Were you nervous when you started as a pharmacist?

[Pharmguy171]

I work at a large retail chain. Yesterday was my first shift as a pharmacist and I worked the entire 12 hour shift for a store. I worked again this morning and by 6pm when I was leaving we had over 600 entered.

The first day wasn't as bad because I felt like I could take my time to get things done since it was a relatively slow store. I was somewhat obsessing over each and every prescription to make sure nothing is wrong. Today, however, I had to move at a very brisk pace. I caught several typing errors and realized someone had dumped a few tramadol into the trazodone cell while verifying a trazodone vial. But at the end of these 2 days, I still go home wondering if I made a mistake.

Was anyone else this worried about the potential of mistakes being made? It's just terrifying to think of the consequences that can come about for a patient and for yourself knowing a mistake you make can change both of your lives forever.

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[Momus]

You'll get used to it.

 

[Vandalia]

Butting in here since I am not a pharmacist, but this is a pretty typical feeling across the healthcare professions.

The last month of their training, radiology residents are zooming through the studies and making findings and creating reports with complete confidence.

Then, on July 1st, when the safety net is gone, they freeze. "Uhh, I think this is the kidney that has an area of decreased signal, but no, maybe it is the spleen...." (As an aside, as you probably know, this is why you want to stay as far away from hospitals - especially teaching facilities - as you can in July.)

I would say if you did NOT feel this way, I would be worried, because you would be far too overconfident. Healthy fear is good.

 

[owlegrad]

Pretty much, yeah. You get used to it. It's when I DON'T find mistakes I am the most fearful.

 

[newlearner2014]

..........realized someone had dumped a few tramadol into the trazodone cell while verifying a trazodone vial.
Was anyone else this worried about the potential of mistakes being made?

I found wrong pills in vial many times. That's why I don't need original stock bottle.

I always look inside the vial which I will give to patient. The pills in vial is the key.

And....................here comes the comforting news....

Any pharmacists I met have made mistake: either giving out script that is wrong drug, wrong strength, wrong sig, or wrong pill. You will have one of those mistakes sooner for later. Be ready for that day. Company policy often forces you to report.

Why? If you find out your friend made mistake and you fix the mistake without reporting?....Things are fine until one day, patient gets new bottle, compares new label with old label...patient investigates....patient finds out pharmacy made mistake....patient complains or sues....company lawyer investigates....they find out you fixed it....you did not report....you are fired. Why? you did nothing wrong...Company lawyer's says: you found the mistake and did not report...you are fired for violating Quality Assurance Policy.

So, if you friend reports your mistake, please don't take that as personal attack. Your friend just does not want to be fired for your mistake.


To minimize the shock and mind blowing moments, I sincerely hope you practice living that moment when patient yells to you at counter with the bottle that you did wrong (before the moment happens) (and come back to let us know how you feel when it happens.)

And I had nightmares for the first week, too....

owlegrad was right...

You get used to it.......

 

[newlearner2014]

It's just terrifying to think of the consequences that can come ............

Are you ready for moments of robbery? Now, that's also terrifying....

Is there any class that trains pharmacist to deal with such moment...I am looking for hands-on, realistic training with mock robbery....Any pharmacist club or organization out there has realistic training for robbery moments? I am willing to pay 20 dollars to attend such class. Anyone would like to join or open a class?

 

[Ackj]

Are you ready for moments of robbery? Now, that's also terrifying....

Is there any class that trains pharmacist to deal with such moment...I am looking for hands-on, realistic training with mock robbery....Any pharmacist club or organization out there has realistic training for robbery moments? I am willing to pay 20 dollars to attend such class. Anyone would like to join or open a class?

Give me your store's address, I know some guys who might be able to arrange something.

 

[PharmdA07]

Give me your store's address, I know some guys who might be able to arrange something.

LOL... haha... I think you mean this as a joke ?

I always remember my first day standing by myself as RPh...jezzz..... I was all smiling and being happy outside but inside I felt super nervous. I remember the first half of the day when the tech gave out the bag, I was right next to the pick-up windows and, on multiple patients, I grabbed the bags from the tech and took the vials and scanned it again to see every details on the computer screen to sort of "checking" it again before it was given to the patients. LOL, then the PIC came for his shift and one of the techs complained to him. He was an older pharmacist with years of experience in retails and hospital. He pulled me aside to tell me to stop doing that and "pull yourself together!"; he also laughed and told me to get a whiskey
after work that night! LOL....

You will definitely make mistakes. So be prepared on how to act, what steps to take, who you need to contact first and report to, and what steps to do to fix the problem.

 

[SoylentGreen]

I work at a large retail chain. Yesterday was my first shift as a pharmacist and I worked the entire 12 hour shift for a store. I worked again this morning and by 6pm when I was leaving we had over 600 entered.

The first day wasn't as bad because I felt like I could take my time to get things done since it was a relatively slow store. I was somewhat obsessing over each and every prescription to make sure nothing is wrong. Today, however, I had to move at a very brisk pace. I caught several typing errors and realized someone had dumped a few tramadol into the trazodone cell while verifying a trazodone vial. But at the end of these 2 days, I still go home wondering if I made a mistake.

Was anyone else this worried about the potential of mistakes being made? It's just terrifying to think of the consequences that can come about for a patient and for yourself knowing a mistake you make can change both of your lives forever.

That never really goes away. You just get used to it, like others have said.

 

[newlearner2014]

You will definitely make mistakes. So be prepared on how to act, what steps to take, who you need to contact first and report to, and what steps to do to fix the problem.

Agree. Words of the wise. Let's be sure you are ready for each item by tomorrow:

ISSUE: You will definitely make mistakes.
GOAL: So be prepared on how to act !!!!
ACTION 1: what steps to take: write that here:__________________________
ACTION 2: who you need to contact first: write that here:__________________________
ACTION 3: who you need to report to: write that here:__________________________
ACTION 4: what steps to do to fix the problem: write that here:__________________________

Good luck

 

[WhYMee]

I was a very, very confident intern. Had more of an ego then, than when I became a pharmacist....lol. But the 1st day you become a pharmacist I don't care who you are, you are nervous. The 1st time you see your name or initals on a label, it is scary. Don't worry though, you absolutely get over it after a while