PIC job with sick kid. How do you dads do it??

[ZakMeister]

So I have been a PIC for few years and have a 2 yr old who gets sick from her daycare almost every other week. We got absolutely no help around us who can watch the kid while we work. My wife works part time but she can't also miss her work every now and then.

All this is happening when I was thinking about working for a retail chain ( more $$ of course). But the flexibility I get from working at an indie (coming in little later or working half day to take care of kid while wife works her half day) will not be paralleled, unless you can get sick days or such excuses from chains. Anyone in my boat who works for a chain or other establishments? How do/did you guys manage?

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[vinapharm]

So I have been a PIC for few years and have a 2 yr old who gets sick from her daycare almost every other week. We got absolutely no help around us who can watch the kid while we work. My wife works part time but she can't also miss her work every now and then.

All this is happening when I was thinking about working for a retail chain ( more $$ of course). But the flexibility I get from working at an indie (coming in little later or working half day to take care of kid while wife works her half day) will not be paralleled, unless you can get sick days or such excuses from chains. Anyone in my boat who works for a chain or other establishments? How do/did you guys manage?

I was on the same boat. Both me and wife works for wag. I do FT and her is part time kinda flex. I asked to do 12 hr shift to get more day off in the weeks and if I’m off, my wife will go to work. But here and there , we have to send 2 kids to babysit when we end up working on the same day. It was manageable but exhausted every time every day. I recently move to hospital evening shift so let see if we can do it this time. One more helpful thing is make a lot of connections so when you can’t go to work, your peers can cover for you. We are lucky to have such peers.

 

[RxPreceptor]

I guess your area is running out of/exhausted of floaters and/or RPh to fill in shifts on little notice.
I‘m kind of surprised/baffled scheduler doesn’t cater to your every whim…because family issues tend to get highest priority historically at least (sympathy factor). Have you considered stepping down to staff vs PIC?

Priorities (plenty in a similar situation with new family/young kids step down in some way say working 40 hours down to 30/minimum to maintain full time or switch FT to floater, etc.)

ok, let’s get it on…#breeders vs non-breeders. I lose track…like round 12 or so

 

[Dred Pirate]

There is "what should happen" vs "What does happen"
I can't comment to much on how chains works - but I gather they likely simply DGAF about your personal life - so if you call out a lot, they will show you the door- sucks, but welcome to corporate America in the days of the GOP. Oh wait- they are the "family party" SMH.

I am guessing your indie will be much more likely to help out. My suggestion would be to develop a good relationship with your staff rph's and work out a sort of "scratch my back, I will scratch yours" in order to help with most of these situations.

Reading these types of posts makes me glad I work in a hospital. Depending on the shift we have between 4 and 20 rph's working at any given time. Somebody calls out? We all just pitch in, it literally happens every week, obviously based on pure numbers it is much easier to work that i a hosptial because everybody chips in an extra 5% or somebody stays late, it is barely noticeable.

 

[Sunshine98*]

sadly its just the way it is....Ive even left my family in the hospital and still had to go to work. I have picked up shifts in other stores, but when its time for me? short end of the stick. Its ok if i work 7,8, 9 days in a row. But if I refuse, there's always some sort sticking it to me....having to deal with people right now who barely pick up any extra shifts...somehow there is always someone to pick up for their shifts though.

 

[RxPreceptor]

sadly its just the way it is....Ive even left my family in the hospital and still had to go to work. I have picked up shifts in other stores, but when its time for me? short end of the stick. Its ok if i work 7,8, 9 days in a row. But if I refuse, there's always some sort sticking it to me....having to deal with people right now who barely pick up any extra shifts...somehow there is always someone to pick up for their shifts though.

Yeah I’m sure there are plenty of us here who feel the same way. Punching bag pharmacists…sorry vocab words…”altruists”. Eh nothing wrong with more money though

 

[Sunshine98*]

Eh nothing wrong with more money though

Just put it in retirement to get closer while those who wouldnt pick up anything will still have to grind

 

[RXDOC1986]

Not a PIC, but Director of Pharmacy at a home infusion company. At the time father of two little boys, lots of ear infections and various minor illnesses. The only way to do it right, and commit to your kids is for a spouse to stay home. My wife had to temporarily suspend her career and be a stay at home mom. I would have no problem being a stay at home dad, it's just whoever makes more money. We lost a very good second income, but the boys were taken care of and never had to go to daycare. You have to make the sacrifice, or don't have kids, nobody says you have to have kids.

 

[mentos]

Not a PIC, but Director of Pharmacy at a home infusion company. At the time father of two little boys, lots of ear infections and various minor illnesses. The only way to do it right, and commit to your kids is for a spouse to stay home. My wife had to temporarily suspend her career and be a stay at home mom. I would have no problem being a stay at home dad, it's just whoever makes more money. We lost a very good second income, but the boys were taken care of and never had to go to daycare. You have to make the sacrifice, or don't have kids, nobody says you have to have kids.

Not many people can afford that these days. Not with student loans and a huge mortgage.

I just call out 🤷if you have the time then why not? Family comes first. They can't fire you for using your sick time. I've seen pharmacists without kids calling out cause they're hungover after a holiday weekend, the super bowl etc. Some use an entire sick day for a 1 hour doctor or dentist appointment. I don't see how taking care of a sick kid is any worse.

 

[Chrish]

sadly its just the way it is....Ive even left my family in the hospital and still had to go to work. I have picked up shifts in other stores, but when its time for me? short end of the stick. Its ok if i work 7,8, 9 days in a row. But if I refuse, there's always some sort sticking it to me....having to deal with people right now who barely pick up any extra shifts...somehow there is always someone to pick up for their shifts though.

If I were you I would tell your DM/ scheduler that they should remember how you have helped them out in the past at last minute and how favor hasn’t been returned and that you would remember it.

Should bring them back to reality.

 

[Chrish]

I was never really an extra shift guy but I were, I would only work when I want to and only at the stores I prefer. I am not gonna get pressured into working any shifts.

 

[vinapharm]

Not many people can afford that these days. Not with student loans and a huge mortgage.

I just call out 🤷if you have the time then why not? Family comes first. They can't fire you for using your sick time. I've seen pharmacists without kids calling out cause they're hungover after a holiday weekend, the super bowl etc. Some use an entire sick day for a 1 hour doctor or dentist appointment. I don't see how taking care of a sick kid is any worse.

True, they called out sick but in fact having a party.

 

[Sunshine98*]

If I were you I would tell your DM/ scheduler that they should remember how you have helped them out in the past at last minute and how favor hasn’t been returned and that you would remember it.

Should bring them back to reality.

If only. Its sad when you have helped out other stores and when its time to return the favor all one sees is tumbleweeds. The scheduler knows Ive picked up more than my share. And then some.

 

[lord999]

Someone has to do cheap labor. Whether it is a spouse, the grandparents, or a domestic, someone has to do it. My household uses a domestic, and it's exploitive labor, but so is the system on us. So it goes...

I do think pharmacy is a profession where you can actually pick work environments that are flexible to kids. You don't have to work chain or indie or a place where your absence is a problem. It's just not easy to do so, and you have to work at it.

Unlike @RXDOC1986 , I don't necessarily believe a spouse needs to do it (grandparents or siblings with kids do too), but I think he/she would agree with the sentiment that family is highly preferable to other situations because there's some love that money can't buy. There are a number of households where both parents work professional jobs where their siblings can cover for them for consideration.

Kids are a choice like other choices in life and finding that right balance is difficult. Also, checking boxes doesn't work with kids, growing up and going to a school where half the kids grew up with au pairs, I can tell you stories about the McCains and Keatings at my high school on what being raised by hired help works out to be.

 

[Chrish]

If only. Its sad when you have helped out other stores and when its time to return the favor all one sees is tumbleweeds. The scheduler knows Ive picked up more than my share. And then some.

Just don’t help them out unless you want to work those shifts..

 

[farmadiazepine]

My wife used to stay home. Now she works part time, only 2 days a week. The 2 days she works, I stay home.

If for whatever reason we both need to work, then my parents watch the kids, but it’s rare.

We realized nobody is going to take care of our kids and love them like we do, so instead of going to work to make money our time is better spent taking care of our kids. That’s why only one person works a day.

We also work opposite shifts. My wife works days. I work evenings. Even if we both worked on the same day, there is only a few hours of overlap in which my parents have to watch the kids.

I realized with kids, it’s easier to work opposite shifts. At the end of the day, we all sleep together and wake up together.

 

[sunnyandseventytwo]

Not many people can afford that these days. Not with student loans and a huge mortgage.

I just call out 🤷if you have the time then why not? Family comes first. They can't fire you for using your sick time. I've seen pharmacists without kids calling out cause they're hungover after a holiday weekend, the super bowl etc. Some use an entire sick day for a 1 hour doctor or dentist appointment. I don't see how taking care of a sick kid is any worse.

Can't do much about student loans once you've taken them out, but you can always move to a smaller/cheaper house. Expenses can be lowered elsewhere. Anyone who can't make a go on a single pharmacist's salary has never written/stuck to a budget. People make choices. I'm not saying two working parents is a bad choice. For my wife and I, her staying home until the kids started school was the best one. Now that they're in school it's a no brainer for her to stay home when they're sick.

Employment rules vary by state (and collective bargaining). Everywhere I've worked in the US, you can absolutely be fired for using sick days. In my current place of work, two sick calls in a month gets you a warning. Two sick calls in six months if they're before/after/during a weekend or holiday gets you a warning. It's a long journey from there to getting fired, but it is well within my employer's rights.

Nobody has yet mentioned FMLA. Once applied for (and approved), you get 12 protected weeks a year and they don't have to be consecutive days. It's pretty good insurance if you have a child with anything slightly chronic. As a manager, it becomes a nightmare once your employees learn FMLA exists...

 

[mentos]

Can't do much about student loans once you've taken them out, but you can always move to a smaller/cheaper house. Expenses can be lowered elsewhere. Anyone who can't make a go on a single pharmacist's salary has never written/stuck to a budget. People make choices. I'm not saying two working parents is a bad choice. For my wife and I, her staying home until the kids started school was the best one. Now that they're in school it's a no brainer for her to stay home when they're sick.

Employment rules vary by state (and collective bargaining). Everywhere I've worked in the US, you can absolutely be fired for using sick days. In my current place of work, two sick calls in a month gets you a warning. Two sick calls in six months if they're before/after/during a weekend or holiday gets you a warning. It's a long journey from there to getting fired, but it is well within my employer's rights.

Nobody has yet mentioned FMLA. Once applied for (and approved), you get 12 protected weeks a year and they don't have to be consecutive days. It's pretty good insurance if you have a child with anything slightly chronic. As a manager, it becomes a nightmare once your employees learn FMLA exists...

Some of us help out our parents too. I guess that is our choice to help them. Can't take care of kids and parents on one salary.

 

[sunnyandseventytwo]

Some of us help out our parents too. I guess that is our choice to help them. Can't take care of kids and parents on one salary.

When I was first starting out an old pharmacist said something to me like “You can make a lot of money as a pharmacist, but you will never be rich.” I had been living on almost nothing for so many years, And suddenly I’m making a hundred grand. I thought he was crazy.

The problem is, we quickly adjust to what we’re earning. It took me a long time not to spend everything I made. My solution was to work more OT or find hours at a second or third job. I deserved to buy extra things because I had made extra money.

There is always the option to spend less. If you don’t keep a monthly budget, you’re over spending. I know. I did it for years.

I’ve got kids, I live in a moderately expensive house (very expensive in much of the country) and we drive pretty crappy cars. We actually have 3 (the newest is a 2015) and all of them together are worth maybe $25k. Would I like a new Audi? Sure. Do I need one? Of course not.

Never have I heard so many pharmacists complain about how poor they are as I’ve seen on this forum. The techs at my work cap out at less than $22 an hour. I’d be embarrassed to tell them I couldn’t make it on more than twice what their families earn.

 

[mentos]

When I was first starting out an old pharmacist said something to me like “You can make a lot of money as a pharmacist, but you will never be rich.” I had been living on almost nothing for so many years, And suddenly I’m making a hundred grand. I thought he was crazy.

The problem is, we quickly adjust to what we’re earning. It took me a long time not to spend everything I made. My solution was to work more OT or find hours at a second or third job. I deserved to buy extra things because I had made extra money.

There is always the option to spend less. If you don’t keep a monthly budget, you’re over spending. I know. I did it for years.

I’ve got kids, I live in a moderately expensive house (very expensive in much of the country) and we drive pretty crappy cars. We actually have 3 (the newest is a 2015) and all of them together are worth maybe $25k. Would I like a new Audi? Sure. Do I need one? Of course not.

Never have I heard so many pharmacists complain about how poor they are as I’ve seen on this forum. The techs at my work cap out at less than $22 an hour. I’d be embarrassed to tell them I couldn’t make it on more than twice what their families earn.

That's easy to say when your parents are financially independent.

 

[owlegrad]

When I was first starting out an old pharmacist said something to me like “You can make a lot of money as a pharmacist, but you will never be rich.” I had been living on almost nothing for so many years, And suddenly I’m making a hundred grand. I thought he was crazy.

The problem is, we quickly adjust to what we’re earning. It took me a long time not to spend everything I made. My solution was to work more OT or find hours at a second or third job. I deserved to buy extra things because I had made extra money.

There is always the option to spend less. If you don’t keep a monthly budget, you’re over spending. I know. I did it for years.

I’ve got kids, I live in a moderately expensive house (very expensive in much of the country) and we drive pretty crappy cars. We actually have 3 (the newest is a 2015) and all of them together are worth maybe $25k. Would I like a new Audi? Sure. Do I need one? Of course not.

Never have I heard so many pharmacists complain about how poor they are as I’ve seen on this forum. The techs at my work cap out at less than $22 an hour. I’d be embarrassed to tell them I couldn’t make it on more than twice what their families earn.

Strongly agree.

 

[sunnyandseventytwo]

That's easy to say when your parents are financially independent.

Just between you and me: Whatcha driving? Better or worse than a Camry? Is it still under a manufacturer’s warranty?

 

[mentos]

Just between you and me: Whatcha driving? Better or worse than a Camry? Is it still under a manufacturer’s warranty?

12 year old Accord with 190k miles. Still going strong.

 

[sunnyandseventytwo]

12 year old Accord with 190k miles. Still going strong.

Nice. I'm declaring that slightly better than a Camry, but you get an age/mileage bonus. There's a spot in heaven for people who take care of their elderly parents.