Why is it acceptable to think it's ok to ask pharmacists to "volunteer" to do covid clinics unpaid?

[viper2ko]

Call me a jerk and say it's my civic duty. My state and several others near me have sent me several emails since the vaccine was released to volunteer to do clinics unpaid. The states and federal government are literally printing money and giving it away, but they expect me to work for free?

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[iamapharmacist]

Call me a jerk and say it's my civic duty. My state and several others near me have sent me several emails since the vaccine was released to volunteer to do clinics unpaid. The states and federal government are literally printing money and giving it away, but they expect me to work for free?

If there are people who's willing to do it, then why wouldn't they ask? lol

 

[radio frequency]

I wouldn't have a problem volunteering to help my state or the health department. Civic duty and all. Volunteer work is different than work work.

I would never volunteer for a Walgreens/CVS style weekend flu clinic (or Covid) though. Hell nah. I saw my preceptors in school doing those for free and decided I would never apply to those companies. Pay me or get out.

 

[JustFillIt]

I would be much more open to performing my “civic duty” if I was treated in a more “civil manner” overall. Instead I am generally hated and taken advantage of by my employer and the public treats us like we are tools that they can crucify on social media any time we do something that they don’t like.

Screw that - I’m not doing that for free. I’m not doing anything for free anymore. I have already done so much for free and ultimately just figured out that the joke was on me. No way....

I donate 10% if my income to my church and I have for 2 decades. That’s enough for me.

 

[confettiflyer]

Say no and be done with it? I dunno why that’s so hard. I get asked to do things all the time. Saying no without whining about it is kind of a basic function of life.

 

[VA77]

I volunteer for churches and the people I know it will directly help. Ain't no way in hell I'm going to volunteer to help a Fortune 100 company make more money due to mismanagement.

 

[confettiflyer]

I volunteer for churches and the people I know it will directly help. Ain't no way in hell I'm going to volunteer to help a Fortune 100 company make more money due to mismanagement.

Are chains asking for volunteers? I thought these were local governments. They’ve asked us to send manpower to mass vax clinic sites, but they’re getting paid by us (except the students).

 

[VA77]

I'm seeing salary pharmacists get add on pay around $10 an hour. The techs are making bank at 40-45 an hour with all the OT. Intern are really getting shi* on because they just going from store to store as free labor giving shots and corporate really profiting from them especially if they are getting a preceptor fee.

Last year they asked for volunteer covid testing outside and I just looked at them asked myself if they had just done an 8 ball.

 

[Sine Cura]

Those who ask are **** sticks

 

[johnpharm01]

Call me a jerk and say it's my civic duty. My state and several others near me have sent me several emails since the vaccine was released to volunteer to do clinics unpaid. The states and federal government are literally printing money and giving it away, but they expect me to work for free?

Right this America. The little guy gets screwed, worse if you are middle class. The rich get richer, the poor get behind but get handouts. When big corps see disaster they see financial opportunity. I don't volunteer. My father told me volunteers are suckers he's right.

 

[Xenophylia]

Maybe because historically pharmacists have been gullible idiots? We're bullied by employers into working FREE overtime, attending meetings off the clock on our days off, and not allowed to bill for the "valuable" services we provide. Civic duty my a**. My civic duty is showing up every day serving the ungrateful stinking masses and generally putting up with being treated like crap by both my employer and the public.

 

[Xenophylia]

40 years and you are still working?

I would be much more open to performing my “civic duty” if I was treated in a more “civil manner” overall. Instead I am generally hated and taken advantage of by my employer and the public treats us like we are tools that they can crucify on social media any time we do something that they don’t like.

Screw that - I’m not doing that for free. I’m not doing anything for free anymore. I have already done so much for free and ultimately just figured out that the joke was on me. No way....

I donate 10% if my income to my church and I have for 2 decades. That’s enough for me.

I would "like" this post ten times if I could. My sentiments EXACTLY.

 

[lord999]

I did volunteer for extra unpaid shifts to immunize vets during the initial Pfizer wave. I drew the state nursing home, and boy, it is one sad place. I don't consider charity in the same transactional basis as work, it's more a feel good hobby for 'fun.'. I did go on reservation as well as the local Ojibwe don't have enough medical staff to cover as well as get to spend some time in with some kind and grateful people who want the vaccine and otherwise would have problems with the logistics.

But hell no would I volunteer for a for profit. There's no duty, you just do it if you feel like it.

 

[Sine Cura]

It's not "whining" to observe the absurdity of those asking for volunteers especially those who perceive pharmacists as beta bitches

"Returning to normal" is the latest society-wide joke/memery so just don't go out of your way to contribute on that grounds alone. I have probably gotten emails but don't give 2 ****s

 

[BidingMyTime]

My concern would be liability (granted I have an individual liability policy).....but the problem with volunteering for something like this is, who is going to get sued in case something goes wrong? I don't trust the government to protect all their volunteers.

 

[Pronounce Doxazosin]

Considering 70% of firefighters in this country are volunteers, I think they have every right to ask pharmacists to volunteer.
Of course, you have every right to say no as well

 

[M0df]

I came across a significant number of retired pharmacists who reactivated their license and were willing to volunteer. They are getting paid where I am at right now but they said they were just looking for a way to help out.

 

[JustFillIt]

I came across a significant number of retired pharmacists who reactivated their license and were willing to volunteer. They are getting paid where I am at right now but they said they were just looking for a way to help out.

I suppose if I was a retired pharmacist in my prime during the golden age of pharmacy (90s-2010) I would be much less bitter and willing to work for free also.

 

[M0df]

I suppose if I was a retired pharmacist in my prime during the golden age of pharmacy (90s-2010) I would be much less bitter and willing to work for free also.

I am not blaming anyone but imagine your current work setting and someone coming in with 'I would be ok doing it for free' but not mindset. It actually hurts everyone involved.

 

[JustFillIt]

I am not blaming anyone but imagine your current work setting and someone coming in with 'I would be ok doing it for free' but not mindset. It actually hurts everyone involved.

Sure - I would be willing to bet that if you ran statistics to see if there were significant differences between who was, and was not, paid (either by way of volunteer or just outright forcing salaried to do it) between physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and whoever else is giving vaccine - I would be willing to bet my bottom dollar that pharmacists would be significantly different than the rest.

 

[lord999]

Considering 70% of firefighters in this country are volunteers, I think they have every right to ask pharmacists to volunteer.
Of course, you have every right to say no as well

That's not the way it works. Vamps are compensated just not well. There are some true volunteers but there's perks.

My concern would be liability (granted I have an individual liability policy).....but the problem with volunteering for something like this is, who is going to get sued in case something goes wrong? I don't trust the government to protect all their volunteers.

Yeah, that's been tested in federal cases outside PREP, so you're safe for VA, IHS, 340B, or FHCC areas.

https://www.phe.gov/emergency/events/COVID19/COVIDvaccinators/Pages/PREP-Act-Immunity-from-Liability-for-COVID-19-Vaccinators.aspx

But the other part is actually part of the Special Master and you're actually Civil Service if you are doing community immunizations.

That protects from financial but getting sued still sucks. Your concern from the liability standpoint is valid, but it's not even about the money, it's the hassle of having to get Special Master intervention that you certainly didn't volunteer for.

 

[APN-59 rph]

Considering 70% of firefighters in this country are volunteers, I think they have every right to ask pharmacists to volunteer.
Of course, you have every right to say no as well

Volunteer Firefighters are becoming an endangered species..more and more get paid on call and other such pay schemes...Training time has really jumped..missing work to go to a grass fire less tolerated....Sooo "they" got the right to ask...But...I wonder what the liability insurers think about this...If you volunteer..who is your employer? You?

 

[Xenophylia]

I am not blaming anybunny but imagine your current work setting and someone coming in with 'I would be ok doing it for free' but not mindset. It actually hurts everyone involved.

On a completely UNRELATED note- did any other people notice these forums autocorrect "anybody" to "anybunny". Just happened with one of my posts and when I tried to edit my post it kept changing it back. WTF is up with that? Is it some kind of Easter joke?

It does it with "any one" too. Did I miss something?

 

[BidingMyTime]

On a completely UNRELATED note- did any other people notice these forums autocorrect "anybody" to "anybunny". Just happened with one of my posts and when I tried to edit my post it kept changing it back. WTF is up with that? Is it some kind of Easter joke?

It does it with "any one" too. Did I miss something?

Do you know what today is? If not....google it, and it will probably answer your question.

 

[ValeRx]

I will happily volunteer for overtime!

 

[Xenophylia]

Yeah...didn't notice it anywhere else till AFTER I posted that. Did a bunch of even stranger substitutions elsewhere that made some posts kinda hard to understand until you got onto the words they substituted for. Seemed an odd joke but I guess humor is in the eye of the beholder...

 

[RxPreceptor]

I would totally be up for volunteering once I reach millionaire status & money has little-to no meaning

 

[StockPharmD2020]

It's like PSAP that wants you to volunteer for CE review for them, but won't even give you a discount to buy the CE you review so you could earn the credit.

 

[PikminOC]

Call me a jerk and say it's my civic duty. My state and several others near me have sent me several emails since the vaccine was released to volunteer to do clinics unpaid. The states and federal government are literally printing money and giving it away, but they expect me to work for free?

Yep just like Physician's now typing up all the notes in emr. There used to be transcription services. Now it's all on the doc

 

[PikminOC]

Maybe because historically pharmacists have been gullible idiots? We're bullied by employers into working FREE overtime, attending meetings off the clock on our days off, and not allowed to bill for the "valuable" services we provide. Civic duty my a**. My civic duty is showing up every day serving the ungrateful stinking masses and generally putting up with being treated like crap by both my employer and the public.

Just like Physician's in corporate practice

 

[PikminOC]

Do you know what today is? If not....google it, and it will probably answer your question.

Lmgtfy

 

[johnpharm01]

Yep just like Physician's now typing up all the notes in emr. There used to be transcription services. Now it's all on the doc

The two aren't analogous. Op complains of providing a completely free service, you complain of having to do more work for which you get paid.

 

[PikminOC]

The two aren't analogous. Op complains of providing a completely free service, you complain of having to do more work for which you get paid.

It takes more time. Physicians get paid for seeing patients. Not for the time they spend charting.

 

[johnpharm01]

It takes more time. Physicians get paid for seeing patients. Not for the time they spend charting.

Right i get it it happens in parmacy all the time ie immunizations. But op is talking about vaccinating without any reimbursement.

 

[Sparda29]

Anyone who would immunize unpaid is a ******* who ruins it for the rest of us. Make sure you get paid.

 

[PikminOC]

Right i get it it happens in parmacy all the time ie immunizations. But op is talking about vaccinating without any reimbursement.

I'm talking about the hell with charting with emr with no reimbursement for all that extra time

 

[owlegrad]

I don’t know enough about charting to know if it is comparable to requesting that pharmacists do vaccine clinics on their days off without pay. I suspect not, but I don’t know. Perhaps physicians are being asked to come in on their day off and do charting clinics.

What I do know is that a physician bemoaning how unfair it is that they have to do something they didn’t used to do isn’t likely to get a lot of sympathy in this thread, fair or unfair.

Let’s stay on topic please.

 

[PikminOC]

I don’t know enough about charting to know if it is comparable to requesting that pharmacists do vaccine clinics on their days off without pay. I suspect not, but I don’t know. Perhaps physicians are being asked to come in on their day off and do charting clinics.

What I do know is that a physician bemoaning how unfair it is that they have to do something they didn’t used to do isn’t likely to get a lot of sympathy in this thread, fair or unfair.

Let’s stay on topic

I am not looking for sympathy.

I have seen in pharmacies adding in Covid vaccines with no increase in staffing has made it take longer to get medicine filled for my patients.

This article applies to many fields including pharmacy and medicine. Rx Life

 

[owlegrad]

I have seen in pharmacies adding in Covid vaccines with no increase in staffing has made it take longer to get medicine filled for my patients.

The issue that OP is addressing is being asked to come in on your day off and do a vaccine clinic for no extra pay. Not having to do vaccines on top of everything else, which is a real but separate issue.

At least I thought that was what they were complaining about.

 

[Sine Cura]

It's worse than that. It's been asked by someone representing the local or state health dept to do clinics as a volunteer. "Charity care."

It's akin to police or firefighter "charities" asking for donations (they are prob scams). They don't draw enough taxpayer dollars?

Again "return to normal" is some meme **** so just ignore these annoying pleas for help

 

[Rukn]

Work for free?

LOL

 

[knight on horse]

Call me a jerk and say it's my civic duty. My state and several others near me have sent me several emails since the vaccine was released to volunteer to do clinics unpaid. The states and federal government are literally printing money and giving it away, but they expect me to work for free?

Corporations #1, baby

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