Originally Posted by spoon.ek9
You can call it anything you like, but that still doesn't change the fact that this was a temporary increase from the very beginning. We see similar situations arise in community wages for techs. Techs can be paid anywhere between $10-$14/hr to start while pharmacies located near a hospital must offer more to entice techs to work for them. In those cases, techs start at $18/hr or higher and that is still less than what a Hospital tech is paid.
It is interesting you state this actually because it leads into the point further down. Community technicians pay scale changes compared to where they work, similar to community pharmacists. However the job of a hospital technician is different as well, not harder or easier, but different. Your comments here neglect the comments I had right after you wrote this, pharmacists in any hospital in BC make the same wage. There is no shortage of pharmacists west of Surrey. Most pharmacists in rural hospitals are part time (usually mothers) who take the wage cut for the schedule, but as they move to maternity leaves, retirement or if they were able to entice a full timer, they generally move away to a larger centre for a more challenging position.
I am aware there is a large difference. there is also a large difference in the amount of income tax taken by the US gov't.
They also have more litigation and more responsibilities in their roles so our jobs, while similar, are not identical.
I think what you may be forgetting here is the role of technician regulation. The number of pharmacist positions (especially in community, of course) will decrease. Guaranteed.
At least at the hospital I am at, technician regulation does not impact pharmacists as there is already a tech-check-tech process and the hospital pharmacists only position in the dispensary is to verify prescriptions and take clinical calls. I believe at other hospitals pharmacists may check chemotherapy so I can't comment in those specific situations but I would be surprised if it is significant.
IIRC, back in 2004, UBC accepted 125 students into the Pharmacy program. I haven't looked up the number for current numbers but I'm told it's around 200-225 students being accepted. That's nearly double the amount of graduates compared to just 8 years ago. UBC doesn't care if you get a job, their business is to pump out as many graduates as they can handle.
In my opinion, this is part of the problem. The minister would of course look at these numbers and conclude (however incorrect they may be, as you pointed out) that the shortage is over. Add to that the fact that RPT's will be taking many Pharmacist positions in the community, and you can see why the shortage no longer seems to exist.
I can't speak for your hospital, but for the one I work at, positions are filled on average between 1-4 weeks. Even clinical positions.
I agree with your comments, but from this information, I assume you work in a large centre or one in vancouver. This is precisely why the shortage does not appear as dire. Areas around a pharmacy school, specifically a large city (ie vancouver) will never have problems attracting emplyees due to their proximity to the school, academic opportunities and interesting jobs. Outlying and rural hospitals loose all their pharmacists because they go to these jobs for the same pay they get at their small, underfunded hospitals. I myself may move to a larger hospital for that very reason. You mentioned earlier that techs in the community are paid differently depending on where specifically they work, pharmacists in the community do as well, but the hospital, due to the provincial union, do not, hence more reason to go to a larger centre.
So to give some credence to what I have said:
Currently the 1 position open (other positions taken down/removed due to financial/inactive issues) at my hospital has only been applied to by community pharmacists, who are unqualified.
Over the past 2 years Northern Health has had 4 pharmacists for their residency program, not 1 has stayed (med school, community pharmacy, move to vancouver...as for the comment I noted above)
Ridge Meadows hospital runs with 2 clinical pharmacists and one is going on maternity leave shortly, they have not been able to hire a new pharmacist for ~1.5 years
I am aware that many Pharmacists refuse to claim overtime. It's done in good nature but also in fear that it won't be accepted by their employers. IMO, this is totally wrong! If you work extra, you should be paid accordingly. And to answer your previous point, the gov't doesn't care how insignificant a number may seem to the employees. Their bottom line is what's most important to them and they are willing to cut costs anywhere they can.
I don't think pharmacists refuse to do it, it is their obligation to claim it. It is clearly a culture and I have seen it change over the past few weeks. I understand $8 million is still a large pot of money, I am just trying to give my comments substance and not just "I feel" or "I want" or "I deserve"
I never made such a claim... not sure where that came from.
The wage claim was not directed at you by any means, after discussing the issue with friends and LPN/RN/RD/OT/PT, not one thought we made under $70/hr, so it was more of a blanket statement
Anyways, I do not mean to attack your post.[/B]
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