i applied to cvs and a nursing home and i'm so happy i got the job at the nursing home...i come from a retail/fast food background and i'm so done with that type of environment lol
My experience with retail was pretty good for about 8 years. I started out regular tech, then got inventory specialist, then lead tech, then trainer and district inventory. Then that all changed in my district where training was on a store level, as a tech I was training pharmacists for no extra pay, there wasnt need for a tech to do district inventory, and I was basically just a tech. I quit and got a job at a very good hospital and as entry level I'm making a bit more than all that pay as retail with comparatively 0 stress.
I am so glad I came across your videos! I just got hired and I’m working as a pharmacy tech in retail and it’s stressful but I’m glad my team is helpful and nice. I just wanna pass the PTCB and work at a hospital asap 😂
i’m so glad i’m able to help you❤️ congrats on your new hire! retail is for sure stressful, try to stick it out for 6 months - a year if you can. it’s always helpful having experience with retail pharmacy and having that in resume. hospital will definitely come your way one day
Thanks for the video ! I’m a technician at a retail pharmacy and I just passed my exam a few weeks ago so I’ll be fully certified soon and I’m strongly considering finding a hospital job. I thought about finding a part time or prn position at a hospital while keeping my retail job but idk😭 retail stresses me out and most days I hate it. The only thing that makes it better is some of my coworkers. I want to try hospital for more pay and a different work environment but I’m afraid I won’t like it .
that was me too girl!! i was nervous i wouldn’t like hospital but honestly retail is extremely stressful and i think hospital so is deff worth a shot i think. Retail is always looking to hire as well so if you don’t like hospital i’m sure you could find another retail. Also, if you leave in good terms with the place your at now, maybe they would even hire you back! Growth is doing things that make us uncomfortable/nervous!! i think it’s a great idea :)
@@KeanaConyers You're so right! I'm going to just take a chance and hopefully it works out. Also just want to say I truly appreciate you making these videos! there aren't many quality videos out here for those of us who want to be pharm techs so your gems of wisdom are great !
I promise the word “stressed” is an understatement how I feel about retail. I’ve only been in retail 2 weeks and I can honestly say “counting and compounding” is the only thing I enjoy: but everything else is a complete “STRESS” insurance won’t go through, “so that’s a whole process to try to get it to go through” when your up front with customers you still responsible for answering the phone “which there’s another customer or customers “SEEKING THEIR MEDICATIONS” still gotta pull the medication “GO LOOK FOR IT” or “get the fillers to stop what their doing and hurry up to fill it…” drive thru is ok, but “it’s just a more mild stress as upfront” the fillers are calling customers who hasn’t picked up their medications while filling “which can be pretty freaking confusing & hard dragging a phone or running to the phone while in a different isle tryna grab the medication you filling because the customer has answered the phone or “the voicemail popped up” then still keeping up with speed… “KEEP IN MIND THE PHONE IS ALWAY RINGING AND YOUR RESPONSIBLE FOR IT” someone is ALWAYS PLACING THE MEDICATION IN THE WRONG SPOT… so yes filling has now taking longer than usual… or “the manufacture the insurance paid for isn’t in stock so now you have change the manufacture wait till the pharmacist view and approve and reprint it… your switching stations “consistently” because ppl leaving it taking lunch… it’s a lot… like a whole lot…. I just wanna go to the hospital… so ready to take my certificate test.
You are so accurate girl I’ve been working for 2 weeks and I feel like the training is all over the place. I feel like quitting on top of that I’m an introvert ugh I don’t know how long i can do it but they keep saying stay for at least a month.
@@Tezzee honestly it’s an experience you need to perform nothing but accuracy and “make mistakes” because you gonna make them… but once you get that speed down pack, & accuracy! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE… I’ve went to our walgreen distribution center & it’s actually the best decision I could’ve made, you “assign” to one job & one job only… & your in your own space. No customers, no phones, no hassle, no miscommunication… depending on the city & state your in, try it out. & you get paid so much more & completely less stress…
Your video is spot on!!! 🤩I currently work in a retail store and there is NO rotation between the stations and the customers are SUPER rude ☹️ it honestly makes me hate the job 😢 and to top it off my store is extremely busy and we’re extremely short staffed so those queues are always backed up 🤦🏽♀️
yeah that was my store as well and i just saw all the issues and needed to continue to speak out about it and suggest change. that’s actually how i became lead tech. make sure you voice these things and suggest change anytime u feel it’s due!
I've been in retail for a year. I just passed my PTCB so I'm looking to get out. I work at a lower volume store so I'm often the only tech all day, so I am responsible for doing EVERYTHING. I don't mind the work and I thrive in a fast-paced environment; however, dealing with patients DRAINS me. Also, this flu season I was working nearly 60 hours a week, but I'm "part-time" so when I did take a vacation it wasn't paid for. Retail pharmacy stresses me out. Hospital sounds fast-paced, but I like that. And not having to deal with customers all day? Sounds like heaven
ughhh yes retail customers was hard for me and honestly drained me the most as well. yes it was stressful in the back but i could handle that. flu season is the worst, i’m thinking of u during that time. you got this just keep pushing!
Thank you for the video. It is very informative for people like me who have no experience in pharmacies. I passed the PTCB exam and I want to work at a hospital as a IV technician.
Thank you for the video. Can you make a video on how to survive in a toxic retail environment where your supervisors/managers are not very supportive of you in terms of growth opportunities and proper cross training. I love working as a pharmacy tech its taught me so much so far but I'm starting to feel burnt out working in one position all the time, I'm also pursuing a career as a future RN.
have you ever looked into mail order or specialty they were call center prior to covid all now work from home I feel like so many people forget about them or the techs who work from home for PBM
im working retail right now and i would say im in drive through 95% of my shift and i feel like im literally going crazy whenver i do make it to the filling station im there for about 5 minutes and they always call me back to drive to help and somehow whoever was there before just leaves to the next spot in rotation 😭
yes this is something my store did a lot, they would only allow the fastest counter to count most of the time to gets meds out but i always tried to advocate for my techs explaining they need the experience in order to be able to fill fast. i was at filling counter 95% of the time and we had techs too that were 95% at drive thru or pickup which is exsaustion!! try to advocate for yourself or even ask your lead tech to talk to pharmacy manager about it!
Did hospital train you as well for pharmacy technician? I work at Rite Aid as a tech for almost 3 years I just don’t have hospital experience and a lot of hospitals want experience when their hiring and I don’t have hospital experience.. 😢
Okay so in the hospital there are different kinds of pharmacy tech positions you can do? so sometimes is it like you’ll be delivering the meds to each floor and then some days you could be in the IV room ? Or do you stay in the same one area everyday ?
yes! exactly! at my hospital we always rotate shifts, especially if your cross trained. the more cross trained you are the more you have opportunities to switch
Ive recently started in retail, its not as bad, but im sure itll get worse. Im still debating if i should transition to hispital. Especially if i get more hours and better pay.
So i am learning that people can be a tech without having there certificate. How can the beginning employment ladder look for someone that will have there degree before much work experience? I have put my self through school, but I will only have 140 hours of unpaid work experience by the time I graduate. Can pay increase some starting out where I will already have my degree and certificate? Am I eligible for different jobs starting out that I wouldn’t normally be available to an unlicensed technician? I just started the chapter this week on retail pharmacy and the steps to fill a prescription. Hospital is coming up.
Yeah I started at Walgreens as a pharmacy technician and absolutely do not recommend it for anyone. As soon as I get certified I’m finding a hospital job asap. Until then we build character 😂💔🥹🥹🥹
This video was so helpful. I worked at a retail pharmacy for a year. During that year I was pregnant. The hours randomly got cut or like you said they would sometimes ask to stay longer. Was always busy, Very stressful especially for someone expecting 😂 hopefully I pass my test !
What are hours like in the hospital? Right now I am retail pharmacy 9-5 with weekend off. I LOVE those hours but am wondering how different it will be in the hospital
I don't...know what a puller is but that sounds like a wasted job. There is staging but a puller is effectively a counter or should be a counter. Which is poor terminology imo. You mean filler. Either way I wish we had staff for a puller. Even for my small time at CVS that role did not exist. We would stage at one of the pharamacies I worked that but is only and I mean only when we are overstaffed and it wasn't a good system. There's generally no pharmacy designed to pull and it can create diversion and mistakes. 300 patients a day is a godsend in terms of fill. Try 400-500 on good day and in my last pharmacy 500-700 which happened because we lost a really strong pharmacist who was our manager, we were also losing other competitors in a hub city where options are limited. We've had days where we've entered and filled 800-1000 on the absolute worst of days and still only maybe sell 500.
So, at my CVS we had a filler and a puller lol i guess it could be poor terminology in your opinion but it’s what worked for us! Our store was extremely busy so having a pulled was actually very effective for us. Obviously the filler would check the bin and make sure it’s the right medication, and computer would tell us if not as well when we scanned the patients medication label and medication. Pharmacy in general especially retail has alot of room for improvement when it comes to staffing, hours, schedule, routine etc
Hi, new subscriber here! I’m starting pharm tech in a hospital in a couple of weeks. I’m wondering how interacting with patients is like. Is it stressful? I am not very good at communicating and I am nervous how talking to patients over the phone is gonna go for me. Do you often get yelled at by patients? Is there any other part of the job that can more stressful than patient interaction?
hi!! thank you for subscribing :) congrats! i love talking with my patients at the hospital, very rarely do i have mean patients, sometimes you’ll get them but when you know why there here and their story it makes sense and doesn’t bother you as much. it actually makes my day most of the time talking with my patients.
I’m hoping to start training at a retail 🙏🏾 hopefully with a few years of experience, I can move onto working in the hospital. Is the hospital strict with requesting days off for vacation at least every 3 months? I’d be gone for 2-3 weeks 😕I even saw travel pharmacy technician jobs in different states where you can work there for 13 weeks 😌
hi! it really depends on the hospital, your position etc so many factors come into play, i’ve heard about being travel pharmacy tech but i don’t know much myself about it
Plz rply mam it imp i did diploma in pharmacy without maths from India can i get job in canda without taking any course or exam or We have to give exam nd what job i get there how much they paid
When you moved up to hospital, what did you feel like was a good amount to ask for as far as pay? I’m a certified retail tech, almost a year now, and I’d like to transition but I don’t want to sell myself short when I interview
hi! i honestly never mentioned a higher pay rate because what they offered me was about $5-$6 more so i wasn’t complaining at the time! it really depends on YOU and what you feel you are worth with your knowledge and experience. always advocate for yourself!!!
