unpaid mandatory training?

[vardenafil]

just looking for your opinions here. Ill try to make this short and to the point. I currently work for Kroger. have done so for the last 3 years. Today we got two emails at work. the first one stating that we can get fired for working off the clock or forcing employees to work off the clock. we had to sign an acknowledgment to this effect. the second email that came later in the day stated that each pharmacist must become immunization certified by September or loose their job. our DPM wants to do "daily" shot clinics. everyday no ifs ands or buts. we were given the choice of two dates for this mandatory training session. since i live in a rural area the nearest training location offered is a 3 hour drive away. The DPM stated they will not pay us for our time or mileage for this training as per her words it is a requirement for keeping our jobs. aka mandatory training session. I do not want to do flu shots... never have. Now I will be forced to do daily clinics. it doesnt appeal to me to have to drive 3 hours to sit in training for 10 hours all while not getting reimbursed for my mileage, hotel, time, etc... What do you guys think about this? Am I being a baby? I think its weird they make us sign a contract stating that we will not work off the clock for any reason. and then the same day they want me to give up 10 hours on a weekend of class room time and 6 hours of drive time without reimbursement. P.S. is there any religions that i can claim that do not believe in giving or receiving flu shots? j/k

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[BMBiology]

Are they paying for your certification?

 

[vardenafil]

Yes I would assume so. Im sure its some in house kind of deal.

 

[npage148]

At my company, training which results in free CE is unpaid while training w/o CE (ie company policy) is paid

 

[type b pharmD]

look at it this way.

you are paying a minimal amount for a transferable skill that will make you a better worker (and more able to get (better) additional future jobs)

You're getting a free job skill upgrade.

 

[VCU2011]

look at it this way.

you are paying a minimal amount for a transferable skill that will make you a better worker (and more able to get (better) additional future jobs)

You're getting a free job skill upgrade.

That's a horrible way to look at it...if its mandatory they should pay

 

[type b pharmD]

That's a horrible way to look at it...if its mandatory they should pay

this reminds me of a story i heard a few months ago


guy i know, was hired by walgreens to manage the opening of a new store. 60hr weeks for a while, managing the startup, getting everything setup and in line, and was responsible for increasing sales, etc. $5,000 bonus after a year of this. He thought he was getting shafted at the time... but later he ended up playing the experience up in an interview/resume and is now decently high up in a corporate position (at the company i work for), partially due to impressing people with his abilities in management. He didnt get paid anything by walgreens for his effort.. but afterward, it paid off, he's now making probably ~140k and 6 weeks vacation for an 8-5 weekday shift, and sitting down in a large office all day, and company comped luxury car etc.. Small sacrifice for a big gain. You dont always get the pay off right away.

Having stuff on your resume sometimes is worth more than what they could or would pay you.

In this case, the OP is going to have a transferable skill that is in high demand. +1 in my book.

 

[owlegrad]

That's a horrible way to look at it...if its mandatory they should pay

They should pay you to learn a professional skill that advances your ability/scope of practise? Seems to me that getting a free professional upgrade is not such a bad deal. After all they could require you get this this training on your own, could they not? Bare in mind that as a student I am used to paying for the "privilege" of being bored in a classroom all day, most days. I can see how if I were used to getting paid for my time I would think that in addition to the free class/upgrade I should also be paid to attend. Also I definitely think you should be paid for the miles. Don't most companies have a drive x amount of miles get paid for any miles over x? Also, does this class count for CE credit?

 

[Style]

Yes I would assume so. Im sure its some in house kind of deal.

I will be starting with Kroger soon as a grad intern and will be paid hourly. They are paying for the immunization class as well as time spent taking the class. They are not paying for my travel although I don't live 3 hours away but a hour away.

Kroger is big on immunizations. I believe they want all pharmacists to become certified eventually. I don't believe there will necessarily be set times for the day or week to give immunizations, but ideally it would be nice to have them mostly completed during pharmacist overlap hours.

Hope this helps.

 

[vardenafil]

i dunno maybe im still bitter about the fact that im being forced to give shots. I never had the desire to do this. but now i have no choice. hell i look at it this way... I feel like i dont have the proper help or time to properly and safely fill prescriptions as is and now they want me to take on extra tasks. i find it funny that they cut our help 40 hours over the previous month then they drop this bomb on us. i think my company is adapting the walgreens/cvs business model. but i guess ill have to make the best out of the situation whether i like it or not

 

[vardenafil]

oh by the way... the only reason i brought this question up was that it was the consensus of the pharmacist that i work with if the training is "mandatory" then you should get paid for it... if its "voluntary" because you want to get job skills or have a desire to give shots then you should not be paid for it. when my manager asked our dpm about this she told him that there are 17 applications for pharmacist on her desk. so if we dont want to do our job someone else will. aka hinted we would loose our job if we dont complete the training.

 

[Its Z]

get a different job.

 

[DAW2]

look at it this way. kroger makes you do 42 hours per week. if you do less, consider it payment of time you skipped out on. you gotta put up with bull!@#$ whereever you go

 

[Style]

i dunno maybe im still bitter about the fact that im being forced to give shots. I never had the desire to do this. but now i have no choice. hell i look at it this way... I feel like i dont have the proper help or time to properly and safely fill prescriptions as is and now they want me to take on extra tasks. i find it funny that they cut our help 40 hours over the previous month then they drop this bomb on us. i think my company is adapting the walgreens/cvs business model. but i guess ill have to make the best out of the situation whether i like it or not

Where I am at, CVS and Walgreens aren't requiring their pharmacists to take immunization classes. At least not yet. Only select pharmacists in select stores could give this service. Try for Walgreens or CVS? But something tells me its not worth it for you to go that far.

Companies like Kroger and Randalls need to offer other services such as immunizations to stand apart from Walgreens or CVS. Some Kroger pharmacies also offer lipid screenings as well as immunizations. If you don't like giving shots at least you're not having to do both services at your store 🙂

 

[genesis09]

In my district for Wags, they want everyone to be an immunizer by this fall. They are offering a number of immunization classes. You don't have to pay for the class if you sign up for one of the Wags classes. All pharmacies will offer flu vaccine in the fall, and we are experimenting with Zostavax in several stores.

 

[MountainPharmD]

i dunno maybe im still bitter about the fact that im being forced to give shots. I never had the desire to do this. but now i have no choice. hell i look at it this way... I feel like i dont have the proper help or time to properly and safely fill prescriptions as is and now they want me to take on extra tasks. i find it funny that they cut our help 40 hours over the previous month then they drop this bomb on us. i think my company is adapting the walgreens/cvs business model. but i guess ill have to make the best out of the situation whether i like it or not

This is exactly what is happening and it is only going to get worse. With Kroger we are at the beginning of bad times. I can see exactly where Kroger is heading because I have been there with 2 other companies. I have seen it before when I was with Walgreens 7 years ago, Safeway 3 years ago and now Kroger. We just got our tech hours cut by 10% because we are more "efficient" with the new computer system. They are using the new system to track our wait times and ready rates. Its all down hill towards the CVS/Walgreens model from here.

 

[MountainPharmD]

immunizations to stand apart from Walgreens or CVS[/B]. Some Kroger pharmacies also offer lipid screenings as well as immunizations. If you don't like giving shots at least you're not having to do both services at your store 🙂

We stand out from Walgreens and CVS by providing good customer service. Being properly staffed so we can take care of the customer puts us 1000 miles ahead of Wags and CVS. The only reason people go to CVS and Wags is because they are convenient. There is one on every corner. I have had family members tell me all the mistakes Walgreens makes on their prescriptions. When I ask them why they still go the answer is "Well they are right around the corner and so convenient." Everyone is doing immunizations now. It is no longer a novelty to set yourself apart.

The sad thing is Kroger is moving towards the CVS/Wags model. They are going to lose huge because of it. People put up with the long wait times, poor customer service and stressed out employees at Wags and CVS because there is one on every corner. There is not a Kroger on every corner. People can go to the Wags or CVS a half a block from their house to get bad customer service and long wait times. Why would they take the time to drive a half mile to the grocery store to get the same treatment?

 

[MountainPharmD]

To answer the OP's question. If you took the immunization course on your own through ASHP it is around $700.00. They use this to justify not paying you for your time. It BS because they are making you go and then they will force you to give immunizations that profit the company and do nothing but increase your stress level. Its a real treat to work a Monday during shot season. You are trying to verify and fill 500 prescriptions all the while every other idiot that comes up to the counter is screaming how they want a shot RIGHT NOW because the sign out front says we do shots anytime the pharmacy is open.

 

[confettiflyer]

We stand out from Walgreens and CVS by providing good customer service. Being properly staffed so we can take care of the customer puts us 1000 miles ahead of Wags and CVS. The only reason people go to CVS and Wags is because they are convenient. There is one on every corner. I have had family members tell me all the mistakes Walgreens makes on their prescriptions. When I ask them why they still go the answer is "Well they are right around the corner and so convenient." Everyone is doing immunizations now. It is no longer a novelty to set yourself apart.

The sad thing is Kroger is moving towards the CVS/Wags model. They are going to lose huge because of it. People put up with the long wait times, poor customer service and stressed out employees at Wags and CVS because there is one on every corner. There is not a Kroger on every corner. People can go to the Wags or CVS a half a block from their house to get bad customer service and long wait times. Why would they take the time to drive a half mile to the grocery store to get the same treatment?

I use CVS because I travel a lot, so I like the security knowing that if I need any script, I can find a 24h CVS where I'm at and look me up. Also, locally, I like the idea that my script is accessible 24 hours a day.

In practice, I'm always prepared and have never had an issue when traveling. It's a psychological thing. I also know I can transfer between pharmacies, but business hours could potentially restrict the ability to do so.

Don't know if you're after my demographic, but I can't think of any way to appease my concern. Guarantee emergency access to my prescriptions for pick-up or transfer to another pharmacy? I'd hate that as a proprietor, and that would encourage people to not prepare ahead of time. Or do what my psychologist friend does and charge $$$ for after-hours calls. Just talking out of my ass now.

 

[rxlea]

I just use my hospital outpatient pharmacy. They are pleasant, quick, and I can just walk down the hallway to them and say, "Hey, can you fill my #####?" Wags has made mistakes with my scripts and CVS always has disgruntled employees, except for the location that I would have to drive 10 minutes to (too much of a PITA). So, it is not worth it to me to go to those places.

 

[aboveliquidice]

oh by the way... the only reason i brought this question up was that it was the consensus of the pharmacist that i work with if the training is "mandatory" then you should get paid for it... if its "voluntary" because you want to get job skills or have a desire to give shots then you should not be paid for it. when my manager asked our dpm about this she told him that there are 17 applications for pharmacist on her desk. so if we dont want to do our job someone else will. aka hinted we would loose our job if we dont complete the training.

*uck that manager - *uck that job... There is zero reason to take that from a corporation.

 

[PharmaTope]

this reminds me of a story i heard a few months ago


guy i know, was hired by walgreens to manage the opening of a new store. 60hr weeks for a while, managing the startup, getting everything setup and in line, and was responsible for increasing sales, etc. $5,000 bonus after a year of this. He thought he was getting shafted at the time... but later he ended up playing the experience up in an interview/resume and is now decently high up in a corporate position (at the company i work for), partially due to impressing people with his abilities in management. He didnt get paid anything by walgreens for his effort.. but afterward, it paid off, he's now making probably ~140k and 6 weeks vacation for an 8-5 weekday shift, and sitting down in a large office all day, and company comped luxury car etc.. Small sacrifice for a big gain. You dont always get the pay off right away.

Having stuff on your resume sometimes is worth more than what they could or would pay you.

In this case, the OP is going to have a transferable skill that is in high demand. +1 in my book.

if sitting in an office is what you want to do with your life.... sounds boring to me just saying

 

[drugdoc]

i dunno maybe im still bitter about the fact that im being forced to give shots. I never had the desire to do this. but now i have no choice. hell i look at it this way... I feel like i dont have the proper help or time to properly and safely fill prescriptions as is and now they want me to take on extra tasks. i find it funny that they cut our help 40 hours over the previous month then they drop this bomb on us. i think my company is adapting the walgreens/cvs business model. but i guess ill have to make the best out of the situation whether i like it or not

blah, blah, blah. Harsh, but sorry. Pharmacy is a career where we need to be open minded and continue our education on a regular basis. Once you become complancent you become replaceable.

 

[MountainPharmD]

blah, blah, blah. Harsh, but sorry. Pharmacy is a career where we need to be open minded and continue our education on a regular basis. Once you become complancent you become replaceable.

We are replaceable. We are discussing being taken advantage of by your corporate retail chain pharmacy. There is a difference between wanting to further you education or training and being forced to do it so your corp retail hell of a chain can make another buck at your expense.

 

[Crn800]

look at it this way.

you are paying a minimal amount for a transferable skill that will make you a better worker (and more able to get (better) additional future jobs)

You're getting a free job skill upgrade.

Or look at it another way, you now have the additional responsibility of administering an injection correctly and all the baggage that comes with it, for no additional compensation.

 

[Dezixn]

We stand out from Walgreens and CVS by providing good customer service. Being properly staffed so we can take care of the customer puts us 1000 miles ahead of Wags and CVS. The only reason people go to CVS and Wags is because they are convenient. There is one on every corner. I have had family members tell me all the mistakes Walgreens makes on their prescriptions. When I ask them why they still go the answer is "Well they are right around the corner and so convenient." Everyone is doing immunizations now. It is no longer a novelty to set yourself apart.

The sad thing is Kroger is moving towards the CVS/Wags model. They are going to lose huge because of it. People put up with the long wait times, poor customer service and stressed out employees at Wags and CVS because there is one on every corner. There is not a Kroger on every corner. People can go to the Wags or CVS a half a block from their house to get bad customer service and long wait times. Why would they take the time to drive a half mile to the grocery store to get the same treatment?

Seriously now, why does everyone seem to think EVERY CVS and Wallgreens has ****ty customer service? We do a good job where I am. And like every Kroger's is perfect, just because you do 50 scripts a day doesn't mean you're good 🙄

 

[DAW2]

dont forget cpr. more training on your off day

 

[SELDANE]

Last week I went into a Walgreens to pick-up my wife's prescription. The pharmacist that works there is a really nice guy that I've known for a couple of years. He informed me that he is now required to become a "pharmacist/immunizer" or lose his job. He went on to tell me that his tech hours have been cut and that he is expected to run the cash register from 8am till 9am until the tech is scheduled to arrive. I've later come to learn that the pharmacists that become immunizers at Walgreens have to do a certain amount of home study on their own time in addition to becoming CPR certified.
There is no question that the pendulum has now swung to the side of the employers, the question is how hard will they whip us with it.

 

[genesis09]

The standard immunization program does require home study. It is the nature of the program. When I took it through UIC, I had to do some self study. This has nothing to do with Walgreens, but with the program. You also have to do some self study for the CPR course, but that took no more than 1 hour.
Of course, when you are alone, you have to run the registers. The 8am hour is not normally that busy of an hour. It is not uncommon for the pharmacist to be alone at the beginning or end of the day.

 

[MountainPharmD]

There is no question that the pendulum has now swung to the side of the employers, the question is how hard will they whip us with it.

They will whip us as hard as you can imagine. My tech hours keep getting cut and my list of responsibilities keeps growing. I joke that soon it will be just me and a clerk trying to give shots, fill 2000 prescriptions, counsel every patient with a new prescription and the 100 other things I have to do everyday.