Pharmacist jobs in army

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pharmer27

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Hello guys&gals,I want to know how much do pharmaists in army get paid,benefits,pros&cons in joining army etc.
Thans in advance for your feedback
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are you asking about pharmacists who are officers in the army or civilian contractors that work for the army as pharmacists?
 
How many of these posts could we possibly get????

OP: Call a recruiter, maybe even take a look at the Forum called "Military Medicine." I know it's a long shot but hey, why not try to do some research on your own? Maybe use the search button...
 
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ValeUC said:
How many of these posts could we possibly get????

OP: Call a recruiter, maybe even take a look at the Forum called "Military Medicine." I know it's a long shot but hey, why not try to do some research on your own? Maybe use the search button...
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why in gods name would you call a recruiter for this info, they won't leave you alone if you express any interest at all. Then if you decide its not right for you, they call you, blah blah blah. not a good idea

use a search, i know there are some military guys on here.
 
Quiksilver said:
use a search, i know there are some military guys on here.
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Such as myself or 67echo. Although 67echo is actually an Army pharmacist, MY advice, as a service member would be to contact a recruiter. I called one and he doesn't bother me... of course I'm still in, so it really is pointless. The whole medical side of the house is different than the rest of the military.
 
OP, visit the military forums and use the search function. There have been people who went over pros/cons, pay, etc. A pharmacist enters as an O-3 and receive that payscale.
 
ValeUC said:
Such as myself or 67echo. Although 67echo is actually an Army pharmacist, MY advice, as a service member would be to contact a recruiter. I called one and he doesn't bother me... of course I'm still in, so it really is pointless. The whole medical side of the house is different than the rest of the military.
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I still get stuff, I don't know who gave my name or whatever, but it gets annoying. As a civilian, I would get my advice from someone who actually works the position and not slanted/biased views from a recruiter. The resources on this site allow members to talk to servicemen. I mean no offense to people in it or interested, I commend your bravery and desire to serve this country.
 
Quiksilver said:
I still get stuff, I don't know who gave my name or whatever, but it gets annoying. As a civilian, I would get my advice from someone who actually works the position and not slanted/biased views from a recruiter. The resources on this site allow members to talk to servicemen. I mean no offense to people in it or interested, I commend your bravery and desire to serve this country.
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The problem is that regulations change all the time. Someone who joined up a year or two ago has a great perspective on how things work but not on current incentives, commissioning/enlistment options, etc. Sure, recruiters do have a different agenda but they have the most current information.
 
I have a friend who does Air Force, and he gets paid about 60k IIRC... with ridiculous benefits due to working for the govt.

half pay pension after 20 years of service
 
Navy guy in another thread says, on average, you'll be paid 25% less than had you gone into the private sector...accounting for all the benefits you get.

Granted, you don't go into the service for moolah. But if you need a number, that's generally it. This will fluctuate depending on how much (or how little) you take advantage of the random perks/intangibles (ie retiring after 20 years with ~1/2 pension, MAC flights, being stationed outside of the CONUS vs. vacationing as a civilian, etc...)
 
I think one of the biggest drawbacks for most people is, officers move duty stations every 3-4 years.
 
PumpkinSmasher said:
I think one of the biggest drawbacks for most people is, officers move duty stations every 3-4 years.
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I actually view this as a plus, but I see how it can be a drag especially if you've got family.
 
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confettiflyer said:
Navy guy in another thread says, on average, you'll be paid 25% less than had you gone into the private sector...accounting for all the benefits you get.

Granted, you don't go into the service for moolah. But if you need a number, that's generally it. This will fluctuate depending on how much (or how little) you take advantage of the random perks/intangibles (ie retiring after 20 years with ~1/2 pension, MAC flights, being stationed outside of the CONUS vs. vacationing as a civilian, etc...)
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just be very mindful of what people say when talking about the military. Many people that talk about the military, internet, friends and otherwise) and have no idea what they are talking about.

For example, you said your friend will make 25% less with benefits accounted. Well, that depends on what you are doing. I'm a pharmacist. With my benefits, my yearly payout is 102k. Is that really 25% less than the norm in retail? no, absolutely not. I was slated to make 110k at walgreens before I left for the military.
 
67echo said:
just be very mindful of what people say when talking about the military. Many people that talk about the military, internet, friends and otherwise) and have no idea what they are talking about.

For example, you said your friend will make 25% less with benefits accounted. Well, that depends on what you are doing. I'm a pharmacist. With my benefits, my yearly payout is 102k. Is that really 25% less than the norm in retail? no, absolutely not. I was slated to make 110k at walgreens before I left for the military.
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wow 102? haven't heard it that high before...then again, from what i've heard (there's that phrase again), army has the most generous tuition repayment (if you're factoring that in). The post I'm referring to is that navy guy who was in for 6 years ('96-'02) and posted that one long detailed post and referred to an older scholarship that paid for P-3 and P-4, I don't believe he was factoring in tuition payment since that could either mean $15k or $30k depending on your school, and occurred before he was commissioned.

Using the pay scales posted online, BAH, other allowances, retention bonuses, etc... I've found that 25% off civilian pay is a fair number to start at and isn't too far off the mark. Then again, I freely admit that this is all online research and doesn't account for things like buying things tax free at the exchange/commissary and other day to day activities.
 
Well, only 67echo can tell you for sure because he's the only one that sees his LES! Don't count stuff like tax free purchases from the PX and commissary, etc. Actually a lot of people I knew on active duty went off post to Kroger's, etc because they were cheaper for groceries.

You come in as an O-3. You get a specialty stipend plus BAH and BAS. Depending on your zip code, that BAH can be more than a thousand dollars per month. BAS is several hundred as well. Keep in mind everything but your base pay is tax free.
 
confettiflyer said:
wow 102? haven't heard it that high before...then again, from what i've heard (there's that phrase again), army has the most generous tuition repayment (if you're factoring that in). The post I'm referring to is that navy guy who was in for 6 years ('96-'02) and posted that one long detailed post and referred to an older scholarship that paid for P-3 and P-4, I don't believe he was factoring in tuition payment since that could either mean $15k or $30k depending on your school, and occurred before he was commissioned.

Using the pay scales posted online, BAH, other allowances, retention bonuses, etc... I've found that 25% off civilian pay is a fair number to start at and isn't too far off the mark. Then again, I freely admit that this is all online research and doesn't account for things like buying things tax free at the exchange/commissary and other day to day activities.
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yeah...thats with tuition reimbursement figured in.
 
I'm a prior enlisted person in my second year. I did 4 years in the Army as an enlisted nurse (LPN) and married an officer (BSN) shortly after getting out. I've done a little looking and it seems that the Army is offering the best insentives, but your probably going to be worked pretty hard for those insentives. From what I've seen, the Army may offer around $100000 loan repayment and some additional "professional" pay. This is along with coming in as an O-3. The base pay is taxed, but the other food and housing are tax-free. I believe that the "professional" pay is taxed at a higher rate (like a bonus) and is not counted as basic pay if you do 20 years. I'm not sure if there is any tax on the loan repayment though. Do you get taxed on the loan repayment money 67echo?
All I could find out from the Airforce is that they have a $30,000 bonus for entering and you come in as an O-3 still. I don't think they offer much in the loan repayment part. However, I've seen the living conditions and working conditions for both branches and the Airforce has far better facilities as far as I can see.
One good thing about the Army is that it offers a residency for pharmacy pretty much as soon as you enter. In the Airforce they use recidency as incentive to stay in and they only offer it after 3 years of service. I could be wrong on some of this information, but this is what I've seen and been told by various health recruiters.:luck:
 
nmontana said:
I'm a prior enlisted person in my second year. I did 4 years in the Army as an enlisted nurse (LPN) and married an officer (BSN) shortly after getting out. I've done a little looking and it seems that the Army is offering the best insentives, but your probably going to be worked pretty hard for those insentives. From what I've seen, the Army may offer around $100000 loan repayment and some additional "professional" pay. This is along with coming in as an O-3. The base pay is taxed, but the other food and housing are tax-free. I believe that the "professional" pay is taxed at a higher rate (like a bonus) and is not counted as basic pay if you do 20 years. I'm not sure if there is any tax on the loan repayment though. Do you get taxed on the loan repayment money 67echo?
All I could find out from the Airforce is that they have a $30,000 bonus for entering and you come in as an O-3 still. I don't think they offer much in the loan repayment part. However, I've seen the living conditions and working conditions for both branches and the Airforce has far better facilities as far as I can see.
One good thing about the Army is that it offers a residency for pharmacy pretty much as soon as you enter. In the Airforce they use recidency as incentive to stay in and they only offer it after 3 years of service. I could be wrong on some of this information, but this is what I've seen and been told by various health recruiters.:luck:
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I'm prior enlistment also, they actually pay the student loan repayment directly to the student loan company, but at the end of the year, I had to claim it on my taxes.
 
does the military's "up or out" policy for officers apply to officers in the medical services corps of the various branches?? It'd be a real shame to get booted after 15 years.

personally I'm aiming at getting a job with public health service or indian health service, as they get the same benefits and pay as military members but apparently are promoted and retained differently. plus they have rural practice settings which the forces do not.
 
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nmontana said:
I'm a prior enlisted person in my second year. I did 4 years in the Army as an enlisted nurse (LPN) and married an officer (BSN) shortly after getting out. I've done a little looking and it seems that the Army is offering the best insentives, but your probably going to be worked pretty hard for those insentives. From what I've seen, the Army may offer around $100000 loan repayment and some additional "professional" pay. This is along with coming in as an O-3. The base pay is taxed, but the other food and housing are tax-free. I believe that the "professional" pay is taxed at a higher rate (like a bonus) and is not counted as basic pay if you do 20 years. I'm not sure if there is any tax on the loan repayment though. Do you get taxed on the loan repayment money 67echo?
Click to expand...

Like tootoo said below, the Army pays the lender directly. Even though they "pay" you 39k a year for tuition reimbursement, they do take out money for taxes. So you really get like 31k a year. It's still not a bad deal. The Army also offers more than 100k in loan repayment. You just have to ask for it. The "professional" pay you speak of is quite significant now. It's $15,000 a year. I believe you are correct about the increased taxes, but I honestly have no idea. I donate that entire sum into my TSP. You are also correct that it is not counted in your basic pay for retirement purposes.


All I could find out from the Airforce is that they have a $30,000 bonus for entering and you come in as an O-3 still. I don't think they offer much in the loan repayment part. However, I've seen the living conditions and working conditions for both branches and the Airforce has far better facilities as far as I can see.
One good thing about the Army is that it offers a residency for pharmacy pretty much as soon as you enter. In the Airforce they use recidency as incentive to stay in and they only offer it after 3 years of service. I could be wrong on some of this information, but this is what I've seen and been told by various health recruiters.:luck:
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:rolleyes: Army, Navy, and AF pharmacy is all the same no matter where you go. It will not be different. "living conditions" are about the same no matter where you go as a military pharmacist. I wouldn't be singing this tune if I was an infantryman or something not in a hospital setting. For example, for our gate check points, the security guards/MPs get a canopy. In the Navy and AF, they get a real building.

I don't know much about the AF residency program so I won't comment on it. The army and navy both offer residencies right out of school. The AF offered me only 30k in tuition reimbursement for 1 year, with no guarantee for a second or third year.
 
type b pharmD said:
does the military's "up or out" policy for officers apply to officers in the medical services corps of the various branches?? It'd be a real shame to get booted after 15 years.

personally I'm aiming at getting a job with public health service or indian health service, as they get the same benefits and pay as military members but apparently are promoted and retained differently. plus they have rural practice settings which the forces do not.
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yep, its up and out for the MSC branch as well. You get 2 tries at promotion before you get the boot.

for those of you that don't know what we are talking about, check this link out.

http://www.g2mil.com/let.htm
 
67echo said:
yep, its up and out for the MSC branch as well. You get 2 tries at promotion before you get the boot.

for those of you that don't know what we are talking about, check this link out.

http://www.g2mil.com/let.htm
Click to expand...


I hung out at the Ft. Huachuca yesterday. Isn't that the place where Lt. Gatewood was stationed to negotiate a surrender of Geronimo? Man...I can't imagine having to live on a military base.. feels like a communist country or something.
 
ItsOverZyvox said:
I hung out at the Ft. Huachuca yesterday. Isn't that the place where Lt. Gatewood was stationed to negotiate a surrender of Geronimo? Man...I can't imagine having to live on a military base.. feels like a communist country or something.
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I have no clue...but about it being a mini communist compound...I dunno...if losing your right to freedom of speech and civil liberties, CHEAP-below cost goods at the commissary, the government knowing EVERY aspect of your life is called communism, so be it! hahaha
 
ItsOverZyvox said:
I hung out at the Ft. Huachuca yesterday. Isn't that the place where Lt. Gatewood was stationed to negotiate a surrender of Geronimo? Man...I can't imagine having to live on a military base.. feels like a communist country or something.
Click to expand...


Not a very good observation for being there for a few hours. I've never been to Huachuca but I have been to several other military installations and lived on many others. There are barracks, very similar to dorms, as well as family housing areas that do not look much different from regular apartment complexes. The only thing different is that most people are in uniform, not walking around looking like ****bags.

People shouldn't be standing around with their hands in their pockets, and the every servicemember showing proper customs & courtesies as they should be. You can come and go as you please if your duty day is done, just like civilians, as long as you aren't being punished from an article 15 or something like that.
 
67echo said:
I have no clue...but about it being a mini communist compound...I dunno...if losing your right to freedom of speech and civil liberties, CHEAP-below cost goods at the commissary, the government knowing EVERY aspect of your life is called communism, so be it! hahaha
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Sounds good to me... eh comrade???
 
I'm sorry I had to revive this thread, I didn't want to make another one. I was wondering what's the break down on salary's, benefits etc. I just wanna see if it is well worth it to serve. I wanna see how much take home pay Military Pharmacist get in comparison to civilian pharmacist. thanks in advance.
 
How come? Did you enter as O3 also? Or you enter as higher rank?

67echo said:
just be very mindful of what people say when talking about the military. Many people that talk about the military, internet, friends and otherwise) and have no idea what they are talking about.

For example, you said your friend will make 25% less with benefits accounted. Well, that depends on what you are doing. I'm a pharmacist. With my benefits, my yearly payout is 102k. Is that really 25% less than the norm in retail? no, absolutely not. I was slated to make 110k at walgreens before I left for the military.
Click to expand...
 
So the pay scale is about:
First 3 years:
40K Loan Repayment
15K Pharmacist Special Officer Pay
18K Housing and Food "Tax Free"
45K Base Pay
118K Total

After 3 years
15K Pharmacist Special Officer Pay
18K Housing and Food "Tax Free"
55K Base Pay
88K Total

Is that about right? If you make Major in 5 years (is that possible) then it gets closer to $100K

The retirement benefit if you stay 20 years is worth a lot...if you (can) stay the whole 20 years.

Is the above right? Anyone currently in the Army?
 
sfwusc said:
So the pay scale is about:
First 3 years:
40K Loan Repayment
15K Pharmacist Special Officer Pay
18K Housing and Food "Tax Free"
45K Base Pay
118K Total

After 3 years
15K Pharmacist Special Officer Pay
18K Housing and Food "Tax Free"
55K Base Pay
88K Total

Is that about right? If you make Major in 5 years (is that possible) then it gets closer to $100K

The retirement benefit if you stay 20 years is worth a lot...if you (can) stay the whole 20 years.

Is the above right? Anyone currently in the Army?
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I'm in the Navy, so it may be different, but...

As far as I know, no branch is offering 3 years loan repayment anymore. Their website might say they are offering "up to" $120,000 but no one actually gets that anymore. Plan on 2 years.

Also, the $15,000 specialty pay cannot be taken concurrently with loan repayment. The $30,000 sign on bonus cannot be taken concurrently with any other financial incentive. So this means:

If you take $30,000 sign on bonus, you owe 4 years without any loan repayment or specialty pay. You have the option to take loan repayment with sign on bonus, but that will increase your commitment to 6 years (4 for bonus, 2 for loan repayment). You cannot take specialty pay in this scenario - the military will not allow you to take more than 6 years worth of financial incentive at once. ($30,000 sign on + $80,000 = $110,000 over 6 years)

If you forgo the sign on bonus (you should) and take 2 years loan repayment, you owe 3 years (minimum contract length - only 2 of those are payback for loan repayment). You can take specialty pay in this scenario however it come in 2 year contracts. This means your contract will extend to 4 years (2 years for loan repayment, 2 years for specialty pay) and you will only get that $15,000 specialty pay for 2 out 4 of those years. This is still your best deal ($80,000 loan repayment + $30,000 specialty pay = $110,000 for 4 years).

Last year I made:

Base pay $3771 * 12 = $45,000
BAH $1600 * 12 = $19,200
BAS $225 * 12 = $2700
$40,000 loan repayment
$15,000 specialty pay

TOTAL $122,000 ($100,000 taxable)

This year I will make about $85,000 taking into account raise and allowance increases as well as not getting loan repayment, with about $65,000 being taxable.

With time in, you'll hit 6 figure total monetary compensation after about 5 years...
 
FYI, just make sure the loan repayment is even worth it. For instance if you owe exactly the amount of loan repayment or less then, sure it's worth it...but say you owe $170k or more it actually hurts you to even take the loan repayment.

It hurts because the 40k or so they give you jacks up your AGI which in turn jacks up your IBR...so say you took the 80k in loan repayment, so what....your principle is lowered but you still have to make a monthly IBR payment (albeit a higher IBR payment because the 40k raises your AGI) on the remaining balance for a total of ten years at a nonprofit until its wiped out or a total of 25 years at a for profit company.

Personally PHS is the only way to go...variable special pay for 15k, 30k accension bonus, 18k per year paid to you for loan repayment with the IHS (they even pick up most of the tax on it), with all the other military benefits.

Also, a new point that hasn't been mentioned when comparing military to civilian salary, which in my case is a huge factor is AGI for IBR purposes.

So what if I make 135k at Walgreens, my IBR payment is around $1400 a month....now compare that to my 60k AGI in the PHS my payment is only $500, less if max out my TSP at 17k per year, my payment is only $325 a month on a >$200k fed loan. That's a $900 to $1100 swing in take home pay. Plus at Walgreens I'd have to pay for 25 years, PHS only 10 years.

Now add on all the tax free bah/bas plus my state income is tax free for service members, and I make more than I did making 135k a year doing retail.

Now throw in pension, 30 days vacation, 11 federal holidays, unlimited sick, free medical dental, all the other perks, usually structured raises every 2 years and the fact you CAN actually practice pharmacy and use the knowledge you have acquired through school....it's the only way to go.... At least for me. Gotta love this country.

Over a 30 year career comparing retail to PHS or even military officer w/o loan repayment given >$200 fed loans, an officer makes $1.3M more straight up and ~$8M more including 30 year pension.

Trust me, I did the math, well excel did.
 
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Is there an army pharmacist here? I'm interested in this job but after conducting some research, I'm concerned about rape issues in the army which has the highest victims among all branches. The news released by CNN makes me very unsecured.
 
Sparda29, I'm not sure if you are allowed tompractice with guns, ask recruiters. I was told that all military personel are required to pass physical training twice a year, including health professionals.
 
This may be a stupid question.... assuming you fulfilll all requirements for weight, age, health, psych, etc, can you just enlist as a pharmacist or pharm student. Or are there more people who want to join than there are spots available. I am referring to active duty, not HPSP.
 
Has anyone joined the Reserves while in pharm school? Are you a pharmacist that is in the Reserves?
 
tablet said:
This may be a stupid question.... assuming you fulfilll all requirements for weight, age, health, psych, etc, can you just enlist as a pharmacist or pharm student. Or are there more people who want to join than there are spots available. I am referring to active duty, not HPSP.
Click to expand...

The recruiter said physical test is one standard of the army, that applies to all team members. As for the reserves, they are to serve with a minimum of 2 days a month. They may be deployed to serve soldiers fighting in wars.

I have been considering this job with those great benefits. However, I'm more concerned about safety in the army, especially for females.
 
I have read every military pharmacy thread on SDN....
My understanding is that you need to 1) apply for a competitive HSPS scholarship, or 2) Wait until I have a PharmD to apply/enlist/commission. If you fulfill all eligibility requirements, you will receive a list of possible bases that you might get stationed at, and you have the opportunity to rank order the list of bases that you would prefer to go to, with no guarantee or where you will go. Going this route, I can expect to start practicing pharmacy around December. I do not know when I would receive my first paycheck. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
As a student working on my application for the Army you cannot get your commission until you graduate with your PharmD and license. You may be selected but nothing will go forward until you get these. Can you enlist while in pharmacy school? Sure but you won't be a pharmacist. How can you be a pharmacist in the Army if you aren't a pharmacist in the civilian world? Don't join for money, don't join for the benefits or I guarantee you you will hate it. I have spoken with the pharmacy adviser to the surgeon general. There are more people applying that there are slots for. Just because you fulfill the basic requirements of being a warm body does NOT guarantee you a slot. You must be selected by a board. So please, if you are trying to go Army just because you are afraid you can't find a job - don't even apply.

Sparda - your ignorance of the military astounds me. No you can't just mosey on down to the shooting range and shoot guns. Doesn't work that way. Pharmacists along with other medical personnel get to qualify with the M4/M16 but that is once per year, if that. That's the extent of your "combat training." If you want combat training, enlist and join the infantry like I did.
 
ValeUC said:
Sparda - your ignorance of the military astounds me. No you can't just mosey on down to the shooting range and shoot guns. Doesn't work that way. Pharmacists along with other medical personnel get to qualify with the M4/M16 but that is once per year, if that. That's the extent of your "combat training." If you want combat training, enlist and join the infantry like I did.
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One of my techs is ex-Marine (2X in Iraq) and I asked him about military docs and pharmacists with guns. He laughed and rolled his eyes and said, "We ask them to please keep their weapons in the holster." Apparently one doctor didn't and shot himself in the thigh. Oops.
 
All4MyDaughter said:
One of my techs is ex-Marine (2X in Iraq) and I asked him about military docs and pharmacists with guns. He laughed and rolled his eyes and said, "We ask them to please keep their weapons in the holster." Apparently one doctor didn't and shot himself in the thigh. Oops.
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Really? So military physicians and pharmacists do carry guns? That's cool but unsecured though. Do they carry all the time?
 
BubbleDream said:
Really? So military physicians and pharmacists do carry guns? That's cool but unsecured though. Do they carry all the time?
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I doubt they carry all the time. This story occurred in a war zone and the doc in question was of high rank. I doubt the Navy pharmacists are packing at Walter Reed.
 
BubbleDream said:
Really? So military physicians and pharmacists do carry guns? That's cool but unsecured though. Do they carry all the time?
Click to expand...

Can't speak for Army but as I understand it, only in downrange deployed environments. (ex: Afghanistan). I believe the only people who do not carry a weapon when downrange are chaplains...
 
Quiksilver said:
why in gods name would you call a recruiter for this info, they won't leave you alone if you express any interest at all. Then if you decide its not right for you, they call you, blah blah blah. not a good idea

use a search, i know there are some military guys on here.
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THIS THIS AND THIS. Definitely do not call a recruiter, they will feed you EVERYTHING you want to hear. Talk to people who have been through it. Don't even consider talking to a recruiter until you have already decided it's EXACTLY what you want.
 
sisson329 said:
THIS THIS AND THIS. Definitely do not call a recruiter, they will feed you EVERYTHING you want to hear. Talk to people who have been through it. Don't even consider talking to a recruiter until you have already decided it's EXACTLY what you want.
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Don't talk about something you know thing about. Times have changed. They are NOT has hard up as they used to be. Word from the top: "This year was the first year ever that we had more applicants than slots open."

My recruiter last week: "We are full until next year."
 
Caverject said:
They carry them only when deployed. I used mine once while I was in Afghanistan...fun times
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Caverject, Were you Enlisted as a pharmacist in army? How long did you stay in afghanistan? How was the life there?
 
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BubbleDream said:
Caverject, Were you Enlisted as a pharmacist in army? How long did you stay in afghanistan? How was the life there?
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For starters, you commission as a pharmacist, not enlist because I'm an officer, not a soldier. I joined in 2008, still in. Love every second of it. Spent one year in Afghanistan, which wasn't that great except for the nightly fireworks shows, but it was okay. Now I live in Germany....
 
Caverject said:
For starters, you commission as a pharmacist, not enlist because I'm an officer, not a soldier. I joined in 2008, still in. Love every second of it. Spent one year in Afghanistan, which wasn't that great except for the nightly fireworks shows, but it was okay. Now I live in Germany....
Click to expand...

Oh my bad for misusing words! I'm curious about deployment in war zone. Were you allowed to take vacation? How often you used a gun? It's hard to imagine having fun in such a place. Not putting any negative notes here. Is the OBC training rigorous?
 
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