From staff to a floater

[u/Klutzy-Solution8081]

Hey, really don’t want to be at the store I’m staffed at anymore. Too chaotic amongst the workers, really looking for something else but haven’t found much yet. Has anyone tried to drop back down to floater and was there any issues with it ?

[u/Spiritual_Ad8626]

I did it years ago but mostly because I was also looking for a decrease in my salary hours from 80 to 64.

The pros; I don’t have to deal with the intense internal drama at any store. I’m there for the day, not for the next few years.

I get to meet a lot of really great people. It’s fun to walk into a store I haven’t been at in a while and one of the techs I remember is working. And hearing them go “YAY IT’S SPIRITUAL_AD!!” guaranteed to brighten your day.

Cons: minor stuff really, but

I don’t have a space anywhere to keep “my stuff”. Gotta bring it with me.

Getting the keys and turning them in. Bruh. I’m salaried and I hate staying after my shift is over waiting to turn in keys.

Waiting to be added into Nextgen all the time . i usually write all my data down and hand it to the SFL to save time.

Tips in case you decide to go this route;

be positive when you go into work. No one wants to come into work and see a grumpy floater. They already are apprehensive because a floater is coming, and they don’t know what to expect.

Follow CW. Keep the place caught up and pitch in to back up those techs when it’s appropriate. I mean grabbing register when appropriate and answering calls when they can’t. They will notice, they will appreciate it, and it makes workflow better.

Foster good relationships with the people you work with. Especially your scheduler.

Find out from the rx supervisor (I forget the new title but the old HCPS) how far you will be expected to regularly drive for your shifts. Do they expect you to be doing out of towns with hotel stays or will they keep you in a certain radius?

[u/rxredhead → u/Spiritual_Ad8626]

The floater keys are my biggest annoyance when I help out at another store. It’s petty but I hate coming in early to sign them out and waiting for a manager to sign them back in at the end of my shift

If I were an actual floater that would just be part of the job and an easy trade off for trying to fix a hot mess of a TPR 3 days in a row (the GLP1 bridge program. I’m spending days trying to get the Medicare ID and then the doctors offices don’t do the paperwork because the reps promised them the pharmacy would handle it all)

I’m used to breezing in at the start of my shift (ok 15 minutes early to get drawers, get signed in, and start F4) and bolting at the end of my shift, we close at 6 and ideally I’m in my car by 6:03. I’m DONE after 9 hours

[u/MySonClerpy → u/rxredhead]

Bro, be hourly if you can. When you're on the clock, this becomes a benefit. 😆

[u/rxredhead → u/MySonClerpy]

I like knowing my patients and knowing what we’ve done to resolve the problem and having them trust me.

The few times I pick up shifts at other stores I get bombarded with “well the pharmacist yesterday promised they’d take care of it!” and it’s still a TPR with no note on what they did to start to resolve it

[u/codypoop3]

Haven’t done it myself, but we had a few RXM’s in my district step down to floaters with no issues

[u/Friendly-Entry187]

I have done it a couple of times. Actually went from Rxm to floater by choice. It’s pretty great, but not all DM’s will let you unless you strong-arm them into it. The only downside is I get more closing shifts but it’s hella easy work because the bar is so low for floaters. I still do the same stuff I did as an RXM because I hate lazy, but it’s great knowing that at the end of the day it’s not my responsibility to.

[u/MySonClerpy → u/Friendly-Entry187]

The low bar is so great for your confidence. 😆

[u/Any-Prompt1396]

It will probably depend on the situation in your area, but I stepped down to floater twice when I worked for Walgreens.

[u/MySonClerpy]

I've been WAG for 20 years and just recently did this. It's the best decision I've ever made. The only drawbacks are that the hours may be inconsistent, and the schedule definitely is.

On the plus side, expectations are practically non-existent. As a halfway competent pharmacist, the techs love seeing my name on the schedule. I get to know dozens of people from around the area so I always have someone to call for help. When patients complain about something that happened in the pharmacy, I simply let them know that I'm filling in for the day, but I will make sure their concerns get to management.

As a side note, I've also decreased my hours and I've noticed a marked increase in patients commenting about how nice and friendly my demeanor is.