What kind of things do they expect you to do or not do? Also any tips for resolvings TPRs? And lastly, how does Walgreens measure your performance? Can you get fired for not meeting the goals? thank you!
Advice for new Walgreens floater?
- Thread starter coymilk
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1) don't suck.
2) help the techs by answering phones and ringing people out if you're able to
3) don't be a jerk to techs
4) read the ENTIRE rejection. If it says DUR at the top and you spend 5 minutes trying to put DUR codes in but didn't notice that in the bottom right hand corner it says refill too soon, you've wasted your time.
5) ask about the policies on controlled substances in the store so you're on the same page as the rest of the staff. ID at pickup/drop off? How many days early do they usually fill? Where's the log
6) don't leave a mess for the next day, or 40 MSC exceptions asking to call to clarify scripts. If they've been getting Microgestin FE for 6 months now and they send in a script for non FE and I see a MSC on it to call and verify, I will be very unhappy. Just change it and annotate that you spoke to MD, put a CAP on it to confirm with patient that it should be a refill of what they've been getting. That kind of stuff.
7) ask where the immunization supplies and vaccine room/area is.
Other than that, only experience will help.
2) help the techs by answering phones and ringing people out if you're able to
3) don't be a jerk to techs
4) read the ENTIRE rejection. If it says DUR at the top and you spend 5 minutes trying to put DUR codes in but didn't notice that in the bottom right hand corner it says refill too soon, you've wasted your time.
5) ask about the policies on controlled substances in the store so you're on the same page as the rest of the staff. ID at pickup/drop off? How many days early do they usually fill? Where's the log
6) don't leave a mess for the next day, or 40 MSC exceptions asking to call to clarify scripts. If they've been getting Microgestin FE for 6 months now and they send in a script for non FE and I see a MSC on it to call and verify, I will be very unhappy. Just change it and annotate that you spoke to MD, put a CAP on it to confirm with patient that it should be a refill of what they've been getting. That kind of stuff.
7) ask where the immunization supplies and vaccine room/area is.
Other than that, only experience will help.
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+1 be nice to your techs. Buy them a soda once in a while. Whenever I floated somewhere for multiple days I would order pizza or sandwiches or something. It's a small investment to improve your quality of life.
So you would change the Rx to the Microgestin FE and fill that one?
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@coymilk
Soda??? No soda. That's being cheap. They'll hate you for it. Just like you I'd get my technicians sandwiches whenever I was expecting a hell of a day. Those 7 dollars per head will go a really long way. They know how much we make. Make sure they take their breaks. Never tell them to starve because it is busy. First of all, it's illegal. Second, it's illegal. Third, they will hate working for you.
Identify who is good at what. Ask the lead teach. You have to make sure you have the best person at drop off, pick-up, drive-thru etc.
Do not hesitate to ask your lead tech questions if you do not know something. They will be more than happy to help.
Always say "thank you", "can you please...", "you did great", "great job today, guys"
Get to know them and keep it to a professional level. It's ok for them to tell you their hubby just booked a nice vacation to XYZ. You say "that's awesome. You must be really excited" And you leave it at that. NEVER engage them to talk about personal stuff or bring domestic problems to work unless of course, you see a black eye and the tech showing up in crutches.
Don't leave a mess behind but also don't give away your time. It's ok to stay 15 minutes past your shift to make sure you don't leave a mess but beyond that, just go home.
Hope that helps.
Interesting. For some reason the techs I work with seem to think pharmacists make $100/hour. Even if the knew the truth, what they are not factoring in that most grads today are coughing up 25%-40% of their take home (after taxes) salary on student loans for the next decade. If you (not the employer) have to give people stuff to make them do their job and be a team player, you have the wrong people working for you.
I would never deny someone their meal breaks. However, I'm not about to "make sure" they take these breaks, especially when I'm on my 10th hour and my only sustenance has been the occasional sip of coffee that has gone cold several hours ago. I will not encourage someone to take advantage of a luxury (and legality) that I will never get. Especially when they all seem to go at the worst possible times.
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The point is to treat them like humans and not beasts of burden. Buying treats is not a requirement, but simple gestures of kindness go a long way in building team cohesion. Buying them a treat is a way to recognize the work the do and BS they deal with from irrational customers. Even with 25-40% of take home pay going to student loans, you have a substantially better margin of financial safety from your remaining cash flow than a technician does from their income after basic expenses. Yes, your job may suck, but throwing yourself a pity party will endear you to no one.
To me this is normal, kind human behavior. "I'm grabbing coffee, who wants one?" But I do wish your quote was something the next level in management would do.
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I just started as a new staff pharmacist. How often should I order pizza for my techs? Twice a month? Once a week? Or everyday? Do you think they'd appreciate healthier foods other than donuts, cookies, soda and pizza? Or do those suffice?
Also, as a newbie, do you entrust your credit card to a tech you barely know to get lunch food for everyone? Or should you give them cash, instead, to go buy food?
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This is going to be "not nice" advice which I learned the hard way when I started:
+1 to being nice to techs. +1 to don't screw your techs (different than just being nice).
1. If you have been left a situational mess by another staff pharmacist or worse the PIC, it's not your obligation to fix it. Leave it to the PIC, you're just covering. If you have to immediately solve it, solve it in the patient's favor (override the register to $0 if you have to). If it's clinical, pass on it if you can, and if you can't, personally make the call and do not delegate it.
2. (Related to 1) Things started on your watch should end on your watch if at all possible (can't do it for overnights for most things). You should try not to leave a mess, because if the other staff botch it, it could be held up as your problem too.
3. Pay attention to stores that have you come often, the bet is that the store can't find a permanent staff.
4. Be polite, but detached if you can. You're not committed to that store yet, so getting involved in the store politics (particular if it involves the store front) is career suicidal.
5. GET YOUR OWN CASHIER SIGN-ON, DO NOT USE A STAFF MEMBER'S SIGN ON.
6. If there is a known safe shortage that you encounter, immediately note it in writing and depending on whether or not you have store email access, send a note to the PIC and cc the RxS on the matter.
As above, cash is king. I personally never bought when I was a floater as I considered the matter that I was doing the staff a favor by floating there. My home store, I did regularly buy, and it depends on your own taste. I would advise to buy for everyone and in general. There was this one pharmacist who would only buy when a pretty tech was working, and it became kind of obvious.
+1 to being nice to techs. +1 to don't screw your techs (different than just being nice).
1. If you have been left a situational mess by another staff pharmacist or worse the PIC, it's not your obligation to fix it. Leave it to the PIC, you're just covering. If you have to immediately solve it, solve it in the patient's favor (override the register to $0 if you have to). If it's clinical, pass on it if you can, and if you can't, personally make the call and do not delegate it.
2. (Related to 1) Things started on your watch should end on your watch if at all possible (can't do it for overnights for most things). You should try not to leave a mess, because if the other staff botch it, it could be held up as your problem too.
3. Pay attention to stores that have you come often, the bet is that the store can't find a permanent staff.
4. Be polite, but detached if you can. You're not committed to that store yet, so getting involved in the store politics (particular if it involves the store front) is career suicidal.
5. GET YOUR OWN CASHIER SIGN-ON, DO NOT USE A STAFF MEMBER'S SIGN ON.
6. If there is a known safe shortage that you encounter, immediately note it in writing and depending on whether or not you have store email access, send a note to the PIC and cc the RxS on the matter.
As above, cash is king. I personally never bought when I was a floater as I considered the matter that I was doing the staff a favor by floating there. My home store, I did regularly buy, and it depends on your own taste. I would advise to buy for everyone and in general. There was this one pharmacist who would only buy when a pretty tech was working, and it became kind of obvious.
Be nice to your techs and minimally talk about friendly stuff outside of work. Hold their respect and keeping everyone on task. Don't micromanage; they know their store and their customers. It's really a delicate balance.
Techs and staff pharmacists ALWAYS talk about the floater the next day. Nobody likes the guy who notifies the drop off tech every time an eScript comes in, and nobody likes the guy who does the bare minimum and is negative/grumpy no matter how bad the day is going.
I've never seen a floater order food or buy drinks but the staff/PIC does it every once in awhile.
Techs and staff pharmacists ALWAYS talk about the floater the next day. Nobody likes the guy who notifies the drop off tech every time an eScript comes in, and nobody likes the guy who does the bare minimum and is negative/grumpy no matter how bad the day is going.
I've never seen a floater order food or buy drinks but the staff/PIC does it every once in awhile.
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This is almost perfect...
Once a week or every other week, have it delivered in the drive through.
