I currently work for a retail chain as a 4th year intern, I've been with the company for 5+ years. This November and December I was thinking about taking a couple weeks off each month (due to weddings, holidays, apartment/house shopping for post-grad [out-of-state], family [parent has a terminal illness and lives out of state]). I can't help but feel guilty about requesting that amount of time off. As a part-time intern/student, is this something I should feel bad about? Is it normal for students to take time off for the holidays, especially when their family is out of state?
Taking time off as an intern
- Thread starter hajenkin
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Do you think the company actually cares about you? Take time off and enjoy life.
Hah, good point. I love my co-workers, I'd just hate to leave them if things will be just as bad as they are now.
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Give them enough notice to start thinking about coming up with coverage if you're that concerned.
I took two full months off my P4 year for an international APPE and it was probably the best decision I made in pharmacy school.
I took two full months off my P4 year for an international APPE and it was probably the best decision I made in pharmacy school.
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They don’t care. I was like you in schooldays but realized you are just another body to them. Do what you got to do, pharmacy isn’t worth missing out life.
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so honestly it depends on what your plans after graduation are, and what your arrangement is.
A couple of points
1. If you plan on working with them after graduation - you need to be respectful and follow the proper protocols in place for time off or else risk getting that job after school. There is nothing wrong with taking the time off, and trust me, we all need it for family / mental health.
2. Do you have a set schedule (rotating weekends, etc)? If so, you can't just not show up - but you follow the process to get the time off. If you sort of just work prn - you can simply say you are unavailable for that time and offer to make it up later when other people need time off.
3. For example when I worked (at a place with all interns + one full time non-intern tech). We all had our set weekends, and we would trade accordingly. We would sit down at the beginning of each semester and work out the schedule based on our classes. When it came to holidays, we would do the same, sit down and work it out amongst us - is that an option for you?
4. I had two examples of people not following the "rules" and it definitely left a sour taste in my mouth as their manager, and definitely had the potential to affect their jobs down the road after graduation as I have a lot of contacts - I would never go seek out ways to mess with their careers, but if I was asked I would be honest.
a. Our interns have set weekends (every 4th) and if they can't work, it is up to them to find a replacement. One called me up 3 weeks in advance to tell me his flights were changed by the airline and now he wouldn't be back until 3 days later than originally planned . This is complete BS - I fly a lot and anybody with half a brain knows that doesn't happen. I did call him on it as I went online and saw open flights on the day before he was supposed to work on his airline. He basically just stammered - he then quit without giving notice. I was called from a friend about his residency application - I basically let her read between the lines without saying specifics.
b. Another person who had already given me their quit date a few months out had something planned for 6 months on her weekend- and never really even tried to get someone to cover. I told her our policy - she said "no one will work for me". Again - she didn't even really try (didn't offer a trade or anything as I saw her emails) - basically she then called out the day off - I let her know how unprofessional that was and how things like that can have unintended consequences down the road.
so the point being, just be professional about it - I know if you work for a big coporate chain, they don't care about you as a person, but depending on what happens after graduation you might need that big corporate chain to pay your bills.
A couple of points
1. If you plan on working with them after graduation - you need to be respectful and follow the proper protocols in place for time off or else risk getting that job after school. There is nothing wrong with taking the time off, and trust me, we all need it for family / mental health.
2. Do you have a set schedule (rotating weekends, etc)? If so, you can't just not show up - but you follow the process to get the time off. If you sort of just work prn - you can simply say you are unavailable for that time and offer to make it up later when other people need time off.
3. For example when I worked (at a place with all interns + one full time non-intern tech). We all had our set weekends, and we would trade accordingly. We would sit down at the beginning of each semester and work out the schedule based on our classes. When it came to holidays, we would do the same, sit down and work it out amongst us - is that an option for you?
4. I had two examples of people not following the "rules" and it definitely left a sour taste in my mouth as their manager, and definitely had the potential to affect their jobs down the road after graduation as I have a lot of contacts - I would never go seek out ways to mess with their careers, but if I was asked I would be honest.
a. Our interns have set weekends (every 4th) and if they can't work, it is up to them to find a replacement. One called me up 3 weeks in advance to tell me his flights were changed by the airline and now he wouldn't be back until 3 days later than originally planned . This is complete BS - I fly a lot and anybody with half a brain knows that doesn't happen. I did call him on it as I went online and saw open flights on the day before he was supposed to work on his airline. He basically just stammered - he then quit without giving notice. I was called from a friend about his residency application - I basically let her read between the lines without saying specifics.
b. Another person who had already given me their quit date a few months out had something planned for 6 months on her weekend- and never really even tried to get someone to cover. I told her our policy - she said "no one will work for me". Again - she didn't even really try (didn't offer a trade or anything as I saw her emails) - basically she then called out the day off - I let her know how unprofessional that was and how things like that can have unintended consequences down the road.
so the point being, just be professional about it - I know if you work for a big coporate chain, they don't care about you as a person, but depending on what happens after graduation you might need that big corporate chain to pay your bills.
Thanks for your input, I appreciate it!
I work part-time, but it’s more of a prn schedule as in I don’t have a set schedule. She usually just asks for my availability and plugs me in after everyone else’s schedule is set. I work almost every weekend and a couple evenings, basically shifts they can’t cover or what the other techs don’t want (usually 20ish hours a week on top of clinical rotations and RxPrep stuff for school - which is killing me physically and mentally, another reason I need a break). There isn’t a set weekend rotation for the techs like there is for the pharmacists at my store. We have 2 full time techs and we just hired 2 part time techs, I’m the only intern. We’re a lower-volume store, it’s just been crazy with vaccines and Covid testing the last couple of weeks.
this is a big retail chain and I’m hoping to work for the same company, just in another area of the country, until I can find something else (I have chronic health issues and retail causes me to have bad flare ups, so it’s not long-term).
I definitely want to go about it in a professional manner and not burn any bridges or make anyone mad. I’ve had to take a month off in the past due to a clinical rotation schedule conflict and she was ok with it, as long as I worked a shift to keep myself on payroll, which I’d still do in this case (my hope is to take 2ish weeks off in November, work the first week of December, then take off the next 2-3 weeks).
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Ok. So it is not the first time you have stressed about your future with cvs. And it is all a waste of time. If you want to take 4 weeks off, 8 weeks off... Chances are no one will remember it in any meaningful way when it comes to hiring you for a pharmacist position with this company. And I mean in, any capacity. 9 months is a lifetime in a company like cvs. DMs will change. PICs will quit. There is a 50/50 change you won't recognize anyone in your home store in a year. So take your vacation. Take two vacations if you can afford it and stop thinking about what some drone at district level thinks about you. Just don't call out with no notice. Even CVS doesn't deserve that.
I know, I worry a lot for no good reason hah. You’re right, though. Thanks!
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Just do it- you seem to have good rapport with your supervisor. In 5 years you will look back at this post and laugh you even made it.
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from how it sounds, definitely just ask and take the time. we all were students once - just offer to work more on your off month, etc. 20 hours a week during your rotations is definitely more than most- so I think you are ok.
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