Mat leave = foot in the door or stay put?

cjibhstcszjb

New member
I’m a pharmacist. I currently have a full time permanent job in a retail pharmacy. I like my work and my coworkers are nice. Health benefits are good (which is significant as I’m on about $10,000 of meds a year) but there’s no pension. Hours are 9-6. Pay is comparable to other pharmacist positions. Foot traffic is very slow lately due to COVID and even before this mess happened, business was slow to the point that my boss told me they were watching the bank balance weekly to make sure they had enough money there for our pay checks and to pay our drug supplier. Put it this way - there’s a good chance this place goes out of business/my hours get cut before I retire (but might not be likely in the next couple of years, as the owners have said they’ll hang on to staff until they are forced to cut hours)!

There’s a mat leave at the hospital posted. I applied because I’m worried my hours will be cut at my current job, and I want to keep my doors open (seemed silly not to apply). Hospital positions are slightly better paid per hour (not significant), hours are 8:30-4:30, there’s a pension plan and there are health benefits, but not great prescription drug coverage, so I’d have to pay $10,000 a year for the drugs I’m on. I assume I would like the work but I’ve never worked as a pharmacist in the hospital (I did as a student and the work was fine). I know there are some interpersonal issues between staff there. There’s a chance a permanent 0.2 EFT gets posted shortly, and I have word that another 0.2 EFT might be posted in the next year. Whoever gets this mat leave position will be offered those permanent jobs first. But of course, the 0.2 (which was just recently vacated) is subject to treasury board approval and with everything COVID going on, there’s no guarantee.

I’m looking to get a foot in the door at the hospital because it would be nice to have a pension, a union (better sick day benefits, regular raises, better vacation benefits) and eventually (hopefully) a full time permanent job with 8:30-4:30 hours, but I haven’t decided if it’s short sighted to give up my current job for the (eventual) chance at a full time perm position. I’m 35 this year so it would be nice to get started on the process of transitioning to the hospital sooner than later but again, is it too risky...

Advice please? There’s a decent chance that I’m offered this job (based on my kick ass resume and the fact that I’m bilingual), but I need to know where I stand on it. Start date is ASAP so I don’t want to keep anyone waiting should I (fingers crossed) get an offer.
 
@cjibhstcszjb Pensions are amazing. I think better to get your foot in the door - and see if at all possible to negotiate something extra benefit-wise to cover your medications, they might be willing to accommodate given your kick-ass resume!
 
@cjibhstcszjb I think the hospital role sounds more secure for your future. Getting a position with a pension plan is so uncommon these days and I feel like it would set you up for the future well.
 
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