The real Pharmacy tech Pay wage!!

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From whats been posted, salaries drastically vary by region. Anyone have tech experience in Charlotte, NC? I am moving there in a month and I'm curious as to what wages one can get with a cpht, but no pharm experience. Currently making 12/hr in a CS position in NYC, but would like to get some time in a retail/hospital setting, before applying to Pharm school and without taking a pay cut :oops:
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Tell me about it. I live in N.C, and I've been working at Eckerd now for a year and a half, and I'm making $8.25 an hour. And I'm a certified tech. When I first started (no experience, no certification), they gave me $7.50 an hour, then a year later, they gave me a lousy 25 cent raise. And then I got certified in March, just 3 months ago, and they gave me a 50 cent raise. I am currently job hunting now for a new job that pays me what I deserve. Don't work at Eckerd (which by the way is switching to Rite-Aid). I'm really looking into hospital pharmacies 'cos they pay a heck of a lot, and I heard Target and Harris Teeter are great to work at for pharmacy techs, and they pay a lot too. If anyone has any input, I'd greatly appreciate it.
 
Randomwerks said:
Are you still in college or have you graduated? And how long did you study/ where did you get study materials before you took the exam?
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I studied for 3 days before taking the exam and passed it. But when I was looking for a job, people were looking me funny because I was asking to be hired as a pharm tech but never worked as one before. After 3 hrs of interviewing (yes, 3 hrs!!!) at this one pharmacy, I was offered $7.00/hr. Couple other people were working there for free as part of their 8-month training program. Is $7.00/hr what an unexperineced certified pharm tech with 3 yrs of college backround in life sciences should expect in Texas??! Anybody from Texas has a similar story?
 
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I don't know about Texas, but I started out (and still am at) $7.00/hr. I was told that this is the wage most people start out at... but compared to friends that work as techs, I am making significantly less... Oh well...
 
I just got hired in the chicago area a few weeks ago at walgreens and started at 10/hr with no certification or experience but right after training I got bumped to the pharm student/intern rate (i am going to be a p1 in the fall) which is 14/hr and an extra 1.5/hr every year so if I stay for all four years I should end at 18.50/hr
 
10.25 in georgia at target. But don't sweat the pay (if possible, don't know your situation), the experience will go a long way towards getting you into Pharmacy school. Think of it as an investment in your future.
 
RxMadness said:
From whats been posted, salaries drastically vary by region. Anyone have tech experience in Charlotte, NC? I am moving there in a month and I'm curious as to what wages one can get with a cpht, but no pharm experience. Currently making 12/hr in a CS position in NYC, but would like to get some time in a retail/hospital setting, before applying to Pharm school and without taking a pay cut :oops:
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My sister lives in Winston-Salem, NC and just started with Walgreens (no experience) at 10.50 I think. She gets a $1 more after getting cert.
 
I get 16 working as a technician at an in-patient hosp pharmacy. :) I think the pay is higher because I'm in a hospital.. My friends who work at retail pharmacies make little over minimum wage. :eek:
 
Anyone live in Raleigh, North Carolina? Does anybody know how much Super Target pays CpHT's with experience?. I applied there yesterday in the store, and I just wanted to get an idea how much techs get paid. Thanks a lot!
 
I started at Osco making $9.10/hour. That's right off the bat, no training, no certification or anything. They did all the training there at work and the company offers a class that all new techs have to take. I was recently going to get certified, but also just got accepted to pharm. school, so I will be getting Student pay now, which is above $14 I think. So I said *screw* becoming certified :) :) :)
 
I was making $15 an hour at an osco in arizona. I've been working at cvs in brooklyn,nyc for a year now and up to a $9.36 an hour. There's no difference in pay for me (a cpht) and a person walking in off the street with no experience. Someone help. :(
 
rxtek said:
I started off making $9/hr retail. Now I work in a clinic as a Pharmacy Billing Technician and make $17.77/hr. with lots of overtime. They were still doing paper claims :eek: when I started about a year and a half ago. I will be moving to Arizona in a couple of months. Does anyone know what Tech wages are like in the Phoenix area? My wife was accepted to Midwestern CPG and I need to find a job.
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When I lived in the phoenix area, working for osco was great, but i'm pretty sure cvs completely took them over. There are a couple of mail order pharmacies in Tempe that opened up a year or so ago. They are always hiring and pay better than retail.
 
Express Scripts is located in Tempe, they do mail order and start certified AZ-licensed techs at $14/hr to do order entry. Its a pretty long drive from Midwestern though, especially with $3/gal gas. Hospital tech wages vary greatly depending on the parent company of the hospital and your tech experience in a hospital, but usually span $12-18/hr.
 
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drugdoc said:
I get $17/hour at an inpatient hospital pharmacy in the midwest.
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$16/hr hospital Pharmacy in California. However I think all hospital positions pay more.

also, if you are trained to do IV's its an instant $2 raise (which i'm practicing right now.)
 
Hah. I am so fed up with my poor pay. I just walked over to a new walgreens that just opened up down the block and applied. I took the stupid 9 dollars an hour with cvs (even though I had 5 yrs certified experience) because they said they would give me a good raise blabla bla... that turned out to be a 4% increase. I'm infuriated with them. I've just now been going to independents, hospitals, everywhere , I just have to get out of there!
Anybody live in Brooklyn and work for Walgreens? What are they like?
ughhh. I can't wait till im a stay at home mom. :p
 
it's interesting that hospital techs make more than retail techs while retail pharmacists generally make more than hospital pharmacists... I'm curious why

I make 14/hr at CVS as an intern, I don't think techs make near as much (maybe 8-9 starting)
 
Just got a job at a hospital in Wisconsin for 16.20 an hour when i work evenings or weekends and 15.20 for other shifts. It was the first and only job I applied for, just saw a listing on their website, and I have no experience or certification, in fact i don't even know what a hospital pharmacy does. Should be an interesting first couple of weeks.

I got my friend to apply as well, he went apesh*t when I told him i would be getting over $16 with no experience and he was working away at the local walmart for $9 an hour, and he has 2 years experience.
 
I currently work at an independent pharmacy located in southern michigan, where i make $9.00/hr. I have been wanting to go somewhere where i can make more. Would anyone have any recomendations? I was really wanting to go to Target or somewhere similar, i'm not really interested in Walgreens or any other chain pharmacy like that. There are a few more independent pharmacies around here, i just don't want to be put through the same stuff that i am going through right now for a small wage. any ideas?
 
I started at what used to be "Sav-on" (now CVS) with absolutely no interest in pharmacy far more pharmacy experience at $8.00. I quit after two months though because I had no interest in pharmacy :p That was 2 years ago.

Anyway, I'm studying to take the tech test in Nov. Chain pharmacy's aren't too bad, they could actually be perfect for some, just try to get one that doesn't have a drive-thru.
 
AnPharmD said:
I'm currently a tech at Rite aid and get $13/hr in CA. Anyone out there a Rite Aid tech? I've just started with Rite aid and would love any information on how to survive and do well as a tech at Rite aid. Any comment would be greatly appreciated.
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I currently work with rite aid; been with them for over a year and a half. I hate them; I'm looking for another job so I can quit and leave their a$$
 
SoylentGreen said:
If you just want to pass the PTCE, just get a book and study it. The test isn't very hard. I passed it this way with no classes and was promptly hired, despite the fact that I have no pharmacy experience.
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when you were interviewed did you go in and say "i have my license but i dont have experience"? what did they say after knowing that? what is a good way to respond? is the license really that heavily regarded? i am in the similar situation cuz i passed the exam by studying on my own and have very little clerical experience at a pharmacy during hospital volunteering

thank you =)
 
crocadilen said:
I think I will apply at target first since they pay $13.00 an hour. I am planning on going to HCC for the four years of pre- med which then I will go to one of those pharmacy schools in Houston. Are you saying I need in addition to the four years at HCC that I need to attend one year at UH before med school? And thank you for the target information that is going to help me afford my rent. lol
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Sorry it's been so long! So, was I close to the rate target really pays? What I meant by 1 year at UH, is that they recommend you take at least 1 semester/year at UH before you apply into their pharmacy program. Which means, your last year of undergraduate study should probably be taken at UH. Another note: UH only has 2 years of prerequisite coursework. Unless of course you want to get you degree first. Here's the link http://www.uh.edu/pharmacy/admissions/prepharmcourses.htm
 
hey, i work at a Rite-Aid pharmacy in oregon. I make $10 and hour and will get a raise after their training bull****. the minimum wage in oregon is $7.80. I am Certified, but in oregon, all you need to do is send 35 dollars to the board of pharmacy and theyll send you a license. i have heard of costcos here starting out at 12. however, rite aid has a very user friendly computer system. and for those thinking about taking the national exam, try going to a program at a community college. i went to one at mine and it was like 2,500 and 3 nights a week for a few months.(the ptcb is really easy). however. whatever you get paid will vary greatly on where you are located.
 
KellyBean said:
I worked in the pharmacy for 3 years (currently not) and I never took the PTCB. I guess I should have. But I don't think I would need to now since I'll be getting my intern license. I heard some schools require that you get your tech license before the intern license, is that true?
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i've never heard of that before. usually pharm experience prior to pharm school is recommended, not mandatory, so it doesnt make sense for them to waste your time to get a tech license first.

so now i'll add to the rest of this thread. i work at Longs pharmacy and they are paying me $9/hr as a clerk, no experience. after i become certified as tech, i'll apply for the tech position and we'll see how much they'll pay me then.
 
I was hired at Walgreens and am making $9.25. I have no experience, and will be trained at the store...then I will take a 6 week class to become a certified tech. Once I can do that, and can become a senior tech I can make up to $12 an hour.
I am so excited about a new career!
 
I'm just an ancillary, but I make $10.50. I've worked for the company for 7 years though, with 2 years being in the pharmacy.

The techs around my area start at $12.00 and techs with a ton of years under their belt get up to $18.00.
 
k0ni said:
I get 16 working as a technician at an in-patient hosp pharmacy. :) I think the pay is higher because I'm in a hospital.. My friends who work at retail pharmacies make little over minimum wage. :eek:
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yea I think hospital pharmacies make a lot more. I'm getting like 17/hour right now working in an outpatient pharmacy tech in California. But back then when I was working at a retail place i was making like 6 dollars an hour after taxes and union fees :mad:
 
i just got hired from walgreens, at a starting rate of $9.75. (NM)
I have been looking for a pharm tech job and finally got it.
I called the store, got an interview three days later and got the job right after the interview.
 
Walgreens in FL just gave us all a good-size raise - reaction to the state raising the minimum wage.

Certified techs went from 10.00/hr to 11.75/hr which is nice considering I just increased the hours i'm working AND they still have to pay out my vacation [5 days worth for working 1 year at very part-time hours].

Non-certified techs also got a raise from 9.00 to 10.xx, not sure the exact amount. You get hired by starting the application process on Walgreens.com [careers] and then when the website says go to a store to continue the process, that's what you do, on the store's computer. At the end of that it says ask to talk to a manager, that's what you do.

If you can type 25+ wpm without a lot of mistakes they should offer you a job very very quickly.
 
I've worked at walgreen's and started off at $8.00 ...........Just got hired at Express Script's they start off at 9.00 ........Way easier then walgreen's all do is scan medication's and put them in bag's and that's it.........no typing ,compounding,calulation's, are dealing with the patient's.............plus it's easier to study ........my homework...........and this is in STL.....plus the opp. to advance:).........Is anybody form the lou on here....
 
I work at cvs and I got hired 4.5 years ago strait out of highschool it was my part time job for college and ive gone from 5.45 to 9.55 and they paid for me to take my PTCB test.
After the 2nd year working there I changed my major to pharmacy I took a semester off and worked and that made me love it even more.
But CVS pays on the low side from what everyone is saying.
 
Randomwerks said:
Without getting into Pharmacy school, the financial aid stuff is a moot point. If it helps with admissions, ill definitely do it. Do you know how much it helps or how significant it is compared to being a clerk?
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Personally I think that the pharmacy tech schools are a waste of time and money and I know a bunch of pharmacists I work with that do too. I work at Walgreens and yes at times I hate the retail pharmacy setting, but I always am able to take my 30 minute lunch (I don't feel any need to take a 15 minute break, plus I think we are too busy for that). But anyways I started off at $9/hour in Missouri, and Walgreens is currently paying me to spend 3 hours a week in CPhT classes at our district office, and paying me for 0.43/mile, they are paying for me to take the PTCE which is like $130, and I'm gaining actual experience by actually working in all of the workstations and getting paid for it.
I know with some of the techs that actually paid to go to pharmacy tech schools, they finally get hired and it seems like they don't know their head from their ***, because the rotations at the school only allowed them to fill, not answer phones, ring people out, enter prescriptions into the computer etc. Plus one of the ones that we got didn't even know how to fill, like she was filling metoprolol 50 with metoprolol 25, and we'd ask her if she scanned the bottle and she would say "yes..." We were all just like "no.. no you didn't"

I mean really why waste the money and extra time when you can get everything paid for you and even get paid in the process?
 
I'm gonna take the PTCB test, allow CVS to pay for it, then I'm gonna quit from CVS and go to another company and ask them for $15+/hour.

With gas prices going up and probably reaching $4/gallon this year, I'm pretty sure that my parents are going expect me to pay 50% for gasoline costs.

Agreement for me getting a car was, I pay the monthly payments and the maintenance, they pay gasoline and insurance, provided that I am the chauffeur for my grandparents 2-3 days out of the week.
 
Does anyone know of any pharmacies in the Chicago northwest suburbs that are hiring?
 
I just started to work in an independent pharm. as a clerk. I get paid at $10/hr (northern california) , which I am very happy with, since I initially only want to volunteer there to gain some pharm. experience. I am planning to take pharm. tech exam just to make my application stronger and make the boss happier. He is so nice.
 
Quick question: I've been working as a pharmacy clerk for a almost a year (11 months so far). I will graduate this June with my BS degree. Would it be reasonable to ask for a pay raise after I receive my degree? Right now I'm making $9/hr.
 
At Walgreen's, I started at $11.75 an hour. I'm now at $14.50 + bonus and am now a senior technician. With the bonus, it works out to roughly 16 an hour, but that's mainly due to being at one of the busiest stores in the district.

It helps to get certified, obviously, before you start applying, that's what I did and I was hired at the first job I applied to. And, if you can grab a good score on the PCAT, technician licensing is a cakewalk.
 
I work at Walgreens Pharmacy and make 15.75 an hour....hey thas enough for only taking the PTCB test.....some people when to pharmacy technician school and paid like $8000.
 
How do you guys get your retail pharmacies to pay you so much? I started out at $7.15 (minimum) at Rite-Aid, then got a $.50 for moving to a new, higher traffic store. Of course I wasn't certified then, but event the head tech there made less than $10.00. Rite-Aid's a craphole though, granted everyone there was amazing to me while I was there.
I just got a job at an inpatient hospital pharmacy starting at $14.90 so I'm not complaining about doubling my wage :D
 
incognito12 said:
How do you guys get your retail pharmacies to pay you so much? I started out at $7.15 (minimum) at Rite-Aid, then got a $.50 for moving to a new, higher traffic store. Of course I wasn't certified then, but event the head tech there made less than $10.00. Rite-Aid's a craphole though, granted everyone there was amazing to me while I was there.
I just got a job at an inpatient hospital pharmacy starting at $14.90 so I'm not complaining about doubling my wage :D
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You have to always ask for more than what you are looking for. I used to work for Radioshack before working for CVS so I told the trainer that I made such and such at Radioshack due to commission and that I would need this much now, etc, etc.
 
On the PTCB they don't ask too many law questions. There are about 20 questions they don't even grade. I wouldn't worry to much about it if you know your medications and your calculations. I worked in a pharmacy for about 4 years before i took the test. I didn't study a minute for that test and passed with flying colors. Study: common medication classes, conversions, some dilution problems, grain to milligram conversions, sigs. Laws vary from state to state so theres nothing too difficult.
 
And since we are taking about pharm tech wages and stuff.... I work for Target and i've been really happy with the company. I was already a licensed Tech and they said they would pay for me to become certified, and when i did they would give me another dollar an hour, not bad huh? They will pay for the test, the mileage and any parking fees. They give you raises based on performance and i've consistantly gotten raises every year (about .85 cents more per hour). Another bonus is they are pretty lax on the dresscode, no smocks, red shirt, don't even have to wear khaki. ;)
 
chate said:
I just got a job at CVS, no experience fresh license. They have some company policy that makes it so regardless of if you are cpht, you start at clerk till you complete their in-house training ish. My pharmacist is awesome and made the store manager start me at $12.50. Because the techs are paid through the store's budget unlike interns and pharmacists, its up to the store manager, most of the time these guys are looking for their bonus at the end of the year and like to jip young people. But ultimately, if you're doing it for the money lol its NOT worth it (till you're a pharmD hehe).

PS: I got my tech cert by studying on my own and taking the exam, if youve got enough college experience to be ready to apply to pharmD right now, you are probably fit to take the exam after studying on your own w/o taking the classes etc.
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hmmm...what state are you in? i worked at CVS (in IL) as a tech for about 2 years and when I left I was earning 11 bucks/hour...and the pharmacist was a good friend of mine, but there was nothing more that she could do...the store manager was cool too...must be ur area
 
Wow...most of y'all get paid way better than me and I've been a tech for about 5 years now. It must be the area. I started back in high school @ $7/hr and now make $11.50/hr...but that's very high in my area (atlanta) for retail pharm.
Def. get your CPhT license, but don't pay for classes it pretty easy. If you work retail you prob need to read up on IV mixture and if you work hospital you prob need to read up on insurance law. Find out if your employer will pay for the test...mine did.
 
I work at a pharmaceutical company in central Texas and certified techs start at $14/hr. Also, we've been getting $1000+ bonuses for the past couple years...

Anyone need a job?? :p
 
Started at Savon, in SoCal, two years ago at $10.50 as a clerk, took the PTCB on my own and now make about $12-13, not exactly sure.

Seriously, my whole reason for being there has always been the experience for my application to Pharmacy school, as well as making sure that this is 'what I want to be when I grow up.' The money has always been a non-concern for me (it's nice and I'm not about to give it back, but it really isn't my motivation for being there). So, keep your eyes on the goal, that's where your focus needs to be, not the petty details along the way.

As far as certification as a tech, anything that will show the schools that you are serious about being in the industry is a plus, so, YES, get certified.
P-)
 
I make $17 an hour in SoCal at Target. I have 6.5 years experience though, and I train new pharmacists (part of the resource team). I hear they cap out at $18.25, by cap out i mean its harder to get raises but, its possible. Kaiser pays well, but you need 3 years experience. Theres techs there that make 35dollars an hour but they have been there a long time. Another company that pays good is Costco.
 
Hi everybody,

May I ask, how much does a starting Certified Pharm Tech earn hourly at (a) CVS and (b) Walgreens ??? Well, is there any web site proving this data ?
Do hospitals hire experienced techs only ?
 
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