Being a Pharmacy Tech...

[DigitalCancer]

There's a very good chance it will be closer to $10/hr than $30k/year.

But if you're okay with that then it's good experience but if you want to do something more it's better to just go back to school.

Yes...I'm trying to get back into school. ^_^

So, making $10/hr while I'm in school shouldn't be a big issue. I'm trying to get rid of one of our cars, hopefully I can do that like I want and it'll rid of a $450/payment.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I've worked as a Tech for ~2 years now in a retail setting, and am starting Pharmacy School this fall, so here's my 2 cents:

Depending on your state, you may need to be nationally certified (through the PTCB) to even step foot in a pharmacy. But some states allow you to work as a clerk/cashier without certification. Regardless, I would not advise dishing out thousands of dollars for a job that pays only $9-10 per hour starting. Obviously it economically makes no sense, but also I guarantee that you would learn more starting as a cashier in the pharmacy that any program could teach you. The profession is a very on the job learning experience, for both techs and pharmacists alike.

Go to any of the Pharmacies in town and ask to speak to the Pharmacy manager. Explain to them you're interested in being a technician and want to know if they are looking to hire. The best qualities to have are experience with customer service, and a desire to advance in the profession (be it tech, Pharmacist, or anywhere else in the medical field). Many of the retail chains (CVS, Walgreens) will pay for your training and certification. An independent may do this too.

As far as Haybusa's picture that he paints of working in a retail setting... there are ups, downs and politics no matter what setting you work in. Some people hate the corporate demands of retail, and some hate the politics of a hospital/inpatient setting. Personally, I have a love/hate relationship being in retail, but above all I enjoy the patient interaction, and the accessibility people have to my services. If you have issues communicating with people who may not be in the happiest of moods coming from the doctor/hospital, then you'll be in for a rude awakening. It most definitely does take a thick skin and an assertive attitude.

Pharmacy is a small world and and being a technician is certainly not a dead end if you always look to get your foot in the next door.

I work for what's possibly the worst of the worst, Rite Aid. We just had our tech hours cut back to 36 per week. Yep, you read that right. 36 hours for a store that's open 77. We're going to kill someone with those hours and obviously that's a very bad thing. We're even considering organizing a union.

 

[DigitalCancer]

Yea...ultimately if I go through with this, I'd be looking to land in a hospital (I'll of course work retail if I have to, I'm sure that I will starting out).

 

[DigitalCancer]

Please say"anesthetist-anesthesiology-" NOT anti-thesis...
CNA= Certified Nurse Anesthetist"...

I think you're a little confused...there's a huge difference in pay between the 2, lol.
--- CNA = Certified Nurse Assistant....

--- CRNA = Certified Registered Nurse Anethesis

ETA: CNA programs are hard to get into and very expensive.
But get a BSN Nursing and it will open uber Doors for you!

fixed.

 

[x26]

fixed.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

LOL I just realized that thanks...

 

[Rockinacoustic]

I work for what's possibly the worst of the worst, Rite Aid. We just had our tech hours cut back to 36 per week. Yep, you read that right. 36 hours for a store that's open 77. We're going to kill someone with those hours and obviously that's a very bad thing. We're even considering organizing a union.

This explains your previous post

We've been averaging ~20 tech hours over, but seeing that our store gives corporate the numbers they want, our DM hasn't made much of a fuss.

 

[lothar]

Who knows?

Let me explain to the OP what being a certified technician means. If you are working in a hospital you will be paid and treated well. If you are working in a retail pharmacy setting you will be in for a rude awakening. First make sure your state recognizes certification. NY does not. The people I work with got fifty cents an hour more for it. Pay increases are stagnant, you will be working odd hours. Corporate will treat you like a disposable rag. You will be treated rudely by customers and unfortunately some pharmacists (who are shit to corporate too) will not be any better. You will have less respect than someone who flips burgers. You will have to work holidays that they don't. If you go the hospital route then awesome! If you are thinking retail then clean toilets. It's a better job.

As a pharmacist, I second his statement. All of it.

 

[lothar]

Hayabusa has it mostly right.

Don't spend that kind of money on some program, not worth it at all.

Starting pay for people coming out of the local community college with some rx tech cert is $10 an hour. A program like that is worth it, but costs a lot less than what you are looking at (I think)

You would be much better off talking to an RX about wanting to work in the field etc and get in without the school if you can. Or find a cheaper school such as a community college. Many CC's have nursing and other medical classes you can take that will help get you in the door.


BTW PharmD may take 6 years of your life, but you can walk out the door and into a job making $100k easily so it is very much worth it. And retail pharmacy is not THAT bad. The biggest complaint I hear from Rx's in retail is how boring the job can be and all the other non RX stuff the companies are making them do these days to help drive sales and make money for the company.

You are clearly out of touch.
Those are not anywhere near being the biggest complaints.

 

[lothar]

I work for what's possibly the worst of the worst, Rite Aid. We just had our tech hours cut back to 36 per week. Yep, you read that right. 36 hours for a store that's open 77. We're going to kill someone with those hours and obviously that's a very bad thing. We're even considering organizing a union.

I assumed you guys across the pond would be MUCH better than us.
How many new scripts/day on average(over a 7 day and a month period) does your store do?

Open 7-7? That's some odd hours. Was expecting 9-9 or something.
Can never work for RAD. I hate the 12h on, 12h off shift(unless I'm working night shift 10pm-8am 7days on, 7days off).

Will it be state wide or corporate wide? All employees or pharmacists only?
Not sure how well that would work...The last time some people here did that almost a decade ago in another state, it didn't have any effect.

 

[lothar]

being a pharmacy tech opened my eyes to just how many people get side effects. i used to think it was rare that people got side effects for meds. that job made me realize that it was rare for people NOT to have side effects.

Chiropracty doesn't have any side effects?

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I assumed you guys across the pond would be MUCH better than us.
How many new scripts/day on average(over a 7 day and a month period) does your store do?

Open 7-7? That's some odd hours. Was expecting 9-9 or something.
Can never work for RAD. I hate the 12h on, 12h off shift(unless I'm working night shift 10pm-8am 7days on, 7days off).

Will it be state wide or corporate wide? All employees or pharmacists only?
Not sure how well that would work...The last time some people here did that almost a decade ago in another state, it didn't have any effect.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. We're 9-9 with shorter weekend hours all adding up to 77 open hours per week. We did anywhere from 160 on a monday to half that on less busy days. To those who aren't familiar with how things are it may not sound like much, but it's a matter of distraction, which is the primary cause of error.

 

[DigitalCancer]

What did you guys go through, did you get certs/degree's? What're your plans to do with it?

 

[Gibsons]

I work for what's possibly the worst of the worst, Rite Aid. We just had our tech hours cut back to 36 per week. Yep, you read that right. 36 hours for a store that's open 77. We're going to kill someone with those hours and obviously that's a very bad thing. We're even considering organizing a union.

At 36 hours, are they allowed to cut back on some benefits? Since you're not "full time?"

 

[96Firebird]

Is that for all Rite Aids nation wide? My girlfriend is a tech at Rite Aid, and it seems she only works like 10 hours a week there. Her shift tonight is 5:30pm-8:30pm, who has three hours shifts?

 

[alkemyst]

At 36 hours, are they allowed to cut back on some benefits? Since you're not "full time?"

Are you overstaffed for what you need? Many places here put full-timers to 30-32 hours even to see who quits first.

It sux.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

At 36 hours, are they allowed to cut back on some benefits? Since you're not "full time?"

RA redefined full time as 30 hrs. I have one person now. If she calls out there's no one to replace her and of course that means no help at all.

Meh, I've feelers out for another position, but so do most of us.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Is that for all Rite Aids nation wide? My girlfriend is a tech at Rite Aid, and it seems she only works like 10 hours a week there. Her shift tonight is 5:30pm-8:30pm, who has three hours shifts?

For the Rochester area it does. The higher volume stores lost little, the medium some, and below that about half their hours. Three hour shifts are the norm now.

 

[96Firebird]

She wants to go to pharmacy school after she graduates with her BS in Biology, so I guess she should just keep the job and the hours she gets so it looks better when its time for her to apply. And I guess she isn't a tech, just a "pharmacy associate". She hasn't taken the tech test, and probably won't.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

She wants to go to pharmacy school after she graduates with her BS in Biology, so I guess she should just keep the job and the hours she gets so it looks better when its time for her to apply. And I guess she isn't a tech, just a "pharmacy associate". She hasn't taken the tech test, and probably won't.

My path to pharmacy was not the usual. I was more interested in research, but fell back on my undergrad when funding went south. I'm thinking health care is going to pretty much go to crap in the next two decades, but if she wants to pursue it I'd strongly suggest going into a hospital setting. We work 12 hours and we don't get a lunch. At least she would there and be treated like a professional. A far better way to go.

 

[96Firebird]

Yeah, her old pharmacist recently moved to a hospital and says she loves it. She now works normal 9-5 hours and doesn't work the every other weekend or whatever you guys do. She also wants to do research, but all the teachers are booked up in their labs right now. Her friend works in a lab though, although I don't think she makes much money...

 

[DigitalCancer]

hmm...is being a pharmacy tech worth it then? lol

My ultimate goal would be to get my PharmD and open up my own pharmacy...would it be worth it?

 

[alkemyst]

hmm...is being a pharmacy tech worth it then? lol

My ultimate goal would be to get my PharmD and open up my own pharmacy...would it be worth it?

Well starting your own business could be very profitable or a failure.

A PharmD won't help you there.

 

[Saint Nick]

DigitalCancer, are you able to shadow pharmacy students at all? The local medical school here in town won't let us shadow students (fucking stupid). I asked because I was interested in going to medical school, and they said they don't allow shadowing.

WTF.

Also, if your goal is to get a Pharmacy degree, I would honestly just pursue that instead of getting a pharmacy tech degree THEN getting a weapons-grade pharmD.

 

[TheVrolok]

DigitalCancer, are you able to shadow pharmacy students at all? The local medical school here in town won't let us shadow students (fucking stupid). I asked because I was interested in going to medical school, and they said they don't allow shadowing.

Just out of curiosity, what exactly were you looking for when shadowing a medical student? Most of the time is spent in lecture hall, or at home studying?

 

[Mo0o]

DigitalCancer, are you able to shadow pharmacy students at all? The local medical school here in town won't let us shadow students (fucking stupid). I asked because I was interested in going to medical school, and they said they don't allow shadowing.

WTF.

Also, if your goal is to get a Pharmacy degree, I would honestly just pursue that instead of getting a pharmacy tech degree THEN getting a weapons-grade pharmD.

What's the point of shadowing medical students. You would spend the majority of your career as a doctor, not as a medical student. Med school is only 4 years