CA Staff Pharmacist
How this pay compares
This posting states $65–$81 an hour. Open pharmacist jobs in California post a median of $89.54 an hour, the middle half $76.53–$103.65, across 178 jobs that state their pay, so this one is below the middle half of what they post. Pharmacists employed in California earn a median of $79.14 an hour (source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025) (source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics).
Pharmacists in California: pay by town and employer
The Pharmacists & Pharmacy Techs job market: pay, applicant demand and hiring, researched nightly
Pharmacist and pharmacy technician jobs in our research
- How long these jobs stay listed: Still listed at 7 days 81.6%
- Applicant demand per open job on this site (1.00x is the average job): Index 0.99x · Clicks 42
- How often these jobs state their pay: Jobs stating any pay 78.0% · Stating an hourly rate 74.5%
From every open job we read and every apply click on this site, as of 5 Nov 2026. Every figure for Pharmacist and pharmacy technician jobs
About the job
We’re building a world of health around every individual - shaping a more connected, convenient and compassionate health experience. At CVS Health®, you’ll be surrounded by passionate colleagues who care deeply, innovate with purpose, hold ourselves accountable and prioritize safety and quality in everything we do. Join us and be part of something bigger – helping to simplify health care one person, one family and one community at a time.
Job Purpose and Summary:
At CVS Health, we are focused on transforming health care for our customers and making our company a great place to work. We help people navigate the health care system – and their personal health care – by improving access, lowering costs, and being a trusted partner for every meaningful moment of health. Within our Retail locations, we bring this promise to life with heart every day. Our Staff Pharmacists play a critical role in cultivating a culture of excellence in their pharmacy by acting as a role model for all, demonstrating genuine care, and setting the bar for the pharmacy team.
As a Staff Pharmacist, you play a critical role at the forefront of delivering our purpose, modeling our values, and demonstrating genuine, authentic care for our patients. In addition to supporting the Pharmacy Manager in leading and directing the pharmacy team, you are accountable for supporting the management, oversight, and operation of all aspects within your pharmacy.
The Staff Pharmacist’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Living our purpose by helping to manage and improve patient health through safe and appropriate dispensing, counseling, and immunizing practices
- Taking direction from the Pharmacy Manager and overseeing the pharmacy as their proxy during bench shifts without overlap, including strengthening pharmacy performance measures through effective coaching and consistent follow-up of pharmacy team members and providing feedback about pharmacy team performance to the Pharmacy Manager as needed
- Assumes Pharmacy Manager’s day-to-day duties when serving as the only or the primary pharmacist-on-duty
- Supporting safe and accurate prescription fulfillment by following - and directing the pharmacy team to follow - pharmacy workflow procedures and utilizing the safety guardrails at every workstation
- Contributing to positive patient experiences by showing empathy and genuine care, and coaching the pharmacy team to do the same: demonstrating compassionate care, collaborating with the patient’s total healthcare team, and proactively resolving insurance and/or medication issues
- Proactively offering and delivering immunizations to keep patients healthy; engaging and supporting Pharmacy Technicians to learn to immunize
- Supporting the effective management of pharmacy inventory by following - and coaching the pharmacy team to follow - all inventory best practices, with a special focus on protecting cold chain products for our patients and our business
- Partnering with the Pharmacy Manager to ensure pharmacy operations are compliant with the appropriate state Board of Pharmacy regulations at all times; escalating issues or concerns to the Pharmacy Manager and/or Rx DL for timely resolution if/as needed
- Remaining flexible for both scheduling and business needs, while contributing to a safe, inclusive, and engaging team dynamic; supporting the Pharmacy Manager by writing the pharmacy schedule if/as directed
- Maintaining relevant clinical and technical skills for the job as the industry evolves (including but not limited to company-required trainings and CMEs); actively seeking opportunities to expand knowledge to better support patients
- Supporting access to care and helping to improve patient outcomes through pharmacist delivered clinical care such as testing and prescribing services (e.g., COVID/Flu, Hormonal Contraception, etc.) where permissible; empowers the pharmacy team to provide holistic care at every step in the patient care journey
- Understanding and complying with all relevant federal and state laws, regulations, professional standards, and ethical principles; complying with CVS Health policies and procedures to help support patient safety and complying with controlled substance dispensing and recordkeeping, to protect patient privacy and security, and to maintain a safe and inclusive workplace for our colleagues
Required Qualifications
- Active Pharmacist License in the state where the Store is located
- Active National Provider Identifier (NPI)
- Not on the DEA Excluded Parties list
Essential Functions
- Regular and predictable attendance, including nights and weekends
- Ability to complete required training within designated timeframe
- Attention and Focus:
- Ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time
- Ability to pivot quickly from one task to another to meet patient and business needs
- Ability to confirm prescription information and label accuracy, ensuring patient safety
- Customer Service and Team Orientation:
- Actively look for ways to help people, and do so in a friendly manner
- Notice and understand patients’ reactions, and respond appropriately
- Communication Skills:
- Use and understand verbal and written communication to interact with patients and colleagues
- Utilize active listening by giving full attention to what others are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times
- Mathematical Reasoning:
- Ability to use math to solve a problem, such as determining the total number of tablets to dispense, day’s supply, and/or number of full bottles and additional bottles needed to fill a prescription
- Issue Resolution:
- Identifying challenging patient or colleague interactions and choosing the best course of action when faced with multiple options
- Physical Demands:
- Be mobile and remain upright for extended periods of time
- Lift, scan, and bag items
- Reach overhead; stretch or reach out with the body, arms, and/or legs to grasp items
- Move fingers repetitively; picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working primarily with fingers rather than whole hand or arm
- Extend hand(s) and arm(s) multiple directions to place, move, or lift items
- Control precision; quickly adjust machines to exact positions
- Stoop to a considerable degree, requiring full use of the lower extremities and back muscles to move items between low and high positions, including bending spine at the waist
- Close visual acuity to perform activities such as: transcribing, viewing a computer terminal, reading, visual inspection involving small parts
- Occasionally lift of up to 20 lbs. and/or exert up to 20 lbs. of force; Frequently lift of up to 10 lbs. and/or exert up to 10 lbs. of force; Consistently lift and/or exert a negligible amount of force to move objects.
- Express or exchange ideas by means of spoken word where detailed or important spoken instructions must be conveyed accurately
- Have the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication
- Any additional tasks as directed by Supervisor or Manager
Preferred Qualifications
- 1-2 years of related work experience in a pharmacy, retail, medical, or customer service setting
- Ability to work in other locations across the market as business needs require
Anticipated Weekly Hours
40
Time Type
Full time
Pay Range
The typical pay range for this role is:
$65.00 - $81.00
This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors. This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short-term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above.
Our people fuel our future. Our teams reflect the customers, patients, members and communities we serve and we are committed to fostering a workplace where every colleague feels valued and that they belong.
Great benefits for great people
We take pride in offering a comprehensive and competitive mix of pay and benefits that reflects our commitment to our colleagues and their families.
This full‑time position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the physical, emotional, and financial well‑being of colleagues and their families. The benefits for this position include medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, retirement savings options, wellness programs, and other resources, based on eligibility.
Additional details about available benefits are provided during the application process and on Benefits Moments .
We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on: 12/21/2026
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state and local laws.
From CVS Health's job posting, checked 28 Oct 2026. The employer's own page is the final word on requirements and availability.
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About CVS Health
Health care company with CVS Pharmacy stores and MinuteClinic, Aetna health insurance and CVS Caremark pharmacy benefit services, and more than 300,000 (source: CVS Health, About CVS Health) employees. Source: CVS Health, About CVS Health
Based in Woonsocket, RIHires in 51 statesPay on its listings: 93.6% of its open jobs state an hourly rate
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