The Pros and Cons of Being a Floater, Staff Pharmacist, or Pharmacy Manager - GoodRx (2024)

In my first job out of school, I worked as a float pharmacist for a national chain and was fortunate to be in an amazing district, where I learned a lot and had great experiences in numerous stores. After about a year, I got the chance to pursue my dream and move to Hawaii, where I worked for about 8 months as a staff pharmacist at a long-term care pharmacy, and then later became its manager. I’ve managed a couple of different pharmacies since.

Through these experiences, I’ve gained a clear picture of the benefits and drawbacks to all three positions. While it wasn’t necessarily my intent at the start of my career to work each of these, I’m glad I did, because it has helped me build a solid foundation of pharmacy operations and widened my perspective. Let’s look at the pros and cons of these three types of pharmacy positions: float pharmacist, staff pharmacist, and pharmacy manager. If you are currently considering moving into one of them, then this post is for you.

The Pros and Cons of Being a Floater, Staff Pharmacist, or Pharmacy Manager - GoodRx (1)

Floating pharmacist

Starting out as a floating pharmacist really helped me learn the ropes. In addition to working with a variety of more experienced staff pharmacists and pharmacy managers, I also got to see how managers customized the workflow to their stores’ needs. This gave me a great foundation, especially after stepping into the pharmacy manager role. Yet the hours were unpredictable, and I remember being called and asked to cover a shift as late as an hour before the shift was supposed to start.

Overall, a floater position can be a great first job after graduation.

Pros

  • Gaining experience working in multiple stores and finding best practices to use

  • Working with experienced staff pharmacists and pharmacy managers

Cons

Staff pharmacist

After the crazy schedules and running around involved in floating, the staff pharmacist job felt great. This job generally comes with a predictable schedule and regular staff, who you get to know better than you could floating, as well as the ability to take more ownership of a store. Good pharmacy managers will allow you to become more involved in providing feedback on workflow and become involved in initiatives to improve the pharmacy and increase business.

However, getting to know the staff regularly means the potential for more involvement in staff and store conflict. When I floated, there were some stores I would have never wanted to staff regularly, along with others I felt good about staffing, and a few in which I would have loved to staff all the time. Your coworkers make a big difference in your time at work. Your manager also has a huge impact, so if you are currently floating it might be an opportunity to let your district manager know which stores you are most interested in, so they can let you know as soon as an opening becomes available.

Pros

  • More predictable schedule offers greater stability and can help with work-life balance

  • Can more easily switch days with the pharmacy manager or other staff

  • Getting to know your regular staff better compared with floating

Cons

  • More time spent with the same staff increases the likelihood of being involved in staff and store conflict

  • The experience could hinge on the pharmacy manager, who is the ultimate decision-maker

Pharmacy manager

In name, I worked as a staff pharmacist for about 8 months before moving into the pharmacy manager position. In practice, though, I moved into the position shortly after being hired because our pharmacy manager at the time went on maternity leave. My experience as a floater really paid off in this case, as I was able to jump in and use what I had learned to maintain the records and overall operations.

In addition, I was able to leave a lasting impact on the pharmacy and the patients we served. I led our sterile compounding improvement initiatives, conducted our gap analysis, implemented statewide media-fill testing, and pushed for renovations that ultimately brought us into full compliance with USP 797. To this day, sterile compounds leaving that pharmacy are much safer than they were when I arrived — which remains one of my most rewarding career achievements. While any pharmacist could take this initiative and run with it, being in the manager position meant I was able to act quickly.

If you work for a large chain, then the pharmacy manager position can be a natural progression to higher corporate roles. This includes a regional pharmacy manager position, but can also include many types of other roles, like project manager, clinical pharmacy manager, compliance positions, and more. It is a stepping stone to building a career in pharmacy administration, and the experience of being a pharmacy manager is a positive on any resume.

However, with great rewards come great responsibility. When there are staff conflicts, for example, on issues the staff members cannot or should not resolve on their own, it is the manager’s job to step in and address the situation. When controlled substances are suspected missing, the ultimate responsibility for conducting the investigation and reporting it, if anything is in fact missing, lies with the manager. Managers will be responsible for inspections and meeting company initiatives and goals.

For these and numerous other reasons, the pharmacy manager position is higher stress than the staff pharmacist or float position, and I’ve met quite a few pharmacists who stepped down from management after doing it for a while. Still, it’s well worth considering a pharmacy manager position. The only way to know if it is for you or not, after all, is to do it.

Pros

  • Controlling the direction of the store and having a positive impact on your patients, often in ways that last

  • Earning higher salaries (and often bonuses) that are unavailable to the rest of the staff

  • Gaining experience in healthcare leadership, such as change management, project management, and accounting

  • Progressing to higher roles within large pharmacy chains, like regional pharmacy manager, clinical manager, and project manager

Cons

  • Greater responsibility, including for the staff at your store, adds stress to the job

  • Becoming a manager means being responsible for legal and third-party compliance

  • Maintaining the pharmacy, including for legal and third-party compliance, can mean longer hours

The bottom line

Float, staff, and pharmacy manager positions all come with unique rewards and trade-offs. Different personalities can be suited to different positions, and perhaps the best way to find the right one for you is to try it. Talking to other pharmacists in one of those positions can also help you figure out which would be the best fit.

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The Pros and Cons of Being a Floater, Staff Pharmacist, or Pharmacy Manager - GoodRx (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a pharmacy manager and a staff pharmacist? ›

Pharmacists are hired to do a job, answering and reporting to a higher up. As a pharmacy manager, you are the higher up; you are the one who hires and assembles the staff; you essentially answer to yourself — all parts of the job that likely never got addressed when taking your classes.

What does a float pharmacist do? ›

Floater pharmacists can go into any store and execute any aspect of running a pharmacy, create patient relationships, promote vaccinations, or simply complete daily tasks in a more timely fashion.

Is being a floater at work good? ›

A big reward of the floater position is that I feel special wherever I go. One of the best parts of the job is having people tell me, “We're so glad you're here today!” Working as a floater does have some pitfalls. You have less control over your work time than you would if you worked full time at one branch.

What makes a good pharmacy manager and good pharmacy leader? ›

Knowing how to establish clear goals.

Good leaders are good communicators. They know how to set a clear direction for their pharmacy and for their staff. The pharmacy staff know exactly what is expected of them and how their performance is going to be measured.

What is the highest level of pharmacist? ›

Students can pursue two types of doctoral degrees in pharmacy: the research-focused Ph. D. and the Pharm. D, which is the professional doctoral degree for pharmacists.

What is the job description of a float position? ›

As a floater, your responsibilities include temporarily covering a position, and you typically pick up shifts as needed. You may float between locations or between departments.

What does a float do at work? ›

When a department is understaffed for a particular skill, employees from other departments may be reassigned to help cover the shortage. This is referred to as a Float - i.e. an employee is floated from one department to another.

What is a staff pharmacist ft? ›

In addition to supporting the Pharmacy Manager in leading and directing your Pharmacy Technician Support Staff, you are accountable for supporting the management, oversight and operation of all aspects within your pharmacy. This includes: Patient Safety. Pharmacy Professional Practice.

How many hours does a floater work? ›

Schedule flexibility is expected for this role, and floaters must work between 310-999 hours per year.

What are 3 duties of a floater? ›

Floaters play a crucial role in maintaining smooth operations across various departments. They often clean and arrange workspaces, report directly to leaders ensuring products meet quality standards, and document care for patients.

Do floaters get better overtime? ›

"In many cases, floaters become less noticeable or more tolerable over time, and can even disappear entirely," says Dr. Jeffrey Heier, an ophthalmologist and Harvard Medical School instructor. But for some people, floaters are distracting to the point of interfering with vision.

Why do I want to be a pharmacy manager? ›

Pharmacy managers play a crucial role in the healthcare industry, as they ensure the efficient and effective operation of a pharmacy. Their importance lies in their ability to provide a high level of patient care with a reliable pharmacy that their community can depend on.

How to be a better pharmacy manager? ›

10 Effective Pharmacy Management Tips
  1. Create a structured work environment. Structure is vital to growth. ...
  2. Determine employees' strengths and weaknesses. ...
  3. Show your appreciation. ...
  4. Promote teamwork. ...
  5. Determine your goals. ...
  6. Be a leader, not just a boss. ...
  7. Communicate effectively. ...
  8. Delegate more.
Oct 11, 2018

What are 3 qualities a pharmacist should have? ›

Intellectual Ability, Empathetic and Collegial Communication Skills, Psychomotor Skills, Respect for Diversity, High Ethical Standards, and Behavioral and Social Expectations.

What is the difference between a pharmacist and a staff pharmacist? ›

The job roles of staff and clinical pharmacists are differentiated based on their focus areas and responsibilities. Medical institutions employ staff pharmacists to ensure the safe distribution of medicines. Clinical pharmacists are employed to play a more direct role in in-patient care and therapy.

What does a pharmacy manager do? ›

Pharmacy managers are in charge of all pharmacy operations. They are responsible for patient consultation, training pharmacy staff and the supervision of drug dispensing. While they are the head of the pharmacy team, pharmacy managers often report to a store or operations manager.

Who is the boss in a pharmacy? ›

A pharmacy manager is a licensed pharmacist who is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the pharmacy.

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