I just started working at an independent pharmacy and am feeling really discouraged. I don't get much tech help, just 1 and didn't receive much training and I'm a new graduate. I wasn't really shown the system so I'm just trying to learn on the job right now and learning on my own. Thing is I'm starting to get a heavy burden of increasing the volume in the store since we are a really slow volume store right now and I feel pressured. I want to increase volume but I can't help it when there is always problem scripts. I'm scared of being fired but I feel I'm doing all I can at most things. But also because I'm a new graduate so I guess I am slower and take longer to process things and esp when I don't know the system well. My "tech" only really does the pick up for pts and the stocking of meds. they type things wrong and its more work for me to go back and change things esp when I don't know the system well so I feel I'll just do it myself for fear of mistakes. But when I have to call an MD or on the phone etc, other things get delayed and then I get heavily blamed. But since I'm a new pharmacist whenever I have a question about things I have no one to go to and when I ask my tech when I get stuck somewhere in the system the answer is like I'm not sure or takes a long time for them to figure it out too and then I get blamed for delay. Sometimes I'm not sure if its because I'm just incapable or what can I do to be more efficient? I really want to do things better and am feeling really terrible about myself.
Feeling discouraged and incapable as a new pharmacist?
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Push yourself. Find your breaking point. You'd be surprised by what you're actually capable of achieving.
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All of your problems relate to being a new graduate and learning a new system, definitely don't think you're incapable. For now its just a matter of getting through each day, learning the system as you go and getting familiar/quicker with everything as you get more comfortable. Everyone goes through this to a degree, a computer system can totally change your comfort level once you have it mastered.
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I just started too. Sometimes i finish a shift at wags and i think to myself how in the world did i just survive that (aka tonight). Tonight i feel like everything that could have went wrong did and it was non stop. Then at 930 when i finally got time to scan in flu shot forms and file etc people were coming in with new scripts to fill.
I think i left like 2 or 3 on the counter that need to be filled in the AM, whoops
If you really feel like there are things in the system you do not know how to do maybe try to go in on a day off for an hour or so at a slow time when an experienced pharmacist is there and have them show you things and answer your questions. That is what I would do. I hate the feeling of being stuck bc you cant figure out how to do something on the computer. A lot of it is learning on the job as you go but i can understand teh frustration when no one knows how to do it and you get stuck. And in your case im not sure if you can just call another store and ask for help.
I think i left like 2 or 3 on the counter that need to be filled in the AM, whoops
If you really feel like there are things in the system you do not know how to do maybe try to go in on a day off for an hour or so at a slow time when an experienced pharmacist is there and have them show you things and answer your questions. That is what I would do. I hate the feeling of being stuck bc you cant figure out how to do something on the computer. A lot of it is learning on the job as you go but i can understand teh frustration when no one knows how to do it and you get stuck. And in your case im not sure if you can just call another store and ask for help.
yes it feels terrible because when I get rejects on this system I get so frustrated because I ask around and no one knows what to do and give me the "I don't know." Then I get the "can you hurry up, the patient is waiting attitude, you're the pharmacist...solve it." But its an independent so its hard to call for help. Some patients don't even let you explain when you need to call the doctor and the doctor doesn't get back to you and then they start screaming at you. And then after all the frustration and trouble you feel like finally you get to fill the med and give it to the pt...the pt goes like "thats it? I waited just for this?" kind of attitude. I guess when I was just an intern I didn't feel the burden from the pts as extreme but now on top of everything it really kicks. I feel so relieved when I finally get a patient that is understanding though. But its only 1 pt in a blue moon. What really sucks is when you can't trust your tech to do anything for you and makes me extra paranoid to let them do anything esp when just starting out and then you have your boss constantly eyeing the number of scripts you did and see if it magically increased significantly. But sometimes even though you might not have a high volume its really tedious when you deal w problem scripts. I guess also because I'm still in a learning process being new and sometimes I don't know whats the certain things to do when I hit a situation and I get stuck and have to figure it out or I've been getting things i've never seen before or dispensed. Right now I'm just praying and hoping everything I did was correct in all aspects to the best of my ability and the way i document. sometimes i come home thinking or feeling i might have done or bill things wrong.
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One thing you need to learn fast, do not let your validation come from the gratitude of your patients. Many patients won't be grateful, some will even be hostile at your looking out for their best interests. You need to have a "who cares" attitude towards what patients think in this regard, they aren't pharmacists, they don't understand your job, so whether or not they are grateful has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not you are doing a good job. Doing a good job should be your validation.
You are new, unfortunately, many bosses forget this and expect new people to be as competent and fast as someone with experience. That isn't reality. So do not let your validation come from your boss (even if worse came to worse and you were fired, this doesn't necessarily mean your were a bad pharmacist.)
Concentrate on learning new things every day. Let your tech type, I totally understand about it being quicker to do it yourself, but if you don't let your tech work at it, the tech will never get any better. I don't know your system, but surely your system lets you correct tech mistakes? If this is really a concern that find other things the tech can do. For example, Let them call the dr & get put on hold, then give you the phone. Surely your technician can at least fill prescriptions? Who does the ordering? If not the tech, the teach the tech to do it....even if they mess this up, it can be fixed. Put your boss on the spot, ask him what areas he thinks you need to improve in & then ask him for specifics on how to improve in those areas. Yes, you want to bill things correctly, but that should be the least of your worries. Insurance issues just take time to learn, you will get there--when in doubt, call the insurance. This is very time consuming at first, but they will usually be able to help you with the solution (keep a notebook for writing down everything you learn about insurance...then you can look it up, instead of calling the insurance.) At least you aren't going home wondering if you killed anyone that day.
You are new, unfortunately, many bosses forget this and expect new people to be as competent and fast as someone with experience. That isn't reality. So do not let your validation come from your boss (even if worse came to worse and you were fired, this doesn't necessarily mean your were a bad pharmacist.)
Concentrate on learning new things every day. Let your tech type, I totally understand about it being quicker to do it yourself, but if you don't let your tech work at it, the tech will never get any better. I don't know your system, but surely your system lets you correct tech mistakes? If this is really a concern that find other things the tech can do. For example, Let them call the dr & get put on hold, then give you the phone. Surely your technician can at least fill prescriptions? Who does the ordering? If not the tech, the teach the tech to do it....even if they mess this up, it can be fixed. Put your boss on the spot, ask him what areas he thinks you need to improve in & then ask him for specifics on how to improve in those areas. Yes, you want to bill things correctly, but that should be the least of your worries. Insurance issues just take time to learn, you will get there--when in doubt, call the insurance. This is very time consuming at first, but they will usually be able to help you with the solution (keep a notebook for writing down everything you learn about insurance...then you can look it up, instead of calling the insurance.) At least you aren't going home wondering if you killed anyone that day.
^^^ what is said above about the who cares attitude is so true, i have learned that very quickly. I am grateful I have a thick skin and can easily adapt to not letting patients get the best of me, sometimes i still ahve to remind myself of that though. Ie last night i gave some lady a flu shot and she said to me in a snotty tone "wow i need to teach you how to give shots!" and then said "GOOD LUCK" to the woman who was waiting to get hers next.
No one has ever complained about my shots before/they tend to say wow didnt even feel that. For like 5 seconds i was so pissed and annoyed but then was like **** it whatever and the next woman then told me it didnt hurt at all/made a comment about hwo the woman before her was inappropriate.
No one has ever complained about my shots before/they tend to say wow didnt even feel that. For like 5 seconds i was so pissed and annoyed but then was like **** it whatever and the next woman then told me it didnt hurt at all/made a comment about hwo the woman before her was inappropriate.
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I feel the same way. I have a notebook I carry around adding to constantly about random things. I also review a chapter a day on a disease topic to refresh my drug knowledge since a little more sticks in memory every time I go through it. I also read pharmacist letter truth/rumor section which is helpful.
I carry a notebook with me too and write down things. Do you use a particular source to refresh your drug knowledge? Also does anyone have any suggestion in improving with OTC items and refreshing on suggesting OTC items to patients? Theres actually a lot of items but I think in school they didn't put that heavily emphasis on OTC stuff.
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I still review rxprep chapters. My school did all OTC in one semester in year 1 so I don't remember much about otc, but wandering down the pharmacy aisles at Walmart I'm like "what the hell is all this crap!!!!" There's too much clutter in the world of otc and I cant stand being asked about random ass supplements that I've never heard of or studied. I like to learn about products that are proven safe and effective over hocus pocus weight loss diet pills.
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What's up with the new sdn update? When I already viewed a thread and seen the most recent posting I like the thread not to be bolded anymore like it used to be 2 days ago.
Yea I see a bunch of stuff I have not much idea about. Sometimes I don't even know what to tell patients when they come asking about random things, supplements, herbs. But since its now cough/cold time I think I should see what else is out there for that. Theres actually a lot otc for just cough/cold but a lot is just because of the various names given to it.
I had a patient ask me about some questions about denture adhesive. I have no idea. She was like: pharmacist DOESN'T KNOW this??!! So I said: I am sorry I can't answer your question. You can ask your dentist.
For most supplement, I just say all we have are out there, if you can't find it, then we don't have it. You may find it on internet.
For most supplement, I just say all we have are out there, if you can't find it, then we don't have it. You may find it on internet.
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Don't worry about starting out....when I did, I didn't know things and was honest. But at the same time if I didn't know the answer, I asked patients if they would let me call them back after I get some time to look further into question and they appreciated the call back. Its one thing to feel this way starting out, but you could be me after 10+ years and get treated like your incompetent by your co-worker due to his ego
It depends on which independent you work too. when i got my first job, my boss was a complete asswipe. he was too cheap to hire a tech and made the pharmacist do everything. he assumed a lot of the tech duties himself so he knew how to do everything. he also only hires new grads because they come with a cheaper price tag. however, he still expects you to know everything he knows about the system and how he runs things and constantly complained when you weren't as quick as him even though he's owned the place for nearly 8 years and works there everyday. skipped out of that hellhole in less than 3 months. moved on to my second job where the boss was a million times better. dude took more of a laissez faire attitude with the pharmacists and the policy was that as long as the profits don't drop, you will be good in his eyes. he had 2 good techs working in the back and they taught me the system slowly when i first started out. I started off slower and inexperienced too but after a while, you just start to pick it up and filling these scripts just becomes second nature
omg i know this threat is old but this is my life right now at this very moment. I just got finished crying about it
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Those darn supplements! I usually tell the truth and say I’m not really familiar with the DATA or studies backing them up. People get pissed. I do suggest they look up the studies done on the supplement and take a look at the characteristics of the people in the studies, check if they fit the stats of the population and see if the results may apply to
Them.
Then they look confused and I quickly get back to work.
You can also pull up the app on your phone or simply grab the box of the OTC drug and read the label to them.
Me: “Ages 4 and under ask a physician” your child is how old?
Pt: “He’s two and a half. He’s a big kid though”.
Me: “Ages 4 and under ask a physician” My license is out of range on this one, madam.
Too often they want you to contradict what the label says or put words in your mouth to later sue you.
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Do not feel discouraged. Everything you’ve described is not uncommon. I do think you may want to reconsider if an independent pharmacy is where you want to be your first year as a pharmacist.
Like many of us, it sounds like you need structure and set workflows. A chain may be a better place for you to become an efficient pharmacist. You’ll get training online, and somewhere between a few days to a week or two of training on the floor depending upon the company. There will be a website that you can consult, a help desk, other pharmacies within the chain that you can call
If you need help.
Another nice thing about chains is that for the most part, it’s always clear what you’re supposed to be doing and the system will
Have hard stops on anything you’re not supposed to do. I rotated at a counter of independent pharmacies and saw too many shortcuts that made me wonder what else was going on.
This is just my humble opinion.
You mentioned “problem scripts”. What’s holding you up? Are your calling to
Clarify directions? Wrong dose? Strength?
Is insurance the issue?
I mentioned this to another member a few days ago. You gotta get organized.
Every e-script/faxed prescription that is in your triage, resolution, rejection queue must be addressed. You must inform the patient that there is an issue and to not rush over to the pharmacy just yet. Doing that is required at chains. That will save you a lot of headaches. If something is out of stock, have the tech call the patient, offer to order it or whatever.
When you call MD, let the patient know that. Also tell them whatever is going on with the script in simple terms. If the MD forgot to write the strength, say that. The patient will see that you won’t be able to do your job without that information.
Again, a chain is a better place to build a solid foundation. You’ll have a lot of resources and sure, you’ll be stressed out but at least it will be clear what the company policy is -say for early C-II fills. You state the policy to patients and that’s the end of that.
Do not let anyone rush you. Promise people realistic times. Don’t just say 20 minutes if someone has 10 scripts. Smack your techs if you hear them saying that.
Ask them “when would you like to pick this up?”
Unless you switch to a chain you’ll have to create structure out of *thin air. Start looking.
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