Pharmacist jobs STX?

Becky R and her husband Russell were transferred here - he is a pharmacist and when she sees your post you can be SURE of a response.. Pay attention!

I don't think Becky R.'s husband was able to reciprocate his license so reciprocity may not be an option here. If you use the search feature of this site and search by author (Becky R.) and read her earlier posts you should find the information you're looking for.

Thanks for the info, I read some of their earlier posts and it sounds like they don't reciprocate. I have been a pharmacist for 22 years but I did take the NAPLEX exam way back. I'll see if I get a response from Becky, thanks.

Reciprocity is no longer an issue - state licenses are accepted, and I don't think any state is omitted. It is sort of a blanket grandfathering in. They instituted that back last August or September. I would suggest you call the Board of Pharmacy, although I'm quite unsure of the number...my husband talked with the director there and can't remember her name....old age strikes again! If you look at the NABP website her name should be listed under the USVI portion, and she is extremely helpful.

There are pharmacy jobs available....based on our experience, STT pharmacists were paid considerably more than STX pharmacists but no one could explain why. When we returned stateside at a HUGE pay raise, the district manager in Puerto Rico got on the ball and got raises for his folks with a nationwide pharmacy commensurate with STT - which still didn't translate too well from Arkansas to STX. We make way more in rural AR than STX and STT pharmacists, and of course our dollar goes further here. The sheer volume of Rx at the Kmart west was overwhelming.

Do you have a job lead? If so, please PM me and my husband and I will tell you what it is you NEED to know. There are a number of pharmacies on island, but Kmart is the only one that accepts every form of insurance known to God and man. It is a pressure pit, or it was for my 52 year old husband. Forget counseling, ain't happenin'....HIPAA is a joke. I talked with a member of this board just this week who had his entire Rx history practically announced to everyone within earshot, with the added bonus of "you must be addicted".....You will be a bean counter. There are two or three excellent pharmacists at the Kmart West - Nixon, Leon and Joreen....but to go national you would have to interview with the man out of Puerto Rico. I will be happy to supply you with his email address in a private note if you wish. The up side is the hilarious things my husband heard......so many funny tales to tell - well, I guess that's true in any profession.

The smaller pharmacies are more laid back - they also don't pay as well. Should you decide to do this, there are ways to enhance your move.....again, best described in a personal note.

Shifts are 12 hours for staff pharmacists - not sure about the manager.

I have just had surgery on my left hand - please pardon any typos and sentences that run on - I'm a little goofy - but PM me if you want more info and give me your email addy in your PM - we will go out of our way to tell you what we learned and the things that you don't know to negotiate for but you need to. As of now, I must go beddy bye or run the risk of further maxillofacial surgery when I stand up, get dizzy, and kiss the floor.......

And you don't want to have to take NAPLEX again unless you are fresh out of pharmacy school.......husband lost a lot of gray hair over that one!

Thanks for the info, I did send you a PM.

Cindy, I will PM you back later this afternoon - I did receive your other message....I had surgery on my hand yesterday and, as I am a noncompliant patient, I have already overdone it this morning. It's pain pill time!

Cindy.. I am Rod G and I just visited STX two weeks ago and accepted a position as a pharmacist with Doctor's Choice Pharmacy. I understand your husband is interviewing for a position there. I interviewed for three different positions, so yes there are definitely jobs available. I will PM you with more details, but can go into the licensure process here..
I am just now finished with my responsibilities, April 13th,..(though I haven't received final response from the VI Board of Pharmacy).. , having started the process February 28th. I have sent everything either FedEx or Express Mail, (with return or forwarding FedEx or Express Mail pre-addressed envelopes enclosed) starting with the NABP application (it was received on Mar1st, and the response was back to me on Mar 29.. That's when I left for PMV to STX. I live and work in Anchorage, AK, so the trip was over 24 hrs long counting layovers. I enjoyed the visit tremendously, and was convinced STX is certainly an adventure worth pursuing. There are pluses and minuses that you have to weigh, just like any job opportunity.. The salary with most pharmacies was reasonable... from $48-55 per hour, and the benefits were also similar to what I have in Anchorage. I didn't want to work for a major chain store, so Kmart was out. I decided on Doctor's Choice for two reasons..it is a small chain and financially secure, and secondarily, it is also located on STT, and handles the Aids Drug Assistance contract for the islands. HIV is an area of drug therapy in which I am particularly interested. Sometimes I think you have to go on your gut level feelings and instincts, and interview potential coworkers, previous employees, and listen to the competitors to get a real feel for a potential position.
The job I have accepted starts on Monday, Apr 23rd in STT, at Wheatley Center with Doctor's Choice Pharmacy. The plan and commitment I have from the owner/manager of the company is to transfer to STX within 2-6 months, to help fill potential vacancies there. Of course you always take a chance when you change jobs, but that's not been a concern for me over the years. I have practiced for over 26 years now, and have worked in all areas of pharmacy practice.. Retail, Hospital, Long Term Care, Home Infusion, and have worked in both staff and management positions. I'm looking at this opportunity as a new adventure.
I wish you luck and I hope you find what you are looking for, if not in STX, some other place, equally special.
Rod

Rod, are you negotiating in your moving expenses, or do you just plan to come with yourself and a couple of suitcases? Give it a whirl - you never know until you ask!

I don't think you will find the sticker shock nearly as bad as we did since you are coming from Anchorage, where I would expect the cost of living is fairly high anyway.

Cindy, if you are a compounding pharmacist or have done hospital or home infusion, you may also check with the traveling pharmacist programs......my understanding is that they pay very well, but you are on a short contract, like 6 months, that can be renewed. All I can speak from is our experience - my husband is very retail oriented and had no desire to pursue hospital or infusion work.

The pay scale for pharmacists on STX has risen dramatically since we left 6 or 7 months ago.....Rod, you certainly have many, many marketable skills and I wish you the best in all of your endeavors - but also please remember that STT and STX are two entirely different islands. Transferring from one to the other may not be what you want to do in the future, and I hope you have the option of testing the waters on STX before committing. It may be just what you are looking for, or STT may be your special spot in the sun. I don't know about Doctor's Choice, I know Kmart had a floating pharmacist for a long time who was about to burn out from multiple trips back and forth between islands. I would imagine that would be quite difficult after a time. However, due to the chronic shortage of pharmacists everywhere, I would imagine either of you can find suitable employment - that's the one thing we found - wherever we wanted to go in the world under the U.S. flag was pretty open for employment opportunities....we just didn't want to go to Guam!

If you end up on STX, please PM me or go by and meet the folks at VI Care.....wonderful, all of them, and very involved in the HIV/AIDs education and awareness program.

Thanks for the messages from both Becky and Rod. You have both been extremely informative and I appreciate that. I too have a varied background of almost 27 years of practice. My favorites have been in staff models where I had access to charts and could work closely with the doctors and I love the patients. I have worked retail, manged care, grocery chain, LTC which also included IVs and am curretly working for a PBM as a consultant pharmacist to health plans that contract with us to process their pharmacy claims. Part D coverage has been a huge challenge and it seems that everywhere is short staffed. There has been a new mail order facility which opened here in the last year, it has driven hourly rates at Wal Mart up to over $60/hr.

We are just starting to explore the opportunities but would face some other challenges with having a couple of teenagers and a 3 year old--party for her today. I am sure the cost of living would be dramatic for us also as we are in the Midwest and have a large house here in a nice neighborhood and great neighbors. They are like our families as neither of us has any of our own family nearby. My father is not doing well right now so that is also a consideration and my in-laws are retired down in Arkansas(Bella Vista), not sure how close this is to you Becky. We have a lot of impromtu get togethers at our house as I am not a perfectionist of having everything perfect in order to have company. We just make some calls and people show up.

It has been great hearing from both of you and I will probably send you a couple more e-mails, I am looking forward to our visit to STX next week and will do so with my eyes open wider and many more considerations.

Cindy and Becky, Thanks for the responses. Sounds like you both have a good understanding of pharmacy practice, both on the Islands and the mainland.
Cindy,I would think twice about moving to the VI with my entire family. I did meet a pharmacist.. (Rick at Doctor's Choice Pharmacy in the Plaza Xtra Store next to Sunny Isle Shopping Ctr) who had moved his entire young family to STX. He seemed happy with life there, but you would have to seriously consider the impact on the teenagers (friends lost and those all important high school years) as well as the cost of private school for the 3 year old. I understand that the public school is not the best, and private schools are pricey. I'm aware of one good private school, The Country Day School, as it is next to a duplex rental property that my roommate and I have secured on STX for rent, starting in May. It looks like a great school, but I imagine it costs plenty. I also think if you are used to a life of suburbia, with its modern conveniences, you might find STX a bit 3rd world.
I'm ok with that. I've lived the country club experience in Richmond, VA, the middle east experience of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the bush Aaskan experience of Nome and Barrow, and most recently, the experience of Alaska from the perspective of Anchorage. I will be relocating with just two duffle bags, leaving most of my belongings and real estate in Anchorage, so I don't expect the conveniences of life that most people have on the mainland, in either STT or STX. That's fine with me, because I'm not asking anyone else, besides my roommante (who is also ready for a change, having lived most of his life in Anchorage), to accept the change in living conditions. We are both simple people, who enjoy simple pleasures. We are both looking forward to the move as a new adventure..
Oh, and the VI Care people... yes, I did get to meet some people on staff there, and I agree, they do seem like wonderful people. I hope to get to know them better, as I work with HIV+ patients on the islands.
Good luck to both of you as you continue the journey of the pharmacist's life. We are finally getting temps in the upper 40s now in Anchorage,, sunshine and melting snow. A welcome change.
"Warmly", Rod Gordon
Anchorage, AK

Hi Farpoint. I sent you a PM, but also will post here as well. Can you enlighten me as to what it was or is like working at Doctors Choice Pharmacy. I see that they have an ad and wondering what it was like? Thanks

This thread was posted 3 years ago. Chances are you are not going to get answers from these posters.