Walmart Mgr pharmacy Clinical services(PCSM)?

[Niceguy90]

Any walmart pharmacist, Can you please share your thoughts; I am a full-time staff pharmacist from last 6 months at a walmart,A PCSM position just opened up in a nearby market. Does anyone have any opinion about PCSM? In my market they are for 80% staffing(mostly work as glorified floaters), and sometimes for clinical call , I don't know much about them and how it's compared to staff position as a long term career move(more job security, moving up the ladder, other career opportunity etc)? If hired How much more pay can I expect from that position?

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[ranger99rx]

PCSM is a step to get trained and eventually become DM. I don't know about the pay scale (maybe +$4?)or bonus but you're pretty much DM's pet! Any clinical questions will go to you. You will visit stores with DM for compliance check, lead conference call for clinical part, doctor detailing, presentation, and bench when there is no staff available to cover an emergency (though rarely in current market.) My previous PCSM was only a year into her position before landing DM position. You don't have to be a PCSM to become a DM though. I know 2 RX managers went straight to become DM in my area. If you have a strong DM, you will learn a lot from him/her. My previous DM didn't know much and was super easy (that's why he lost his job during last restructuring) so the previous PCSM had to do a lot. All the PCSMs I know were RM before.

 

[Sine Cura]

It's possible to get a PCSM position without prior RXM experience but you (probably) have to be a strong staff pharmacist and know your ****... which most staff pharmacists do not

 

[Carbon14]

Bonus potential: 35 grand

 

[Niceguy90]

Yes I heard it's a good potential for bonus but it's usually same as any store manager, other than that you got to travel all the stores in the market which depends in the type of market you have mine is a huge market stores are spread 200 miles wide . that much travelling sucks and they may use pcsm as floaters where no one picks up shifts.

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

Any walmart pharmacist, Can you please share your thoughts; I am a full-time staff pharmacist from last 6 months at a walmart,A PCSM position just opened up in a nearby market. Does anyone have any opinion about PCSM? In my market they are for 80% staffing(mostly work as glorified floaters), and sometimes for clinical call , I don't know much about them and how it's compared to staff position as a long term career move(more job security, moving up the ladder, other career opportunity etc)? If hired How much more pay can I expect from that position?

Someone could probably get the job if it's in central Texas and you're an annoying RPh with no management experience that couldn't land a residency.

 

[Niceguy90]

Someone could probably get the job if it's in central Texas and you're an annoying female RPh with no management experience that couldn't land a residency.

Yes many PCSM quit because traveling long distance.

 

[Niceguy90]

Yes many PCSM quit because traveling long distance.

I guess it depends on the market and HWD how he uses you. But you got to go if they find no one, probably 2 hrs away in some market in a day notice.

 

[Chrish]

Honestly I don't see any job security with PCSM position. I can see all these positions getting trimmed in year or two. They probably are gonna have like one or two of them per region (I am speculating of course but it's not difficult to guess when upper management decides to control the cost). Also, as someone has already mentioned it's only worth it if you want to climb the ladder to become a DM.

If you are looking for guaranteed 80 hours with fairly significant pay increase as compared to staff along with potential for pretty good bonus, grab Rx Manager position. They come by quite often even in saturated market.

 

[Niceguy90]

Honestly I don't see any job security with PCSM position. I can see all these positions getting trimmed in year or two. They probably are gonna have like one or two of them per region (I am speculating of course but it's not difficult to guess when upper management decides to control the cost). Also, as someone has already mentioned it's only worth it if you want to climb the ladder to become a DM.

If you are looking for guaranteed 80 hours with fairly significant pay increase as compared to staff along with potential for pretty good bonus, grab Rx Manager position. They come by quite often even in saturated market.

Yes, I have heard this "unofficially" from my previous HWD few months back about home office might just recall all the PCSM positions but I highly doubt that as about 40℅ of PCSM is pure staffing(glorified floaters) and medicare"s increased emphasis on star ratings also some of the HWD are not pharmacist so they need a right hand man for clinical decisions, our ex HWD started as an cashier anyway but I dont know why they keep rolling out new positions for PCSM , also I think its good experience on resume that can opens other doors and if you want to jump ships, Especially for someone who does not have residency and want to go towards insurance pharmacist etc, because if you are just a staff pharmacist, there is no guarantee for job security or 80hrs per pay period anyway as the market will be flooded with new graduates in next coming years.

 

[Niceguy90]

Bonus potential: 35 grand

It's potential threshold wonder how much its be actual?

 

[quickpic007]

It's potential threshold wonder how much its be actual?

how was interview and how much is hourly raise from staff?

 

[SoylentGreen]

Looks like a crap job to me.. their primary responsibility is to get people to be adherent, but ultimately we pharmacists don't control that. If people aren't taking their meds there's really not a lot the PCSM can do about it, except take the blame. We can marginally affect it with 90 day fills and autofill, but eventually if they're not taking it they will end up with a stockpile of meds and they won't pick them up anymore. Maybe it's not so bad if you live in an upper middle class area where people actually take their medication.

They also end up getting used as floaters a lot, and don't even get paid mileage because every store is their home store.

 

[Sine Cura]

If you max all 4 categories it's actually 36%. 24% for target

 

[Niceguy90]

Looks like a crap job to me.. their primary responsibility is to get people to be adherent, but ultimately we pharmacists don't control that. If people aren't taking their meds there's really not a lot the PCSM can do about it, except take the blame. We can marginally affect it with 90 day fills and autofill, but eventually if they're not taking it they will end up with a stockpile of meds and they won't pick them up anymore. Maybe it's not so bad if you live in an upper middle class area where people actually take their medication.

They also end up getting used as floaters a lot, and don't even get paid mileage because every store is their home store.

I spoke with a ex PCSM, this is the main reason she left her position, she says most of the time they use her as glorified floater without any travel pay, and our market was huge with some store 3 hrs away, especially in midwest in winter months its hard to do all the travelling, also it comes with lots of headache and responsibilitie, lots cons too like you never know if tomorrow they may eliminate all the pcsm positons and ask you to just be a floater. No other pharmacy chain has this type of positions.its been years and all the hype of MTM and provider status hasen't picked up yet,

 

[Carbon14]

well said above