Hired as CVS Pharmtech... lots of questions

[SClENCE]

So I have no pharmacy experience at all and managed to get a job as a pharmtech at CVS. The manager called me today and told me to stop in today and the head pharmacist would show me a little bit about the computers and stuff. I showed up and spent about an hour there, the pharmacist was really nice (and the techs seemed nice) but I didn't really understand half of what she was talking about. Anyways, they never even interviewed me and I am apparently going back to fill out some paperwork and take a drug test, then after that I will apparently attend two class sessions and complete some online training to familiarize myself with the computer system. Hopefully some of these questions will be answered during this training, but some of this apparently obvious stuff made little sense to me...

1) From what I understood, there are basically 5 "stations" or roles in the pharmacy
-Drop-off: I honestly have no idea what this guy was doing. I don't even know why it is called "drop- off"... all I know that this guy was dealing with insurance stuff and filling scripts???
-Person that pulls drugs(?): This person basically had a screen up with scripts that needed filled soon. The screen said when the script had to be ready. She had some little baskets and put a label and bag in the basket and gathered the drugs from the shelf. She then got some empty bottles and put the correct amount of pills in the bottle and then the prescription was passed to the next person. At some point she also scanned the bar code of the label and the bar code of the bottle she pulled to make sure that they matched.
-Verification Person: This person was standing next to the previous person and would take the prescription and essentially double check it from what I could tell. They were able to pull up the original prescription, verified it was the correct drug, then a picture popped up and they opened the bottle and made sure the pills matched the picture. Next the put it back into a basket and it was apparently ready for the cashier to distribute to the customer. She also mentioned that there was some kind of sticker for C2 drugs that had to be saved and put into some book
-Cashier: Rang up people's orders and gave them the verified prescription?
-Pick-Up Window: From what I could tell this lady did the same thing as the cashier except at the drive through? She was also sorting new inventory

So basically my questions:

What does the drop off person do?

What does the person at the pick up window do?

The pharmacist mentioned that scripts can come in many forms; some will come to them through the computer system, some through the phone, and sometimes a person will bring in a hard copy. Basically my question is how does the script get from these points to the verification screen? Who puts this in? Are the scripts that are sent electronically automatically sent to this screen?

Is the person at the drop-off and drive through window looking at the same screen as the person that is pulling drugs?

The person gave me some little book with the names of all the drugs and in the back it has some of the codes like "q.i.d." etc. Obviously I should memorize the codes but there has to be 1,000 different drugs listed... is this just for reference or what?

What are these training classes even about? Will they train me specifically at each of the 5 positions or will this be another basic overview?

After the training classes, will I be thrown right into the flow or will I likely work with someone for my first few days?

Basically ANY piece of information that anyone can give me I would be so grateful for!!! I know a lot of these questions are best answered by the pharmacist, and I will defiantly be asking them. If anyone can shed some like on this topic I would really appreciate it. The job does not seem that difficult but there was so much information and such a lack of clarity that I am really overwhelmed and quite nervous about the whole training process. I'm just trying to see the big picture and understand what is going on so any info would help so much weather you directly answer my questions or just give me a basic overview ... thanks!!!!!!!!!

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[Kelp103]

You really should just relax until you have some actual training. Don't try to learn everything at once.
Training should teach you how to do each station. As far as after training if someone will be working with you or not entirely depends upon your store and how busy they are (summer is less busy than fall, so this may be possible). You will have things called OJT or something like that (on the job training) where you go to a 'training' store and they are suppose to work with you.
Don't worry about memorizing the drugs, you'll learn those as you go. The sig codes are way more important. Please learn these (it's a pet peeve of mine when a certified tech does not know sig codes, maybe you're not certified yet, but it's still important to know).

I could write a long thing and explain each station and its responsibilities to you, but your training will cover that (and CVS has a lot of 'jargon' that is best introduced in practice). You will learn a lot in training, in modules, and just working in the store. All of our recent new hires have had no pharmacy experience, it's not like anyone expects you to know everything without being told. If after your training you still have questions, I'd be happy to help, but for now, just do the training. Good luck!

 

[SClENCE]

Okay thanks so much. I feel like once I learn each station the job will be fun, as of right now all I can picture is customers and scripts building up as I have no clue what to do... It's good to know that this training will cover most of this stuff

 

[nxq875]

Just like to mention, I myself just started working at Walgreens a few weeks back, so this is all from experience
First thing to do is....relax...as with many jobs, the first few days on the job = chaos and stress (but don't be).
As you've mentioned, since you never worked as a pharmacy technician before, everything is new to you. However, it is important to note that things move around very quickly in the retail chains, and it is all about meeting the "promised time" for the medicine seeking patients. Ask questions for ANYTHING you do not understand, it is only through tons of questions will the job eventually make more sense to you.

What does the drop off person do?
Takes prescriptions in, gets the promised pick up time, make sure drug is in stock, scans and enters them into the system for pharmacist to verify/review.

What does the person at the pick up window do?
Handles most of the customers who are picking up medication (some special precautions for Controlled substances)

The pharmacist mentioned that scripts can come in many forms; some will come to them through the computer system, some through the phone, and sometimes a person will bring in a hard copy. Basically my question is how does the script get from these points to the verification screen? Who puts this in? Are the scripts that are sent electronically automatically sent to this screen?
Phone really means (fax) here, doctor's office could send faxes directly into the store, then either the techs or pharmacists enters them in manually.
Computer system just sends an "e-copy" of the prescription from the doctor's office to the store, then tech/pharmacists enters them manually.
Hard copy is the most common, patient brings a paper copy and techs/pharmacists then enters them in.

Is the person at the drop-off and drive through window looking at the same screen as the person that is pulling drugs?
Not sure if CVS operates different, but at Walgreens everyone is looking at the same screen, and person pulling the drugs is only looking at the paper printouts.

The person gave me some little book with the names of all the drugs and in the back it has some of the codes like "q.i.d." etc. Obviously I should memorize the codes but there has to be 1,000 different drugs listed... is this just for reference or what?
Definitely know the short hand writtings (q.i.d. etc, it's needed to accurately translate prescriptions into the system). As for the drug names, don't worry too much about them at the moment, they will come with experience.

What are these training classes even about? Will they train me specifically at each of the 5 positions or will this be another basic overview?
Training classes, not sure there, at Walgreens they mandate "PPL" which is People Plus Learning, just online classes you take to better you in the field.

After the training classes, will I be thrown right into the flow or will I likely work with someone for my first few days?
Most likely you'll be taking classes as you work, that way you learn faster. And if it's anything like Walgreens, they'll hold your hand for the first few weeks, but expect you to catch on quickly.

 

[nxq875]

Also forgot to mention, there will be a lot of insurance and "third party rejection" issues with a lot of the prescriptions. It is a very complicated process and there is really no training behind it since it's a "by-case" scenario. Best thing to do is ask when you reach that type of problems and learn the best you can. Hope everything goes well!

 

[SClENCE]

Thank you so much for your post. So for what I understand the guy at the drop off window is generally entering the information into the computer after the customer drops off the script and is the guy entering the "promised pick up time" and making sure the drug is in stock, while the next person pulls the drug and the next person "verifies" it.

Makes a lot more sense now in terms of the "big picture".

The pharmacist told me that I likely won't be doing drop off for whatever reason, but is this is person that deals with the insurance info aswell? Maybe it's different for each store I'm not really sure

 

[nxq875]

This again is based on what I see from Walgreens, the system is set up like this
Patient/Doctor drops off prescription either in person or electronically and specifies a pickup time
Technician receives the prescriptions, and scans + enters it into the system
Pharmacist verifies the accuracy of the prescription then "OK"s it for it to be filled (any issues with the prescriptions, dosage, insurance, patient info, etc will prevent it going further at this point, and has to be resolved)
The prescription is printed out and person either pulls + fills it themselves, or there is a puller to help the filler with it
Pharmacist again verifies the accuracy of the prescription (# of fills, right dosage, etc) and finally bags the prescription for it to be picked up
As for the insurance, it's dealt by usually whoever is not busy/has experience with insurance

 

[zhangys]

Congrats on your new job! I started working at CVS last August. It may be different for you, but my store is one of the busier ones in the area since its a 24-hour store so it was always hard to learn while everyone else is trying to get work done. Took me nearly a year to be able to do things as well as I do now. You'll learn everything eventually though, so don't worry! Experience will come with time! But to answer your questions, I'll start with the Pick-Up station:

1. Pick up is where patients come in directly to pay for for medications that have already been prepared and are in the waiting bin. At pick up you will search up their name, and the screen will tell you whether the drugs are ready (WB), in production (QP), in verification (QV), JUST received (QT), or are pending a refill request from their prescriber (RRA). If you see QP or QV, ask the patient if they would like to wait in-store for it to be completed, then press "Expedite" if they say yes. Be sure to call out and let the tech at QP or pharmacist at QV know that their is a waiter in their station. If their prescription is not showing up at all, if they want to order a refill on a different drug, or if their drug was billed incorrectly, send them to the drop-off window. Your only responsibilities here are essentially to be a cashier, and to adequately communicate with the patient on the basic status of their prescription. FOR ANY OTHER ISSUES, send them to drop-off. Don't try to solve any issues here just yet, it might slow down work flow. Their issues will be better solved at the drop-off window. The register screen will also tell you if the drug is out of stock (OOS). Check with the pharmacist or the lead technician on when the order will be placed. Usually, orders come in the day after the order is placed.

2. Drop-off is just like its name-- it's where patients come in to order refills, drop off new prescriptions, or update their information. It's also where the patients can solve any issues involving insurance or transfers from another pharmacy/CVS. The training modules you have to do will show you around the system here. Usually you will have to check two places: QT or the patient's profile. If the patient says a prescription was electronically sent over, I will ask for their last name and check QT first. If not there, I will check their profile. Here, you are the problem solver. Many patients will come to you asking why a certain prescription was not filled (usually, it is too early to fill), or why their co-pay has gone up (may have been billed wrong, or they may have a deductible). This station took the longest for me to learn. There are only so few things you can learn at once, everything else is on a case-by-case basis.

3. Here is the order of workflow. First, the prescription will be received, whether by hard-copy (the patient brings it to you), the doctor phones the pharmacist, or the prescription is sent electronically. Drop-off station will enter all of these prescriptions into the system with a promise time depending on what the patient wants. The prescriptions will pop up in QP where the tech at QP will pull, scan, and fill the prescription. They will place the filled prescriptions into a basket (yellow for waiting, blue for acute, or black) and leave it near the Pharmacist. The Pharmacist at QV will then verify that the prescription was typed and filled correctly, and check it off for the person at Pick-Up to ring it out with the patient.

4. Our store doesn't have a drive-thru, but generally, you can access any of the screens on every computer. I would think the same of the drive-thru screen.

5. You're right, codes are very important! As for drugs, try your best to learn the brand and generic names of the Top 200 drugs for now. You can find them on any PTCB-study sites online. Also, be sure to know your Control II drugs, because no one can fill these but the Pharmacist. They are also not allowed to be sent over electronically unless they are for Hospice patients. That's how it is in Cali, at least... your state laws may be different.

6. You will get a good amount of training modules to do. Then you'll have to get classroom training where they go through everything with you and answer questions. Then you will have to do on-the-job training, where you will get hands-on experience.

7. After you've gotten all your training done, you most likely will be thrown in right away. HOWEVER, never hesitate to ask questions. Everyone else might seem busy and you may not want to bother them constantly (I felt this way too 🙁). But you want to make sure that you are doing everything correctly, to ensure the patient's safety and satisfaction. Better safe than sorry!

Hope this helped you in some way. Like I said, everything will seem overwhelming for a while, but you will learn after it all! I was the biggest spazz and was constantly asking questions in the first few months, but nearly a year later, my manager and coworkers tell me I've improved and am nearly an expert at it! Relax, don't worry, and just keep in mind everything you are shown and told. You may not learn just from being shown once, so don't be afraid to ask again! If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer them for you as well. Good luck! 🙂