to claw my way into simple waitressing or volunteer work where I live at because it is so extremely competitive for work in south Florida. You just have to be persistent and plan to make yourself stand out in some unique way I guess.
 
Agreed. I compromise somewhere in the middle because I like comfortable cars, but I was born to be frugal. lol My parents are very paranoid about me driving in Miami so they wanted to get me a new car for graduating college. I just asked for a certified used Acura TL because you can find single owner cars with very little miles on them and get a better deal than if you bought it brand new. Plus they hold up like a Honda because well... Honda makes them lol. You get good gas mileage, a decent engine, leather, space, etc, for a pretty good deal I think. I think I am going to stick with this brand of used car even when I am making more money. I think I would even keep it if I won the lottery because I love it so much. lol

I'm all about saving gas and being healthy though... riding bikes and walking are great if you can do it. The humidity and surprise storms down here are nasty though = ( The president of UM was the former secretary of health and human services so she is really big on promoting new programs that use bicycles or new walking paths at school because people will literally drive from building to building because it's so hot and people in Miami are lazy. lol I did a public speaking project on Genentech (which is a biotech company in South San Francisco- I'm sure some of you know more about it than I do) but I did the project because I thought it was very cool how they give vouchers to their employees for using public transportation and car pooling, among a lot of other amazing benefits (pet daycare?) 🙄

MRSA Sucks said:
Man, I wish there were more cities in America with good public transportation. Personally, I think owning a car is a lose-lose. A car's value deprecates so fast that it's not even worth owning (unless you have to of course). Buy a $50,000 BMW, and its worth half that in a few years. I would only consider a car with the slowest deceleration of value such as a Honda Accord or Camry. These cars also have the best resale value. Also, you have to deal with maintenance and insurance and the stress of traffic and parking. Getting an oil change on a new BMW or Benz requires you to go to the dealer so they can gouge you.

But living in San Diego since I was born, I needed a car even when I was in high school. I lived in the suburbs where no public transportation existed. And when I attended UCSD, the drive and finding parking was just miserable.

If I am lucky, I will get to live within walking or biking distance to my work. That will be ideal. If not, I hope there will be efficient and reliable public transportation around my house. Around my neighborhood in San Diego, I see families with 3-4 cars in their garage and driveway. My goodness. I think in the near future, families will shift to one car rather than 3 or 4.
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delano2000 said:
I am guessing no one is interested in SUVs? How about the '09 escalade hybrid or the '09 audi Q5?
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I have nothing against SUVs if you really need one. If someone is over 6 feet or needs to tow something, then a SUV is important. Otherwise, it doesn't make any sense to own one. I guess people in different states have different opinions on them. Like go to Seattle or Portland and you will be looked at differently if you don't drive anything but a Prius. Driving a trucklike SUV in those cities would be considered witchcraft lol. But in more rural areas, SUVs are practical to haul things or get through rough terrain.

Note that this is coming from someone who would rather ride a bike than drive. 😉
 
Maxpwer222 said:
I bike 3 miles to campus everyday. It is prolly the best thing ever
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Yeah, but riding your horse to school is cooler. Not to mention every Texan gets a free cowboy hat when their old one gets too dirty/worn.

:meanie:
 
I would assume some depreciation in value. Let us assume your salary is going to start at 90K instead of 100K. Is that going to change your decision? If so, I'd suggest another profession. You will probably make more money as a pharmacist than with another degree (unless you've got some sort of engineering or computer background), but from my calculations and projections, the lifetime earnings increase isn't as much as the 100K makes you think it is, and a Pharm.D. is probably less flexible than most other degrees.
 
Some positions never even started at $100k. Depends on what field of pharmacy you go into. Let's not forget that the average only a few years ago was around $85k.
 
I think that the pharmacist with specialities such as oncology, operating room, emergency room, etc probably won't. But I actually think the chains will lower the standard only because the McDonalds society we live in extends to medicine and pharmacy as well (How many times have you had a customer leave after telling them it will take at least an hour and they come back in ten minutes, irate at the fact its not filled yet?)

I think overall though, the pharmacy profession will survive especially with the baby boomers needing so much medical attention
 
Lol I never expected a discussion about cars when I clicked on this thread. Anyways all I'm seeing here are BMWs and MBs. No love for Lexus?

lexus-is-f-drive-report-part-1-20071119045316402-000.jpg


😍
 
I think it's because Lexus looks like a Camry... lol I kinda got the feeling that this thread isn't too fond of Camrys. 😉
 
Passion4Sci said:
Some Pharmacists already DO start <100k don't they? 50 bucks an hour is 96k/yr less taxes and all.
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I suspect this is true, the average salary is simply 100K and that might be in a retail setting... clinical might be less? I also think the average wage for female pharmacists is ~80K, but for all I know, that could be an artifact of female pharmacists putting in less hours.
 
PonderingChoice said:
I suspect this is true, the average salary is simply 100K and that might be in a retail setting... clinical might be less? I also think the average wage for female pharmacists is ~80K, but for all I know, that could be an artifact of female pharmacists putting in less hours.
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It's hard to get accurate data. Not even BLS is collecting accurate data on their "maximum" salary or their average salary nor do they really disclose how precisely they measure the salary. If it's self-report, well, that's just going to be biased right from the git-go, won't it? LOL.

I won't bitch about 80 grand a year after pharmacy school if that's what I start at. It's plenty to pay my student loans in short order, and it's way beyond a comfortable living even in California, assuming you don't have children and dreams of owning a 7 bedroom house in Pleasanton or a house in the Mission in SF right away.
 
Tinkerbell22 said:
I think it's because Lexus looks like a Camry... lol I kinda got the feeling that this thread isn't too fond of Camrys. 😉
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Kind of odd though since the rest of America seems to love them.
 
PonderingChoice said:
I suspect this is true, the average salary is simply 100K and that might be in a retail setting... clinical might be less? I also think the average wage for female pharmacists is ~80K, but for all I know, that could be an artifact of female pharmacists putting in less hours.
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The vast majority of hospital pharmacists start under 100K.
 
homeslice said:
Mainly just the BLS stuff (I think the median was listed at around $92k or so). And lots of anecdotal evidence from work and the pharmacy board.
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I don't know, I can't swallow that the "vast majority" of hospital pharmacists start under 100k. I don't doubt that some do, of course, and maybe it's just my ancedotal experience playing a sample bias in my head, but every staffer and clin we've got started at 55/hr, and that's what, 105k a year? I don't have a calculator handy on my iPhone unless I zoom out of Safari and punch it in so... I'm kinda estimating. But I know it's over 100k.

There's a lot of anecdote over there on the big kids forum saying that hosp. pharms. also see pay in the 55+/hr range... so I dunno.

But, who cares, for the time spent on the education, it's really hard to beat 85 grand a year with lots of chances (like differentials and such) to raise it quick.
 
Most hospital jobs have come up in pay to be more competitive with retail, but the vast majority of hospitals have really good benefits packages which is something that everyone needs to think about as well. It's not just about the pay, but what incentives you get as well.
 
I only make $42 and change an hour. Benefits aren't really that great. They only match 5% on 401k...and the shift differential is a whopping 50 cents. Yes. 50 cents. And they have frozen our wages. I make the same as a kid fresh out of school...which pisses me off every day. Though they give me some nice bonuses (I'm talking several Ks). UPMC in Pittsburgh starts at $36 and change an hour. Don't believe me? Look at their want ads. My wife interviewed at another local hospital and was offered $38/hour. Though you got a freakin' pension...that's unheard of today.

Anyway...hence, I'm moving...pay here is ****. Z over on the big boy forums was trying to get me to take a job at $120k/year in Dallas...that's hard to turn down...
 
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WVUPharm2007 said:
I only make $42 and change an hour. Benefits aren't really that great. And they have frozen our wages. I make the same as a kid fresh out of school...which pisses me off every day. UPMC in Pittsburgh starts at $36 and change an hour. Don't believe me? Look at their want ads. My wife interviewed at another local hospital and was offered $38/hour. Though you got a freakin' pension...that's unheard of today.

Anyway...hence, I'm moving...pay here is ****. Z over on the big boy forums was trying to get me to take a job at $120k/year in Dallas...that's hard to turn down...
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Go for it man. Dallas is a pretty alright city if you don't mind the stagnant humidity and the salary would let you move out of that damn trailer and drive something nicer than a Taurus ffs.

I went to Dallas more than a few times during my time in Killeen and I liked it, but it's way too humid for me to have lived there, hence the move back to Cali Cali.

The pharmacy residents in the pharmacy I volunteer at make more than you do, although there is COLA adjustment and such. Get the hell outta there and never look bad.
 
Passion4Sci said:
Go for it man. Dallas is a pretty alright city if you don't mind the stagnant humidity and the salary would let you move out of that damn trailer and drive something nicer than a Taurus ffs.
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I'm gonna get a Taurus SHO.

I went to Dallas more than a few times during my time in Killeen and I liked it, but it's way too humid for me to have lived there, hence the move back to Cali Cali.
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Can't be more humid than where I am now. 90+% humidity every day from April to September.

The pharmacy residents in the pharmacy I volunteer at make more than you do, although there is COLA adjustment and such. Get the hell outta there and never look bad.
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I'm geographically sequestered until the better half graduates. I'm already seeking Texas licensure...
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
I'm gonna get a Taurus SHO.
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At least it's a new Ford!


Can't be more humid than where I am now. 90+% humidity every day from April to September.
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Oh, holy crap. Some reason, I thought PA (You work in PA don't you?) was milder than southern states. Go figure.. yeah, it definitely does not hit 90% in Dallas, maybe a couple times a year. The worst I ever experienced it personally was 75%, during a field training exercise nonetheless.

I'm geographically sequestered until the better half graduates. I'm already seeking Texas licensure...
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Feel your pain. I have this horrible inkling that mine is going to drag my ass all the way back to Mass. for her school and I'm going to be fucked because I didn't apply to Worcester or Boston.
 
Total waste of money, never gonna happen, I don't care how many props. and bills we vote to throw money at.

And if it DOES happen, it's going to be Soooooooooo inefficient, mostly b/c California as a state does absolutely nothing efficiently.



MRSA Sucks said:
california-high-speed-rail-project.jpg

Image: cahighspeedrail.ca.gov


Bet you I can get to work faster in this. 😀
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