Your Experience Working at CVS?

[PA_dud3]

Pharmacist or Technician, just describe your experience working at CVS in the pharmacy. Is it particularly hard? I know it's fast paced but does it leave you feeling drained? Any special quirks about the pharmacy? How are technicians treated/paid? Are most stores willing to work around someone's school schedule?

I'l be (probably) applying at a CVS this fall when I start undergrad, hoping to get responses from people who have experience working in CVS (hence my reason for posting in the Pharmacy section). I know it sounds crazy to apply at CVS when there are other options available, but my reasoning is, if I can stomach working at CVS, I can function working in most places, as I know what it's like working at an independent.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

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[Dr Wario]

The search function is your friend.

 

[Igra]

Pharmacist or Technician, just describe your experience working at CVS in the pharmacy. Is it particularly hard? I know it's fast paced but does it leave you feeling drained? Any special quirks about the pharmacy? How are technicians treated/paid? Are most stores willing to work around someone's school schedule?

I'l be (probably) applying at a CVS this fall when I start undergrad, hoping to get responses from people who have experience working in CVS (hence my reason for posting in the Pharmacy section). I know it sounds crazy to apply at CVS when there are other options available, but my reasoning is, if I can stomach working at CVS, I can function working in most places, as I know what it's like working at an independent.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

I was part of the Target/CVS buyout, originally a Target technician, I didn't really have any problems or drastic changes at all. I had an enjoyable retail experience over about 4 years, but that was largely in part to Target not being nearly as busy as a normal CVS and we, the pharmacy team, were able to cultivate genuinely personalized pharmacy support and service to our patients. We didn't have too many people who threw temper tantrums over the littlest things and that made working there very pleasant. Of course this is not usually the norm for most pharmacies, but if you were going to work at a CVS and you try to get in at a CVS inside Target you will probably have a better time, but it seems like you're intentionally trying to throw yourself in the deep end to see how bad it can really get so that's up to you to decide where you want to be at.

 

[Unchained]

Do not work for CVS. In fact get out of pharmacy all together. None of the trends support a long-term career in pharmacy. Or a short one for that matter. There are industries that are hot and will remain hot for some time. Check out the companies whose stocks are moving up the last 5 years.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

They pay me over $150,000 a year, I work mostly alone, and I get a week off every other week. I really can't complain.

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

Pharmacist or Technician, just describe your experience working at CVS in the pharmacy. Is it particularly hard? I know it's fast paced but does it leave you feeling drained? Any special quirks about the pharmacy? How are technicians treated/paid? Are most stores willing to work around someone's school schedule?

I'l be (probably) applying at a CVS this fall when I start undergrad, hoping to get responses from people who have experience working in CVS (hence my reason for posting in the Pharmacy section). I know it sounds crazy to apply at CVS when there are other options available, but my reasoning is, if I can stomach working at CVS, I can function working in most places, as I know what it's like working at an independent.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

If you are a pre-everything (pre-pharmacy, pre-medical, pre-dental...) that can only make it into pharmacy school then you'll fit right in at CVS.

 

[hye345]

CVS as a whole has way too many metrics, and staff hours are always being cut. You don't necessarily have to worry about every metric every time, but they will still slow you down (all the register prompts you have to ask patients, all the follow-up calls you have to make, etc). Of course, within this universe, your individual experience will vary, depending on multiple factors:

1)Are your techs competent? *by far the most important factor*
2)Are your patients generally the relaxed variety, or the neurotic variety?
3)Do you get support and empathy from your manager and supervisor, or are they corporate robots who only rant about numbers?

Keep in mind, even within one store, the above 3 can change on a dime: your superstar tech can leave for greener pastures. Your friendly and supportive supervisor can get canned next week. A pain clinic can open across the street

 

[wagrxm2000]

A fascinating thing about pharmacy is outsiders have no idea what's happening.

I hear my kids friends talking about going into pharmacy all the time. Obviously my kids won't be doing that.

 

[zelman]

CVS is a fine place to be a tech if you can’t get a job anywhere else. However, if it’s the only pharmacy you work in until you graduate, you’re screwed. It is not a fine place to be a pharmacist. Use it to get experience to get another job by P2, not as a long term plan.

 

[PA_dud3]

Ive been working as a tech for about a year so far, sorry to ask all the questions, just trying to get as much info as I can before I make a decision about where I'll work during undergrad. I am confident in the fact I want to pursue becoming a Pharmacist, even with the negatives in mind. I really enjoy what I do, and feel like I would enjoy being a Pharmacist. Thank you for all of the constructive reaponses.

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

Ive been working as a tech for about a year so far, sorry to ask all the questions, just trying to get as much info as I can before I make a decision about where I'll work during undergrad. I am confident in the fact I want to pursue becoming a Pharmacist, even with the negatives in mind. I really enjoy what I do, and feel like I would enjoy being a Pharmacist. Thank you for all of the constructive reaponses.

Fair enough I guess

 

[Old Timer]

It's not the company you work for. It's your preceptor that is most important. You need someone who is going to train you to be a pharmacist

 

[RxPreceptor]

Very grim but realistic description - expect chaos/change the second you feel comfortable

CVS as a whole has way too many metrics, and staff hours are always being cut. You don't necessarily have to worry about every metric every time, but they will still slow you down (all the register prompts you have to ask patients, all the follow-up calls you have to make, etc). Of course, within this universe, your individual experience will vary, depending on multiple factors:

1)Are your techs competent? *by far the most important factor*
2)Are your patients generally the relaxed variety, or the neurotic variety?
3)Do you get support and empathy from your manager and supervisor, or are they corporate robots who only rant about numbers?

Keep in mind, even within one store, the above 3 can change on a dime: your superstar tech can leave for greener pastures. Your friendly and supportive supervisor can get canned next week. A pain clinic can open across the street

 

[mydogatemysuboxone27]

Worked for about three years as a pharmacist, 3 as an intern. I was only a PIC and then went up to the leadership training before they got rid of the supervisor position. It was terrible the entire time I worked there, but the first year I was clouded by the Koolaid. Working until 2am to get the work done because we were understaffed was common but again, I was new so I thought I was paying my dues. They finally gave us more hours (which we actually needed) and things got better for a short period of time. But then leadership changed hands, hours got slashed by a lot and no one seemed to care. Upper management was following orders so they didn't care if you suffered or not, they wanted their results with the amount of hours you were given otherwise you were unsuccessful. And then they would come in for visits preaching what we already knew, just didn't have enough time or hands to get everything done.

When they give opportunities to "do more", it comes with a clause: everything has to be learned on your off time. So essentially my base was 45 hours, and the two days off per week I had to travel to other stores to do surveys, teaching, etc.. just to look good and put my time in. And when the supervisor position went away, they said, "You can still stay in the program, you would just need to learn the front store side of it." Again, on my off time, not getting paid.

I'm much more efficient in my current job because of my experiences and my current job feels like child-play (that's a good thing..ITS EASY). For a company that preaches family and everything that comes with it, no one actually cares. They feed lines and don't follow through. I moved on to another retail chain and I am much happier for it. CVS taught me a lot of things and I'm grateful for my time there, but I would much rather leave the profession all together than go back.

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

They pay me over $150,000 a year, I work mostly alone, and I get a week off every other week. I really can't complain.

This is a very rare example haha i would say majority of CVS employees would quit in a heart beat if there is something better presented. Many I know, including myself, quit CVS even if meant getting a pay cut. I would gladly take a $10k/yr paycut than work in a toxic environment like CVS.

Pharmacy has its ups and downs but CVS only has downs... haha

 

[johnpharm01]

I would agree overnights are the gravy jobs of retail. I was happiest when I worked overnights- complaints were less and dealt with effectively and the probably of errors dropped dramatically. I worked at CVS during the good days and it still was stressful. But back then corporate was accommodating and the store managers stayed out of the pharmacy unless you asked for them to be there. I liken working at the major retailers to radiation sickness. A large dose in a small time frame will kill you and small doses over a long period will harm you. So work at a major retailer if you MUST, but find something else asap.