moving to dallas as a pharmacy technician need advice (Houston: credit, home)

[ales0324]

Hi,
I am planning to move to Dallas next June for a better opportunity. There seems to be no jobs as a pharmacy technician in my city so it's hard to get certified. I am in school for pre-pharm to get into pharmacy school but I want to have the experience before i go there. Louisiana regulations (along with everything else) sucks! Here are some questions I need answers to:
If I take the test in Louisiana can I apply for the certification in Dallas? (In order to be certified in Louisiana, I have to have 600hrs of training at a facility under a permit, in order to get a permit i have to be hired somewhere, THERE ARE NO JOBS!s see my problem. I am trying to apply my results to a certification as soon as I take the test)

If I apply for a job in dallas with no experience and just my license can I get on at a hospital or do i need to go into a retail setting to gain experience? (From what I've been reading most people start out at CVS, Walgreens, target, rite aid, Walmart etc. because they aren't getting hired without experience at the hospital is this true?)

How long after I receive my scores and process my background check will it take to find a job? (Since ill be leaving this God forsaken hell hole next June I want to know how soon i should be applying so I can have a job the moment I set foot in Dallas.)

Please help I desperately need answers!

[loves2read]

if this job requires state certification don't you think there is probably a state site with most of your answers?

[ales0324]

Trust me I've read the info backwards and forwards for both states and neither provided the answers...I will be calling the state board for each on Monday but I wanted to see if I could get information in a forum before then

[jbiggs]

Originally Posted by ales0324

Hi,
I am planning to move to Dallas next June for a better opportunity. There seems to be no jobs as a pharmacy technician in my city so it's hard to get certified. I am in school for pre-pharm to get into pharmacy school but I want to have the experience before i go there. Louisiana regulations (along with everything else) sucks! Here are some questions I need answers to:
If I take the test in Louisiana can I apply for the certification in Dallas? (In order to be certified in Louisiana, I have to have 600hrs of training at a facility under a permit, in order to get a permit i have to be hired somewhere, THERE ARE NO JOBS!s see my problem. I am trying to apply my results to a certification as soon as I take the test)

The rules for Pharm Techs are here http://info.sos.state.tx.us/pls/pub/readtac$ext.ViewTAC?tac_view=4&ti=22&pt=15&ch=297& rl=Y. I am sure you have already read them and yes they are not 100% clear as is normal for many Texas laws and rules. However as I read these rules/laws there is no direct reciprocity of licensing/certification between Texas and any other State. You would have to apply here and to obtain the Texas Pharm Tech Certification. To do that it appears you must be working under the direction of a Texas Licensed Pharmacist. You must first register as a trainee and when the Pharmacist is ready to sign off on it you can apply as a Certfied Pharm Tech. So yes it appears you must be working for a pharmacy before you can get your certification in Texas.

If I apply for a job in dallas with no experience and just my license can I get on at a hospital or do i need to go into a retail setting to gain experience? (From what I've been reading most people start out at CVS, Walgreens, target, rite aid, Walmart etc. because they aren't getting hired without experience at the hospital is this true?)

Can't say whether you will get hired in a hospital as many jobs appear to want compounding experience as well. Hospitals seem to have a much higher rate of liability issues and are making their employmen requirements much more stringent.

How long after I receive my scores and process my background check will it take to find a job? (Since ill be leaving this God forsaken hell hole next June I want to know how soon i should be applying so I can have a job the moment I set foot in Dallas.)

Your best bet is to obtain your Pharm Tech rating in LA and stay put until you have some experience to offer an employer here. If you watch the job boards Pharm Tech positions have been advertised as $10 - $12 per hour at the retail pharmacies. It is a fairly pathetic wage rate but they are paying it. In addition many of the retail places are not even hiring all full time pharm techs so they don't have to pay benefits. If you obtain the experience first you will have a much easier time obtaining a position in other than a retail pharmacy.

Another item to consider is that the Texas Pharm Tech certification is not hard to obtain. Regardless of what you have been hearing the employment situation here is not much better than many other places out there. We now have so many unemployed and degreed people that if they went for their pharm tech certification (which appears to be popular recently) you will also be battling with them for a job if you don't have any experience to offer.

Please help I desperately need answers!

Answers in blue italics above.

[ales0324]

Thank you that was very helpful more helpful than what I have been getting. I do know the economy is bad everywhere but since ive graduated I've been offered 6 jobs in dallas and none in new orleans. If i had to compare the markets id say n.o. is pathetic...I am going to make a few calls tomorrow to get info on hospitals and jobs in tx to start preparing myself for my move. That $10-$12/hr is more than what I'm making here and i could be doin a hell of a lot better than i am now.
A friend of mine works as a pharm tech there at a hospital making $17/hr and she was telling me how shes glad she didn't stay back home in n.o. life is so much less stressful and her degree is deemed valuable now she'sheaded for Med school...I so cant wait to leave these hell hole

[jbiggs]

You're half way there if you have a friend here working in the field already! Hopefully your friend is a good one and ready to at least give you a cot to sleep on until you can get established.

Read those Texas laws closely as they are using what appears to be a national accreditation program as a basis for acceptable training. Make sure whatever training you take there is in line and acceptable here.

Unless it is all you can get initially here I would recommend staying away from the "Big Box" pharmacies and larger national chains. Here in Texas I believe Pharmacists are allowed to supervise no more than 4 Pharm Techs at a time on duty. I won't name names but at least one larger drug store chain is heavily violating this law. This same chain is one of those hiring part time so they don't have to pay benefits. Their Pharmacists are stressed out all of the time and that makes for some very bad relationships between Techs and Pharmacists. Also if these Pharmacists snap they can kill your Pharm Tech career here in a heart beat! All they have to do is fire you and create a cause and you will have a very hard time finding another job and getting the Texas certification.

I would still say to sit tight and get some experience first if you can. That $10 - $12 an hour sounds nice from your viewpoint. Truth is that is an "Existing Only" wage here even for a single person. If you plan to continue your education here you won't qualify for any type of State education aid until you establish residency which is typically 1 year here. Also many people will post that the cost of living here is so great! If you're coming from California, New York (or other NE States in that area), etc., then yes it is. However there are many expenses here that can really cut your paycheck down!

Good luck and check things out thoroughly before heading here.

[jbiggs]

Just as an afterthought, have you considered going up North to the Dakotas? They are booming up there and it would not surprising me if their wages were better. Also they are almost begging people to come and you might be able to land side employment as well to help save for future plans.

[VonHuffenHausen]

I don't know if someone could support themselves in the city of Dallas if only making 10-12 dollars and hour. You would need a very cheap place to live, a roommate and almost no commute to get by, just barely. I have heard the same thing JBiggs said about the Dakotas though. If you are moving to Texas, you might want to move somewhere where there is a school of pharmacy if you are intending to apply and work your way through, like Houston/Austin/Lubbock, etc. In fact I think you could support yourself in Lubbock or somewhere like that.