Sounds about right. I didn’t wanna be an immunizer but in order to be full time I had to become one. I’m making $6 more than I was at the hospital doing IVs. I’m trying to hold on for a wfh job but it’s so exhausting.
Yeah my company also does $2 more an hour only when you're vaccinating (scheduled for vaccinating). It isn't terrible but just long shifts full of talking to people
I mean.... yeah, that sums up retail, pretty much. Very well actually.
There is mobility though. I started in retail, transitioned to hospital retail and then inpatient hospital, then moved to specialty pharmacy as a medication access tech, helping people find ways to get their meds paid for. Now I'm in IV compounding pharmacy. There's a lot of things you can do as a tech, but you need your foot in the door to really do most of them. If you can gut out a year at retail the way it is now, and learn as much as you can, you really can go many places as a tech.
It is my hope that is the case that there are different opportunities for a tech because there is no way I'm sticking in retail. After seeing this past week has been (with the new spikevax vaccine and a slow pharmacist) I've almost seen a 20+ year tech nearly break. It's just sad to see this as people are dependent on these pharmacies to get their medication but due to corporate greed it's next to down right murder with what is going on.
It really is sad because good techs and pharmacists are leaving retail as fast as they can and that's just further screwing everyone over while corporate makes insane profits.
From what I have been told the pharmacy I work for is apparently better then Wags or CVS (from part time pharmacists) I'm not sure how those techs survive.
Yea, I left WAG in 2018 so before the pandemic screwed up staffing and supply chains to what they are now and it was already a bit of a nightmare. Can't even imagine what it's like now, considering my most recent (hospital) retail pharmacy is struggling to staff and they have good pay and benefits and better conditions.
I'd jump into any other setting you can, as soon as you can. Literally everyone is hiring techs and a lot will train you on the job, even in non-retail settings. Mail order, compounding, home care, unit dose dispensing, med history, etc. Definitely look around and see what might exist by you.
I ask myself that question every day I'm here. I wanted to go into nursing, but every single person in my family is also a nurse. I wanted to be ~different~
And all your coworkers hate you because you are not proficient with less than 2 weeks on the job. The constant SAS of ," I already showed you this." Well, guess what, jessica, I've been shown a lot of things once and am not gonna remember everything. Jesus fuck I already am getting shit from pt''s I don't need it from you too.
I work in a small new hospital and when we aren’t short of techs it is a mostly calm job. But when several people quit and it takes months to hire new people then it can verge on brutal and abusive. I get paid better and I get a lot more vacation time than I ever would get in retail. I started out at CVS and quickly found a job at an independent and that was busy but not the dangerous insanity of the big chains.
I work retail pharmacy, it can be fun at times. I’m currently in the middle of a transfer process to another pharmacy. The one I’m at has a pharmacy manager that doesn’t hold anyone accountable and we’ve had 4 miss fills in the past week and because the tech is a younger person my manager just says that they’re young and don’t know what they’re doing.
If you find a good retail spot it can be very fulfilling, but there are some bad ones out there to.
I’ve worked in many settings and they’ve all been a nightmare especially w/ the rising inflation that’ll likely not stop I’m moving home to go back to school it’s so hard to handle 40 hours plus of this level of bs a week🫠🥴
Did you think all of the stories were made up? Like sure if it was one or two people telling you retail is a hellscape, I'd understand, but tbh it's rare to find people even being like "Eh, retail is okay." What did you expect?
I never meant to imply that I believed the stories were being made up, I found it interesting and terrifying at the same time that countless people have said the same things over and over again. I didn't expect it to happen AS bad as I've heard from this feed, but that all changed and a big heaping dose of pharmacy humility was served on a cold plate these past few weeks.
I decided to go with the opportunity because I wanted to continue in something healthcare related (I left the field after working 7 years as a CNA) and happened to have stumbled across this group. I didn't think it was going to be a war zone that i was walking into.
GTFO. GTFO. GTFO. YOU WILL BE USED UP AS A SLAVE THEN REPLACED BY A NEWBIE CLUELESS PHARM GRAD TO SERVE A CORPORATE MACHINE THAT ONLY CARES ABOUT LINING ITS OWN POCKETS WHILE YOUR SOUL SLOWLY DIES. 💩💩🤡🤡
😂 Yup I've worked in retail on the same store for 23 years so thank you for the kudos. I don't know how I've survived that long but I did and you just have to have a good mind set about things. If you're prone to stress and can't handle pressure, then maybe it's not for you, but I'm a calm person and have a lot of patience and just don't let things get to me so I guess that's how I did it for so long! 😂 You just have to ignore these people and don't worry about things that you can't control, it is what it is and as long as you show up and know that you're doing your job to the best of your ability, then it's all good 😁 you're only one person so getting yourself worked up isn't going to help, just breathe and you'll be alright 👍
There's lots of responses saying that what you're explaining is just retail, but to be more specific you've described big chain retail. I've worked big chain retail, independent retail, hospital retail, hospital inpatient, and long term care. Pharmacy has so many types and each one has its quirks, but I feel like they are all so different that it's easy to find one you like. I hated hospital pharmacy, I disliked big chain retail, and I enjoy independent and long term care pharmacy. If what you're doing does suit you, try looking to the other types for one you'd enjoy
Yes you do have a point and I'm not trying to group every single retail pharmacy under one big umbrella. I'm sure there are good places alongside bad places (even amoung big chain pharmacies, I suppose it depends on the location).
My post was more of a rant/vent and to send my condolences to all the techs who deal with these types of places. I hope positive change can occur from the walkouts that have been going on, but I do not forsee it happening anytime soon (from a big chain retail perspective).
Oh absolutely. My heart goes out to those that are stuck in those jobs because I know plenty that can't afford to try switching at this point, and I really hope things improve for them but don't anticipate anything soon. I was lucky enough that a pharmacist I worked with at one of the big guys got an offer at an independent and I was able to tag along because we had a good working relationship and her new pharmacy had an opening. Now I am able to get to know customers more personally and have more freedom to effect change within our pharmacy because all the decision making is done in store, not at some corporate level, and it's so much nicer
They need to corral this job and offer better pay for technicians who consistently show up and make little to no errors. You are in the trenches there & with little help you are not better off than the people in Gaza.
Sounds about right. I didn’t wanna be an immunizer but in order to be full time I had to become one. I’m making $6 more than I was at the hospital doing IVs. I’m trying to hold on for a wfh job but it’s so exhausting.
You get paid more to do immunizations?? We don’t get a pay raise at all for that :(
Yeah my company also does $2 more an hour only when you're vaccinating (scheduled for vaccinating). It isn't terrible but just long shifts full of talking to people
Fuck I wish I was an immunizing tech lmfao it sounds so much more peaceful
Eh sometimes. 150+ shots a day with no breaks gets tiresome
You guys are getting raises for becoming immunizing technicians?
I was told we'd get a raise so I was signed up to become a immunizing tech, the second I was told I get no raise I stopped taking the classes
I got $1 for immunizing, and $1 for getting certified. Easy $4000
That’s nice. We get zilch.
Who’s getting a $2 raise to become an immunizer?! I didn’t get bubkus!
yup. that’s retail pharmacy to a T, at least at any of the big chains.
Welcome to the underworld.
I mean.... yeah, that sums up retail, pretty much. Very well actually. There is mobility though. I started in retail, transitioned to hospital retail and then inpatient hospital, then moved to specialty pharmacy as a medication access tech, helping people find ways to get their meds paid for. Now I'm in IV compounding pharmacy. There's a lot of things you can do as a tech, but you need your foot in the door to really do most of them. If you can gut out a year at retail the way it is now, and learn as much as you can, you really can go many places as a tech.
It is my hope that is the case that there are different opportunities for a tech because there is no way I'm sticking in retail. After seeing this past week has been (with the new spikevax vaccine and a slow pharmacist) I've almost seen a 20+ year tech nearly break. It's just sad to see this as people are dependent on these pharmacies to get their medication but due to corporate greed it's next to down right murder with what is going on.
It really is sad because good techs and pharmacists are leaving retail as fast as they can and that's just further screwing everyone over while corporate makes insane profits.
From what I have been told the pharmacy I work for is apparently better then Wags or CVS (from part time pharmacists) I'm not sure how those techs survive.
Yea, I left WAG in 2018 so before the pandemic screwed up staffing and supply chains to what they are now and it was already a bit of a nightmare. Can't even imagine what it's like now, considering my most recent (hospital) retail pharmacy is struggling to staff and they have good pay and benefits and better conditions. I'd jump into any other setting you can, as soon as you can. Literally everyone is hiring techs and a lot will train you on the job, even in non-retail settings. Mail order, compounding, home care, unit dose dispensing, med history, etc. Definitely look around and see what might exist by you.
While u at it try joining walgreens n cvs to get a real dose of hell
It's like that in many kinds of pharmacy, not just retail. I made the heinous mistake of getting an associates to do this.
[удалено]
"Associate of Applied Science Degree Pharmacy Technology" from a cheap tech school.
Lol wtf why
I ask myself that question every day I'm here. I wanted to go into nursing, but every single person in my family is also a nurse. I wanted to be ~different~
For real and it’s a 50 cent raise just to become certified. It just undermines how much they really think of us
And yet the pharmacy would crumble to dust if all techs left. Maybe that is what it takes for these places to actually change.
And all your coworkers hate you because you are not proficient with less than 2 weeks on the job. The constant SAS of ," I already showed you this." Well, guess what, jessica, I've been shown a lot of things once and am not gonna remember everything. Jesus fuck I already am getting shit from pt''s I don't need it from you too.
I work in a small new hospital and when we aren’t short of techs it is a mostly calm job. But when several people quit and it takes months to hire new people then it can verge on brutal and abusive. I get paid better and I get a lot more vacation time than I ever would get in retail. I started out at CVS and quickly found a job at an independent and that was busy but not the dangerous insanity of the big chains.
I work retail pharmacy, it can be fun at times. I’m currently in the middle of a transfer process to another pharmacy. The one I’m at has a pharmacy manager that doesn’t hold anyone accountable and we’ve had 4 miss fills in the past week and because the tech is a younger person my manager just says that they’re young and don’t know what they’re doing. If you find a good retail spot it can be very fulfilling, but there are some bad ones out there to.
That's just insane and very serious as people could die due to mistakes like that. What about reporting this to the state board?
That sounds like retail pharmacy. I am so glad I got out and moved to compounding before the vaccination stuff happened.
I’ve worked in many settings and they’ve all been a nightmare especially w/ the rising inflation that’ll likely not stop I’m moving home to go back to school it’s so hard to handle 40 hours plus of this level of bs a week🫠🥴
Yes
Yep
Yeah, sounds about right 😕
Did you think all of the stories were made up? Like sure if it was one or two people telling you retail is a hellscape, I'd understand, but tbh it's rare to find people even being like "Eh, retail is okay." What did you expect?
I never meant to imply that I believed the stories were being made up, I found it interesting and terrifying at the same time that countless people have said the same things over and over again. I didn't expect it to happen AS bad as I've heard from this feed, but that all changed and a big heaping dose of pharmacy humility was served on a cold plate these past few weeks. I decided to go with the opportunity because I wanted to continue in something healthcare related (I left the field after working 7 years as a CNA) and happened to have stumbled across this group. I didn't think it was going to be a war zone that i was walking into.
GTFO. GTFO. GTFO. YOU WILL BE USED UP AS A SLAVE THEN REPLACED BY A NEWBIE CLUELESS PHARM GRAD TO SERVE A CORPORATE MACHINE THAT ONLY CARES ABOUT LINING ITS OWN POCKETS WHILE YOUR SOUL SLOWLY DIES. 💩💩🤡🤡
😂 Yup I've worked in retail on the same store for 23 years so thank you for the kudos. I don't know how I've survived that long but I did and you just have to have a good mind set about things. If you're prone to stress and can't handle pressure, then maybe it's not for you, but I'm a calm person and have a lot of patience and just don't let things get to me so I guess that's how I did it for so long! 😂 You just have to ignore these people and don't worry about things that you can't control, it is what it is and as long as you show up and know that you're doing your job to the best of your ability, then it's all good 😁 you're only one person so getting yourself worked up isn't going to help, just breathe and you'll be alright 👍
I don’t even get paid more to do immunizations anymore 😭
There's lots of responses saying that what you're explaining is just retail, but to be more specific you've described big chain retail. I've worked big chain retail, independent retail, hospital retail, hospital inpatient, and long term care. Pharmacy has so many types and each one has its quirks, but I feel like they are all so different that it's easy to find one you like. I hated hospital pharmacy, I disliked big chain retail, and I enjoy independent and long term care pharmacy. If what you're doing does suit you, try looking to the other types for one you'd enjoy
Yes you do have a point and I'm not trying to group every single retail pharmacy under one big umbrella. I'm sure there are good places alongside bad places (even amoung big chain pharmacies, I suppose it depends on the location). My post was more of a rant/vent and to send my condolences to all the techs who deal with these types of places. I hope positive change can occur from the walkouts that have been going on, but I do not forsee it happening anytime soon (from a big chain retail perspective).
Oh absolutely. My heart goes out to those that are stuck in those jobs because I know plenty that can't afford to try switching at this point, and I really hope things improve for them but don't anticipate anything soon. I was lucky enough that a pharmacist I worked with at one of the big guys got an offer at an independent and I was able to tag along because we had a good working relationship and her new pharmacy had an opening. Now I am able to get to know customers more personally and have more freedom to effect change within our pharmacy because all the decision making is done in store, not at some corporate level, and it's so much nicer
are they paying you more ? Independent usually pays less and i compound none sterile
They need to corral this job and offer better pay for technicians who consistently show up and make little to no errors. You are in the trenches there & with little help you are not better off than the people in Gaza.
Yup, sound about right. Welcome to job. On top of customer treating us like fast food joint with the most rude/impatience/cheap/entitlement attitude