Working at CVS is complete HELL

[MountainPharmD]

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I'm just curious- as someone who doesn't like buying things from companies that treat their employees like ****, where should I buy my medications?

Find an independent pharmacy.

 

[BenJammin]

Been there 14 years. Left independent pharmacy where I was paid less and treated worse. Go figure.....

Oh I can't wait to hear about this as I highly doubt that's true at all.

 

[Old Timer]

Oh I can't wait to hear about this as I highly doubt that's true at all.

So you are calling me a liar? You lived my life? You are entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts. Do you work for CVS? Did you do a shift in my store? Do you know what my district is like? DO you work for my pharmacy supervisor? You don't know anything about me or my life. Unless you proof I am lying. You shoudl rememeber the old adage. Better to keep silent and be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt.

 

[BenJammin]

So you are calling me a liar? You lived my life? You are entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts. Do you work for CVS? Did you do a shift in my store? Do you know what my district is like? DO you work for my pharmacy supervisor? You don't know anything about me or my life. Unless you proof I am lying. You shoudl rememeber the old adage. Better to keep silent and be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt.

Are you not aware that we all have the commonality of language here? Skepticism is allowed here just as it would be if you said "I worked in the coal mines and working conditions were great". Since you've chosen to call yourself a fool, I'd ask you why you would make those statements and get defensive when someone asks you to elaborate. You're the one who should remember the old adage.

 

[FarmD711]

Oh I can't wait to hear about this as I highly doubt that's true at all.

Not all CVS are bad. Not all Independents are great. I was screamed at just last week by a nearby independent owner(that I constantly refer people to) because I wouldn't lend her some triamcinolone cream for a few days. We have no connection and I'm not sure why she thought she could just call up a chain pharmacy and demand (yes she demanded) to borrow drugs.

I am happy for the most part as a CVS PIC. We follow workflow, consistently beat budget and are allowed to flex up hours accordingly. It all comes down to having a good relationship with a good RX Sup. The manager WILL make or break the store. At the same time, CVS does throw some obstacles our way. The reason CVS (and retail in general) has trouble attracting and keeping talented technicians is because the compensation is not great and more specifically, there isn't much room for increase. Talented 20 year technicians who know how to resolve every insurance rejection, DUR message, and override that every customer loves that haven't had a raise in 10 years of course are going to jump at a hospital / independent / LTC position that is going to pay well.

If you have a good RxSup, a good manager, and were truly able to recognize great techs with commensurate raises, CVS would be a much different environment. Since the raises are out of my control, I do my best to motivate them in other ways and enforce workflow (I can't emphasize this enough...if you aren't following Wecare, you will not be successful). I am well paid enough to put up with the BS from corporate. The techs are not.

 

[M0df]

Compensation should not be the main criteria for job satisfaction and much of the pro-CVS feedback goes back to that. There are companies that treat their employees better with similar pay. Or maybe I'm just not getting paid enough!

I agree with FarmD711 as far as tech raises. My store has huge turnover due to that fact that starting rates are so low and any subsequent raises are also insufficient to retain any talent. As soon as they are trained, they are out the door. And you will get in trouble for using extra hours to train people. We all know CVS on-boarding is not the greatest.

Also many companies incorporated CVS type workflow into their system. WeCare, and its predecessor, are great. It goes back to quality techs and sufficient tech budget to actually man those stations on the assignment board.

Anyway, I feel for OP and it is true that the only way out of it is to suck it up and clear the QP/QI off the clock. If it goes back to 25 pages within few days... not much can be done.

 

[Old Timer]

Are you not aware that we all have the commonality of language here? Skepticism is allowed here just as it would be if you said "I worked in the coal mines and working conditions were great". Since you've chosen to call yourself a fool, I'd ask you why you would make those statements and get defensive when someone asks you to elaborate. You're the one who should remember the old adage.

Skepticism is fine. Ask a question and I will answer it. But saying:

I highly doubt that's true at all.

says I am speaking an un-truth. I am not.

Do You work for CVS?

Do you work or know anyone who works in my district?

Do you work at my store or know anybody who works at my store?

Do you know anything bout anything or are just repeating crap you heard to confirm your own biases?

I suggest you PM WVU2007. He works in the same district and has the same boss or you can look at his posts.

I also suggest you have no idea what job I had before I came to CVS. You have no idea what a terrible jerk of a boss I had before. My current boss is 10,000 times better than the last guy I worked for.

Generally you have no clue about my life or my job and unless you I suggest you ask some specific questions to gather some information or just shut up.

 

[brianna05]

if you re-read your post, you clearly already know why your store sucks. It is not because CVS is trying to promote you working off the clock. It is because your pharmacy manager is lazy. That is why your techs are quitting. Techs don't work for the company. They work for the manager.

Personally, a bitchy, high maintenance customer will not go to a pharmacy that is 400 rx behind and probably have to wait a day to fill their script. I bet half your customers are really pissed because they are coming back hours later and having to wait another hour for their script. The other half is pissed because they came down and their drug required a PA or out of stock. HENCE AN ENTIRE PAGE OF EXPEDIATED WAITERS.

it is not your fault, it is not CVS's fault. It is your manager's fault. You can only do your best, and take the leadership role.... enforce Wecare workflow (clearly that is the problem here). Make sure people are not running around like crazy. Have them stay at their station, back up the lines, and rush people out. Keep an eye out QT since you are near an ugent care and ER. Do QT when ever you can. Have everyone keep at least one eye out on it.

Don't be stuck in a loser's situation.... customers getting pissed = less scripts, = less tech hours = more customers getting pissed = even less scripts etc. It is vicious cycle.

if you truly want help, feel free to PM me anytime.

In my opinion you have this backwards! As a Pharmacy Manager at CVS my techs don't work for me, they work for CVS and when they quit after getting offers from other pharmacies for up to $5.00 more per hour, it's not because I am lazy or I'm doing something wrong. I really can't blame them....I would quit too if I was in their shoes! You really can't pay someone $9.00 per hour and expect any kind of loyalty!

 

[Pharmpills]

We all know CVS is the worst so this is nothing new. Sad thing is that sometimes you get stuck with these companies especially now with jobs getting so hard to get. Just the other day this lady was telling me there were like freaking 4 interviews for the job they had which includes a phone preliminary interview.

 

[ancienbon]

In my opinion you have this backwards! As a Pharmacy Manager at CVS my techs don't work for me, they work for CVS and when they quit after getting offers from other pharmacies for up to $5.00 more per hour, it's not because I am lazy or I'm doing something wrong. I really can't blame them....I would quit too if I was in their shoes! You really can't pay someone $9.00 per hour and expect any kind of loyalty!

I agree . The techs work for him. Really

 

[nextyearrx]

This site is now up to 3 CVS defenders. Old Timer, Aznfarmerboi and Naterobinson. I am truly surprised it's that high.

OP I will give you the advice I give all of my interns. CVS should only be used as a 2 year training stint. During that time you should be learning management skills and saving money. There are rare pockets in the country where CVS is actually tolerable. I'm going to assume that the CVS defenders are in one of these rapidly shrinking pockets. If you find yourself there then stay maybe 3 years at most.

Wow really, what part of country is that where CVS is tolerable??

 

[sosoo]

for ppl with 30+ pages i feel your pain. remember cvs wanted it this way. so you're just there to do what u do. join the union and be worry free. long lines? thats bc they wanted to wait in line. the nearby cvs doesn't have long lines. drive thru? they too can wait. complaints? call 1800shopcvs. lots of phone calls? put on hold (indefinitely). without techs to work with, you're limited to being just one human. don't be a hero. you'll make mistakes and u'll send them back to the hospital. cvs can only blame themselves for not staffing the store efficiently, but any error is a blame on u.

 

[luwical]

This thread is getting toxic. Let us start "Goods things about CVS" thread. CVS is in this game for the profit. I wonder what the HR leader of CVS has to say on this or VP of operations. To any company, low-level employees are usually expendable. Given the current pharmacy market, there is a push to milk this situation. However, at some point, companies that adopt this strategy will pay for it in the long run. I wish I could attend one high level meeting of regional managers and DMs to get a view of what is going on. There are other industries worse than pharmacies. For instance, the nursing homes have gotten to a point where they have few people taking of the elderly. The worse that I have heard of is 20:1 ratio, 1 person handling twenty people in one shift. I don't blame CVS. Stock is high. Each quarter yields profits. The usually focus now is risk management,which getting rid of law-suit prone individuals, adopting workflow strategies to protect assets, etc. With the need for data, current metrics is just a start. Before joining any company, always ask your boss how he/she uses metrics. The answer will reveal a lot.

 

[MountainPharmD]

This thread is getting toxic. Let us start "Goods things about CVS" thread.

Or let's start a thread for people who like to get kicked in the balls. You ask enough people eventually you'll find someone who does. Just like you'll eventually find someone with something good to say about CVS if you ask enough people. Doesn't mean a thing and certainly doesn't override the 99.9% who know better.

 

[Estrace]

So you are calling me a liar? You lived my life? You are entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts. Do you work for CVS? Did you do a shift in my store? Do you know what my district is like? DO you work for my pharmacy supervisor? You don't know anything about me or my life. Unless you proof I am lying. You shoudl rememeber the old adage. Better to keep silent and be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt.

So annoying and rude to say you're lying when he clearly doesn't know you or lived your life. I left an independent too to work for Walgreens and I have no regrets. I don't know about CVS but I do believe that a Pharmacy manager can make or break a store. There are a lot of great pharmacists who have zero management skills and have no business managing any store.

 

[demayette]

This thread is getting toxic. Let us start "Goods things about CVS" thread. CVS is in this game for the profit. I wonder what the HR leader of CVS has to say on this or VP of operations. To any company, low-level employees are usually expendable. Given the current pharmacy market, there is a push to milk this situation. However, at some point, companies that adopt this strategy will pay for it in the long run. I wish I could attend one high level meeting of regional managers and DMs to get a view of what is going on. There are other industries worse than pharmacies. For instance, the nursing homes have gotten to a point where they have few people taking of the elderly. The worse that I have heard of is 20:1 ratio, 1 person handling twenty people in one shift. I don't blame CVS. Stock is high. Each quarter yields profits. The usually focus now is risk management,which getting rid of law-suit prone individuals, adopting workflow strategies to protect assets, etc. With the need for data, current metrics is just a start. Before joining any company, always ask your boss how he/she uses metrics. The answer will reveal a lot.

Try 33:1 ratio when I used to work night shift at a nursing home (3 nurses for 100 patients) Morning shift usually has 25:1 ratio... Sadly, healthcare is a business like any other businesses and the people at the top are doing even unethical things to maximize profit...

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

In my opinion you have this backwards! As a Pharmacy Manager at CVS my techs don't work for me, they work for CVS and when they quit after getting offers from other pharmacies for up to $5.00 more per hour, it's not because I am lazy or I'm doing something wrong. I really can't blame them....I would quit too if I was in their shoes! You really can't pay someone $9.00 per hour and expect any kind of loyalty!

I hired them, I get them raises, I train them, I follow up on them, etc. I am the one who asks them to cover shifts if needed, I am the one who tells them what to do.

Yes, CVS is the company that they work for...., but 99.9 percent of interaction via CVS is through me. I choose what to cascade down...

I remember when I was an intern. I worked for a few companies but stuck with CVS because of my PIC at the time.

Tech compensation is another topic. I agree that a lot of techs are underpaid. However, we start at 10.65 in my area. While that is not minimum wage, that is competitive vs other chains, and retailers. In addition, if they want to do more (super techs), I will gladly work hard to develop and promote them. Lead techs get paid around 15.

To give you a comparison...., the average factory worker makes 12 dollars an hour. I read an article on WSJ saying that autoworkers who used to get paid 30 dollars an hour are starting at 10. Maybe that explains the low turn over rate for pharmacy (I think 80%). I know people who move on to become medical assistants or do other related tasks but they are doing more for the money, less flexibility, or not offering benefits like vacation.

Construction workers get paid 20-30 dollars an hour but their body breaks up after 10 years on the job.

Just saying... it is all subjective.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

I think people are missing the point. CVS can be good or bad depending on your supervisor and manager. Independents are the same. I worked for independents who paid me 30 dollars cash... and their techs 5 dollars an hour. I have worked for independents that filled shady scripts. I also worked for excellent independents that pay me 40 dollars/hr cash for a honest day of work.

For me though, the compensation is better at CVS. I have benefits like 401k, health insurance, stock options, etc. I never said my job was easy. There are some days that are horrible... (a lot of tech calls outs), and some days that are a breeze. Ultimately, I stayed with CVS because the compensation (60-70k extra in pay and benefit per year) is worth the extra stress.

 

[owlegrad]

I just had a really good tech put in her notice because she found a higher paying tech job at Publix. So yeah, that sucks, but good for her. Life goes on.

 

[ancienbon]

I think people are missing the point. CVS can be good or bad depending on your supervisor and manager. Independents are the same. I worked for independents who paid me 30 dollars cash... and their techs 5 dollars an hour. I have worked for independents that filled shady scripts. I also worked for excellent independents that pay me 40 dollars/hr cash for a honest day of work.

For me though, the compensation is better at CVS. I have benefits like 401k, health insurance, stock options, etc. I never said my job was easy. There are some days that are horrible... (a lot of tech calls outs), and some days that are a breeze. Ultimately, I stayed with CVS because the compensation (60-70k extra in pay and benefit per year) is worth the extra stress.

I agree the compensation is really good and the benefits are not too bad either. Though i was making more at walgreens. I actually took a pay cut.
By the way do you know how many paid holidays cvs pays for? i did not know veteran's day was a paid holiday at cvs

 

[BidingMyTime]

No tech hours. Staff that don't regularly work but work like 6 to 10 hours a week, and no time for me to blame them because here I am billing a flu shot and the payer is down like usual.

This is what hurts a store more than anything. Technicians that only work 6 - 10 hours a week cannot learn the job and perform as well as someone who is immersed in their job working 40 hours per week. Plus, the only people who take a job working 6 - 10 hours a week are usually college students who don't care and can't wait to graduate and move to a real job.

 

[doublehh03]

This is what hurts a store more than anything. Technicians that only work 6 - 10 hours a week cannot learn the job and perform as well as someone who is immersed in their job working 40 hours per week. Plus, the only people who take a job working 6 - 10 hours a week are usually college students who don't care and can't wait to graduate and move to a real job.

I'm a PIC at CVS and what I literally hate about CVS is their hiring and onboarding process and insistence on part-time hirings and small shifts. Other PICs and sups I talk to hate but can't do anything about it. CVS must change this going forward.

Hiring is key. Development is key. And that requires time. And CVS is terrible at this process. And now they're asking to even shift full-timers into smaller shifts unless you're a lead tech (MySchedule).

Everybody in the company knows the talent and development process sucks and yet they do nothing about it.

ON the other hand back to the topic, CVS has its pros and cons like all retail companies. As a PIC, I do think I'm very well compensated for what I'm expected to do (way above my peers and sups) so I deal with some corporate BS if I have to. I do think their WeCare is very good to enforce workflow. If you have really good techs, it's easy peasy. Even if a 2000 or less script store, if you just have ONE strong RPH or tech, it's a breeze.

24 hour stores and <2000 scripts stores are the easiest at CVS are the easiest. Readyfills are cleared and all the little tasks are done by the overnight RPH for 24 hour stores; the slower stores are that: slow.

The hardest stores to manage is the mid-level stores that do 2700-3200 scripts a week that aren't 24 hours. Those are the toughest, and I understand frustrations they go through.

Ultimately, strong PICs determine whether a store is good or not. To the OP, the root of the problem at your store is your lazy PIC, which basically just destroys the foundation of the store.

Corporate BS like hours, budget... Look: what I tell my staff and what I tell other PICs who ask me for advice: get excellent on your MCE (service) and your sups will overlook A LOT of things. Sure, you will get some of those emails still, but do what you have to do to ensure good service scores while you're on shift, and you do what you have to do. You want OT to catch up: authorize OT.

 

[Old Timer]

I just had a really good tech put in her notice because she found a higher paying tech job at Publix. So yeah, that sucks, but good for her. Life goes on.

You should ask your supe to match the offer....

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

I agree the compensation is really good and the benefits are not too bad either. Though i was making more at walgreens. I actually took a pay cut.
By the way do you know how many paid holidays cvs pays for? i did not know veteran's day was a paid holiday at cvs

I know! An extra 5-600 dollars for a holiday is nice. Here are the CVS holidays that add 4k to your base easily. Although it was a lot better back then... where you can get triple pay for working holidays, or not work at all.

New Years Day
Easter
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day

And Columbus day for MA.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

I'm a PIC at CVS and what I literally hate about CVS is their hiring and onboarding process and insistence on part-time hirings and small shifts. Other PICs and sups I talk to hate but can't do anything about it. CVS must change this going forward.

Hiring is key. Development is key. And that requires time. And CVS is terrible at this process. And now they're asking to even shift full-timers into smaller shifts unless you're a lead tech (MySchedule).

Everybody in the company knows the talent and development process sucks and yet they do nothing about it.

ON the other hand back to the topic, CVS has its pros and cons like all retail companies. As a PIC, I do think I'm very well compensated for what I'm expected to do (way above my peers and sups) so I deal with some corporate BS if I have to. I do think their WeCare is very good to enforce workflow. If you have really good techs, it's easy peasy. Even if a 2000 or less script store, if you just have ONE strong RPH or tech, it's a breeze.

24 hour stores and <2000 scripts stores are the easiest at CVS are the easiest. Readyfills are cleared and all the little tasks are done by the overnight RPH for 24 hour stores; the slower stores are that: slow.

The hardest stores to manage is the mid-level stores that do 2700-3200 scripts a week that aren't 24 hours. Those are the toughest, and I understand frustrations they go through.

Ultimately, strong PICs determine whether a store is good or not. To the OP, the root of the problem at your store is your lazy PIC, which basically just destroys the foundation of the store.

Corporate BS like hours, budget... Look: what I tell my staff and what I tell other PICs who ask me for advice: get excellent on your MCE (service) and your sups will overlook A LOT of things. Sure, you will get some of those emails still, but do what you have to do to ensure good service scores while you're on shift, and you do what you have to do. You want OT to catch up: authorize OT.

This guy knows what he is talking about....

The only thing I want to mention is that MySchedule sucks! There are a lot of gaps in it. For example, it over schedules on holidays, and under schedule days after. It depends on your supervisor but I use a hybrid of pen and paper and Myschedule. I add people in where I feel there is a need, or have people stay behind longer (so people don't have to work 4 to 6 hours shift). I don't abuse the hours... but it is desperately needed sometimes. I guess it all depends on how much you can get away with... and it goes back to winners win, losers lose. My store is making target on a lot of things so I get no push back on it.

They do have reports of compliance, scheduled versus people who work (so they can see the time people clock in versus scheduled), optimization, etc.

 

[ancienbon]

I know! An extra 5-600 dollars for a holiday is nice. Here are the CVS holidays that add 4k to your base easily. Although it was a lot better back then... where you can get triple pay for working holidays, or not work at all.

New Years Day
Easter
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day

And Columbus day for MA.

Thank you. I have been looking for this list. I also heard before the affordable care act the health insurance was really good. Now with the high deductible , it is not that great. But the health Saving account is really good. On 10/27 250 dollars were deposited , and yesterday another 250 dollars were deposited. Actually I thought we get it every quarter.

 

[ancienbon]

This guy knows what he is talking about....

The only thing I want to mention is that MySchedule sucks! There are a lot of gaps in it. For example, it over schedules on holidays, and under schedule days after. It depends on your supervisor but I use a hybrid of pen and paper and Myschedule. I add people in where I feel there is a need, or have people stay behind longer (so people don't have to work 4 to 6 hours shift). I don't abuse the hours... but it is desperately needed sometimes. I guess it all depends on how much you can get away with... and it goes back to winners win, losers lose. My store is making target on a lot of things so I get no push back on it.

They do have reports of compliance, scheduled versus people who work (so they can see the time people clock in versus scheduled), optimization, etc.

So it looks like you are very successful pic. Actually it is the lead tech that does the schedule at my store. The Pic does not do it..

 

[owlegrad]

You should ask your supe to match the offer....

I did. It isn't going to happen.

 

[Old Timer]

I did. It isn't going to happen.

It would in our area. We are matching all the time or at least countering as we are being raided by PBM's for our best techs and it takes too long to hire and train new ones.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

So it looks like you are very successful pic. Actually it is the lead tech that does the schedule at my store. The Pic does not do it..

I think the lead tech should be the one to do it. I choose to do it because it is still a relatively new thing, have a lot of kinks, and having people at the right place (right people, right time, right place) is very important to me. Until it is smoothed out, I am going to do it.

 

[kvl1027]

All of this happens because you guys don't follow WEcare workflow. Because you guys don't follow the workstation assignment board, you probably have an idiot for an Rx Manager, you don't prioritize and probably have horrible customer service on top of it.

I've managed many, many stores at CVS, some of which were 30+ pages in the red when I took over and a qi of 6 pages. All hell breaks loose when you don't follow workflow that the system designs you to use.

Don't blame the company, blame your inept manager and probably inept staff for not following company policies. The metrics are there to make your life EASIER, not harder. They score you on WECARE metrics to see if you're following workflow. The company (AND MYSELF) have noticed that stores that don't follow workflow end up like the very one the OP is talking about.

I guarantee that OP's stores wecare scorecard sucks to oblivion. You probably got a 15/100 last month. It has nothing to do with tech hours, nothing to do with any of that. Follow workflow, prioritize urgent work and you will be fine. Before anyone bashes the **** out of me, I have experience using these methods and have turned stores around just by doing this.

Some of you CVS bashers remind me of ferguson protestors.

Keep drinking the Kool-Aid! There is no excuse for a store that is filling 400+ scripts a day to not have at least 3 techs and a dedicatd cashier working at all times. I've been working in independents for quite some time and if we can afford to staff like that, then CVS can too. Are some pharmacists capable of handling a larger volume than others, of course, but under staffing to increase margins is just bull****. Every CVS I've walked into has at most 1 RPh and 2 Techs, that's it. It just doesn't make sense.

 

[NateRobinson]

Keep drinking the Kool-Aid! There is no excuse for a store that is filling 400+ scripts a day to not have at least 3 techs and a dedicatd cashier working at all times. I've been working in independents for quite some time and if we can afford to staff like that, then CVS can too. Are some pharmacists capable of handling a larger volume than others, of course, but under staffing to increase margins is just bull****. Every CVS I've walked into has at most 1 RPh and 2 Techs, that's it. It just doesn't make sense.

But it's not kool-aid. That's the funniest part. Myschedule is a generalized tool that determines DEMAND THE SAME WAY ACROSS THE COMPANY. The same formulas go into the equation.

Myschedule works for my store and we do 4500 a week. Why does it work? Because we follow wecare.

Again, if you don't follow WeCare, nothing in CVS will make sense to you. It WILL turn into a living hell. I completely agree with that. The solution is not to have rogue RPH's and techs who make their own rules as they go along.

But keep telling me that I drink "kool-aid" when you're the one too dumb to properly be able to do the job the way the company wants you to do it (and handsomely compensates you for that matter.)

 

[doublehh03]

But it's not kool-aid. That's the funniest part. Myschedule is a generalized tool that determines DEMAND THE SAME WAY ACROSS THE COMPANY. The same formulas go into the equation.

Myschedule works for my store and we do 4500 a week. Why does it work? Because we follow wecare.

Again, if you don't follow WeCare, nothing in CVS will make sense to you. It WILL turn into a living hell. I completely agree with that. The solution is not to have rogue RPH's and techs who make their own rules as they go along.

But keep telling me that I drink "kool-aid" when you're the one too dumb to properly be able to do the job the way the company wants you to do it (and handsomely compensates you for that matter.)

MySchedule is nowhere near perfect. I've worked at a 24 hour store, a mid-level store that does 3000 and now at a 2000 script store. MySchedule still sucks. I do MySchedule to optimize at 80% like corporate wants but will make manual adjustments where I think it's necessary.

MySchedule still doesn't take into account phone calls, waiting bin, hydrocodones becoming c2s, flu shots, insurance rejections, # of anticipated ready=fills that will pop up daily... but it's still new so hopefully they will fix it soon.

I was doing 2000 script a week at MySchedule had my damn tech demand at 150 hours.

CVS has its pros, but MySchedule is one of its cons right now. Hopefully it will get better.

 

[zelman]

...MySchedule still doesn't take into account phone calls... but it's still new so hopefully they will fix it soon...

I was a Pharmacy Service Initiative Roll-out technician around 2002. That was when the "skeleton schedule" tool was introduced. We were told then that it was to be enhanced to take phone volume into account. I wouldn't hold my breath on this one.

 

[doublehh03]

I was a Pharmacy Service Initiative Roll-out technician around 2002. That was when the "skeleton schedule" tool was introduced. We were told then that it was to be enhanced to take phone volume into account. I wouldn't hold my breath on this one.

LOL they lied. For my waiting bin days, it still doesn't schedule a tech from 4-6 to do the task. I have to manually add the tech in.

But it's a computer generated system. Those are never perfect. Nothing ever is.

CVS does have some good stuff working for them, but a lot of negatives too. But that's part of the job. You just roll with it and adjust however you can.

But I would never understaff my team. If I felt the schedule is inadequate and requires more hours, I'll do that. I'll deal with my sup and corporate later. Getting things done and ready for customers are more important than having to explain why I"m over budget.

 

[HouTX]

used to work for CVS but not anymore. just wanted to say we do 1800 a week and next week I get 242 tech hours. life is good for this retail rph

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

But it's not kool-aid. That's the funniest part. Myschedule is a generalized tool that determines DEMAND THE SAME WAY ACROSS THE COMPANY. The same formulas go into the equation.

Myschedule works for my store and we do 4500 a week. Why does it work? Because we follow wecare.

Again, if you don't follow WeCare, nothing in CVS will make sense to you. It WILL turn into a living hell. I completely agree with that. The solution is not to have rogue RPH's and techs who make their own rules as they go along.

But keep telling me that I drink "kool-aid" when you're the one too dumb to properly be able to do the job the way the company wants you to do it (and handsomely compensates you for that matter.)

Interesting... I always do things the right way. My Wecare is usually top 20 percent in the company. (We used to be higher).

Myschedule sucks. There are things that I advocate such as readyfill, text messaging, etc. Myschedule is not one of them. They say it factors in over 300 variables but they could not factor in holidays??? wtf.

 

[kvl1027]

But it's not kool-aid. That's the funniest part. Myschedule is a generalized tool that determines DEMAND THE SAME WAY ACROSS THE COMPANY. The same formulas go into the equation.

Myschedule works for my store and we do 4500 a week. Why does it work? Because we follow wecare.

Again, if you don't follow WeCare, nothing in CVS will make sense to you. It WILL turn into a living hell. I completely agree with that. The solution is not to have rogue RPH's and techs who make their own rules as they go along.

But keep telling me that I drink "kool-aid" when you're the one too dumb to properly be able to do the job the way the company wants you to do it (and handsomely compensates you for that matter.)

You can call me Dumb all you want. I never called you dumb and I'm smart enough to have never worked for CVS. I don't know anything about your metrics, except that everyone I personally know who works for CVS, including very good and fast RPhs, who say they are overworked and understaffed. Again, If you are doing 640 scripts/day and you don't have three techs and at least one dedicated cashier, then you're being F@%&@d for profit. I don't care how well you can personally handle it. You are exactly what they are looking for so, keep up the hard work.

And not to get into a pissing contest with you, but I assure you I'm more handsomely compensated and have a significantly lower stress level than I have ever had working in pharmacy.

 

[kvl1027]

I'm the PIC in a sterile compounding pharmacy, we fill 50 scripts/day. I have another pharmacist and full-time techs. My schedule is M-F with every weekend off. Unicorn found.

 

[PharFromNormal]

You can call me Dumb all you want. I never called you dumb and I'm smart enough to have never worked for CVS. I don't know anything about your metrics, except that everyone I personally know who works for CVS, including very good and fast RPhs, who say they are overworked and understaffed. Again, If you are doing 640 scripts/day and you don't have three techs and at least one dedicated cashier, then you're being F@%&@d for profit. I don't care how well you can personally handle it. You are exactly what they are looking for so, keep up the hard work.

And not to get into a pissing contest with you, but I assure you I'm more handsomely compensated and have a significantly lower stress level than I have ever had working in pharmacy.

Wait timeout bystander and professional consultant with bench time experience coming in hot...

You've never worked for the company and you complain about it. You also know "good pharmacists" yet you don't know the environment, systems, support, and tools they have at their disposal to actually pragmatically judge if they are "good" XYZ "on the corner of happy and healthy" pharmacists.

Do everyone a favor and stop adding to the negative bias associated with chain pharmacy when you have no clue the actual facts. Chain pharmacy has taken everything independents and clinical dreamers wished for and pushed it to the mainstream and then you jokers got all butthurt.

 

[kvl1027]

Wait timeout bystander and professional consultant with bench time experience coming in hot...

You've never worked for the company and you complain about it. You also know "good pharmacists" yet you don't know the environment, systems, support, and tools they have at their disposal to actually pragmatically judge if they are "good" XYZ "on the corner of happy and healthy" pharmacists.

Do everyone a favor and stop adding to the negative bias associated with chain pharmacy when you have no clue the actual facts. Chain pharmacy has taken everything independents and clinical dreamers wished for and pushed it to the mainstream and then you jokers got all butthurt.

I don't have to be shot or get shot to no it's bad for my health. I don't have to eat dog **** to know that it probably tastes like ****.

I'll add all the negative bias towards that life sucking chain that I want, and it's not because I'm butt-hurt that they have the largest percentage of retail pharmacy market share. They're not even competition for me.

There is a reason why 90+% of the comments about CVS are negative. I have been in many a CVS to purchase an item and have seen the distress on the faces of the staff. I have seen the lines of people waiting, while one tech is trying to cash people out, answer the phone, and attend to the drive through. I can't help but think, why is the largest pharmacy chain in the country worries about the payroll expense of 120 more tech hours. It's a bunch of crap.

I'm not butt-hurt that CVS is making money. It irritates me that they are doing it at the expense of patient safety and a healthy work environment. I have spent many years working in the corporate world, certainly enough to know how some young suit likes to apply metrics and systems to make someone function in a role, they themselves have no experience doing.

You're right though. Maybe if I worked at CVS I could make it work for me. Maybe I would think, why is everyone bitching so much? Either way, everyone I know who works for CVS is looking for a way out. There is something to say about that.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

You can call me Dumb all you want. I never called you dumb and I'm smart enough to have never worked for CVS. I don't know anything about your metrics, except that everyone I personally know who works for CVS, including very good and fast RPhs, who say they are overworked and understaffed. Again, If you are doing 640 scripts/day and you don't have three techs and at least one dedicated cashier, then you're being F@%&@d for profit. I don't care how well you can personally handle it. You are exactly what they are looking for so, keep up the hard work.

And not to get into a pissing contest with you, but I assure you I'm more handsomely compensated and have a significantly lower stress level than I have ever had working in pharmacy.

I have a lot of respect for you...

CVS or any corporate chain is always going to work at maximum efficiency. That is what public companies do. Hence, it is not a unicorn job. At the same time, it is not hell everywhere like what most posters are saying. There are always going to be outliers in a company with 7400 stores. Its basic math.

I go in everyday doing my job... but I don't lose sleep over it. Its hard work but I am not taken advantage of. I fill 650-700 scripts a day and have 2 to 3 pharmacists, and 60 tech hours. I also have an overnight pharmacist to support me in filling 150 of those prescriptions.

But yes... if you are filling 650 scripts without three techs and a cashier, you are being ****ed. I am thinking Walgreens... but they have central fill and central verification.

As a business man, I think you can understand that it makes no business sense for CVS or any corporate company to have one rph and two techs fill 650 scripts. The scripts lost would not make sense... when we pay our techs 8 to 10 dollars an hour. The mistakes will not be worth it (billing wrong qty, pharmacist errors which results in liabilities, etc). Hence CVS will give you help, but not so much that a 130k pharmacist (more with benefits) can drink coffee and surf the net (like in independents).

 

[farmadiazepine]

But it's not kool-aid. That's the funniest part. Myschedule is a generalized tool that determines DEMAND THE SAME WAY ACROSS THE COMPANY. The same formulas go into the equation.

Myschedule works for my store and we do 4500 a week. Why does it work? Because we follow wecare.

Again, if you don't follow WeCare, nothing in CVS will make sense to you. It WILL turn into a living hell. I completely agree with that. The solution is not to have rogue RPH's and techs who make their own rules as they go along.

But keep telling me that I drink "kool-aid" when you're the one too dumb to properly be able to do the job the way the company wants you to do it (and handsomely compensates you for that matter.)

No offense, it's easier to work in a CVS store that does 4500/week than in a store that does 2200/week. The stores that do very high volume (like yours) always have a person at every work station and that is why its easier to follow WeCare or whatever its called now. Stores that do 300-400 scripts on a Monday are the ones that suffer because the bodies aren't there. WeCare is like the "theoretical" pharmacy that runs smoothly with perfect customers. It says that there is always a person at drop-off, product, pick-up, and QA. Now, we all know that's impossible when its only 1 RPh and 2 techs.

Anyways, not a day goes by that I don't remember to thank God for letting me escape from hell!

 

[NateRobinson]

It's not easier by any means. Are you that dense? Yes you have people at every workstation but that means nothing when 3 pages of Qt randomly appear out of the blue, and the pickup line is down the aisle all day everyday.

 

[farmadiazepine]

used to work for CVS but not anymore. just wanted to say we do 1800 a week and next week I get 242 tech hours. life is good for this retail rph

I just also want to say I work in a store that does 2200 scripts/week and are open only 51 hours. That's 43 scripts/hour. We have 2 pharmacists on all day long from open to close. Life is GOOD outside of CVS!

 

[farmadiazepine]

It's not easier by any means. Are you that dense? Yes you have people at every workstation but that means nothing when 3 pages of Qt randomly appear out of the blue, and the pickup line is down the aisle all day everyday.

Been there, done that, don't miss it at all.

 

[doublehh03]

No offense, it's easier to work in a CVS store that does 4500/week than in a store that does 2200/week. The stores that do very high volume (like yours) always have a person at every work station and that is why its easier to follow WeCare or whatever its called now. Stores that do 300-400 scripts on a Monday are the ones that suffer because the bodies aren't there. WeCare is like the "theoretical" pharmacy that runs smoothly with perfect customers. It says that there is always a person at drop-off, product, pick-up, and QA. Now, we all know that's impossible when its only 1 RPh and 2 techs.

Anyways, not a day goes by that I don't remember to thank God for letting me escape from hell!

Yup people don't get that and always go by script count. 24 hour stores have it the EASIEST. If they struggle, that's on them. They have an overnight that clears all the readyfills. They have a filling machine for fast movers. And they have a lot of overlap. I've worked at stores that fill 800 a day and it's a breeze compared to my old store that did 450-550 a day that was opened only 8-9pm on weekdays. Those stores have to fill their own readyfills during the day, less RPH/tech overlap... Those stores have it the hardest.

When I hear PICs of 24 hour stores talk about how many scripts they do a day and have it so much harder, I just laugh.

The only important metrics of WeCare are triage time (the most important in my opinion), promised time, and action notes. The rest aren't as important in terms of service. But every store should prioritize where everyone focuses on QT at all times.

 

[kvl1027]

I have a lot of respect for you...

CVS or any corporate chain is always going to work at maximum efficiency. That is what public companies do. Hence, it is not a unicorn job. At the same time, it is not hell everywhere like what most posters are saying. There are always going to be outliers in a company with 7400 stores. Its basic math.

I go in everyday doing my job... but I don't lose sleep over it. Its hard work but I am not taken advantage of. I fill 650-700 scripts a day and have 2 to 3 pharmacists, and 60 tech hours. I also have an overnight pharmacist to support me in filling 150 of those prescriptions.

But yes... if you are filling 650 scripts without three techs and a cashier, you are being ******. I am thinking Walgreens... but they have central fill and central verification.

As a business man, I think you can understand that it makes no business sense for CVS or any corporate company to have one rph and two techs fill 650 scripts. The scripts lost would not make sense... when we pay our techs 8 to 10 dollars an hour. The mistakes will not be worth it (billing wrong qty, pharmacist errors which results in liabilities, etc). Hence CVS will give you help, but not so much that a 130k pharmacist (more with benefits) can drink coffee and surf the net (like in independents).

Drink Coffee and surf the web.... Well, maybe now I can!

My last independent job was regular retail and I never had time to surf the web. In an independent setting it's important to spend a lot of time with your patients. I would fill 200-300 scripts/day with 2-3 techs and a dedicated cashier. I never got a lunch break and bathroom breaks were few and far between ( I don't miss it ). But I didn't have to pressure of metrics to dictate what I needed to do and when. I developed the workflow to improve our efficiency and free up time to do the really important stuff.

I guess my point is that if an Independent can staff in a manor that allows the RPh to "surf the web" and still be very profitable, then CVS or Wags shouldn't be sacrificing quality of care two make a little extra money. It's just unethical.

 

[doublehh03]

I guess my point is that if an Independent can staff in a manor that allows the RPh to "surf the web" and still be very profitable, then CVS or Wags shouldn't be sacrificing quality of care two make a little extra money. It's just unethical.

I don't think anyone is arguing that point. CVS/Walgreens and chains aren't good for pharmacy now or the future. We all know that. They're "corporate" entities after all; independents are small businesses.

 

[kvl1027]

I don't think anyone is arguing that point. CVS/Walgreens and chains aren't good for pharmacy now or the future. We all know that. They're "corporate" entities after all; independents are small businesses.

I think a few people were arguing that...certainly defending them, but like I always say: "Never forget who signs your paycheck".