Alright, so here is the story. My pharmacy was run by the same PIC for about 20 years, and recently that pharmacist was "retired". She was a competent pharmacist but a horrible manager. Over the 20 years, she manages the pharmacy she hired the most god-awful pharmacy techs I have ever seen. The lead tech is great but most of the other techs probaby should be fired. We had some good techs over the years too, but they always leave. When the old PIC retired, one of the staff pharmacists took over for her. The new PIC is brilliant and really great at her job but she is showing signs of burnout. She is really nice but honestly, she should fire several of the techs that work under her. She now has to stay at least an hour each day after we close to clean up the pharmacy and the queue. Our hours got cut, our metrics are down. Do you guys have any suggestions? Should she step down? Quit? Fire techs?
Burnout PIC CVS
- Thread starter DrVader
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It's CVS. They don't pay for techs. What you have is probably the best $10 an hour will get you.
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How many techs do you have ? Adjusting work flow, put the worse techs at the filling or pick up, then good tech can do multi-tasks and get the job done
We only have one good tech, which is the lead tech. The others range from slow to dangerously incompetent.
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She's in a no win situation. She should save and work overtime to buy her the freedom to look for another job. CVS is the training company for other chains. Don't stay there longer than 2 years if you can help it. It's not healthy.
But now she is stuck as a PIC in an underperforming store. What else can she do? step down as PIC?
Well what is good for the store is not necessarily good for her and/or for you. As bad as it sounds, best case for you is for her to find her way as a PIC and improve results somewhat. She may have to continue working 'extra.' Maybe OldTimer and some others can run CVS store efficiently, meet all the metrics, and hire/train the right people in the allocated hours. It has become increasingly harder.
Generally CVS doesn't like for the PIC to step down, unless DM has someone better to replace her. It is a win - win situation for them the way I see it.
If PIC asks to step down, DM can say 'I can't let you do that unless results improve.'
Scenario 1. PIC turns things around, no matter what the cost is. They have no reason to let them step down.
Scenario 2. PIC doesn't turn things around. They put more pressure on them with write-ups etc.
Scenario 3. PIC goes through a burn out and leaves. In their mind, it is all good as they are getting rid of a manager who couldn't cut it with no HR issues to deal with.
All in all in depends on the district leader.
I tend to agree with the above posts as far as firing techs. To fire, replace, and train techs to your liking is a time consuming process due to HR and other limitations and will only yield results down the line. Of course, most good techs leave by that time.
Generally CVS doesn't like for the PIC to step down, unless DM has someone better to replace her. It is a win - win situation for them the way I see it.
If PIC asks to step down, DM can say 'I can't let you do that unless results improve.'
Scenario 1. PIC turns things around, no matter what the cost is. They have no reason to let them step down.
Scenario 2. PIC doesn't turn things around. They put more pressure on them with write-ups etc.
Scenario 3. PIC goes through a burn out and leaves. In their mind, it is all good as they are getting rid of a manager who couldn't cut it with no HR issues to deal with.
All in all in depends on the district leader.
I tend to agree with the above posts as far as firing techs. To fire, replace, and train techs to your liking is a time consuming process due to HR and other limitations and will only yield results down the line. Of course, most good techs leave by that time.
What is your job/function in this store? If you are a pharmacist what are you doing to help the situation? Training the techs , making an extra effort or just hoping to watch someone fail? If you are a tech or intern you have NO idea of the responsibility, and liability, being a real pharmacist, not a pretend pharmacist intern, involves especially being the PIC. Concern about patient safety and well being. Keeping everything going and trying to meet YOUR expectations of how things should be in your little mind. What are YOU doing to help her or the store. Perhaps just complaining in the corner? I think you are a troll fishing for conversation on a slow day. If you are not a troll please tell us what you are doing to help anybody there and if you quit could they get somebody who cares to go the "Extra Mile"? My guess there are a lot of people waiting for a chance to step up when you are gone.
I am a former intern/tech, I now work in an entirely different industry. But I still pick up a shift or two a month. My observation of the situation comes from my own experience and a shift supervisor. Make no mistake, the pharmacy couldn't be in better hands. The new PIC is brilliant at her job and one of the best pharmacist I have ever worked with. She runs that pharmacy better than the previous PIC ever could. My concern isn't for the pharmacy as much as it is for the new PIC. She really never wanted the position but felt pressured into it. I am concerned about her wellbeing not the metrics. The job is burning her out because she has to pickup all the extra slack. She is a kind and gentle soul and I would hate for the job to crush her spirit. I am not trolling, but I realize that there are people on this forum that have much more knowledge and experience than me and I am seeking their advice. Because at this point, my advice would be quit and go work in LTC or hospital.
What do you do extra to help her? Working that little bit a month sounds like you listen to techs complain etc since that small amount of work there would not give you much knowledge of her or store. So safe to say you don't do extra to help by the way it sounds. 2nd- Does she care what you think about her future? Will she listen to an occasional part time pharm? 3rd What makes you think there are all those jobs waiting for her the moment she leaves? If you are trying to help stay an extra hour or 2 when you work and contribute. Not sure why you posted this question to start with.
I have worked at this CVS for a couple of years. We went to the same university. She values my opinion. I am given enough of my time to CVS. In a few months, I won't work there anymore. I have no intention of staying 2 hours to fix this mess. I would rather just see it crash, only then will CVS learn that they can't keep cutting hours. I posted this question to see if anyone on this forum might have been in a similar position. I wanted to see what they did? Whether they stuck it out and it better. Or did they quit?
