Being assertive

[mangopulp]

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Hello all,

I am a relatively new pharmacist, started working with one of the retail chains a few months ago as floater. I want to get placed in a store now but feels like I am not
being seen as someone who can handle staff very well. My personality is not being bossy all the time and being floater I kinda let techs do things the way they are used to doing! Now I feel like I am not getting the respect I should get. My techs see me as a slow pharmacist but all I try to do is not make a mistake! Please advise.

 

[BenJammin]

What kinds of things are the techs doing that you don't like?

 

[KidPharmD]

Don't be too permissive just because you are a floater. Let it go if it something you can live with, if it something that distracts you make them do it how you want. Work at your own speed (the one you feel is safe) and if you get kickback from the techs, call them out on it. If something is a safety or service issue use whatever discipline you have available. You may not be able to write them up, but you might be able to send them home (hurts the pocketbook).
When I was a chain pharmacist, my issue was the same (not a floater though), I was seen as someone who could not manage my techs. So, I put my foot down, and things started to fall into line.
I would like to know some examples of what is happening.

 

[Sunshine98]

My problem is that I am assertive and then 1 of them goes to the back and complains that Im being mean to them. Funny they don't seem to complain when Im doing their job!

Best thing you can do....LEARN the system where you are at inside and out. Take initiative to learn things. You will know you are there when you can walk in and handle everything from drop off to pick up. Even though you are a floater this is possible. But problem with some floaters they have an attitude (not saying you) that they can barely do anything just to get through the day and have the bulk fall back on who ever is at that store. If you walk in like you own it, then eventually they will want you to anchor a store. Hopefully that will happen. But don't know if politics will get involved or not. Sometimes they want people to be floaters and fill positions without telling someone in order to keep them there etc.

 

[farmadiazepine]

Floating is awesome. You have no responsibility other than making sure the scripts you verify that day are correct and that no issues arise on your day. You solve the problems of that one day only, and anything you can't do, you just say, "I honestly don't know, I'm just covering for a friend today, I'm not even from the area. I can leave a note for the regular pharmacist here tomorrow." Other than doing nights, I thought floating was great. But again, there are stores where I worked regularly and it honestly depends where you are put if you will enjoy it or not.

 

[KidPharmD]

Floating is awesome. You have no responsibility other than making sure the scripts you verify that day are correct and that no issues arise on your day. You solve the problems of that one day only, and anything you can't do, you just say, "I honestly don't know, I'm just covering for a friend today, I'm not even from the area. I can leave a note for the regular pharmacist here tomorrow." Other than doing nights, I thought floating was great. But again, there are stores where I worked regularly and it honestly depends where you are put if you will enjoy it or not.

This is the kind of attitude that makes the home pharmacists hate some floaters. When you only do the minimum, people really start to think you are lazy. We used to take pictures (piles of should have been returned meds) or make calls to our supervisor first thing in the morning after certain floaters. After a couple of weeks of daily calls about a floater from several stores, the supervisors started to get the idea that there was a problem. Pretty much guarentees not getting a home store, or not getting the hours you need.

 

[Sunshine98]

This is the kind of attitude that makes the home pharmacists hate some floaters. When you only do the minimum, people really start to think you are lazy. We used to take pictures (piles of should have been returned meds) or make calls to our supervisor first thing in the morning after certain floaters. After a couple of weeks of daily calls about a floater from several stores, the supervisors started to get the idea that there was a problem. Pretty much guarentees not getting a home store, or not getting the hours you need.

+1

I cant tell you how many over the years that a floater barely stood around and did the bare minimum and acted like they didn't know anything (and have been with the company for several years). Its because they didn't want to. But when its like this, I blame the DM. Even went as far as to phone him up one time after the disaster someone left my store in and told him that person was a waste of payroll! His response: I know but said person will go anywhere for me 😱. Translation= I don't give a *&^*&**( cause as long as the store is open and that person is breathing and has a license, its not my problem.