Is this the ceiling or can pharmacists earn more? A discussion

[NonTradPharmStudent]

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[WorthlessOxygen]

It's certainly good compensation for a PharmD but I don't know that I'd really consider a GS 15 position to be pharmacist salary as that's decently high levels of management. If you want to include nontraditional roles like that I'm sure there are directors making more. Pharma can routinely be higher total compensation too.

Or I guess you could make an argument that Larry Merlo probably set the bar at whatever 7+ figures he made.

 

[Dred Pirate]

all depends on the job- our vp of pharamcy services is pulling in close to 300k a year for a large system, but there is one of him for like 400 + rphs.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

I don't know what GS-15 = outside the federal sector, but lots of upper level managers and even staff pharmacist (w/ OT) eclipse that in CA if you look at public records

 

[RXDOC1986]

View attachment 360996

Your very broad question, presents with a very narrow, specific salary chart.
you have done some research and arrived at a very small niche of Federal/VA management level Pharmacist (GS 15) salaries. Having worked at the VA, I can tell you, GS 15 doesn't come easy or automatic. When I was there, a staff pharmacist would start at GS 9, clinical maybe GS 10, and I worked with career (35yr) R.PH.s that hadn't made it to GS 14. This is not any indicator for a ceiling, or norm for max salaries.
Then there are pharmacist that go beyond any salary ceiling.
The former CEO of WellStar Health System (now with 16 hospitals and 25000 employees), Georgia, was a former retail, independent Pharmacist for many years. NOW making about 1 million a year plus stock options as CEO.
My personal hero, Don Panoz was a retail pharmacist in Philly. Invented the patch, founded Mylan Pharmaceuticals, then Panoz Motorsports. Passed away in 2018 with a net worth (well north of) $500 million.
If you are researching Pharmacist salaries, looking into pharmacy school, it would make a whole lot more sense to look at starting pay, retail vs hospital. Then average staff pay. And prospects for job availability.

 

[NonTradPharmStudent]

Your very broad question, presents with a very narrow, specific salary chart.
you have done some research and arrived at a very small niche of Federal/VA management level Pharmacist (GS 15) salaries. Having worked at the VA, I can tell you, GS 15 doesn't come easy or automatic. When I was there, a staff pharmacist would start at GS 9, clinical maybe GS 10, and I worked with career (35yr) R.PH.s that hadn't made it to GS 14. This is not any indicator for a ceiling, or norm for max salaries.
Then there are pharmacist that go beyond any salary ceiling.
The former CEO of WellStar Health System (now with 16 hospitals and 25000 employees), Georgia, was a former retail, independent Pharmacist for many years. NOW making about 1 million a year plus stock options as CEO.
My personal hero, Don Panoz was a retail pharmacist in Philly. Invented the patch, founded Mylan Pharmaceuticals, then Panoz Motorsports. Passed away in 2018 with a net worth (well north of) $500 million.
If you are researching Pharmacist salaries, looking into pharmacy school, it would make a whole lot more sense to look at starting pay, retail vs hospital. Then average staff pay. And prospects for job availability.

Thanks Ill get started there