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.
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
Unpredictable hours make planning personal activities challenging
Depending on the company, there’s a lot of driving to stores across a district or region
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.
