Pharmacy Manager to Floater Pharmacist

[TheWisePharmacist]

Hi everyone!

I need a little advice or overall information on a predicament I've been facing. I've recently graduated from school and took a position as pharmacy manager in a VERY RURAL town working for Walgreens. The job was supposed to be rough since they had been missing a pharmacy manager for a long time. Also there have been many customer complaints and many customer's leaving since the service was bad. Since I've taken the job, which has only been a couple of months we have had a drastic turnaround. In the little time I've been here our customer survey's and finances are all starting to grow quickly in the right direction. Also patients are steadily starting to come back, where we are even getting more technician hours. Overall I'm pleased with the success of my pharmacy and the staff I'm working with. My one major issue which I did not have a problem with before is that there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO.

The nearest real town is 20 minutes away, which is a 40 minute round trip. I work a 4/6 schedule which is 4 days on and 3 days off one week and 6 days on and 1 day off the other week. As the pharmacy manager I have some control over changing my schedule (as long as central scheduling approves) and wouldn't mind working 3 x 14 hour shifts a week, but I have an older staff pharmacist to consider. Plus my store HATES floaters, because of the bad experiences they've had without a pharmacy manager. I'm already getting my license transferred to Illinois and would not mind working 3 x 12 hour shifts in or around Chicago as a floater, but I can see how my supervisor as well as everyone in my store would hate me leaving. All I want right now is Freedom and more of a work/life balance.

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[opinionfree]

Sorry to say, but you must be one heck of a prize to work with. Young, recent graduate and already a martyr. You are going to have a long career and hated by most all you work with if you don't change your attitude. I could do a line by line on of your post but instead I'll just pick one out.

"The nearest real town is 20 minutes away, which is a 40 minute round trip." Really? I think most are capable of calculating the round trip time allotment but thanks for somehow knowing, we can't. 20 minutes one way is...long? I'm willing to guess most people on here have at least a 20 minute drive just getting to work. Hell, it takes me 10 minutes to go from my garage to the guarded gate house of my little slice of heaven. Why do I know it's not the 20 minutes time, but it is the gas necessary to drive the 20 minutes (each way)? I'll spare you my thoughts on when you say "real town". Suffice it to say, they aren't very flattering.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and hope you are young. Pharmacists are having troubles finding work and your vanity issues combined with your thoughts of being the super pharmacist that can save Walgreens, will only make the profession worse than it is. Tell Tiger Momma you are hero pharmacist/doctor but stop thinking you are. Believe it or not, a HUGE part of your life is occurring while at work in the pharmacy, so make it enjoyable. Life isn't just the 2 or 3 days you aren't counting and pouring. Yet most pharmacists think it is. Sad.

 

[Momus]

I know there is one town that pays 74/hr for rx manager, 4 hours drive to the city LA, SD, or OC. That's horrid... and the town sucks beyond believe. No movie theater, not even a WMT (closest Walmart 50 mins away), no home depo/lowes, target, no chinese food, no vietnamese food LOL, crappy ass food. It has only 1 grocery store Alberson and 1 Kmart... population: 20,000

 

[oldstock]

I know there is one town that pays 74/hr for rx manager, 4 hours drive to the city LA, SD, or OC. That's horrid... and the town sucks beyond believe. No movie theater, not even a WMT (closest Walmart 50 mins away), no home depo/lowes, target, no chinese food, no vietnamese food LOL, crappy ass food. It has only 1 grocery store Alberson and 1 Kmart... population: 20,000

I see some business opportunities here

 

[Momus]

I see some business opportunities here

Check the population...

 

[oldstock]

Check the population...

pop = 20K that is not so bad

 

[waiter]

[ ]

 

[BidingMyTime]

Well.....this is why there will always be pharmacist jobs for people who are willing to relocate (because too many people won't deign to workout side of a big city.) I mean, who in their right mind would want to transfer to Chicago, which has the highest pharmacist saturation anywhere in the Midwest (probably the southwest too!) 20 minute drive to a "real" city is a very decent time, I remember my non-pharmacist dad driving 45 minutes (that 1 hr 30 minutes round trip!) to work each day, and it wasn't uncommon for him to work 6 - 7 days a week during certain times of the year.

It sounds like you have a sweet gig, benefits of rural living with a city only 20 minutes away, good staff to work with, an quickly improving pharmacy.....I don't know why you would want to leave that, but there is no need to feel guilty over it, I'm sure eventually someone will be found to take your place, hopefully someone who appreciates a good job.

 

[pharmacy7424]

Hi everyone!

I need a little advice or overall information on a predicament I've been facing. I've recently graduated from school and took a position as pharmacy manager in a VERY RURAL town working for Walgreens. The job was supposed to be rough since they had been missing a pharmacy manager for a long time. Also there have been many customer complaints and many customer's leaving since the service was bad. Since I've taken the job, which has only been a couple of months we have had a drastic turnaround. In the little time I've been here our customer survey's and finances are all starting to grow quickly in the right direction. Also patients are steadily starting to come back, where we are even getting more technician hours. Overall I'm pleased with the success of my pharmacy and the staff I'm working with. My one major issue which I did not have a problem with before is that there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO.

The nearest real town is 20 minutes away, which is a 40 minute round trip. I work a 4/6 schedule which is 4 days on and 3 days off one week and 6 days on and 1 day off the other week. As the pharmacy manager I have some control over changing my schedule (as long as central scheduling approves) and wouldn't mind working 3 x 14 hour shifts a week, but I have an older staff pharmacist to consider. Plus my store HATES floaters, because of the bad experiences they've had without a pharmacy manager. I'm already getting my license transferred to Illinois and would not mind working 3 x 12 hour shifts in or around Chicago as a floater, but I can see how my supervisor as well as everyone in my store would hate me leaving. All I want right now is Freedom and more of a work/life balance.

Seriously? Just live in the nearest town and commute the 20min each way. Sounds like traffic is a breeze out there. You expect to live/work in chicago and have less than a 20minute commute???

 

[TheWisePharmacist]

Thanks to all of you for your comments, except for "opinionfree"; you really need to change your name . Lol!!

I'm in the same situation, so I'll be following the responses, too. As a new grad, I took the pharmacy manager position in a town 1 hour from a metropolitan area. I can't transfer until another pharmacist can be found. The previous pharmacists who joined us have quit. How can I be more assertive with my situation without appearing ungrateful or obnoxious?

Yea it's hard to explain to some what it's like to go to work then home and that's it almost seven days a week, without a hobby or place to let off some stress (supposedly for 10-30 years). I use fishing and working out for stress relief, the town I work in has a lake which you'd be crazy to eat out of and the fitness center where I live has 5 treadmills and that's it. I can definitely understand what your feeling about the ungrateful part, because I too believe that taking the pharmacy manager position helped me to grow as a better leader and person overall. That is why if I leave I won't leave them high and dry and will use my network (ex. Facebook, studentdoctor.net) to help fill the position. Like some have said before there are many pharmacists out there who are looking for jobs; as long as you can transfer to a place where you can get hours you shouldn't have a problem finding a person to fill your shoes. If you ever look at market scheduling, you'll usually see a long list of available hours in your district, so if anything I would check the market list for the place you may be transferring first.

Also to continue the discussion going I'd like to here from others who are/were in a similar situation and what they did.

 

[BidingMyTime]

DBP

 

[TheWisePharmacist]

DBP

???

 

[Hope1974]

Pffft.... Nearest town is 20 min? Lucky u. I get up at 5am to catch a shuttle to the middle of a desert to start work at 7:30am till 6pm and get home at 7:30pm- 4 days a week. The commute by car would be 1.5hours one way. There are pharmacists at other locations commuting 2hours one way, 4 hours total each day. So count your lucky stars.

At least you are not in Kotzebue, Alaska, population 300 (Wikipedia or other sources are in accurate) no bars no clubs no nothing, no bf/gf unless u drop ur standards and the only way to the nearest city is by plane to Anchorage.

 

[oldstock]

Pffft.... Nearest town is 20 min? Lucky u. I get up at 5am to catch a shuttle to the middle of a desert to start work at 7:30am till 6pm and get home at 7:30pm- 4 days a week. The commute by car would be 1.5hours there are pharmacists at other locations commuting 2hours one way, 4 hours total each day. So count your lucky stars. At least your not in Kotzebue, Alaska, population 300 (Wikipedia or other sources are in accurate) no bars no clubs no nothing, no bf/gf unless u drop ur standards and the only way to the nearest city is by plane to Anchorage.

lol

 

[Hope1974]

Oh, and did I mention......this a contract job. I get a place to stay and an hourly wage lower than urs. I believe u have benefits. So who's complaining? Goodnite, I gotta be up at 4:30 ta hit the treadmill downstairs so I can squeeze some exercise in before my trip through the desert.

 

[TheWisePharmacist]

Oh, and did I mention......this a contract job. I get a place to stay and an hourly wage lower than urs. I believe u have benefits. So who's complaining? Goodnite, I gotta be up at 4:30 ta hit the treadmill downstairs so I can squeeze some exercise in before my trip through the desert.

All I can say is you must really like snow, or that was the only job offered for you to take a job in Alaska without benefits AND at a lower pay. I'd say the only good thing about living in the middle of nowhere is that you can save plenty of money for future investments or retirement, but it sounds like you took a REALLY raw deal. Lol! \

On a side note I thought Alaska pharmacists got paid significantly more than pharmacists here in North America.

 

[KARM12]

20mn??!?! That is it?!?! I live in Chicago and sometimes it takes me over an hr to get home for a 15mile commute. The area is saturated and you'll be driving all over the place if you are a floater. I agree with the poster who suggested living in the bigger city and commuting into work. Your life will suck more as a floater.

 

[Hope1974]

All I can say is you must really like snow, or that was the only job offered for you to take a job in Alaska without benefits AND at a lower pay. I'd say the only good thing about living in the middle of nowhere is that you can save plenty of money for future investments or retirement, but it sounds like you took a REALLY raw deal. Lol! \

On a side note I thought Alaska pharmacists got paid significantly more than pharmacists here in North America.

In Alaska I went through a friend- I got bank there, only cause the middle man-the temp company- was out of the picture. Pharmacists in Alaska don't make a ton like the used to, simply because, as I pointed out, there's no shortage. And in areas where u could make a killing, u no longer can- because again, there is no shortage and no overtime in those areas. Now if u think pharms up there make a lot, it won't amount to much after u subtract ur heating bill and see how much a gallon of milk or gas costs. And in villages like where I was, a can of soda was like $3 dollars and a half a gallon a milk was $6

And for those of u who haven't been out much or looked at the map lately, Alaska is part of the United States AND part of North America.

 

[Nelcovp]

I'm currently in school and it's 8.3 miles from my house (16.6 miles round trip for those who don't want to do the math). It takes me 20 minutes to get there. I've had jobs in which I've been in gridlock for an hour just to move 5 miles. I've had days in which I had to shovel snow for an hour just to be able to move my car out of the driveway. What, exactly, is your complaint again? Someone is spoiled.

 

[gtpederson]

I have no sympathy. I'm sitting in my car eating breakfast after my 90 minute commute. One way.

 

[PharmdA07]

Let me refer you to [(insert number >1000 here)] unemployed pharmacists right now in this tight market and see what they 'd say about your " ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO " situation !! Now with the new requirement of my company, I sometimes have to staff at different pharmacies in different cities with travel times always longer than 40 minutes one-way; and from my place to my home store is about 40 minutes one-way (if traffic is bad it can be even an hour-->so it's 2 hours spent sitting in traffic & I don't get compensated for this time and gas!! Imagine that!) ; But I wake up every morning be thankful that I still have a job to go to and to do what I love!!! This kind of attitude from the young grads who got hired right away is really a turn-off!

 

[anon89]

I have the opposite problem. My store is so broken that I stay after for 2 hours and come in 2 hours early every day just to get the work done. Doesn't help that this is my first pharmacy job either =\ For me, I'm doing it cuz I have loans to pay, by then I hope I find something else I actually enjoy doing.

 

[Lnsean]

Hi everyone!

I need a little advice or overall information on a predicament I've been facing. I've recently graduated from school and took a position as pharmacy manager in a VERY RURAL town working for Walgreens. The job was supposed to be rough since they had been missing a pharmacy manager for a long time. Also there have been many customer complaints and many customer's leaving since the service was bad. Since I've taken the job, which has only been a couple of months we have had a drastic turnaround. In the little time I've been here our customer survey's and finances are all starting to grow quickly in the right direction. Also patients are steadily starting to come back, where we are even getting more technician hours. Overall I'm pleased with the success of my pharmacy and the staff I'm working with. My one major issue which I did not have a problem with before is that there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO.

The nearest real town is 20 minutes away, which is a 40 minute round trip. I work a 4/6 schedule which is 4 days on and 3 days off one week and 6 days on and 1 day off the other week. As the pharmacy manager I have some control over changing my schedule (as long as central scheduling approves) and wouldn't mind working 3 x 14 hour shifts a week, but I have an older staff pharmacist to consider. Plus my store HATES floaters, because of the bad experiences they've had without a pharmacy manager. I'm already getting my license transferred to Illinois and would not mind working 3 x 12 hour shifts in or around Chicago as a floater, but I can see how my supervisor as well as everyone in my store would hate me leaving. All I want right now is Freedom and more of a work/life balance.

lmao...please don't make me vomit. you are the super pharmacist that walgreens needs but not the one it deserves. no one could manage that store but you. you came in and saved the day. lol.

 

[Momus]

I have the opposite problem. My store is so broken that I stay after for 2 hours and come in 2 hours early every day just to get the work done. Doesn't help that this is my first pharmacy job either =\ For me, I'm doing it cuz I have loans to pay, by then I hope I find something else I actually enjoy doing.

At least, you are getting 4 hours OT everyday, that's $400/day. I could use $400 every shift.

 

[HouTX]

At least, you are getting 4 hours OT everyday, that's $400/day. I could use $400 every shift.

I bet that person (new grad, first job) is doing it out of their own personal time. OT is unheard of outside of CA, an obvious exaggeration but it's definitely far and few in between

here in Houston, TX, I know most chains pay "premium time" for working extra shifts. usually your hourly rate + $5-10/hr

 

[TheWisePharmacist]

Sorry I haven't been keeping up with everyone's posts. These past few days have truly been Awesome , but man oh man, to come back and read some of these responses. I thought tryouts for the Next Angry Pharmacist was last week...Lol! But to get back on topic and to make a long story short, I talked with my supervisor and called up a couple of contacts to finally get the perfect situation. I get to transfer to Chicago and get a 3 day a week work schedule (32 guaranteed) to 40 hours a week. The pharmacist who is replacing me was in the exact opposite predicament and hated the big city and wanted to move to a smaller town (go figure). We also decided I'd stay and train him on my store for about a month before leaving. So all in all everybody wins

 

[anon89]

At least, you are getting 4 hours OT everyday, that's $400/day. I could use $400 every shift.

I bet that person (new grad, first job) is doing it out of their own personal time. OT is unheard of outside of CA, an obvious exaggeration but it's definitely far and few in between

here in Houston, TX, I know most chains pay "premium time" for working extra shifts. usually your hourly rate + $5-10/hr

Oh man overtime would be awesome! But alas, no. I do not get a penny of overtime. I'm salaried so whatever extra I do is out of the kindness of my own heart

Sorry I haven't been keeping up with everyone's posts. These past few days have truly been Awesome , but man oh man, to come back and read some of these responses. I thought tryouts for the Next Angry Pharmacist was last week...Lol! But to get back on topic and to make a long story short, I talked with my supervisor and called up a couple of contacts to finally get the perfect situation. I get to transfer to Chicago and get a 3 day a week work schedule (32 guaranteed) to 40 hours a week. The pharmacist who is replacing me was in the exact opposite predicament and hated the big city and wanted to move to a smaller town (go figure). We also decided I'd stay and train him on my store for about a month before leaving. So all in all everybody wins

That's awesome!! I'm glad everything worked out for you