Multi-national Vs independent

[geordie1]

Hi

I am a pharmacy student, im seriously considering both community and hospital, but most likely community.

Do you prefer Community or Independent?

What are the real differences in th job? if any!

How does money, holidays, healthcare differ?

Any comments would be great!!!!

[admin]

Geordie

I started out working for a small chain of independents, with just 8 shops. It was miles better then working for a large company. The managing director of the company knew everyone's name. We all had cleaners, enough staff, and all the store managers had a company car!

Over especially the last year or so I have seen morale drop a lot at work. I don't think it's just in pharmacy, but across all jobs. Most people I know seem to work longer hours, feel overworked, and the number of people going sick through stress is amazing. These are people who a few years ago never mentioned the word stress, now it's making them ill.

I have also been working at a store that has just been taken over by a large company. The owner of the store put the staff's wages up before he left, as to keep them well paid. The result is that they have now had all their hours cut.

So my opinion is independent - if you can still find one that is!

When it comes to salary, in a lot of ways you negotiate your own, so get enough experience then you will be in demand.

[Zoggite]

if I had to start in a new pharmacy all over again and location wasn't an issue, I'd either choose a REAL independant, or a pharnacy within a health centre(I think I'd quite fancy one of those all-in-one, one-stop walk-in places...).
BUT: independants are like red squirrels, you'll soon have to move to the continent to find one!
If you're going to go for a Multiple, then at least chhose a big, national one, or you'll find you're getting all the inconvenients of a large company (bureaucracy, paperwork, impersonal contacts with Head Office...) without any of the benefits(in-house training, pension scheme, half-decent locum network...).

[Linnear]

if I had to start in a new pharmacy all over again and location wasn't an issue, I'd either choose a REAL independant, or a pharnacy within a health centre(I think I'd quite fancy one of those all-in-one, one-stop walk-in places...).
BUT: independants are like red squirrels, you'll soon have to move to the continent to find one!
If you're going to go for a Multiple, then at least chhose a big, national one, or you'll find you're getting all the inconvenients of a large company (bureaucracy, paperwork, impersonal contacts with Head Office...) without any of the benefits(in-house training, pension scheme, half-decent locum network...).

Good advice in principal but I've worked in a couple of in-surgery pharmacies and it's not all it's cracked up to be.

1. People assume that as your in the same building the Rx is passed to you as soon as the Drs signed it and woe betide if it's not there!

2. When the Rx isn't there and they nip next door to get it they invariably wait for it. Staring evilly at you as you work!


As for large nationals having a half decent locum network. This isn't always the case.

I think the best thing to do is ensure that you've asked all the relevant questions relating to the above before signing anything.