Working in a hospital's retail pharmacy?

[ohiopharmacist1]

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Anyone have any experience in this setting? It seems like a better work environment than the chains. Plus the hours are fantastic! I've seen one that's open 9-5 daily and another that's 7-6 M-F, 8-2 on sat, then closed on sunday! Also seems like a good way to get your foot in the door for a hospital staffing job.

 

[streetpreacher]

From my experience with it, it is about as enjoyable as retail pharmacy can get.

 

[WhYMee]

I work in a outpatient pharmacy in a medical center in Brooklyn and it is great. Great hours (M-F, no weekends, close at 6), great benefits, 4 weeks vacation after 1 year, lunch break, closed holidays with pay, job security, unions, no copays, pensions, no corporate BS. It's almost like working for an independent except more job security because it's a medical center and also cause you purchase drugs using the 340B program so greater profit.

Turnover rate is non-existent....people only leave when they retire.

If retail is your thing, at least interview for it and see what's up.

 

[rph3664]

Unless it's the kind of place where people rotate between departments, a hospital retail pharmacy and the inpatient pharmacy are usually entirely separate departments. Some retails are employees and dependents only, some are open to the general public, and others only fill prescriptions for people being discharged from the ER or the inpatient floors. Many are also the contracted hospice pharmacy, and fill prescriptions and orders for them.

 

[psychoandy]

Anyone have any experience in this setting? It seems like a better work environment than the chains. Plus the hours are fantastic! I've seen one that's open 9-5 daily and another that's 7-6 M-F, 8-2 on sat, then closed on sunday! Also seems like a good way to get your foot in the door for a hospital staffing job.

1.) yes, as a student. much more awesome than chains. there are actual CHAIRS that you can sit in it's ridiculous! and you can actually check out medical records/labs, easily page actual MDs if there's a problem (as opposed to talking to secretary/MA), etc.
2.) hours are awesome.
3.) i don't know if i'd go that far. 2 different skillsets, and like 3664 says, different departments (unless it's a smaller hospital/outpt pharmacy).

 

[KARM12]

Our inpatient and outpatient pharmacies are two different departments. The pharmacists don't transfer over and they are two very different jobs. It might be possible though.

Our outpatient pharmacy is a pretty sweet job...no evenings/weekends...less scripts, more help. It can be slow, but they get to do a lot of counseling. These jobs don't open up too often because no one wants to leave them. They probably get paid way less than Walgreens, but the other benefits outweigh this!