Summer Internships - need advice please

[WarmFuzzy]

I interviewed last week during my schools Career Fair for 3 community pharmacy internship positions. Pharmacy A said they won't make decisions until the beginning of next year, Pharmacy B wants me to start working now 1 shift a week (too much!), & Pharmacy C said I would be able to stay on as an employee 1 shift per month after an internship (I did specify with interviewer, just 8 hours/month is correct).

So I received a call from a Pharmacy C mgr in the area saying they were told I was looking for a job. I clarified that I applied for an internship, & wasn't prepared to start working while in school, that I planned to do the internship in the summer, & then stay on payroll @ 1 shift per month next year. Today, I got a voicemail from another district manager, saying they had an opening in one of their stores. I have not called back yet.

To complicate things, there is a pharmacy managed care internship I am very interested in, but it hasn't been posted yet, & there will only be 1 or 2 positions available, with potentially many people applying.

1. How do I communicate to I am more interested in the summer internship, & nothing until then (or perhaps start now @ 1 shift/month)? I am concerned that they want me to start working now, & then get the internship, but I really thought I was interviewing for an internship only, so I am afraid if I say no to working during this school year, there won't be internship opportunities for me come summer.

2. Is there a way I can say "yes" to Pharmacy C now, but retract that if I get the Mgd Care internship I want? Would it be better to say "no" to Pharmacy C now & hold out for what I hope to get, or to say "yes" to Pharmacy C & forego the Mgd Care opportunity?

Thanks in advance!! (P.S. Pharmacy C is NOT CVS)

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[JMUDuke]

I would take the Job at pharmacy C, but I'm curious to why 1 shift a week is too much? I'd say most people in my class do at least that.

But even if you take Job C. I would imagine you could work your hours to be able to accommodate both the managed care position and the other job. But that said, in my experience, most employers want at least some input during the school year.

Plus, every little bit helps in the loan department...

 

[WarmFuzzy]

Thanks for the reply JMUDuke, I am currently living away from my husband, & travel home approx every other weekend. As an adult returning student, I am finding it takes quite a bit more time in the studying to achieve the grades I need on exams. To work 1 shift/week would mean making a choice between seeing my husband vs. working. Or studying vs. working. Not a choice I feel I should be pressured into making, so when Pharmacy C said only 1 shift/month, I felt that was manageable. I just didn't expect to start that NOW, since I specifically interviewed for (& the interview was posted as) a summer internship.

 

[Sugoi Travis]

Personally, I'd take the internship at Pharmacy C because that's a guaranteed position. You say "yes" and you're in. That managed care internship on the other hand...what guarantee is there that you'll snag it and will they even allow you to work 1 shift a month?

 

[sakigt]

As a non trad in Pharmacy school with a Hubbs then eventually a baby (during rotations!) I get it. I dont get the traveling thing, but I get it. Im also a solid B student....

That being said.

You NEED work experience. If you were only interested in a summer internship to get your feet wet then feel comfortable working one day a week Id say wait until the summer.... Its hard to learn things when you arent there often enough. Working for a solid 3 months would make things clearer so that when you come in once a week it would be easier....

But the not working one day a week thing.... I think youre going to have to find a way to make it work. Id study less/more intensely. Prioritize. Listen to lectures/podcasts on the drive home.

Working during Pharmacy is DEFINITELY not about the $$$. Its about the experience/making connections

 

[bacillus1]

Make it work, or else you'll find yourself without work experience and unable to find a job/residency post graduation. C sounds like the best option for you right now.

 

[Jbrl]

Accept C, but apply to the Managed Care internship and see where it goes. If it's anything like the Pfizer/AMCP or ESI internships, they'll definitely be competitive. In the case you actually get offered, you can think about your next course of action at that time, not before. The worst that happens is you choose to turn it down with your head held high, or that you don't get an offer anyway. OR you find a way to wiggle out of pharmacy C and accept the internship, which can open up different doors.