Pharmacy Officer

[medaid]

pharmadude,

Unfortunately you will be stationed where the CF stations you. You don't really have a choice especially if it's your first posting. Your young family has got to do without you for a while, since you'll be away for your basic, then learder ship, then the specialist courses for your MOC.

Think hard.

 

[FDO]

I can hook you up with the CF Pharmacy Recruiter. He can give you all the ins and outs. I believe hs's out west this week.  Send me a PM if you want his info.

By the way my son and his wife were in Cold Lake for several years and couldn't wait to get out. I've been to the west coast and couldn't wait to get back east. Like anywhere else in the world some people are going to like it some are going to hate it. You have to make your own decisions.

 

[pharmadude]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, much appreciated!

MEDTECH:  you seem to be indicating not a good choice for a guy with a young family....speaking from personal experience or others you've seen?

 

[FDO]

If you asked most of the people in theNavy they would tell you that Army is NOT the way to go. If you asked the Army they would tell you that you are baked if you want to go to sea. "It's not good if you have a young family". Both my wife and I are in the Navy and my son is in the AirForce. No one on here can tell you what's good or not for you. As a Pharacist you will work Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 3:30 pm with an hour for lunch and 3 hours a week for PT. Thats a 32 hour week. What Pharmacy will give you that on the outside?

I was talking with the CF Pharmacy recruiter today and he told me that Cold Lake and Edmonton will probably not need a Pharmacist in the next year or so as one is being sent to Cold Lake in the New Year and Edmonton has no openings. Petawawa has openings as do several other bases in Canada.

You and you alone will decide if 23 hours a week during the week are better or worse than 40 - 50 hours a week working weekends and evenings.

PM inbound

 

[medaid]

MEDTECH:  you seem to be indicating not a good choice for a guy with a young family....speaking from personal experience or others you've seen?

No, not at all. What I'm saying by "think hard" is just that. You will be apart from your family for quite a bit during your initial training period, and not to mention that your postings may be all over the map. West coast, East coast and all areas in between. Since you brought up the point of having a young family, you just have to think hard on your decisions and see if you're willing to subject them through the military life.

We have a short in the Health Services branch for PHARM O and your skills, should you decide to join will be sought after and much needed, all over the place.

H Svc is purple. You're your MOC first, and element second.

 

[pharmadude]

Thanks for the feedback everyone....lots to think about.  If it were just me I would jump in both feet and not look back.  But lots more to think of with two little ones.  I suppose it'd be different if I was in the Forces the whole time, but this will be a switch.  But hey, love what you do and the rest falls in to place....right? 

 

[FDO]

I meant 32 hours a week not 23. Plenty of time left in the week to do stuff with the family. It will be tough in the beginning but your family will be with other families in the same situation so they tend to help each other through the tough stuff. Plus now that we have all the really cool computer stuff like Skype and MSN you can talk face to face with the fa mily every night so it doesn't seem so long apart.

 

[pepPharm]

HI all,

I am a licensed pharmacist and looking for something new

As I can see on jobs.gc.ca, DND is hiring for pharmacists. I am quite aware of the DEO through CF as well, but I will say that the civilian route is more appealing to me at the moment (but that could change!).

I've tried researching, and did get a few hits from the Canadian Pharmacists Journal, the Recruitment page and a study where CF re-imbursed for over-the-counter medications directly through community pharmacies. Other than that, I haven't found very much information on the positions directly, especially on the DND end.

I am curious, how much will the two positions vary? What's available to the DND RPH that isn't to the CF and vice versa?
How will they compare to a "typical" community or hospital pharmacist position?
Will the DND pharmacist generally be limited in their career growth, or is there potential for more senior positions?
When the CF is able to recruit a sufficient number of Pharmacist Officers, might the DND pharmacists be laid-off and replaced with Pharmacist Officers?
As a civilian pharmacist, would one still have the opportunity to do, I'll call them "stints", overseas? or at other bases on an as-needed relief basis?
Could anyone provide more info as to which bases/locations have openings with the DND?
Anything else you think I should be aware of?

Generally, the issues with enlisting are lack of control over location, and not really wanting to jump into something that might not be right for me, but as I said, that could change with being with the DND for a bit and seeing what it's like if the positions are indeed similar. Overall, the CF offer is a very good one (in my opinion) from what I've read, and compensation, CPP bridge benefits, getting paid to learn french, soldier training nor working hours are the issues!!!

Mainly, I am interested in drug utilization, reimbursement and overseeing drug distribution. I have no issues with, and do enjoy patient care, but I see myself as someone managing and overseeing big infrastructure operations, like a health system,  in my future career and that is definitely where CF/DND appeal to me.

Any comments (or PMs if you choose) are appreciated.

 

[Otis]

PM Inbound

 

[bry4nfl]

According to the Forces website, there are four kinds of annual salaries for Officers, but which one ( except Pilot of course ) does the Pharmacist fall into?

Basic or physician/dentist grade?

Thanks in advance, any assistance in finding this would be greatly appreciated.

Reference:
http://www.forces.ca/media/_PDF/PayScalesOffReg_en.pdf

CFJSR Sig

 

[ModlrMike]

As they are neither Physicians nor Dentists by profession, they are therefore General Service Officers and paid as such.

 

[CountDC]

and just so you have the info:

Pharmacy Officer
SPECIAL COMMENTS
Recruiting allowances

Effective April 1, 2007, a pharmacist enrolling as a “Direct Entry Officer” may be offered a recruiting allowance of up to $50,000 depending on the difference between the number of existing trained military pharmacists and the desired number. The amount will be set out in the offer message, which the applicant will have 30 days to accept. In addition, pharmacists are enrolled with a rank of captain and an advantageous rate of pay. The applicant must agree to undertake 4 years of obligatory service.

Effective April 1, 2007, a pharmacy student enrolling under the “Regular Officer Training Plan” may be offered a recruiting allowance. The amount of the allowance varies according to the number of months of publicly subsidized education the student must undergo prior to becoming licensed as follows:

36 months or more : $10,000

more than 24 months but less than 36 months: $20,000

more than 12 months but less than 24 months: $30,000

less than 12 months: $40,000 (or $50,000 if there is a severe shortage of pharmacists at that point)

In addition, a candidate is provided with an officer cadet's rank and salary, and payment for tuition, instruments, supplies, and books. During the summer months, candidates undergo officer training. The applicant must agree to undertake 4 years of obligatory service.

 

[justmyalias]

As they are neither Physicians nor Dentists by profession, they are therefore General Service Officers and paid as such.

One would be quick to conclude that you don't care much for pharmacists?

Pretty blunt about it?

I was personally surprised when I first learned this myself.  I certainly would've expected them to be paid according to a similarly *special* pay grade.  After all...as a private sector employee, their salary is SIGNIFICANTLY higher than in the military.

The novelty of 'the thrill of being a military pharmacists' can only tie one over so long no?  Cash is king after all.

 

[dapaterson]

Entry level pharmacists are not making huge salaries.  From http://www.livingin-canada.com/salaries-for-pharmacists.html, the top wage for a pharmacist in Canada is around $108K - some make less than half that.  A Captain with 5 years in rank will make $82500, plus a significant benefits package - pension, full dental and medical, dependents medical and dental, professional memberships paid, ongoing professional development paid...

Overall, military payscales for pharmacists are competitive for the majority of pharmacists.

 

[aesop081]

  Cash is king after all.

For you maybe. Others, maybe not.

 

[ModlrMike]

One would be quick to conclude that you don't care much for pharmacists?

One would be wrong!

Pretty blunt about it?

Simply a statement of fact. MOs and DOs have separate pay scales from GSOs.

 

[justmyalias]

... plus a significant benefits package - pension, full dental and medical, dependents medical and dental, professional memberships paid, ongoing professional development paid...
...

There's certainly no denying that the benefits are definately awesome.

 

[CountDC]

let's not forget that some get to be a Pharmacist because the military has paid for their education too.

 

[mariomike]

From http://www.livingin-canada.com/salaries-for-pharmacists.html,

If you type "Pharmacist" into the search engine, this may be helpful. These are 2008 salaries. The 2009 list should be out any day now. These are public sector employers only:
http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/publications/salarydisclosure/2009/

 

[dapaterson]

The listing of pers making over $100K in Ontario is not representative - since, after all, it includes only people making over $100K.

Given that a Major pharamcist in the CF could be making over $100K there is no issue here.