Target pharm for new grads pros and cons?

[icekitsune]

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Hi guys,
What do you think of Target? I mean i heard the system changed maybe fairly recently. What do you think interms of vol and issues, especially anything that you think a new grad would be concerned about. Do you think its a good company to work for?

 

[Buttermellow]

I'm actually a medical student that worked as a pharm tech at Target, so I'll give you some input since nobody else has. For a retail environment, the pharmacists said it wasn't bad. We had 1 new graduate pharmacist, and she seemed to really like Target compared to stores she had worked at as a student (Walgreens). Our store filled about 200-300 per day. Other stores in the area were not as busy, and the pharmacists complained of being bored. There was the typical amount of corporate bull****, but that's to be expected in retail. The one downside is the technology. The computer system is AWFUL. It's DOS-based, and Target refuses to upgrade to a better system. So much delay in filling scripts just because of computer errors. I bet patient satisfaction would've increased 5-fold if our system was updated!

 

[nscoope]

I'm actually a medical student that worked as a pharm tech at Target, so I'll give you some input since nobody else has. For a retail environment, the pharmacists said it wasn't bad. We had 1 new graduate pharmacist, and she seemed to really like Target compared to stores she had worked at as a student (Walgreens). Our store filled about 200-300 per day. Other stores in the area were not as busy, and the pharmacists complained of being bored. There was the typical amount of corporate bull****, but that's to be expected in retail. The one downside is the technology. The computer system is AWFUL. It's DOS-based, and Target refuses to upgrade to a better system. So much delay in filling scripts just because of computer errors. I bet patient satisfaction would've increased 5-fold if our system was updated!

Agreed. I work as a tech at Target and the computer system is really the only downfall when it comes to Target pharmacy. Scripts could be filled much more efficiently with updated software. Other than that though, I really enjoy it there. We don't have an overwhelming workload and most of the people we deal with are very nice.

 

[Temperature101]

I'm actually a medical student that worked as a pharm tech at Target, so I'll give you some input since nobody else has. For a retail environment, the pharmacists said it wasn't bad. We had 1 new graduate pharmacist, and she seemed to really like Target compared to stores she had worked at as a student (Walgreens). Our store filled about 200-300 per day. Other stores in the area were not as busy, and the pharmacists complained of being bored. There was the typical amount of corporate bull****, but that's to be expected in retail. The one downside is the technology. The computer system is AWFUL. It's DOS-based, and Target refuses to upgrade to a better system. So much delay in filling scripts just because of computer errors. I bet patient satisfaction would've increased 5-fold if our system was updated!

What is the starting salary, if you know?

 

[knight on horse]

hmmmm

Lol DOS based. Though I'm sure I could learn it right quick.

Sounds pleasant enough. Target's store can carry the pharmacy, but to hedge for the future, really need to be able to expand the customer base and streamline the processes

 

[rph3664]

I did some relief work for them about 10 years ago, and their system was outdated even then. I'm guessing they haven't changed it in the meantime?

😕

 

[boriqua]

I interned at target for about a half a year. My take on it is:

starting salary: 100k ish
good tech to pharmacist ratio. I think there were like 3 techs + me as an intern. this might depend on how much traffic the specific target has though
250 scripts a day
30 minute lunch break at 1:30 when the pharmacy just shuts down
more patient customers(it's a lot easier to wait an hour with all the shopping in target than an hour at cvs)
colors system(they color code all bottles dispensed for specific patients)

overall: seems like a nice place to work. but who knows if they'll hire anybody that hasn't been there from the ground up. from what I hear, their typical hires go from
inventory boy in HS, promoted to pharm tech, promoted to pharm intern, promoted to floater pharmacist, than finally promoted to full time

 

[Travex]

their typical hires go from
inventory boy in HS, promoted to pharm tech, promoted to pharm intern, promoted to floater pharmacist, than finally promoted to full time

I highly doubt that their "typical" pharmacist started out as a front store worker in high school... Intern to pharmacist, sure. There is absolutely no way that more than, say, 5% of their pharmacists worked for them starting in high school.

 

[boriqua]

I highly doubt that their "typical" pharmacist started out as a front store worker in high school... Intern to pharmacist, sure. There is absolutely no way that more than, say, 5% of their pharmacists worked for them starting in high school.

lol ok so maybe I exaggerated the high school part. but you get my gist. they wanna hire lifers. that's pretty much the reason I got out after a half a year. they stopped hiring interns and 4th year and beyond students period and only picked up 1st year techs to farm into their puppets. I could tell there was no light at the end of the tunnel. also I want to add that 2 of the 3 techs I was working with were pretty much directly cherry picked from the "front store worker" pool. whether or not they became pharmacists, I have no clue. but you can kind of see their hiring system in action. Try applying for a tech position in target and see if you get hired.