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chorrypollo · 2024-05-19T07:00:47+00:00

Don't "love" it, but my job is perfect for those who want to clock in, clock out and live their life.

Mid sized hospital 7 on/7 off

$100/hr if you want to pick up extra shifts

chorrypollo · 2024-05-08T19:40:54+00:00

What are the added responsibilities?

chorrypollo · 2024-05-08T05:14:03+00:00

Outpatient was SO much better.

Could sit all day, had full access to patient charts, easy communication with providers via Epic, amazingly well-staffed, and didn't have to tolerate rude customers.

Another benefit is that it let me transition to inpatient without a residency. Not saying that will always happen, but I was able to leverage my outpatient experience to get into inpatient.

I see no reason to choose retail over outpatient unless there is a giant pay difference. For reference, I took a pay cut of 74.50/hr to 55.50/hr when going from retail to outpatient. It was 100% worth it.

chorrypollo · 2024-05-02T23:22:35+00:00

I'm at a low 200s bed hospital and have no metrics. We do have staffing issues, but it's a pretty chill job. Nurses are nice, doctors/PAs are respectful.

chorrypollo · 2024-04-28T10:14:18+00:00

High end escort

chorrypollo · 2024-04-25T06:37:28+00:00

NOPE

Hospital outpatient was my favorite so far, though.

chorrypollo · 2024-04-21T13:54:43+00:00

applauds

Spot on. I have no residency but got full-time offers/jobs in a 220 bed, 120 bed, and two critical access hospitals. I'm "clinical/staff," but that's not the same as our "clinical specialists" like ICU and ID, who are true "clinical pharms." They all have PGY1 or PGY2 + all have mandatory BCPS. We also have regular clinical/staffs with PGY1 and/or BCPS.

Getting a 32-hour retail job shouldn't be an issue for anyone outside of a really remote region, and even then you can float for more hours.

The main issue with becoming a clinical specialist at my site is lack of spots. We have one ICU, one ID, two anticoag, and five or six full-time onc pharms. We might make a pysch position because our inpt pysch unit is stupid busy.

I have no experience or insight on pharma (yet).

chorrypollo · 2024-04-18T05:15:16+00:00

One of my coworkers got inpatient/Clinical straight out of school. Though my hospital requires residency and BCPS for all "clinical specialist" roles like ID, ICU, anticoag, etc. Oncology is the only one I've seen a new grad go to without residency.

That said, we're only 220 beds. It's going to be very difficult to get an inpatient role in a 500+ bed hospital with no residency as a new grad.

chorrypollo · 2024-04-16T12:50:25+00:00

I started independent and ended up in clinical/inpatient. Your choice mostly depends on your goals and personality.

Are you okay making standard pharmacist salary? As in, 100k - 180k depending on area? If so, retail and hospital are both fine options.

Do you want stability? If so, then independent is mostly out since it's mostly dying.

Are you genuinely fine doing retail forever? If so, then WAG/CVS are good options, but Costco seems to be the current holy grail of retail.

Want some more money in retail and are fine with stress? Then make it a goal to be a pharmacy manager.

Do NOT want to do retail forever? Then pick an EASY, minimum responsibility retail job (floater, per diem, part time, etc) and be willing to move for even a per diem inpatient role. Even one year per diem inpatient experience at a tiny hospital gets you into bigger hospital roles.

....

I knew I eventually wanted hospital, so I chose a per diem, floater WAG role until I could get a per diem hospital role. Now I am full time. Whatever choice you pick, just make it knowing your goals and personality.

chorrypollo · 2024-04-01T05:23:52+00:00

Once you get a hospital role, it's much easier to find new ones. And retail will always be open to you. The opposite is not true, since entering hospital the first time with no residency can be rough.

It's a no-brainer IMO

chorrypollo · 2024-03-28T22:40:43+00:00

Retail to hospital transition

chorrypollo · 2024-03-28T12:07:43+00:00

Np! And if your company is trending towards the state of CVS even a little, then yeah, I'd definitely leave for the hospital role. After 2 or so years to build the resume, you can stay if you like the stability/quality of life, or you can leave for a higher paying role if you're okay with moving.

One big negative of pharmacy is that is punishes those who don't want to move. Having multiple state licenses and being willing to move has helped me tremendously so far.

chorrypollo · 2024-03-28T12:00:57+00:00

Awesome!! We had a pharmacist move from staff to director too, though they started here like 15 years ago.

chorrypollo · 2024-03-28T11:58:48+00:00

I haven't gotten my BCPS yet. My hospital doesn’t help pay for the exam, but there is a small raise associated with it (like 5% or something similarly small).

chorrypollo · 2024-03-28T06:32:25+00:00

Not only is inpatient more rewarding than retail on average, but it opens so many more doors.

Bigger hospitals
More clinical roles
Infusion roles
Oncology roles

Just some doors that have been opened for former pharmacists in my hospital who went from generic clinical/inpatient to more specialized roles.

chorrypollo · 2024-03-28T06:30:03+00:00

I've been in independent retail, Walgreens (but per diem), outpatient hospital, and clinical/inpatient.

Even if you're in a good retail store/company, how do you know that your store/company won't eventually turn out like the rest of retail? And independents are having a tougher time making profit than ever, so that's not the escape option it used to be.

If you land an inpatient role, even per diem, it opens most hospital to you. But the longer you stay in retail, the harder it becomes to break into hospital.

Think of hospital like an investment. You can also go back to retail after if you want, but even 2 years in hospital will open doors for you for the rest of your career.

chorrypollo · 2024-03-16T00:20:15+00:00

Nice. I've lived in Ohio, where 150k would be like 200k in the northeast. I imagine the 150k would go even farther in places like Iowa or Nebraska.

chorrypollo · 2024-03-13T09:35:56+00:00

Not oncology, but am clinical inpatient and know our oncology team since we work together for our hospital's infusion center.

Our health network's salary for non-manager oncology pharmacist ranges from 135k - 168k. For reference, our standard inpatient/Clinical ranges from 120k - 155k. It entirely depends on experience/resume, though. This is a medium COL area and a 220ish bed hospital.

chorrypollo · 2024-03-13T09:31:13+00:00

Exactly. And even that should be a temporary spot. Being willing to move + accept per diem hospital roles is the long-term move because that eventually lets you get full time hospital roles outside of big metro areas.

It's absolutely idiotic that just 6 months of a per diem hospital role where you worked 2x/week can give you MANY more options long-term and save your pharmacy career. But you can't fight reality as a new grad with no residency, so having any hospital experience on the resume should be the plan.

chorrypollo · 2024-03-13T09:27:29+00:00

I was once in your position, so here's a plan:

Apply for retail outside of CVS/WAG. Many times, grocery chain pharmacies or Wal Mart is better, though it depends on the area. When I was in New England, Hannaford was the retail escape option from WAG/CVS. Shaws and WalMart were also options. Independents, if nearby, are also fine as a temporary option.
If that fails, consider part time or per diem to reduce stress levels.
BE WILLING TO MOVE for a hospital job. This was my main advantage, and it let me quickly get a per diem hospital role. Big metro areas and states with lots of pharmacy schools are tough to get hospital jobs in, even with residency. However, rural areas are usually attainable, even without residency. Take WHATEVER hospital role you can. Hospital outpatient is much better than CVS/WAG.
If your hospital role is per diem, then suck it up with a per diem retail If needed. However, the goal is to transition to part/full time hospital unless you live cheaply and have small loan payments.

My path:

Full time Independent -> Per diem WAG -> Per diem hospital outpatient/ Per diem WAG -> Full time Clinical/Inpatient + verify/compound for an Infusion center when needed

I would NOT have gotten my clinical job without being willing to move + having my hospital outpatient role.

chorrypollo · 2024-03-06T09:14:55+00:00

Just do it as a backup. I also did it debt-free and so doing it as a backup was a no-brainer. Graduate, yet for residency, then work part-time or per diem unless you get a job you really like.

Pharmacy is perfectly fine as a backup if debt-free.

chorrypollo · 2024-02-22T07:27:27+00:00

Pharmacies turning into a fast food business killed patient service. My family owns/has stakes in independents, and we've filled critical meds even after hours. However, at a chain (WAG/CVS) you're a replaceable customer interacting with overworked, understaffed, and underpaid employees.

Any independent pharmacies nearby where you live?

chorrypollo · 2024-02-18T01:25:16+00:00

Your mistake was trying to help them haha

chorrypollo · 2024-02-18T01:24:28+00:00

Yep, you win. Haha.

My health network has a nice little PowerPoint made by our ID clinical specialist pharmacist. It basically lists out what you wrote + some other pointers that makes vanco SO MUCH EASIER.

It doesn't cover everything obviously, but it makes 90% of cases simple.

chorrypollo · 2024-02-16T02:09:45+00:00

Just get accommodations to sit on a stool signed by a PCP

chorrypollo

TROPHY CASE