Why don't CVS, Wags, and major chains open Pharmacy School?

[Its Z]

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McDonald's has the Hamburger University. CVS should open a pharmacy school...and educate and use the interns effectively for low labor while charging them a reasonable tuition or waive the tuition if they sign on for 10 years of endentured labor at low wages. This could be a very cost effective venture for retail shops and could potentially change the way Pharmacy Education is taught and practiced. Along with significantly lower wages.

 

[SHC1984]

What will be the first class there? How to fill 1000000 bottles of Lortab in less than 15 minutes?

 

[Filler]

McDonald's has the Hamburger University. CVS should open a pharmacy school...and educate and use the interns effectively for low labor while charging them a reasonable tuition or waive the tuition if they sign on for 10 years of endentured labor at low wages. This could be a very cost effective venture for retail shops and could potentially change the way Pharmacy Education is taught and practiced. Along with significantly lower wages.

LOL, please don't joke about this...it could happen....kinda..

http://www.northjersey.com/news/114850299_FDU__Medco_partner_to_open_school.html

 

[owlegrad]

McDonald's has the Hamburger University. CVS should open a pharmacy school...and educate and use the interns effectively for low labor while charging them a reasonable tuition or waive the tuition if they sign on for 10 years of endentured labor at low wages. This could be a very cost effective venture for retail shops and could potentially change the way Pharmacy Education is taught and practiced. Along with significantly lower wages.

The MOA of every drug would be "Exceptional Customer Service".

 

[Its Z]

LOL, please don't joke about this...it could happen....kinda..

http://www.northjersey.com/news/114850299_FDU__Medco_partner_to_open_school.html

Oh Chit..

 

[KARM12]

Diploma Mill...

 

[Its Z]

If I'm a CVS or Wags non pharmacist MBA suit, I would start rolling out a compensation reduction plan, 1 region at a time.

with 7,000 stores.. with 2 FTE pharmacist per store (total guess) and about 25% for benefits, Wags and CVS probably spends about $2 billion per year on pharmacist labor. 10% reduction in salary means $200million per year savings.

The strategy is to start with a region with most floaters and applicants. We're at a point of pharmacist saturation that simply walking off a job by a pharmacist is really not feasible. And slowly replace $120K per year pharmacists with $80K per year new grads or just outright reduce salary (as long as it's not a contract violation)... That's about $600million per year savings if it can be pulled off.

I wonder if someone has thought about this at a round table.

 

[Praziquantel86]

Wegman's already did. And promptly failed to hire any of their graduates.

 

[deleted205891]

Wegman's already opened a pharmacy school. CVS could be next.

EDIT: BTW the poster above and I posted this at the same time.

 

[Its Z]

Wegman's already did. And promptly failed to hire any of their graduates.

Really? they didn't do it right. You gotta play the tuition reimbursement card right.. if they can't get cheap labor, they should've at least make the money on tuition.

 

[Praziquantel86]

Oh Chit..

At least they're not justifying it with a shortage of pharmacists, they're going for the shortage of schools for students angle.

The need is there, Schipper said, because the state's only other pharmacy school — the 1,100-student Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University — is highly selective and rejects about 90 percent of applicants.

 

[Its Z]

somebody tell me how they are not a "diploma mill."

 

[All4MyDaughter]

Wegmans doesn't own the school or get any of the tuition money. It's named after the chairman of Wegmans who made a donation to help start the school. It's not affiliated with Wegmans.

 

[Its Z]

At least they're not justifying it with a shortage of pharmacists, they're going for the shortage of schools for students angle.

I saw that. That's some funny chit...

I wonder any med school uses that line... "XXXX Medical School is highly selective and rejects 99% of the applicants therefore we need to open a school to accept the rejects."

 

[KARM12]

I saw that. That's some funny chit...

I wonder any med school uses that line... "XXXX Medical School is highly selective and rejects 99% of the applicants therefore we need to open a school to accept the rejects."

Anyone with a 2.5 GPA from CC with a 15 PCAT can be a pharmacist.

 

[SHC1984]

If I'm a CVS or Wags non pharmacist MBA suit, I would start rolling out a compensation reduction plan, 1 region at a time.

with 7,000 stores.. with 2 FTE pharmacist per store (total guess) and about 25% for benefits, Wags and CVS probably spends about $2 billion per year on pharmacist labor. 10% reduction in salary means $200million per year savings.

The strategy is to start with a region with most floaters and applicants. We're at a point of pharmacist saturation that simply walking off a job by a pharmacist is really not feasible. And slowly replace $120K per year pharmacists with $80K per year new grads or just outright reduce salary (as long as it's not a contract violation)... That's about $600million per year savings if it can be pulled off.

I wonder if someone has thought about this at a round table.

The only thing I can see wrong with that is people will just all get smart and stop pursing pharmacy school all together.

I mean who in the world will be dumb enough to work like a slave 14hr shifts, deal with rude customers, get drive thru, 14hrs of no food, no water, no bathroom, standing up for 14 hrs, answer a million phone calls, clean, deal with dumb techs, etc. for a low salary? R there really people dumb enough to do that? I mean the reason pharmacist are pay a high salary is b/c the job is so stressful. Would anyone want to take on that high stress for a LOW PAY?

I rather work as a secretary or a pharm sales rep if that was the case. lol...

 

[owlegrad]

...I mean who in the world will be dumb enough to work like a slave 14hr shifts, deal with rude customers, get drive thru, 14hrs of no food, no water, no bathroom, standing up for 14 hrs, answer a million phone calls, clean, deal with dumb techs, etc. for a low salary? ...

I agree, that would be dumb.

 

[Its Z]

I agree, that would be dumb.

People with mortgage, student loans,

What's wrong with $80K per year? In 2002, my pharmacist salary was $78K per year.

 

[owlegrad]

People with mortgage, student loans,

What's wrong with $80K per year? In 2002, my pharmacist salary was $78K per year.

Well my point was it would be crazy to accept a working enviroment where you went 14 hours without food/water, a bathroom break, or any sort of break at all. That's crazy regardless of compensation.

 

[Its Z]

Well my point was it would be crazy to accept a working enviroment where you went 14 hours without food/water, a bathroom break, or any sort of break at all. That's crazy regardless of compensation.

hell, I don't know.. I've never worked in that environment. Doesn't CVS make you do that? There are over 7,000 CVS so evidently many folks accept that work environment.

 

[owlegrad]

hell, I don't know.. I've never worked in that environment. Doesn't CVS make you do that? There are over 7,000 CVS so evidently many folks accept that work environment.

Are you baiting me? 😉

My -limited- experience:

14hr shifts are not required, you work out whatever kind of schedule you want with your partner. I didn't personally work with any pharmacist who worked 14hr days, but mine was a 24 hour store, so we may have had more than the normal amount of freedom in how we set up our shifts.

I never worked with a pharmacist who didn't take a break. Some took it in the pharmacy, other went outside and ate on the bench out front. We simple let our customers know that the pharmacist was at lunch and gave them an appropriate wait time. Of course you cannot do this during rush hour, but you can do it.

Every tech, pharmacist, or clerk can go to the bathroom whenever they fell like it. You can also have drinks, snacks, etc. as long as you tape a receipt to it and are not obnoxious about it.

Mind-boggling I know, but not every CVS is setup like a sweat shop designed to beat the hope out of wide-eyed newly minted pharmd's.

 

[Its Z]

Oh hell, I don't know...I've only been in a CVS store like twice in my life.. but according to Mountain dood, I thought CVS made y'all work 14 hour shift.

 

[Filler]

Oh hell, I don't know...I've only been in a CVS store like twice in my life.. but according to Mountain dood, I thought CVS made y'all work 14 hour shift.

This guy looks shady, I don't trust him

 

[Ackj]

Wegmans doesn't own the school or get any of the tuition money. It's named after the chairman of Wegmans who made a donation to help start the school. It's not affiliated with Wegmans.

This. From what I've heard Bob loved our school and our first class used to get lunches and dinners sponsored by Wegmans all the time. We still get a holiday party, although that might change next year. I'm not sure if they hired any of our grads either.

However, their pharmacies seem to be pretty tight ships. Well trained techs all around, regularly filling 800+, cool computer system.

 

[MountainPharmD]

If I'm a CVS or Wags non pharmacist MBA suit, I would start rolling out a compensation reduction plan, 1 region at a time.

with 7,000 stores.. with 2 FTE pharmacist per store (total guess) and about 25% for benefits, Wags and CVS probably spends about $2 billion per year on pharmacist labor. 10% reduction in salary means $200million per year savings.

The strategy is to start with a region with most floaters and applicants. We're at a point of pharmacist saturation that simply walking off a job by a pharmacist is really not feasible. And slowly replace $120K per year pharmacists with $80K per year new grads or just outright reduce salary (as long as it's not a contract violation)... That's about $600million per year savings if it can be pulled off.

I wonder if someone has thought about this at a round table.

You know they have. This is exactly what will happen. I can see the new grads being offered 80k a year. How would they spin reducing tenured pharmacists salaries? Its not like I could do anything if they came in a said we are cutting your salary by 10%.

Last year the front end managers at Walgreens were forced to take a 10% cut in pay.

 

[MountainPharmD]

Now accepting applicants!

The Tom Ryan CVS/Caremark School of Pharmacy. Co-located with CVS's coroporate headquaters in lovely Rhode Island.

List of course offerings.

Organic Medicinal PCI calls.

Mammalian Triple S score physiology.

Pharmacokinetics of the drive through.

Ethics. Ha ha hold up on that. There will be no ethics course taught at the CVS school of pharmacy.

All other courses will be finance related in order to teach you how to make as much money as possible by any means necessary.


Faculty.

Pharmacy Practice:
Tom Ryan - CEO CVS
Martin Grass - Ex- Rite Aid CEO (pending release from federal prision)

Business Finance:
Former Lehman Brothers executives
Former Bear Stearns execs

Ethics:
No ethics courses offered

 

[WVUPharm2007]

This guy looks shady, I don't trust him

😱

That dude showed up at 2AM last night with a script for #180 Oxy 30mg!!!

Or someone just like him, anyway...

 

[Passion4Sci]

Don't forget custom diaper fittings.

Females even get low profile diapers so they don't need to deal with the awkward "diaper lines" in their tight fitting skirts and pants.

 

[SHC1984]

Wow, retail chains really are opening up pharmacy schools....Z, why must you always be right? 🙄

The dean is ADVERISTING on the pre-pharmacy forum to make sure their business get applicants.


http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=795478

 

[All4MyDaughter]

Not taking sides in the debate whether NJ needs another pharmacy school, but let's please be realistic about the relationship between the school and the company for which it's named:

The Medco SOP at FDU is not owned by Medco.
Medco doesn't receive any $$ from the school or tuition fees.
Medco does not control the school or set policy - that is the role of the FDU board of directors (or whatever it's called).
It's not a direct training program for Medco employees.
Medco employees don't go there for free.
Etc.

It's like any other form of philanthropy where you can donate a sum of money and have something named for you. I donated a substantial sum of money to have something named for my late daughter at the Louisville Free Public Library. That doesn't mean I own the Library. If things worked that way, I would own the LFPL, Metro Animal Services, the Community Foundation of Louisville and the WKU Center for Gifted Studies. I wish! In reality, no one owns those entities just like no one "owns" FDU or the Medco School of Pharmacy.

 

[R2pharmD2]

Not taking sides in the debate whether NJ needs another pharmacy school, but let's please be realistic about the relationship between the school and the company for which it's named:

The Medco SOP at FDU is not owned by Medco.
Medco doesn't receive any $$ from the school or tuition fees.
Medco does not control the school or set policy - that is the role of the FDU board of directors (or whatever it's called).

It's like any other form of philanthropy where you can donate a sum of money and have something named for you. I donated a substantial sum of money to have something named for my late daughter at the Louisville Free Public Library. That doesn't mean I own the Library. If things worked that way, I would own the LFPL, Metro Animal Services, the Community Foundation of Louisville and the WKU Center for Gifted Studies. I wish! In reality, no one owns those entities just like no one "owns" FDU or the Medco School of Pharmacy.

I haven't researched it, but I'm assuming Medco made some type of (substantial?) donation to have their name associated with the school? I don't know if it's a proper analogy, but it kind of reminds me of how boosters in college football donate huge sums of money to programs. Even though they don't have any official say, the teams know if the boosters aren't kept happy then those donations might just go away.

Edit: A quick google search (http://view.fdu.edu/default.aspx?id=8391) shows that Medco did donate $5 million initially and they look forward to a "long and prosperous partnership". Not quite sure if I think this is shady or not.

 

[IrishHammer]

Wow, retail chains really are opening up pharmacy schools....Z, why must you always be right? 🙄

The dean is ADVERISTING on the pre-pharmacy forum to make sure their business get applicants.


http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=795478

I don't agree with the school opening, but since when is Medco a retail chain?

 

[All4MyDaughter]

I haven't researched it, but I'm assuming Medco made some type of (substantial?) donation to have their name associated with the school? I don't know if it's a proper analogy, but it kind of reminds me of how boosters in college football donate huge sums of money to programs. Even though they don't have any official say, the teams know if the boosters aren't kept happy then those donations might just go away.

Edit: A quick google search (http://view.fdu.edu/default.aspx?id=8391) shows that Medco did donate $5 million initially and they look forward to a "long and prosperous partnership". Not quite sure if I think this is shady or not.

I saw that too. It's a substantial gift but certainly doesn't cover the majority of start up costs for a school of pharmacy. It doesn't specify whether Medco will continue to make donations or if this was a one time gift. If they do continue donations, I can almost guarantee that they won't be donating 5 million annually. I'm sure that Medco will have some influence (as any major donor would) but there have to be significant protections in place to prevent conflicts of interest and inappropriate influence by donors. There have been a number of high profile cases where donors were alleged to have too much influence on the organizations they donated to (one was here locally) so nonprofit organizations (including colleges and universities) have to be aware of the potential for conflicts and take precautions to avoid them. There was a piece some time ago in the Chronicle of Higher Education addressing this very issue.

 

[Filler]

I haven't researched it, but I'm assuming Medco made some type of (substantial?) donation to have their name associated with the school? I don't know if it's a proper analogy, but it kind of reminds me of how boosters in college football donate huge sums of money to programs. Even though they don't have any official say, the teams know if the boosters aren't kept happy then those donations might just go away.

Edit: A quick google search (http://view.fdu.edu/default.aspx?id=8391) shows that Medco did donate $5 million initially and they look forward to a "long and prosperous partnership". Not quite sure if I think this is shady or not.

These kids will seriously be in trouble....****...i will probably will be too..

 

[All4MyDaughter]

I don't agree with the school opening, but since when is Medco a retail chain?

True and I would think SHC would 😍anything Medco did since they might someday hire her for her dream work-from-home pharmacist job.

I personally would like to work for Medco, should they have opportunities in my area. In my view it's a very good company.

 

[SHC1984]

I don't agree with the school opening, but since when is Medco a retail chain?

Medco owns mail order pharmacy and isn't mail order under retail too? 😕 My apologies if I am wrong, but I remember I took a class my P1 year that place mail order under a type of retail pharmacy. It definetly doesn't fit under hospital or any other catergory of pharmacy.

 

[R2pharmD2]

I saw that too. It's a substantial gift but certainly doesn't cover the majority of start up costs for a school of pharmacy. It doesn't specify whether Medco will continue to make donations or if this was a one time gift. If they do continue donations, I can almost guarantee that they won't be donating 5 million annually. I'm sure that Medco will have some influence (as any major donor would) but there have to be significant protections in place to prevent conflicts of interest and inappropriate influence by donors. There have been a number of high profile cases where donors were alleged to have too much influence on the organizations they donated to (one was here locally) so nonprofit organizations (including colleges and universities) have to be aware of the potential for conflicts and take precautions to avoid them. There was a piece some time ago in the Chronicle of Higher Education addressing this very issue.

Yeah, I don't really see anything terrible coming out of this anyway. I mean, what's the worst that will happen? Medco will recruit these students to come work for them? Heavens no, a large corporation offering pharmacy students jobs! What do they think this is, 2005?

I don't agree with the school opening, but since when is Medco a retail chain?

Their mail order operation is sort of retail-like, minus the retail locations (that I know of anyway).

 

[SHC1984]

True and I would think SHC would 😍anything Medco did since they might someday hire her for her dream work-from-home pharmacist job.

I personally would like to work for Medco, should they have opportunities in my area. In my view it's a very good company.

You want a work at home job too? I don't blame you! Yeah, I will work for anyone that can provide a work at home job for me for 100K a year. LOL...

I wasn't making fun of Medco, but I just find it very IRONIC that there is a thread in the pre-pharmacy forum adversting for a school and then there is this thread here talking about companies opening up schools for their benefit. LOL...It was just kinda funny to me.

IMO, if the school is a good school then there would be NO NEED for adversting. Adversting of schools is extremely tacky. You don't see Harvard adversting on TV about their programs!

 

[owlegrad]

Medco owns mail order pharmacy and isn't mail order under retail too? 😕 My apologies if I am wrong, but I remember I took a class my P1 year that place mail order under a type of retail pharmacy. It definetly doesn't fit under hospital or any other catergory of pharmacy.

I would consider it it's own catagory. I mean it's certainly out patient, but retail? I don't know - when I think "retail pharmacy", I think brick and mortor.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

Medco owns mail order pharmacy and isn't mail order under retail too? 😕 My apologies if I am wrong, but I remember I took a class my P1 year that place mail order under a type of retail pharmacy. It definetly doesn't fit under hospital or any other catergory of pharmacy.

I think it is its own category of pharmacy. There are categories other than retail and hospital. 🙂 It's substantially different than retail. I thought you knew a lot about mail order. Isn't it your dream job or did I imagine that?

 

[All4MyDaughter]

You want a work at home job too? I don't blame you! Yeah, I will work for anyone that can provide a work at home job for me for 100K a year. LOL...

No, I'd be more interested in the corporate side of things. I don't really like working from home.

I wasn't making fun of Medco, but I just find it very IRONIC that there is a thread in the pre-pharmacy forum adversting for a school and then there is this thread here talking about companies opening up schools for their benefit. LOL...It was just kinda funny to me.

You do understand that Medco doesn't own this school, right?

IMO, if the school is a good school then there would be NO NEED for adversting. Adversting of schools is extremely tacky. You don't see Harvard adversting on TV about their programs!

I agree. I see advertisements on Facebook every day for that damn University of Florida Pharmacy School. It must be a terrible school!

 

[SHC1984]

I think it is its own category of pharmacy. There are categories other than retail and hospital. 🙂 It's substantially different than retail. I thought you knew a lot about mail order. Isn't it your dream job or did I imagine that?

I would consider it it's own catagory. I mean it's certainly out patient, but retail? I don't know - when I think "retail pharmacy", I think brick and mortor.

My bad guys! Yeah, work at home mail order job is my dream job. I guess I just always place it as a special type of retail pharmacy. LOL...But it makes sense that it would be under it's own catergory.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

My bad guys! Yeah, work at home mail order job is my dream job. I guess I just always place it as a special type of retail pharmacy. LOL...But it makes sense that it would be under it's own catergory.

Not my top choice because there aren't any jobs available in my area for Medco. But if they had facilities here I'd definitely look into it.

 

[SHC1984]

No, I'd be more interested in the corporate side of things. I don't really like working from home.



You do understand that Medco doesn't own this school, right?




I agree. I see advertisements on Facebook every day for that damn University of Florida Pharmacy School. It must be a terrible school!

Yeah, I understand it now! I thought they did own it at first. LOL...

Corporate? You should maybe try to be the director of pharmacy at a hospital or something. That would be very nice! 🙂

I always hear UNC-Pembroke commericals on the radio and that just cheapens the school. Please no adverstisments for schools. Same with cars Kias and Hyundas are always adverstings and providing guarantees...I don't see Mercedes or Lexus doing that crap.

 

[R2pharmD2]

Corporate? You should maybe try to be the director of pharmacy at a hospital or something. That would be very nice! 🙂

That's a great idea, then she can hire some local SDNers (aka: me).

I always hear UNC-Pembroke commericals on the radio and that just cheapens the school. Please no adverstisments for schools. Same with cars Kias and Hyundas are always adverstings and providing guarantees...I don't see Mercedes or Lexus doing that crap.

If you haven't seen advertisements for Mercedes or Lexus, you must not be paying attention. Now, if you wanna talk Ferraris or Bentleys, then you may have a point.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

I always hear UNC-Pembroke commericals on the radio and that just cheapens the school. Please no adverstisments for schools. Same with cars Kias and Hyundas are always adverstings and providing guarantees...I don't see Mercedes or Lexus doing that crap.

Are ya kidding? Lexus advertises like crazy! At least in my market. They have their big "Lexus December to Remember" sales event annually, which I think is a national campaign.

I drive a Kia and love it. It was cheap, I was able to pay cash for it (even though it was "new") and the warranty is great. I will probably keep it until at least a few years after graduation while we make some headway on my loan balances. Even after that, I'm not much for expensive cars.

Edit: by "new" I mean that I was the first owner and the car was just off the lot, but I got it cheaper because it was left over from the previous model year.

 

[owlegrad]

I agree. I see advertisements on Facebook every day for that damn University of Florida Pharmacy School. It must be a terrible school!

😡 Errr, I wish that I didn't agree with you! I really, really want to defend my school, but you successfully hit on a sore spot. Those ads are terrible, just terrible. 👎

 

[All4MyDaughter]

😡 Errr, I wish that I didn't agree with you! I really, really want to defend my school, but you successfully hit on a sore spot. Those ads are terrible, just terrible. 👎

And you know I really don't think UF is a bad school or a diploma mill. I was mostly being sarcastic in agreeing with the suggestion that good schools don't advertise. That's not true. Almost every school in the country, from Podunk Community College to Harvard University uses some form of advertising.

I think UF is advertising the crap out of that PharmD completion program for RPh's because it's a money maker for the university. It does illustrate the point that I've made over an over on here that for institutions of all types, it's really about the $$$ and any institution ("for profit" or nonprofit) that ignores the bottom line is going to be unsuccessful.

 

[SHC1984]

Are ya kidding? Lexus advertises like crazy! At least in my market. They have their big "Lexus December to Remember" sales event annually, which I think is a national campaign.

I drive a Kia and love it. It was cheap, I was able to pay cash for it (even though it was "new") and the warranty is great. I will probably keep it until at least a few years after graduation while we make some headway on my loan balances. Even after that, I'm not much for expensive cars.

Edit: by "new" I mean that I was the first owner and the car was just off the lot, but I got it cheaper because it was left over from the previous model year.

Okay bad example I should have said Bentley instead. LOL...And I agree with you cars don't really matter that much anyways. I would put more money in a new home instead. Only reason cars would matter is if you are a business person or a lawyer etc. someone that is trying to attract business...those people need nice cars b/c people judge them base on their appearrance and cars etc.

That's a great idea, then she can hire some local SDNers (aka: me).



If you haven't seen advertisements for Mercedes or Lexus, you must not be paying attention. Now, if you wanna talk Ferraris or Bentleys, then you may have a point.

A4MD sounds like she would make a good leader. She should be a director in a hospital or something like that.

Yeah I should have said Bentleys, the point is if you have a good quality product then you do not have to desperately advertise to get business. Harvard is not desperate for applicants so they would never be like, "Come see Harvard's campus today, please apply to our program...blah blah blah..." or send me a million useless brochures in the mail!

 

[owlegrad]

And you know I really don't think UF is a bad school or a diploma mill. I was mostly being sarcastic in agreeing with the suggestion that good schools don't advertise. That's not true. Almost every school in the country, from Podunk Community College to Harvard University uses some form of advertising.

I think UF is advertising the crap out of that PharmD completion program for RPh's because it's a money maker for the university. It does illustrate the point that I've made over an over on here that for institutions of all types, it's really about the $$$ and any institution ("for profit" or nonprofit) that ignores the bottom line is going to be unsuccessful.

I recently found out that one of the staff members here in Orlando oversees that program. Over 700 RPh's are currently enrolled in the program if I understood her correctly. I don't know what the tuition is, but multiply by 700+ and you get a boatload of cash. I am sure it is a good program too, but I can't help but wonder how much all that tuition helps our "bottom line", and I wonder what value the program has for all those pharmacists. Guess it must be valuable for so many practitioners to be enrolled in it.

Look UF is a great school, no one is arguing against that, but those ads are terrible. ALMOST Phoenix level terrible (except we have the pedigree to back it up of course). I am not saying ALL advertising is bad, but those ads most certainly are! They actually used to be worse, if such a thing is possible . (They didn't used to make it clear that only practising pharmacists could enroll in the program).