Student Pharmacy Technicians

[Pianopooh]

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Recently I've been trying to seek a pharmacy tech position in NYC. It's been very difficult to find a retail pharmacy willing to hire me. 🙁 It's become so disheartening, that I stay up, yes at 4:22AM, sulking away and not understanding why! I do realize there are a lot more certification programs in the city geared towards pharm tech and perhaps ratio wise, there are more people with certification in the city than there are positions available. However, it is hard to believe that the ratio is so large that none of the retail pharmacies that I went to would hire me. I am a third year student, and when I'm at school upstate, all of my classmates speak of working in a pharmacy as a tech way before they were even a pharmacy student. Of course, they also lived in small towns compared to the city. Nevertheless, has anyone encountered such an ordeal as I am going through?

 

[sleazye]

yeah it's almost impossible to find a tech job where I live and just as hard to find somewhere that will let you volunteer. I went to all the chains, independents and hospitals in my city and only one hospital would let me shadow for 2 hrs, not even volunteer. How am I supposed to get experience?

 

[ZpackSux]

Offer to work the hours no one wants to work. You're not in a position to pick and choose. I worked every weekend, 16 hours a week for 3 and 1/2 years while in school and more during summers.

 

[Gearhead-Rx]

I can relate to your situation. Before getting into pharm school, I lived in a small town with only a few stores and even fewer hospitals. For 2years I tried getting a pharm tech job without much success.

Here in Mpls, there are many positions open. Infact there are stores always sending emails looking for people to hire.

Have you tried applying in hospitals or are you strictly looking for retail positions?

Also express your concerns to a prof or preceptor and they might be of great help. all the best.

 

[sleazye]

It's impossible to even just volunteer regularly at hospitals around here. I shadowed a pharmacist at a local hospital recently and the pharmacy director told me that maybe they would let me volunteer a little in the summer as they don't usually do that during the year. I guess that prospect is better than nothing though.

 

[Pianopooh]

Sleazye: I know what you mean when you express difficulty to gain experience. I have sent out my resume and expressed interest by going to the hospital and emailing their volunteer departments, but they were unsure whether if they were able to accept me. I'm glad you were able to shadow a pharmacist for a few hours! It just really sucks that pharmacy students aren't thought of as much, but then once we graduate everyone wants to hire you.

Zpack: I actually did offer to work for the whole day on weekends, and over 6 hours per day on each Monday, Thursday and Friday to five different retail pharmacies. Only CVS responded, in which they processed my application but I've been waiting for three months for them to send me to meet the trainer, and right now I'm stuck in limbo. Yes, I have contacted the supervising pharmacist about it too and the last time I spoke to him was last week. And I wait again. 🙁

Gearhead: Thank you for your advice on asking my professors, but most of them are only able to generate contacts within the area of my school in Albany, but my hometown is not there (it's a 2+ hour travel, this semester I am at home). I have tried retail positions because they do not require previous experience as hospitals do. The hospitals in my city all require at least 1 year prior experience (back to what Sleazye said, how can I have a year of experience if I cannot even volunteer or participate?). This probably means only after my rotations can I be truly examined as a possible candidate for pharmacy related jobs.