First week as a pharmacist... aaaah!

[Old]

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It was no problem for me. When Rx Connect came back up, I had zero in red.... Worked 8-10 and did about 300 rxs....

And stopped a meteor from hitting the planet earth, rescued 91 people from a burning building and rescued 32 cats that were trapped in trees.

Sir, I don't know you so please don't take the above the wrong way. I just couldn't help myself. I know you are very sincere in helping anyone on here that you can and I am sure you are a great guy but...

Seriously, you love CVS, you love your boss, you love your techs, you love making PCI calls, you love immunizing, your never behind at work, you have perfect execution and triple S scores, your scripts are above budget and tech hours used are below budget, you never get frustrated with customers, techs, stupid doctors, love scanning extra care cards, love being pulled in 20 directions at once everyday????

Is it always Sunny in Philadelphia? You have never had the frustrations that everyone else has, everything is always perfect and you are always 3 steps ahead of everything? Seriously?😕

 

[Old Timer]

And stopped a meteor from hitting the planet earth, rescued 91 people from a burning building and rescued 32 cats that were trapped in trees.

Sir, I don't know you so please don't take the above the wrong way. I just couldn't help myself. I know you are very sincere in helping anyone on here that you can and I am sure you are a great guy but...

Seriously, you love CVS, you love your boss, you love your techs, you love making PCI calls, you love immunizing, your never behind at work, you have perfect execution and triple S scores, your scripts are above budget and tech hours used are below budget, you never get frustrated with customers, techs, stupid doctors, love scanning extra care cards, love being pulled in 20 directions at once everyday????

Is it always Sunny in Philadelphia? You have never had the frustrations that everyone else has, everything is always perfect and you are always 3 steps ahead of everything? Seriously?😕

Not true at all. I was in an easy store and I make sure I am 2 hours ahead in the queue. It's how you manage your time. I had 2 techs until 1pm and three techs from 1PM-9PM for 300 scripts. I was alone from 9PM-10PM. I do have the same frustrations that all of you have. One thing I realized is, it's only a job. When you have a bad day at work, ask yourself one thing:
Will I remember this day 10 years from now? If the answer is no, **** it. You had bad day. You can't control a bad day, you can control your reaction to a bad day.

If you don't want to:

• Get frustrated by customers
• Deal with Stupid doctors
• Multi-Task
• Run your store profitably

Then you should change careers, because pharmacy is not for you. Seriously, you know what is expected of you. Face it, do the best you can or quit. Complaining won't do a damn thing about it. I will do whatever my boss wants as long as it's not immoral, unethical or illegal. They pay, I do. That's the way it works. Not just at CVS, by the way, every job in the world. You do what the boss says, that's why they are the boss. If I was King of CVS, I would surely do things differently, but I'm not.

 

[Old]

Not true at all. I was in an easy store and I make sure I am 2 hours ahead in the queue. It's how you manage your time. I had 2 techs until 1pm and three techs from 1PM-9PM for 300 scripts. I was alone from 9PM-10PM. I do have the same frustrations that all of you have. One thing I realized is, it's only a job. When you have a bad day at work, ask yourself one thing:
Will I remember this day 10 years from now? If the answer is no, **** it. You had bad day. You can't control a bad day, you can control your reaction to a bad day.

If you don't want to:

• Get frustrated by customers
• Deal with Stupid doctors
• Multi-Task
• Run your store profitably

Then you should change careers, because pharmacy is not for you. Seriously, you know what is expected of you. Face it, do the best you can or quit. Complaining won't do a damn thing about it. I will do whatever my boss wants as long as it's not immoral, unethical or illegal. They pay, I do. That's the way it works. Not just at CVS, by the way, every job in the world. You do what the boss says, that's why they are the boss. If I was King of CVS, I would surely do things differently, but I'm not.

Good answer. Really sounded like you never had a bad day. What you say is very true but sometimes the hectic pace of a busy store makes you concerned for the safety of your patients. Anyone else every go home and wonder if you did everything correctly?

Now, CVS has a KING??

 

[Old Timer]

Good answer. Really sounded like you never had a bad day. What you say is very true but sometimes the hectic pace of a busy store makes you concerned for the safety of your patients. Anyone else every go home and wonder if you did everything correctly?

Now, CVS has a KING??

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBUhCy7vRl0&feature=channel[/YOUTUBE]

 

[daabc]

Try this setup and see if it will help your staff work faster. The goal is to minimize all the travel around the pharmacy and the waiting for the computer.

In window:
1 tech
-primary goal is to type and get all the prescriptions into the que.
-DO NOT FIX REJECTS. This way, prescription are going into the que as fast as possible.

Fill Station:
1 pharmacist
-primary goal is to fill/verify.
-DO NOT TOUCH THE REJECTS or PRINT. Focus on filling/verifying and nothing eles.
-send mistakes back

1 Tech
-primary goal is to multitask/support.
-print labels, pull meds and set them up in order of priority
-Fix rejects
-answer phone
-help whoever that needs it.
*this tech should be able to talk to patients or insurances on the phone while setting up production. He/she can also work on other rejects while on the phone. This way, the tech is multitasking to get stuff out of the way, while keeping production at a maximum pace.

Out Window:
(1 PSA)
-watch the out window.
-send new prescriptions/problems/refills to other window
-this person does all the ridiculous calls


This setup usually works with 3-4 people. If you have only 2 people, and its busy, then your just SOL. Might want to notice that everyone is mainly staying at 1 spot with very little pharmacy travel (this saves time). Only person moving a lot is the tech at the fill station, but he/she is multitasking on a lot of stuff.

 

[CUpharmD2013]

It was no problem for me. When Rx Connect came back up, I had zero in red.... Worked 8-10 and did about 300 rxs....

Oh yeah, we were perfectly fine, I was just noting that it could have been slightly chaotic for a fresh PharmD.

 

[Rebel78]

I will do whatever my boss wants as long as it's not immoral, unethical or illegal. They pay, I do. That's the way it works. Not just at CVS, by the way, every job in the world. You do what the boss says, that's why they are the boss. If I was King of CVS, I would surely do things differently, but I'm not.

I agree with this 100% and that's how I approach work as well. If my boss told me to paint the walls pink, I'd ask what shade. I wish all the chronic complainers would read and follow this. A job is a privilege, not a right, especially a 6 figure one.

To the OP, hang in there. I won't say it'll get easier, but you'll get better.

 

[Old]

I agree with this 100% and that's how I approach work as well. If my boss told me to paint the walls pink, I'd ask what shade. I wish all the chronic complainers would read and follow this. A job is a privilege, not a right, especially a 6 figure one.

To the OP, hang in there. I won't say it'll get easier, but you'll get better.

Couldn't agree more. However, we are dealing with peoples lives. if we were just putting widgets in a box and they wanted us to answer the phone within 15 sec etc I think everyone would be fine with that. However, you really need the time to check patient profiles and call the doc or talk to the patient if there are clinical problems. I think if you rule out the human life aspect and how it is in your hands for a brief moment and just worry about how fast you can put 30 widgets in a bottle its easy and nobody would complain. Sorry but filling 300 to 400 rx's in a day as the only pharmacist and really pay attention to detail of what your doing is very difficult. For those who say people here are chronic complainers there is no way under these circumstances that you are doing a good job at your profession. You may put the widgets in the bottle fast but thats where it stops. Your making the company money and they may like you this week but what about the people?? There is no way you are checking everything you need to for public safety. Your verifying and clearing the Q in rapid fashion but are you really a good pharmacist?? I think that is the real cause of peoples concerns and complaints not the shade of pink for the walls.

 

[Sparda29]

• Get frustrated by customers
• Deal with Stupid doctors
  [*]Multi-Task
• Run your store profitably

The one thing I fail at miserably. This is evident in my Starcraft games. I concentrate on one specific goal, and all of a sudden there is a Zergling rush coming in from the direction that I didn't scout. But if I have the time to complete that goal, I'm unstoppable.

 

[Doctor M]

Not true at all. I was in an easy store and I make sure I am 2 hours ahead in the queue. It's how you manage your time. I had 2 techs until 1pm and three techs from 1PM-9PM for 300 scripts. I was alone from 9PM-10PM. I do have the same frustrations that all of you have. One thing I realized is, it's only a job. When you have a bad day at work, ask yourself one thing:
Will I remember this day 10 years from now? If the answer is no, **** it. You had bad day. You can't control a bad day, you can control your reaction to a bad day.

If you don't want to:

• Get frustrated by customers
• Deal with Stupid doctors
• Multi-Task
• Run your store profitably

Then you should change careers, because pharmacy is not for you. Seriously, you know what is expected of you. Face it, do the best you can or quit. Complaining won't do a damn thing about it. I will do whatever my boss wants as long as it's not immoral, unethical or illegal. They pay, I do. That's the way it works. Not just at CVS, by the way, every job in the world. You do what the boss says, that's why they are the boss. If I was King of CVS, I would surely do things differently, but I'm not.

We tell our employees to sit down and eat lunch...

 

[Rebel78]

Couldn't agree more. However, we are dealing with peoples lives. if we were just putting widgets in a box and they wanted us to answer the phone within 15 sec etc I think everyone would be fine with that. However, you really need the time to check patient profiles and call the doc or talk to the patient if there are clinical problems. I think if you rule out the human life aspect and how it is in your hands for a brief moment and just worry about how fast you can put 30 widgets in a bottle its easy and nobody would complain. Sorry but filling 300 to 400 rx's in a day as the only pharmacist and really pay attention to detail of what your doing is very difficult. For those who say people here are chronic complainers there is no way under these circumstances that you are doing a good job at your profession. You may put the widgets in the bottle fast but thats where it stops. Your making the company money and they may like you this week but what about the people?? There is no way you are checking everything you need to for public safety. Your verifying and clearing the Q in rapid fashion but are you really a good pharmacist?? I think that is the real cause of peoples concerns and complaints not the shade of pink for the walls.

When I worked retail, I worked at a WAG that did about 700-800 a day. I called on interactions that needed to be called on, I personally offered counseling on ALL new rxs, and (knocks on wood) never put the wrong pill in the bottle. It can be done, but I worked my butt off doing it.

My thing is, when I got burned out, I didn't sit around complaining, I left to do something completely different. Complaining doesn't do anybody any good, either do something to change it, or (if you are like me and not passionate enough) just walk away to something else.

 

[mike36]

My thing is, when I got burned out, I didn't sit around complaining, I left to do something completely different. Complaining doesn't do anybody any good, either do something to change it, or (if you are like me and not passionate enough) just walk away to something else.

I totally agree. Why would you complain about something over and over again, but do nothing to change your situation?

 

[Sparda29]

When I worked retail, I worked at a WAG that did about 700-800 a day. I called on interactions that needed to be called on, I personally offered counseling on ALL new rxs, and (knocks on wood) never put the wrong pill in the bottle. It can be done, but I worked my butt off doing it.

My thing is, when I got burned out, I didn't sit around complaining, I left to do something completely different. Complaining doesn't do anybody any good, either do something to change it, or (if you are like me and not passionate enough) just walk away to something else.

You went to school to become a professional. You shouldn't have to bust your ass while working.

 

[Rebel78]

You went to school to become a professional. You shouldn't have to bust your ass while working.

It's just my nature. If you have the attitude that you went to school and that entitles you to not work hard, that is fine to. But I'm not like that.

 

[Sparda29]

It's just my nature. If you have the attitude that you went to school and that entitles you to not work hard, that is fine to. But I'm not like that.

There's a difference between working hard and busting your ass off unnecessarily.

Working hard - filling prescriptions, answering patients questions, doing drug info consults, interactions, research, etc.

Busting your ass off would be doing all that and trying to do it as fast as possible. If you're coming home from work, and you are exhausted, then something is wrong.

 

[NateRobinson]

LOL

 

[owlegrad]

You went to school to become a professional. You shouldn't have to bust your ass while working.

I am curious, what is a professional to you?

Professionals don't have to bust their asses? I wouldn't say that at all.

 

[Sparda29]

I am curious, what is a professional to you?

Professionals don't have to bust their asses? I wouldn't say that at all.

What I refer to is this:

We went to school so we don't have to work like those shmucks working at McDonalds, Burger King, automotive plant, gas station, etc. Basically, in return for busting our asses through college, grad school, etc, I believe there is an entitlement for getting paid highly for our services, without busting our asses.

 

[Old Timer]

What I refer to is this:

We went to school so we don't have to work like those shmucks working at McDonalds, Burger King, automotive plant, gas station, etc. Basically, in return for busting our asses through college, grad school, etc, I believe there is an entitlement for getting paid highly for our services, without busting our asses.

You are a lazy, clueless, Mets fan. If you expect to not work hard and still pick up a six figure salary I can only assume you consume mass quantities of LSD.

You and people who share your attitude will drive the salaries of pharmacists right back to where they were in the 80's. Right back to 50K a year and no hard work.

There is nothing wrong with busting your butt.

 

[type b pharmD]

And stopped a meteor from hitting the planet earth, rescued 91 people from a burning building and rescued 32 cats that were trapped in trees.

Sir, I don't know you so please don't take the above the wrong way. I just couldn't help myself. I know you are very sincere in helping anyone on here that you can and I am sure you are a great guy but...

Seriously, you love CVS, you love your boss, you love your techs, you love making PCI calls, you love immunizing, your never behind at work, you have perfect execution and triple S scores, your scripts are above budget and tech hours used are below budget, you never get frustrated with customers, techs, stupid doctors, love scanning extra care cards, love being pulled in 20 directions at once everyday????

Is it always Sunny in Philadelphia? You have never had the frustrations that everyone else has, everything is always perfect and you are always 3 steps ahead of everything? Seriously?😕

attitude is everything

 

[Glycerin]

So I've now worked for 5 days as a pharmacist (for CVS). I know, I know.

Friday and Saturday I had another pharmacist with me for extra help and moral support I guess 🙂 It was slightly stressful but not too bad because he would do things like transfers and consultations so I could really focus on getting comfortable with verifying.

Sunday was my first day alone and it wasn't horrible but very busy - I had someone waiting to with a Percocet script before opening. That's what I get for coming in early I guess. Then I ended up with a line at register (tech was late 😡) and then the drive through got annoyed with me! Grrr! I told the guy - HELLO, I'm only one person in here! But overall the day was fine.

So then I had Monday and Tuesday off and show up Wednesday and all hell broke loose. It was sooooo busy. I had still 5 pages in the que at like 8pm and THEN I noticed the QR had 27 new scripts for one husband/wife. 😱
Anyway most of them were too early anyway but still it took time to type them all out and all that stuff. I left around 10:30pm.

Thursday was probably worse. We did about 280 with two techs and me. The front store manager had to come back there for about 30 min at rush hour to help on the register. It was total madness!!! I left on time (almost) because I had such an awesome tech on the late shift and she pumped out the readyfill sooo fast and I was able to verify it all during a slow period from like 8-9pm (thank GOD it eventually slowed down).

Anyway I guess all I'm doing is rambling... but does it get any better?! I feel like I can barely keep my head above water. How do those of you who work at CVS do this?!?! CSI/PCI/emails from corporate... I don't even have time to read that crap thoroughly! I'm just trying to survive at this point!

Look for a hospital job... 😉

 

[byork]

You are a lazy, clueless, Mets fan. If you expect to not work hard and still pick up a six figure salary I can only assume you consume mass quantities of LSD.

You and people who share your attitude will drive the salaries of pharmacists right back to where they were in the 80's. Right back to 50K a year and no hard work.

There is nothing wrong with busting your butt.

With inflation how different do you think 50K is in the 80's compared to 100K now?

 

[Old Timer]

With inflation how different do you think 50K is in the 80's compared to 100K now?

First of all, anybody in retail is earning more than 100K now. And since I earned $30,000.00 per year when I graduated in 1982 and I earn a **** load more now, I can tell you I an way way ahead of inflation.

 

[phathead]

So I've now worked for 5 days as a pharmacist (for CVS). I know, I know.

Friday and Saturday I had another pharmacist with me for extra help and moral support I guess 🙂 It was slightly stressful but not too bad because he would do things like transfers and consultations so I could really focus on getting comfortable with verifying.

Sunday was my first day alone and it wasn't horrible but very busy - I had someone waiting to with a Percocet script before opening. That's what I get for coming in early I guess. Then I ended up with a line at register (tech was late 😡) and then the drive through got annoyed with me! Grrr! I told the guy - HELLO, I'm only one person in here! But overall the day was fine.

So then I had Monday and Tuesday off and show up Wednesday and all hell broke loose. It was sooooo busy. I had still 5 pages in the que at like 8pm and THEN I noticed the QR had 27 new scripts for one husband/wife. 😱
Anyway most of them were too early anyway but still it took time to type them all out and all that stuff. I left around 10:30pm.

Thursday was probably worse. We did about 280 with two techs and me. The front store manager had to come back there for about 30 min at rush hour to help on the register. It was total madness!!! I left on time (almost) because I had such an awesome tech on the late shift and she pumped out the readyfill sooo fast and I was able to verify it all during a slow period from like 8-9pm (thank GOD it eventually slowed down).

Anyway I guess all I'm doing is rambling... but does it get any better?! I feel like I can barely keep my head above water. How do those of you who work at CVS do this?!?! CSI/PCI/emails from corporate... I don't even have time to read that crap thoroughly! I'm just trying to survive at this point!

Congrats on the first week, but (and no offense to you whatsoever) have you never worked retail before?

280 with 2 techs is cake.

Drive-thru patients are generally the most impatient ones of the bunch. Of course they're gonna get annoyed.

The guy waiting for his Perc? Wait until you have someone there who also left 20 voicemails asking when you're open.

If you have emails/memos, you prioritize what's important. The ones you need to read, and you can tell these pretty easily, you skim while you're on hold with an ins/doc/nurse/jesus/whatever.

It's all about time management and multitasking... and crackin' your techs into shape. I've worked with another tech and pharmacist, cranked out 350+ in under 8 hours and not even broken a sweat. You just have to be calm and organized.

On that note, welcome to retail.

 

[Momus]

First of all, anybody in retail is earning more than 100K now. And since I earned $30,000.00 per year when I graduated in 1982 and I earn a **** load more now, I can tell you I an way way ahead of inflation.

$30k in 1982 = $67,775 in 2010
$50k in 1982 = $113k in 2010

so yea.. actually $50k in 1982 is damn good in 1982... how much a house cost back then? darn cheap..

 

[Filler]

$30k in 1982 = $67,775 in 2010
$50k in 1982 = $113k in 2010

so yea.. actually $50k in 1982 is damn good in 1982... how much a house cost back then? darn cheap..

Cost of a house? What about the cost of tuition back then?!

 

[PumpkinSmasher]

It's all about time management and multitasking... and crackin' your techs into shape. I've worked with another tech and pharmacist, cranked out 350+ in under 8 hours and not even broken a sweat. You just have to be calm and organized.

That is the retail mentality, just crank them out with as little help as possible.

"If you are a pharmacist who just wants to come in, verify scripts for 8 hours, and then go home and not think about anything else - you ARE a commodity, don't kid yourself about being a "valuable healthcare professional". You are just there because one old law says that you have to be there, and if that law was gone, you would be gone too. "

 

[owlegrad]

That is the retail mentality, just crank them out with as little help as possible.

"If you are a pharmacist who just wants to come in, verify scripts for 8 hours, and then go home and not think about anything else - you ARE a commodity, don't kid yourself about being a "valuable healthcare professional". You are just there because one old law says that you have to be there, and if that law was gone, you would be gone too. "

You REALLY like that quote.

 

[phathead]

That is the retail mentality, just crank them out with as little help as possible.

"If you are a pharmacist who just wants to come in, verify scripts for 8 hours, and then go home and not think about anything else - you ARE a commodity, don't kid yourself about being a "valuable healthcare professional". You are just there because one old law says that you have to be there, and if that law was gone, you would be gone too. "

You say that like its a bad thing. We did consultations left and right, had time to chat with customers during slower periods.

You make it sound like all we were doing was hustling people in and out of the door, but that is far from it. Its more of a reflection of what it can be like when you have a good core of co-workers.

 

[PumpkinSmasher]

You REALLY like that quote.

You caught me...

I think it is an important statement for pharmacy students and pharmacists to remember.

 

[kvl1027]

What I refer to is this:

We went to school so we don't have to work like those shmucks working at McDonalds, Burger King, automotive plant, gas station, etc. Basically, in return for busting our asses through college, grad school, etc, I believe there is an entitlement for getting paid highly for our services, without busting our asses.

I think it is interesting you that you say "we went to school" when you are currently in pharmacy school............

The fact that you call hard working Americans Schmucks makes me want to kick you in the nuts.

Tell me when Mommy and Daddy's money runs out. You may be the only Pharmacist who I hope does not find a job right out of school, just so you can learn a lesson about life.

 

[ndearwater]

Soooo I forgot about this post for a little while! Oops! Too busy at work I guess...

Anyway, things have definitely gotten a lot easier. It helps when you don't have to look at your notebook for the C2 combination or the alarm code or the 4 different computer passwords you use all day... All that stuff adds up to things taking you way longer than they should!

But still, every day is super busy and there are times when I'm doing so many things at once it's slightly scary. I haven't had a QRE yet... thank God!

FYI, I was at work during the RxConnect crash and I secretly enjoyed it because it resulted in zero waiters and I could give a **** if stuff in the que turned red! Ha! 🙂

I still don't get a chance to eat lunch... sitting down anyway. I get to pee like twice a day now 🙂 It's really a dream job 🙄

I finally (over one month of working as an RPh) got "promoted" in the system and today was the first day I got a real paycheck although my back pay isn't quite adding up. Hmmm... now I get to call HR on my day off.

And I check our script count on a weekly basis and for some reason we do about 2/3 new and 1/3 refills. So 140 new rx per day isn't accurate for a 250 day.

I'm probably not going to be able to stick with this for too long. Maybe a couple of years. I'm running in circles literally. It's just madness. Now they are pressuring me to get immunizer certified. All I can say is that I thank God every time someone comes in at rush hour asking for a shot and I get to say "sorry, not certified" and ask them to return when PIC is working. All I need is to be given a sharp object when I'm that stressed out.

I looked at the CVS handbook and it specifically states that RPh's are not required to become immunization certified and employment "may not be affected" by refusal to become certified. Sooooo I will be passing on that one.

If I do become certified it will not be this season. Once you are, they own you and you ARE required to do things like offer shots on demand and a bunch of other workload manager crap. I can barely keep up now... no thanks.

I am considering just working my ass off over the next 5 years, pay off my loans like a mad woman and get out of pharmacy altogether. I am going to try and get on with the VA if there is ever an opening around here.

To the PP who asked me... yeah I've worked retail my whole life. Not for CVS though.

 

[Allure]

I'm glad things are better for you. CVS really does require too much of their pharmacists. It is really ridiculous. I've talked to a lot of older CVS pharmacists and they told me that it wasn't always like this back then. I think it's only going to get worse. I don't know what is going to happen to the profession in 10 years. Gotta make that money while we still can.

 

[Rebel78]

I worked some retail shifts last week and it was busy. I really don't think I could go back to it full time. Every now and then isn't bad, especially if its extra money.