Your first day as a pharmacist.. how horrible was it?

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crossurfingers

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I just told my manager that I got licensed and they scheduled me on my own at a store TOMORROW. :eek: I asked for some training, but it's doubtful that I'll get any. I feel completely unprepared. I've worked for the company for about a year as an intern, but I've only had one hour of practice in the pharmacist's position and I did horribly. There were all these insurance problems that took forever, we were short-staffed and super busy. I'm nearing a panic attack just thinking about tomorrow. I've heard stories from fellow pharmacists that they just stick you in there and the first couple of days/weeks are always horrible, but I still feel like they had a better base knowledge of being a pharmacist compared to me. Any advice or comforting stories are welcome.

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lean on your techs if you are unsure

always ask questions

no question is stupid when your license and career are on the line

every pharmacy has their keystone tech.....look for them to help you out the first week or so

good luck and give us an update!
 
I just told my manager that I got licensed and they scheduled me on my own at a store TOMORROW. :eek: I asked for some training, but it's doubtful that I'll get any. I feel completely unprepared. I've worked for the company for about a year as an intern, but I've only had one hour of practice in the pharmacist's position and I did horribly. There were all these insurance problems that took forever, we were short-staffed and super busy. I'm nearing a panic attack just thinking about tomorrow. I've heard stories from fellow pharmacists that they just stick you in there and the first couple of days/weeks are always horrible, but I still feel like they had a better base knowledge of being a pharmacist compared to me. Any advice or comforting stories are welcome.

It isn't that bad...just tell people they are going to have to wait if things start to get backed up.
 
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Take a deep breath. Who do you work for? Do they have nearby stores where you can call another pharmacist for advice?

It will all work out. Slow and right is better than fast and wrong. That being said, you can't be glacial. Make a pattern for yourself and stick with it. When I train a new pharmacist, I usually advise they put a check mark next to everything they checked on the receipt.

  • Correct Patient :thumbup:
  • Correct Prescriber :thumbup:
  • Correct Drug :thumbup:
  • Correct Strength :thumbup:
  • Correct Directions :thumbup:
  • Correct pills in the bottle :thumbup:
Do it the same way each time in the same order.

Defeintely lean on your techs
 
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It wasn't nearly as bad as days I've had since :laugh:

I agree with OT, doing everything methodically and consistently will really help when the 5 o'clock rush hits.
 
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All of the previous posters gave excellent advice....

Hmmm. On the first day of my first retail job, I had to explain to a woman what the word "vagina" meant.

Guess how many kids she had...

Passing on good vibes for you:horns::horns::horns::horns:
 
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My first day as a pharmacist computer system thought I was still an intern and wouldn't let me verify, so I had to hunt down a manager over the phone who could update my info in the system. :D Other than that, went smoothly - but I worked for the same chain for over 5 years at that point, so I knew all the ins and outs. Never had any special training, though, other than one of the pharmacists pulling me over and showing me how the pharmacist-specific functions worked. :)
 
insurance issues isnt hard at all. ur either puting in the numbers wrong or the card is inactive most of the time. and most of the time it will tell u by saying expired or nonmatched.

just remember accuracy is more important than prescription being on time bc u could never lose ur license over that maybe fired lol but accuracy is the way to go and u work up ur pace as u move along.
 
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I just told my manager that I got licensed and they scheduled me on my own at a store TOMORROW. :eek: I asked for some training, but it's doubtful that I'll get any. I feel completely unprepared. I've worked for the company for about a year as an intern, but I've only had one hour of practice in the pharmacist's position and I did horribly. There were all these insurance problems that took forever, we were short-staffed and super busy. I'm nearing a panic attack just thinking about tomorrow. I've heard stories from fellow pharmacists that they just stick you in there and the first couple of days/weeks are always horrible, but I still feel like they had a better base knowledge of being a pharmacist compared to me. Any advice or comforting stories are welcome.

How did it go?
 
I am indifferent to my first day I guess. :confused: I guess it was typical? I asked for training and that was a no go because of the budget. We were supposed to have 3 techs, but only 2 showed up. I was doing fine until 11am, when all hell broke loose. Even with a manager back at the pharmacy helping out it was crazy. I know the basics of verifying a prescription, but I don't know how to get around the system too well so it took me longer for some problem ones. After noon I was lucky if the little pharmacist meter turned yellow for half an hour, otherwise I was in the red (really behind). I felt better though when the next pharmacist came in, wasn't surprised at all and told me that's how it always was. I stayed for an extra hour to help out and found out the next day that it didn't let up at all that night either. The day after that was pretty much a repeat.

It just kind of sucks that I work all alone unsupervised. Like, I don't know if I'm doing things the exact right way or the most efficient way. I want someone to tell me. :laugh:
 
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Who in God's name do you work for? You need to be trained in all of the pharmacy procedures. This would make me unhappy. For now, forget the clock. I mean completely. If they are not going to train you, you will have to train yourself. Use the time wisely to learn how to maneuver around the system. Make mental notes. Eventually you will get faster.
 
Sounds like Wags. I don't ever look at that "flomometer" or whatever the hell it's called. Maybe it's because I'm just an occasional float, but I don't worry for one second about my numbers. The only thing I worry about is right drug, right patient. Forget that other crap.
 
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I work at Walgreens as a P1 "intern" and what you described as your first day is exactly what I've seen happen with all of the new pharmacists I've worked with. They're all just thrown into their first day with little to no training. Thankfully some of the techs have been able to help them out. This seems to be the way they handle new pharmacists. Those are the kind of days when every customer who comes to the out window is told - 'your prescription isn't ready yet but we'll have it for you as soon as possible'. It's pretty stressful for everyone involved when a new pharmacist is working alone with techs. I don't understand why anyone thinks this is a good system.
 
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Sounds like Wags. I don't ever look at that "flomometer" or whatever the hell it's called. Maybe it's because I'm just an occasional float, but I don't worry for one second about my numbers. The only thing I worry about is right drug, right patient. Forget that other crap.


seriously? there's a "meter" that i presume measures how long one takes to fill a prescription??

my first act a store with a "meter" would be to disconnect it. i'm there to not kill people, not to race the clock. if that were a problem for management, my second act would be my two weeks notice. we are well-educated healthcare professionals, and filling a Rx is not an assembly line.

work in a hospital.
 
The meter is green, yellow, and red. It stands for the amount of time it takes to fill a prescription. I forgotten what they stand for, but I don't like it when I see the red.
 
Looks like they do it to everyone. I was told I'd get 2 weeks of training but the day after they found out I was licensed I was by myself at one of the top 10 busiest stores in the country.

As for the meter, I just ignore it. It can be red all day for all I care - someone is going to complain a lot more if they get the wrong medicine than if it took an extra 15 minutes to get a prescription filled. You'll get faster as you get used to the job.
 
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First day was smooth...

2nd or 3rd day I had some attorney call me and tell me I was getting sued right at 630 when the store was busy as hell.

Earlier that month my partner transferred an Rx for suboxone and for some reason or another NO refills transferred. I told the woman (who was apparently in withdrawals) I needed a new Rx. She bugged out, called her lawyer who then called me throwing his weight around. I told him Ill call the other store that it was transferred from to see if they made a mistake in transferring refills, if not she needs to go to the ER. Luckily for us all the script had 1 refill remaining and everyone walked away happy.
 
First day was smooth...

2nd or 3rd day I had some attorney call me and tell me I was getting sued right at 630 when the store was busy as hell.

Earlier that month my partner transferred an Rx for suboxone and for some reason or another NO refills transferred. I told the woman (who was apparently in withdrawals) I needed a new Rx. She bugged out, called her lawyer who then called me throwing his weight around. I told him Ill call the other store that it was transferred from to see if they made a mistake in transferring refills, if not she needs to go to the ER. Luckily for us all the script had 1 refill remaining and everyone walked away happy.

:laugh::laugh: that lady dont play son lol thats crazy but funny in a way.
 
seriously? there's a "meter" that i presume measures how long one takes to fill a prescription??

my first act a store with a "meter" would be to disconnect it. i'm there to not kill people, not to race the clock. if that were a problem for management, my second act would be my two weeks notice. we are well-educated healthcare professionals, and filling a Rx is not an assembly line.

work in a hospital.

There's also a "flomometer" at Walgreen's that goes from green to yellow to red based on how long it takes to answer the phone. We ignore it for the most part at my store. If it's really busy and there's not enough people (there's never enough people) we just let the phone ring and ring and ring. What can you do? We can't do five things at the same time - it's crazy.

Going the hospital route when I graduate is looking better and better....
 
The meter is green, yellow, and red. It stands for the amount of time it takes to fill a prescription. I forgotten what they stand for, but I don't like it when I see the red.

It's a lot less sinister, it's merely a meter of the wait time. You know when you click on "waiting" and it gives you estimated time? Accordingly, it will be 10 minutes when the thing is green, last time it was red for me (my only tech was on the phone with insurance for an hour because it wouldn't process claims for twins who came down with infection at the same time, and I was doing everything by myself and the line was no less than 8 people at any given time) wait time moved up to 55 minutes.
 
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I am indifferent to my first day I guess. :confused: I guess it was typical? I asked for training and that was a no go because of the budget. We were supposed to have 3 techs, but only 2 showed up. I was doing fine until 11am, when all hell broke loose. Even with a manager back at the pharmacy helping out it was crazy. I know the basics of verifying a prescription, but I don't know how to get around the system too well so it took me longer for some problem ones. After noon I was lucky if the little pharmacist meter turned yellow for half an hour, otherwise I was in the red (really behind). I felt better though when the next pharmacist came in, wasn't surprised at all and told me that's how it always was. I stayed for an extra hour to help out and found out the next day that it didn't let up at all that night either. The day after that was pretty much a repeat.

It just kind of sucks that I work all alone unsupervised. Like, I don't know if I'm doing things the exact right way or the most efficient way. I want someone to tell me. :laugh:





HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA

if i didn't know any better, i would put $1000000 that you work at the walgreens i work at :laugh:

you described a pharmacist's typical "first day" at WAGs exactly!!!!!!

i have seen so many floaters who come to our store looking like this :scared:

then i tell them to get used to it........this is how it is 24/7

their face changes to this :eek:

by the end of their shift, they look like this :sleep:

then.........i never see them again

:laugh:

gotta love retail :love:
 
How Horrible Was It? As bad as it could be...maybe worse.

My first day by myself was awful, unspeakably bad. I had 2 weeks of training, then 2 weeks off. Then, I started on a busy Monday...by myself. NO TECHS. Nothing, just me. The computer wouldn't print escripts. My key wouldn't work. I was barraged with incessant Suboxone requests the moment I finally got into the pharmacy (after jumping all the hoops required to get another key). A tech in training arrived at noon to work for a few hours and botched everything she touched. My login for the till had expired and I had to request another. I had endless insurance issues and CII scripts. An elderly woman told me I was ruining the business that the pharmacy manager had been working so hard to build and promised to tell the manager and everyone she knows that I am a lazy sloppy pharmacist that doesn't respect patients because she was out of refills on her Cosopt. I was super nice and apologetic to everyone. I stayed 3.5 hours late, until I had to return my cash drawer to the main store front desk. It was so bad. I forgot to put on my white coat and someone reported it to the pharmacy manager. I didn't do any pharmacist work. I didn't really evaluate scripts or medication use. I was just a tech on hyperdrive. I didn't get to use the bathroom for 11 hours. I didn't get to eat. I failed miserably. It was the worst day of my working life. I tried SO hard. I spoke with the Pharmacy manager the next day and she said, "Well, No one died". I am devastated that the best I could do was not kill anyone...and that isn't even confirmed yet. I was hired as a fill in, but did well during training. So, I was asked to work on a regular basis. So much for that. I am sure my prospects of regular work have just diminished to nothing.

Thanks for letting me get it off chest!!!

My advice:

  • Request to start Solo on the slowest day of the week
  • Request full tech coverage for your first few days...It wasn't an option for me, but it could be for you
  • Check to make sure your key works when you get it
  • Arrive early....like an hour early....just in case your key doesn't work and there are already 5 people in line when the pharmacy opens. If nothing else, it will give you time to decompress, get organized and have an early start on the endless Escripts and faxes waiting for you
  • First thing: turn on the lights, put on your coat and name tag, punch the time clock (if you are there an hour early you will have time to remember to do these things before someone starts yelling about their Suboxone)
  • Make sure you have liability coverage
  • Eat a ton of food and go to the bathroom before opening hour
 
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My first day was on a Sunday at a low volume store. They had no tech scheduled but when they found out it was my first day they gave me a tech. If it wasn't for that tech it would have been a disaster.
 
I got into a three car accident and had to call in. Thankfully I wasn't going to be working alone that shift, so a pharmacist was able to open the store.


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Scheduler sent me to the wrong store on my first day.
Got to the new store and no parking lot, only street parking in a bad neighborhood. Opened over an hour late. Work already piled up, people complained all day and the phone would not stop ringing. Techs also wouldn't answer the phone.
Even to this day, that was the worst pharmacy I've ever worked in. Many of the patients were rude for no reason. Even the store manager was rude to me. I left the place an absolute mess, trying to do as much work as I could.
 
This is scary. How can they throw new pharmacist to store with minimum to no training? It is such an unsafe practice (wouldn't they worry for patient's safety and liability for error?)! For new pharmacist on duty with minimum experience or training, how do you deal with DUR? When to call MD, what to recommend, or just flag it and counsel patient to watch for interaction/SE? I feel school does not teach students well on this aspect at all. And in retail, how do you answer all those random questions from patients that you have no answer to or need to do research for while you got so many scripts to verify or other things to do? Do you just tell them you don't know or will look up for them.
 
This is scary. How can they throw new pharmacist to store with minimum to no training? It is such an unsafe practice (wouldn't they worry for patient's safety and liability for error?)! For new pharmacist on duty with minimum experience or training, how do you deal with DUR? When to call MD, what to recommend, or just flag it and counsel patient to watch for interaction/SE? I feel school does not teach students well on this aspect at all. And in retail, how do you answer all those random questions from patients that you have no answer to or need to do research for while you got so many scripts to verify or other things to do? Do you just tell them you don't know or will look up for them.

If the workload was piling up and the pharmacy was about to implode I would just tell them to contact their doctor to be honest. Sometimes the patient is asking the wrong question too... you don't always have to answer their question to fix their problem.
 
People act like this is a surprising thing, throwing new pharmacists into the fire.
 
this is why cvs has high turnover rate. they would toss new grads to busy stores, 24 hr stores, without much training. so each n everyday these new grads would submit a new job application. they leave cvs the moment a new job opens up.
 
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My first shift, I'd had 4 hours of training total. It was tough - luckily I had really good tech help. That first day, you might feel like you're a terrible pharmacist and you'll never be any good. I felt so flustered and like I didn't know how to do anything, let alone how I could be a great pharmacist like the ones I saw around me.

First, just make sure the prescriptions are filled correctly and don't worry about the time. Speed will come with practice.

Apologize to your techs in advance, emphasize that you'll need help. Then offer to buy them lunch or drinks/snacks, and thank them for their help. Be gracious and kind to them. If it slows down at the end of the day, ask if you can help them with anything. Offer to take out the trash. Having your techs like and respect you will be the most important thing because you know they'll have your back while you're learning.

Call pharmacists at other stores and ask for help if you get really stumped.

Keep a notebook to write down weird things that come up and how you solved them. Every day that you work, you will learn something new and start to feel more comfortable. You're a smart person and you finished pharmacy school; you'll figure it out and soon be amazed at how confident you'll begin to feel.
 
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other pharmacists are busy as well. call the helpdesk. they're paid to help u...
 
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I had a great day. I was working as a grad intern that day when Hr told me my promotion finally went through. The pharmacy manager left early after she found out I could run things on my own. Slow store and since I interned there I already knew the store. Guess I lucked out...

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