Love My Job, But Concerned About Stability. What to Do?
Question: Chen, I was wondering if you can give me some advice…I am currently working for Rite Aid and I love my store. I work with great people, and the schedule is 8-8 compared to most retail. Only problem is the stability of the company. CVS in the area just contacted me, I’m conflicted. I used to work for them before I moved to North Carolina, would have stayed with them but at the time they didn’t have an opening at the area…most CVS I have worked had been high stress, bad schedule 8-10pm, but the company is doing a lot better than Rite Aid financially…what would you do?
Answer: It sounds like you like a good schedule, and CVS doesn’t typically have the environment of supporting its pharmacists well since it’s high stress. Knowing that Rite Aid is in financial trouble, here are a few things to think about:
1. Is the main reason you’re looking for a change because of desiring security?
2. What would the schedule of CVS be? (didn’t you work 8-10 before?)
3. Are you noticing signs of layoff at Rite Aid in your area? (the financial issue is definitely one sign)
4. How likely do you think you would be able to find a position if Rite Aid lays off pharmacists?
A few considerations:
1. What are the trade-offs, if you were to stay in your current position & then just ride it out to see whether you may be cut or not (ie, maybe you can get another job easily, but what kind of job would it be? Or can you get another job easily in your area)? Do some market research on what’s around in the area & your options should you be laid off. Find out what Rite Aid’s plan is for getting out of financial trouble. If it doesn’t look sound (ie, they still make un-wise financial decisions & their profits are continuing to decrease, then not a good sign…get out)
2. If the trade-off is acceptable to you, then I would recommend staying in your current position. A few benefits: you have the schedule you like, enjoy working with great people (you can’t find that everywhere, where there is good chemistry), and it’s always good to stay at a position for a minimum of 2 years. (although, it is fine to stay shorter than that too, if there is good reason…as long as you don’t do it frequently throughout your career, because it can be viewed as you having instability & job hopping).
3. But if you are concerned & you are looking for stability all-around, then consider going back to CVS.
I am concerned about the well being of many of our colleagues. The antiquated archaic laws delineating how long a pharmacist can eat lunch(30 minutes) despite having to work > 12 hours in some instances with no break. The danger to patients whom rely on an avid health professional to dispense their medications after working for so long with no breaks. Not forgetting what people so non chalantly call “retail burnout”, as if long term detrimental health effects are out of the question(depression, anxiety, arthritis of the knees, DVT’s, even PTSD), are expected norm for pharmacists. Working in understaffed high stress conditions, (and the understaffed scenario is endemic throughout), because of a law that says a max of 2 techs per pharmacist used by these corporations to justify their greed. Pharmacists don’t even get hazard pay for working with substances for which they may get shot or killed over. Just the other day I read an article where some robbers cut off the pinky of a pharmacist who wouldn’t open the narc safe.
I feel like many of these organizations who say they are working on our behalf have dropped the ball and haven’t even known where it’s been for years.
Then there’s the foreign pharmacist. With the saturation point nearing it’s mark, the lowering of pharmaceutical elegance standards, and the inability for home grown pharmacists to retain adequate positions, this needs to be said and addressed now in light of once talk in hushed tones and back rooms. The economy, the profession, and the individual cannot handle this onslaught of outsourcing and standard lowering(and if you want to know what I mean there’s a number of them but I’ll start with English..the grammer, the spoken word…communication). I don’t have anything against immigrants as I came from immigrants, but it’s tough to see new grads who went to school here with exhorbitant student loans and whose parent/s have always paid taxes here, be stepped over because of competition from people willing to take lower pay and whose abilities are determined by a watered down process meant to fill the ranks in a time where we did need foreign help. That time is over now………………..
What do you all think?
The influx of foreign Pharmacists has been going on in Florida for how many years now? Maybe 8. I was terminated from CVS in South Florida this week–have been with CVS for 19 years total time in the workplace 33 years.
Question: Do you know of other mature pharmacists in Florida who have been terminated? If there are –as I suppose there are–age discrimination can be reviewed.. Another mature Pharmacist within a 100 mile radius was terminated late spring.
This caused me to remember the foreign Pharmacists. Three issues ago in the CVS newsletter, there was a glowing article on the legislature that changed in Florida to allow foreign pharmacists to come to florida Pharmacy colleges –maybe Nova was one that was mentioned–and take 2 years of schooling verses 6 for our American students plus maybe 8 or 12 months of externship verses I think 6 months for our American students and thus become a pharmacist.
This has been going on for years–maybe 8–maybe more —so by now Florida has a steady stream of registered foreign Pharmacists. coming out of the pipline every year…
I wonder what a foreign Pharmacist accepts for wages. I have heard 45 dollars an hour. Could this be true??
The way I see it the mature pharmacists who have earned raises 3 or 4 percent every year could be making 61 dollars an hour with 4 weeks vacation. Replacing them with the outsourced foreign pharmacist is instant BIG money.
I never put the pieces together until it has happened in my own backyard.
So, do you know of a mature pharmacist in Florida that this has happened to, and what do you think???.