retail vs. hospital...tech wise

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JphaRma

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hello!!

i am a 2nd year pre-pharm student (obtaining my BS in chemistry) that has been working in a retail setting for about 7 months now. i have my tech license. thats alittle about me.... anyway. i recently noticed in the paper that a local hospital has an opening for an experienced tech.

so my question on the board here is, what are some of the differences between the two... tech wise. pro and cons and such. i mean i researched online. but i think hearing it from actual tech would be really benificial. i honestly was looking to leave the pharmacy that i'm in. were very slow, only doing 100-200 scripts a day. which normally you would think would be great, but its not.

not to rant on here, kinda do just to vent lol. but most of the time i just get pushed around to clean and wipe everything. and i mean everything inside cabinets under every bottle, while(no offense to any pharmd students on here) the pharmd students, who have been working with the company before they were accepted into school and are not EVEN doing their rotation in the store JUST teching, sit on there a$$ with the pharmacist and play solitare and read magizines and surf the net.

i am a grown man. im 23 years old. if i tried to read a mag or EVEN go on to etrade to check on my stocks, i get reamed that im need to clean someting and that im breaking company policy. sorry for that rant but thats why i want to leave. it felt damn good too lol. its just that i work with alot of people with stick in ther bum bums.

getting back to the REAL reason for this post here. lol. what are the diff. tech wise in retail and hospital pharmacy? any stories too? thanks any posts hear will be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!

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Hello JphaRma,
I've been in your boat! I worked a year in retail, then I worked in a hospital for 3 years, and now I'm working part-time in both hospital and retail. Here is what I have seen:

Retail Tech- you learn a lot about insurance companies, dealing with customers, and are exposed to all the new drugs (mostly non-IV) that hit the market. I decided to re-expose myself to retail after 3 years in the hospital b/c I was wondering about the new drugs that have come out.

Hospital Tech- you learn a larger variety of jobs (more complex compounding, making IVs, chemo, pediatrics, psych, OR, ICU, etc). You are exposed to somewhat less PO drugs than retail b/c the hospital has its own drug formulary, but you see all the IV, IM, SubQ drugs and large volume fluids that retail does not have. You can easily have a different job to perform every day of the week for 2 weeks. You are allowed to handle narcotics and it seems to me that you are trusted more. Your customers are mostly nurses & doctors. Hospital tends to pay techs more than retail.

I really like the retail store I work at now, the people are so great and I see all of the new drugs- but I think I'll stick to hospital. I feel like I have learned so much more there and I really like the variety.

Good luck in your decision. :luck:
 
JphaRma said:
hello!!

i am a 2nd year pre-pharm student (obtaining my BS in chemistry) that has been working in a retail setting for about 7 months now. i have my tech license. thats alittle about me.... anyway. i recently noticed in the paper that a local hospital has an opening for an experienced tech.

so my question on the board here is, what are some of the differences between the two... tech wise. pro and cons and such. i mean i researched online. but i think hearing it from actual tech would be really benificial. i honestly was looking to leave the pharmacy that i'm in. were very slow, only doing 100-200 scripts a day. which normally you would think would be great, but its not.

not to rant on here, kinda do just to vent lol. but most of the time i just get pushed around to clean and wipe everything. and i mean everything inside cabinets under every bottle, while(no offense to any pharmd students on here) the pharmd students, who have been working with the company before they were accepted into school and are not EVEN doing their rotation in the store JUST teching, sit on there a$$ with the pharmacist and play solitare and read magizines and surf the net.

i am a grown man. im 23 years old. if i tried to read a mag or EVEN go on to etrade to check on my stocks, i get reamed that im need to clean someting and that im breaking company policy. sorry for that rant but thats why i want to leave. it felt damn good too lol. its just that i work with alot of people with stick in ther bum bums.

getting back to the REAL reason for this post here. lol. what are the diff. tech wise in retail and hospital pharmacy? any stories too? thanks any posts hear will be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!

i worked as a clerk in retail for almost 2 yrs. pro: 1. learn new drugs and just drugs in general.

con: deal with irate customers, insurance, it's like working at a sweatshop or a fast food place during lunch hours....

im gonna switch to hospital when i get a chance....
 
thank you miss sushi for your answer!! it's nice too know that hospital pharmacy can offer so much variety. i'm young so really thats what i'm looking for now.

i put in my app. to the hospital i'm hoping to hear back from them.
 
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