Chain Pharmacy

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Chain Pharmacy
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Job Description

• Excellent communication skills and counseling
  techniques. Work duties include, but are not
  limited to checking/verifying prescriptions,
  providing superior customer service, interaction
  with physicians and management of pharmacy
  personnel. (www.riteaid.com)

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Positive Aspects

• Feedback from your work.
• Get to see the success with patients by saving
  them money or helping to improve a disease
  state.
  
• Many opportunities
• Immunizations
• MTM
• Higher Pay

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Negative Aspects

• Must deal with insurance problems on a daily
  basis.
  
• Spend all day working with people.
• Stand up all day long. The job is physically
  demanding.
  
• There are rarely any breaks, meaning no time for
  lunch, bathroom breaks, etc.

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Salary

• Chain Mean Salary (e.g. USA Drug) 95,550
• Mass Market (e.g. Wal-Mart) 100,105
• Supermarket (e.g. Kroger) 97,025
• Salary Range 88,920 - 114,400
• Information provided by the UAMS Salary Survey,
  2006.

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Chain Pharmacy An Employees Point of View

• Julie Mellenthin, a Kroger pharmacist, provided
  input about her job working in a retail pharmacy.

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Chain Pharmacy An Employees Point of View

• Krogers starting salary was 105,000 in 2006.
• Each April, if the students being hired out of
  school get a starting salary higher than the
  previous year, all pharmacist at the previous pay
  grade get an increase to the new starting
  salary.
• Pharmacist positions are salary, meaning they are
  paid a specified amount for each scheduled day of
  work, regardless of how many hours they work that
  day.

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Chain Pharmacy An Employees Point of View

• Kroger pharmacist do have an hourly pay that
  comes into effect if they work overtime.
  
• Overtime pay is 10 over the hourly wage.
• Julie stated that there normally is an
  opportunity for overtime, but it could be at a
  store different than the one you are normally
  assigned to.

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Chain Pharmacy An Employees Point of View

• Benefits
• Stock options
• Insurance including health, dental, disability,
  liability.
  
• 401(k) Kroger matches up to 5 and as an
  employee, you are vested immediately.
  
• Vacation Days 2 weeks initially, 3 weeks after
  5 years of service, and 4 weeks after 12 years.

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Chain Pharmacy An Employees Point of View

• Schedule/Hours
• Krogers schedule is a shift from 8-6 and 10-8.
  Most pharmacist work a 10 hr. shift, 4
  days/week.
  
• The weekend rotation is determined by the number
  of pharmacists on staff.
  
• Most are open 7 days a week, with the exception
  of a few that are closed on Sundays.

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Chain Pharmacy An Employees Point of View

• Typical Workday
• The normal work day at a Kroger Pharmacy is
  dependent on the store location and the staff
  present.
  
• The busiest stores will fill about 600
  prescriptions/day and the slowest would be around
  150 prescriptions/day.
  

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Chain Pharmacy An Employees Point of View

• Other staff
• Kroger pharmacies have technicians to help the
  pharmacists, and the number is based on the
  number of prescriptions done at each location.
  
• Some of the busier stores will have clerks that
  spend their days working at the cash register to
  free up technicians and pharmacists to do other
  work.

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Chain Pharmacy An Employees Point of View

• Professional Advancement
• According to Julie, Kroger is the most
  progressive in clinical services.
  
• Pharmacists can participate in a number of
  advanced practice opportunities including
  
• Immunizations
• MTM
• CPR Training

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Additional Opportunities in Chain Pharmacy

• As stated previously, many chains allow their
  pharmacists to interact in clinical-type
  services.
  
• Management is also an option for many chains.
• Pharmacy Managers
• Store Managers
• District Managers
• Corporate Managers

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Management

• Walgreens tries to put pharmacists in the store
  manager positions and other corporate managers.
  

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Sources

• Julie Mellenthin, PharmD.
• www.walgreens.com
• www.uams.edu
• www.riteaid.com