my experience as a pharm tech.

[ncecc]

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after working for about 4 months at walgreens, i realized that being a pharmacist is not something that i want to do. i absolutely hate working in that environment, it is to stressful and i tend to make so many mistakes and get discouraged...the pharmacists there absolutely think i am incapable and now they decided to make me a floater...one thing that i lack is courage, and ive been wanting to quit this job for awhile, but i told myself to just stick it out and it might get better, but it actually got any worse. Now i am on the verge of quitting, but i dont kon how to tel my pharm manager that i want to quit...what is the best way to do it?

 

[SeattleCoug]

I would be honest with them. Tell them that you thought you were interested in a career in pharmacy and this was how you were testing out the waters. No one wants someone who doesn't want to be there to work for them. Hope you find something you like!

 

[Rxlele]

The stressful work environment isn't for everyone.. but have you thought of maybe giving pharmacy a different chance through another pharmacy instead of the Walgreens chain? I know that if the pharms. I work with weren't patient in the beginning when I was learning, I would've wanted to quit. The people you work with can make even the best jobs suck.

If you do decide to quit, be somewhat honest. Maybe say you're seeking a different work environment that you flow better with, or you've just decided to pursue different career goals.

 

[Thatonegal]

after working for about 4 months at walgreens, i realized that being a pharmacist is not something that i want to do. i absolutely hate working in that environment, it is to stressful and i tend to make so many mistakes and get discouraged...the pharmacists there absolutely think i am incapable and now they decided to make me a floater...one thing that i lack is courage, and ive been wanting to quit this job for awhile, but i told myself to just stick it out and it might get better, but it actually got any worse. Now i am on the verge of quitting, but i dont kon how to tel my pharm manager that i want to quit...what is the best way to do it?

Find some time to talk to him. Tell him about the problems you are having at work and what you have done to overcome your problems. If he doesn't come up with any suggestions or alternatives you think might work then simply express the idea that you are ready to move on to a new work experience. If you decide to move on then give the standard two weeks notice or longer if they need to find a replacement for you and you feel inclined to help them. There is no point in staying in a job that frustrates you unless you have bills you are unable to pay without the income. In the case of fiscal responsibilities go find a new job first and then give your two weeks notice.

 

[applejuju]

maybe you could change a different pharmacy setting? Perhaps one that has less prescription count or somewhere clinical?

 

[168533]

I agree with trying to find a different setting. I use to work for Walgreens, and if I had to base my decision on pursing pharmacy only on working at Walgreens, I would have given up a long time ago. There were a few things that I liked at work, but the environment is terrible. Drive thru being the worse. However, I looked into other areas, and I'm extremely happy that I looked at the different options before giving up on pharmacy.

 

[wolfpackhal]

I work at Walgreens in a newer store that does about 150 scripts per day. I am lucky enough to work with great people and enjoy some break periods. However, Walgreens has recently alloted us only 78 tech hours per week and let me tell you it can get pretty crazy in the lunch and late afternoon hours. It is very hard to submit secondary coupon claims, fix insurance issues, handle the callssss, type in new prescriptions, and oh yeh...satisfy the drive through people in both lanes and the one waiting in the store (one of which needs to be registered into the system)!! I really like working when things flow well and the patients are nice, but it can be tough when problems arise and the patients are mean. One more hand during these hours would help significantly. With only a tech and pharmacist, 1 issue can set you back quite a bit during a rush. Despite this, I love pharmacy. I like working when it is busy and there is sufficient staff on hand. All chains are different, and even within the chains all the stores are different. Do not quit pharmacy bc of one store. There are also many other fields within pharmacy.

 

[jlc1087]

i was in the same situation as you. my store processed ~500 scripts a day; it was ridiculous! i finally couldn't take it anymore because of my school work and the fact that I didn't have any time to spend with my friends, so I just told my manager that my school load was heavy this semester (because it was) and that I needed more time to focus on it. He was really understanding about it and actually said I could come back in the summer if I wanted.

I would say just muster up the courage and honestly talk about it; I kept putting it off for awhile until I was just miserable. Do it asap!

 

[krystal2812]

Don't give up. I also feel very frustrated and wanted to give up at the beginning. Luckily after 3 months working, I had an research opportunity and I told my manager. I let me 3 months break to do my research. Then I came back and things work out. I think you can let your manager know that your school workload is heavy and you want less hours or float to a less busy store or try to work on Sunday shift. It's less busy than weekdays. GL.

 

[GaRxGrl]

I would definitely recommend trying a different setting. I used to work in one of retail chains and HATED it!! It turned me completely off to pharmacy, but I decided to try a different setting and absolutely LOVE it now 😍. Try getting a job at a hospital or clinic somewhere. I am at a hospital now, and couldn't be happier. It is completely different than retail and may be a better fit for you too.

 

[Lotus89]

at least you all can get a job...i am certified tech and am still jobless (in that field anyway) 🙁

 

[twins041122]

I work at Walgreens in a newer store that does about 150 scripts per day. I am lucky enough to work with great people and enjoy some break periods. However, Walgreens has recently alloted us only 78 tech hours per week and let me tell you it can get pretty crazy in the lunch and late afternoon hours. It is very hard to submit secondary coupon claims, fix insurance issues, handle the callssss, type in new prescriptions, and oh yeh...satisfy the drive through people in both lanes and the one waiting in the store (one of which needs to be registered into the system)!! I really like working when things flow well and the patients are nice, but it can be tough when problems arise and the patients are mean. One more hand during these hours would help significantly. With only a tech and pharmacist, 1 issue can set you back quite a bit during a rush. Despite this, I love pharmacy. I like working when it is busy and there is sufficient staff on hand. All chains are different, and even within the chains all the stores are different. Do not quit pharmacy bc of one store. There are also many other fields within pharmacy.

Totally agree! When I first started out I had to work with a pharmacist that put themselves so high above everyone else it was disturbing. they would yell at me for every little thing I did wrong when I was new and still learning the system. I moved to a different store and everything just fell into place with the new staff i was with, even though this store was so much more hectic.

Also, you said that you have been a tech for about 4 months. In my experience, it takes about 6 months or so to become very confident at this job. Just keep at it and maybe you'll learn to love this profession! 🙂