Which would you take?

[Redrum16]

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Okay, I've finally got two jobs lined up but now I'm confused. I have my pharmacy technician's license in processing. I would like a job that pays decently (so that I can start saving for tuition), and is the most beneficial for my pharmacy school applications. I have two job offers. One of them is with a private retail pharmacy that has been around since 1930 and is pretty similar to where I've worked before. I will start out as a clerk and eventually be a tech once my license clears and I have experience. This job has a lot of patient interaction with the owner stressing customer service. The owner is the former president of the board of pharmacy in California. My other option is also a private retail pharmacy but this pharmacy is more of a business. They are closed to the public and mainly serve assisted living institutions for the mentally ill and the elderly. This is a larger business with several employees. Here I may also be able to move into a pharmacy technician's position eventually but my job in the mean time would be more administrative. As an administrative assistant I would learn the pharmacy computing systems very well (qs1 and others) and learn the business aspects of a pharmacy. The owners are very kick back and really nice guys. I would also make more money at this position but both of them are open to growth.
Which position do you guys think would benefit me the most as far as getting into pharmacy school? Which would you take? Please help!

 

[chunkyb]

Congratulations. These two job offers sound great. Personally, the latter job op sounds better. I think that there;s a lot of opportunity to learn here---learning those computer systems is a BIG deal in pharmacy and the fact that you'll be working closely with the elderly population. This will be advantageous, since it's a real niche market, with many issues and future needs----giving you lots to talk about during the application process for pharm school. Related to the first op, customer service is important and can be fun, but it can get a little stressful and crazy at the same time. Wishing you all the best, when making your final choice.

 

[LoneCoyote]

I would probably also go with job #2. The computer training sounds great and I think that you would learn a lot about working with the elderly, which is the population all of us will be serving once the baby boomers get older. Plus, the tech certificates seem to be taking forever... there are guys at my store who have beeb clerking and waiting since March and were told there was a six month wait. So if you are really interested in moving up to tech you may not get to do as much on the computer and stuff without the certificate. It probably depends on the store. I would check that out before making the decision. But it sounds like you cannot go wrong. Congrats and good luck 🙂

 

[Triangulation]

tough one. the second job will add a lot more to your tool kit, but the first has a lot of potential if you can garner a lot from interacting with that former BOP pres guy. Talking to him could open doors. It's hard to say. The better pay is hard to argue with. I would go with the first job, but I'm different than most. I'd just like to be able to hear what the guy had to say and be paid for it. He must have a lot of interesting perspectives on how it's changing since he's an indy store in a chain market now

 

[Modnar]

I think the second job would be better. As the others have said, getting experience with the elderly will be a big help in the future. Learning about meds for mental illnesses could be good for you too, as it seems that new psychiatric meds are being developed all the time.

 

[SimplyComplex]

Hi everyone!

My first post. Been in the background listening in mostly. 😛 This site is neat, combination of seriousness and humor!

Two of the main differences I've seen between retail and this pharm are public interaction and the fast pace environment. I'm currently working at opt 2 you've mentioned. My pharm is a little small and growing, but this allows me to wear ALOT of hats; admin dept, billing, data entry tech, pharm tech, supervisor...(lots of responsibilities, but valuable experiences). The pharmacy I'm in is not as fast paced as retail. Sometimes it's so slow we call the facilities and ask if there are any orders for us to take or we actually cheer when an order gets faxed/called in! The public interaction is very minimal, unless you work in the billing dept calling up the responsible parties to send over the overdue payments or info verifications. Overall, I do get to see the business aspects of the pharmacy. I haven't seen too much pt consultation yet. I agree with chunkyb, the computer system is a big deal. Everyone, including the pharmacists, in this pharmacy has to work with the computer system, some more so than others.

Working with a prior BOP member can be helpful, but like in school, you want to make sure you k.i.t with the teacher (owner) to give you the heads up. 🙂 Maybe you can obtain the BOP member's email and k.i.t with him while working at opt 2? How much time do you have before you'll be able to apply to pharmacy school? This might help you gauge which place you'll get the most from, money and experience-wise.

Hope this helps! Good luck! 👍