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Frequently Asked Questions


How to post a Job?

The first step is to create a pharmacy account.

How to search for work and bid on on Jobs?

The first step is to create an account.

The pharmacy's reply will be emailed and posted online.

What are your terms and fees when our pharmacy hires a relief pharmacist?

Learn more: our terms and success fee.

When should the pharmacy pay ReliefPharmacist.com?

An invoice for our success fee will be sent to you AFTER the pharmacist works.

Am I restricted from accepting relief work or employment independently from ReliefPharmacist.com?

No, our user agreement prohibits you from acting as a 'referral service', 'employment agency', or operate an 'employment message-like board' that provides pharmacists other than yourself to any pharmacy.
Learn more: our agreement.

What are the relief pharmacist's obligations to ReliefPharmacist.com when additional work or employment is offered from a referred pharmacy?

Your main obligation is to inform and updated us when you schedule additional work at a pharmacy where we referred you. As a courtesy we will email you a reminder each month.
Learn more: our agreement.

Are pharmacists' references provided to the pharmacies to assist their hiring decisions?

We provide contact information for up to five of our most recent referrals to assist your decision. In addition when pharmacists first register and when they return to the web site, we continually request that they update their pharmacyal references.

My bid was accepted by a pharmacy. Should I confirm it by email or go to the web site to confirm?

Either way is fine. We prefer that you confirm via the web site whenever possible.

If I find that I don't like the pharmacy may I remove myself from other relief work dates?

First, don't do anything. Let us try and unwind the upcoming work dates. We will post a back-up job and try to find someone else. If we find another pharmacist there may be a difference in fees. You may be asked to make up the difference.

What do you suggest if after the first day we do not want the relief pharmacist back?

Relief Pharmacists will turn down offered work to uphold their commitment to your pharmacy. To be fair you must assume some of the risk. Here's what we mean, confirm them for one trial day. Make it clear that you would like to hire them for more dates if everything goes as expected. In the meantime if they receive an offer for work elsewhere then they may accept that other work.

How much should a relief pharmacist charge?

To derive a reasonable introductory fee consider your interpersonal skills, your income generation abilities, experience, and your professional demeanor. Pharmacies located in metropolitan areas pay more than those in rural zones but usually expect a pharmacist to upsell or generate more income. You should also consider whether the time period is during a peak relief season such as holidays, summer, or during a major conference.

How does a pharmacy confirm bids?

Login to your pharmacy's account. All the bids will be displayed. Click on the pharmacists' bids then post them a bid memo accepting their bids.

I bid for relief work but have not received a reply. How do you know if the job has already been covered? Who informs me if my bid is not accepted?

ReliefPharmacist.com will follow-up and notify you of our progress and the outcome of your bid. In the meantime bid on other jobs. Do not wait for a reply! Locate the job using its id#. If it is still listed then it is considered an active job and still open to bids.

Are the relief pharmacists who bid on my job licensed to practice in my state?

Yes, the relief pharmacists that bid on your job claim to be licensed in your state. In addition the web site only displays jobs to pharmacists with compatible licensure.

My strategy is to bid my fee high to see if the pharmacy will negotiate.

You are not negotiating from a position of strength. You gain negotiating strength after youíve worked at the pharmacy and when they ask you to work there again. If you want to gain their attention and put your foot in their door give them your special introductory rate first.

Once a bid has been accepted can the employer change the dates?

Yes the dates can be changed and negotiations are re-opened. Meaning to say you are no longer bound to the original agreement and dates. When you and the pharmacy accept the changes then the agreement is in effect.

What is your advise when searching for relief work away from home?

Here's our recommendation for a traveling pharmacist: Well ahead of your travel plans bid on jobs. You may have to alert a pharmacy that your bid is conditioned upon you successfully scheduling a critical number of work dates. Once you've scheduled enough shifts traveling becomes economically feasible. Finally when new jobs are posted to the web site you may still bid on these newer jobs that compliment your confirmed schedule and travel plans.

Why hire a relief pharmacist for my pharmacy when I prefer to hire an associate?

There are many pharmacist-candidates searching for relief work which is key for meaningful introductions to employable pharmacists. For many pharmacies hiring a relief pharmacist is the first step in filling a permanent associate position.

We are interested in hiring for our new pharmacy. What do you suggest?

Create an account and post your employment opportunity. Post a relief job to run concurrently with the permanent one to attract even more interested candidates.

We have three pharmacies. Will the pharmacists work in the area on a day-to-day relief basis?

Yes.

How do I close my account?

Login and click on the My Account menu. Select Email Setting, click on Edit then click on Unsubscribe.

I was a relief pharmacist. Now own a pharmacy. What do I have to do to hire a relief pharmacist?

Create a new account for your pharmacy. Click on Create an Account. The web site will walk you through registering your pharmacy and posting a job to hire a relief pharmacist.

What can ReliefPharmacist.com offer me?

Employment that may compliment your life-style. Relief work depends upon where you are licensed, your availability, interpersonal relations, income generation capabilities, and skills. To get started create an account. There is no obligation to do so.

How to conduct relief work as a business?

Learn more: download the Relief Pharmacist handbook

When I login an agreement page appears.

The first time you login you'll be presented with our agreement. Read it. To accept our agreement click the checkbox and then click on the I accept button. The next time you login the page will no longer appear.

Do you have a mobile or cell phone accessible website?

Not yet.

How do I contact you?

In small print at the bottom of each web page click on the 'contact us' hyperlink.

What is my login name and password? Do I have to login to download the Relief Pharmacist Manual?

Email us your last name. We will email your login name and a temporary password. It is not necessary to login to download a copy of the Relief Pharmacist Handbook.

How do I find previously confirmed bids?

Login to your account. Select the Bids and Schedule menu then click on View Past Schedule.

I don't see any relief job listings in my area.

You are not seeing any jobs because there are none currently posted in your area.

Once my pharmacy accepts a relief pharmacist's bid how do we know if they are still available?

When you accepted the pharmacist's bid, the relief pharmacist was notified to reaffirm his/her acceptance. Until they acknowledge your acceptance your job remains active and open to bids from other pharmacists.

What is the difference between a bid and a job?

Pharmacies post jobs, pharmacists bid on the jobs. Each pharmacy job consists of needed relief dates. Each pharmacist's bid consists of their available dates and fee. As such a posted job may exist without an assoicated bid, however a bid cannot exist without being associated to a job.

Why are there a bid id# and a job id #?

When pharmacies post their jobs, each job consists of desired relief dates. Each job is assigned a sequential job ID number. When a pharmacist bids to work one or more of the dates the bid is assigned a sequential Bid ID.

What is this going to cost?

There is no charge to register, post jobs or bid on jobs, meet and interview with each other.
Both the pharmacist and pharmacy pay/owe a part of our success fee but only if they successfully negotiate employment. Remember to budget our success fee into your negotiations.

Learn more pharmacy: our terms and success fee.

Learn more pharmacist: our terms and success fee.

How do I determine what to charge a pharmacy for relief work?

To derive a reasonable INTRODUCTORY fee the main consideratons are your interpersonal skills, upselling or income generation capabilities, experience, as well as your professional demeanor. Secondarily you may want to factor-in if the relief coverage is needed during vacation or holiday seasons or a major conference.

Can I withdrawn my bid for relief work before the pharmacy replies?

Yes, and you may bid on other jobs. When one of your bids is accepted, the conflicting bids will be automatically notified and withdrawn.

Before I bid on a job what kind of neighborhood it is and am I going to be alone at anytime?

When you bid on a job we provide a general comments section in the bid form. Enter your prerequisite questions regarding the job or pharmacy. Also we encourage you to visit a pharmacy during the bid/acceptance period to further evaluate its suitability. [ top ]

If I hire a relief pharmacist and then our vacation plans are disrupted, may I cancel the pharmacist?

Thankfully, cancellations occur infrequently. They are handled on a case per case basis. Here is our position: good faith cancellations are a cost of doing business. Good faith cancellations made two months or more prior to the first work date should not pose a problem. A good faith cancellation made one month prior should fall under a 'no harm no foul' rule. Meaning to say if the canceled relief date(s) can be offered or recaptured somewhere else, then no other special consideration is required (no harm no foul). A good faith cancellation made prior to weeks or last minute should receive some re-numeration. This is especially relevant when relief work offered by another pharmacy was turned down to honor committed dates.

The pharmacy just called and cancelled me. What recourse do I have?

Call or send them an itemized invoice explaining any expenses you've incurred to uphold your committment. If you have turned down other work ASK for some renumeration. If no response or a good-faith offer is not forthcoming you may have to resort to small claims court for recourse.

What happens if a pharmacy cancels me or the job? How will I know?

Use the website to check a bid's status. When ReliefPharmacist.com is notified of a cancelation at minimum we will immediately post a message and email you a cancelation alert.

If my bid has been accepted can the pharmacy cancel me after the first work day?

The answer is complicated and beyond the scope of these faqs. First off it depends upon your employment relationship. It is important that the employment status is defined clearly ahead of time. If you are hired as an employee then you may be terminated 'at will'. If you are hired as an independent contractor then you may seek recourse through small claims court.

A pharmacy wants me to work permanent part time. What should I do?

Negotiate their employment offer. During their search for permanent part-time associates, pharmacies may hire relief pharmacists to fill their scheduling gaps. It is also common for relief pharmacists to accept additional work as well as a permanent position through their relief contacts. You agree to notify us of any new arrangement and schedule with this pharmacy.
Learn more: our agreement.

Our pharmacy received a bid at the last minute. Are we obligated to accept this bid? Do we owe ReliefPharmacist.com for finding someone?

You are not obligated to accept the bid. You do not incur a charge from ReliefPharmacist.com until you hire someone. Consequently, there would be no charge.

Does ReliefPharmacist.com screen the pharmacists?

On request, we gladly provide any feedback that we may have on file.
It may be helpful to your cause discuss a list of criteria based upon your expectations and past experiences. Quiz each candidate to your satisfaction prior to confirming someone. You are not obligated to accept anyone, and the candidates are not obligated either. Once both parties agree do we confirm the relationship.

What is my obligation to ReliefPharmacist.com for a pharmacist who we've used before that bid on our posted job?

Maintain your own contacts to call first if you don't want to pay our success fee. Once we use our resources to locate candidates for you to hire, we have supplied a service for which we expect to be paid if you hire our referral.
Learn more: our terms and success fee.

What is the difference between a relief pharmacist and a part time associate?

There is big difference between a relief pharmacist who is treated like an independent contractor and a part time associate, your employee. Under regulatory scrutiny be certain that a relief pharmacist is not reclassified as a your employee.
Learn more: download the Relief Pharmacist handbook

How much do you charge when my pharmacy hires a relief pharmacist? How much do you charge when my pharmacy hires the relief pharmacist as an associate?

Our success fee for either employment arrangement is the same. In addition our success fee is accrued regardless of mediating conditions like which party instigated the arrangement, the terms of hire or employment, if there was a prior existing relationship between you, or even if they buy-in to your practice and an equity relationship ensues.
Learn more: our terms and success fee.

Our pharmacy accepted a pharmacist's bid but can not find the bid.

Login and go to the Bids and Schedule menu. Click on View pending bids or enter the Bid id#.

May I modify or withdraw my bid?

Yes, you may modify or withdraw a pending bid. Simply post a bid memo. [ top ]

When should I notify the pharmacy of my personal policies for doing relief work?

When you create a bid enter your provisions into the comments section of the bid form.

Is a relief pharmacist obligated to work if my bid is accepted?

Until a pharmacy responds to your bid, you are free bid on other jobs. Once a pharmacy accepts your bid, then yes you are obligated and agreements are drawn confirming the bid. [ top ]

Does a relief pharmacist need a business license?

The requirements for a business license vary from town to town. Check the web site of your town. A business license should be a deductible expense for you doing business as a relief pharmacist. [ top

What guaranty does the relief pharmacist have to get paid?

There are no guarantees. However, we provide written contracts stating the specifics of your agreement: fees, work dates, when and where payment is to be sent. In addition an invoice is prepared in your name and presented on your behalf to the pharmacy.

When is the relief pharmacist paid?

Payment of fees should be discussed after a bid is accepted and before the first work date. When you first initiate contact with the pharmacy during the course of that conversation a well-timed' when may I expect payment?' should be all that is required.
It should be noted that if you bid an hourly rate leave behind an invoice that includes your hours and the total amount owed. Also provide the pharmacy with a W-9 form.
Lear more: W-9 form

Our pharmacy received a bid from a pharmacist who has worked here before. We don't want to hire them again.

Reply to their bid with a simple 'no thank you'.

I just bid on a job where I already work part time.

If you withdraw your bid and then work the date inform us. However you should leave your bid as-is based on the fact that you learned of the opening from our website,

Do you have any pharmacists in my area?

Probably, but to increase the number of candidates willing to work in your area, we recommend that you post a relief job and a permanent one.

How to attract more bids to a pharmacy's relief job?

If accommodations are available offer them. The one sure-fire way to attract interested pharmacists is to offer a monetary incentive.