My first day as a new grad RPh...

[rx2010]

OMG, my first day was terrible! I had a tech that was really slow because he was an older gentleman. He never answered the phone, helped the front counter or the drive through. All he did was stay at drop-off and type (very slow - one letter a time). I had to dispense, work drive-thru and front counter, answer phone, and of course, verify.

I was told the first month as a new grad pharmacist will be tough, but will get better afterwards. I hope that is true... I can't seem to do everything on my own... Do y'all have any tips to multitasking? It just seems overwhelming when you only have 1 tech and the phones are ringing off the hook and there's someone at drive-thru and the front counter. 🙁

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Praziquantel86]

OMG, my first day going was terrible! I had a tech that was really slow because he was an older gentleman. He never answered the phone, helped the front counter or the drive through. All he did was stay at drop-off and type (very slow - one letter a time). I had to dispense, work drive-thru and front counter, answer phone, and of course, verify.

I was told the first month as a new grad pharmacist will be tough, but will get better afterwards. I hope that is true... I can't seem to do everything on my own... Do y'all have any tips to multitasking? It just seems overwhelming when you only have 1 tech and the phones are ringing off the hook and there's someone at drive-thru and the front counter. 🙁

Had you ever worked in chain retail before?

You'll learn your own techniques, but there are a few things I've learned as an intern and from the pharmacists I've worked with.

Don't let the techs walk all over you - you tell them what to do, not the other way around. It may not be easy when they're older than you or been working in the pharmacy for longer than you, but it has to be done. You are the boss, not them.

The distractions will never go away, but you'll learn your own strategies to cope. I've found that finishing a task once I've started is key, but it's not always easy. Leave the long and involved items (i.e., compounding, narcotics counts) for when you are expecting down time. If you're counting a prescription and the phone rings, finish counting. Once your own techniques develop and you become more proficient, it should get easier.

I'm sure Old Timer will be able to chime in with a whole lot more.

Good luck to you!

 

[crazybob]

I've heard from a pharmacist who used to work at a chain, that she has a lot more help now that she works at an independent.

One tip I can give you is to make little notes whenever you leave a task so that you can pick up where you left when you come back to it.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

Have the old tech do pick up.

 

[rx2010]

Had you ever worked in chain retail before?

You'll learn your own techniques, but there are a few things I've learned as an intern and from the pharmacists I've worked with.

Don't let the techs walk all over you - you tell them what to do, not the other way around. It may not be easy when they're older than you or been working in the pharmacy for longer than you, but it has to be done. You are the boss, not them.

The distractions will never go away, but you'll learn your own strategies to cope. I've found that finishing a task once I've started is key, but it's not always easy. Leave the long and involved items (i.e., compounding, narcotics counts) for when you are expecting down time. If you're counting a prescription and the phone rings, finish counting. Once your own techniques develop and you become more proficient, it should get easier.

I'm sure Old Timer will be able to chime in with a whole lot more.

Good luck to you!

Nope, not an official job in retail. I've only done it during rotations, which all I did was count all day... This is my very first retail job, and that's why I think it's difficult for me... The tech also made a lot of errors, typed wrong drugs and wrong directions, which made it more frustrating...

Thanks for the tips, everyone.

 

[crossurfingers]

If that were me I would close down the drop off window and have the tech staff the drive thru and 1 window open in the store. Have the tech scan the rx's in, but you will take care of the rest (typing, filling, dispensing, etc). I know it's not the best to be typing and verifying but it is more efficient in your case and maybe you could take advantage of all the remote verification that is going on now anyways. If the tech gets backed up call a manager to help if you can't step away from your own tasks. Also, adjust your wait times.

Staffing is pretty much going down the drain everywhere. I even have heard of some stores with no tech on weekends and one tech from noon to 6pm weekdays. Can't imagine how it will go when flu shots start.

 

[owlegrad]

Have the old tech do pick up.

I was thinking the same thing. Control your help, not the other way around. Don't just complain about them, tell them what you want them to do. You will get better as time goes by.

Good Luck!

 

[Sparda29]

Move the older tech to pick up and EXPLAIN to him that he doesn't type fast enough. (I've had Rx managers move me to pick up just because they didn't want to work pick up themselves, even though I type + pull + count much faster than they do.)

Verify... a trick that I learned from one of the pharmacists that I worked with is this:

Only verify "waiter" prescriptions (people who are in the store waiting). For all the other prescription orders, leave them in a basket. If someone comes in to pick up their prescription that they called in or whatever, just find which basket it is in, verify it right there, and send them on their way. Verify other orders during downtime.

Phone is the pain in the ass. IMO, if corporate is not giving you more tech help, give them a big "**** you" by not answering the phones. Often times at CVS and Costco, we would let the phones ring on and on for minutes. To avoid the "one pharmacy call", etc stuff, just pick it up and put it right on hold. It annoys the **** out of customers, but if I don't have any tech help, I don't give a ****. If and when I open up my own pharmacy, I'll have one person dedicated to the phone and clerical work.

 

[PharmGamerKid]

When things are getting out of control, take a deep breath. Then tackle 1 thing at a time.

It's amazing how much things slow down when you just take a deep breath.

 

[charfdorn]

Move the older tech to pick up and EXPLAIN to him that he doesn't type fast enough. (I've had Rx managers move me to pick up just because they didn't want to work pick up themselves, even though I type + pull + count much faster than they do.)

Verify... a trick that I learned from one of the pharmacists that I worked with is this:

Only verify "waiter" prescriptions (people who are in the store waiting). For all the other prescription orders, leave them in a basket. If someone comes in to pick up their prescription that they called in or whatever, just find which basket it is in, verify it right there, and send them on their way. Verify other orders during downtime.

Phone is the pain in the ass. IMO, if corporate is not giving you more tech help, give them a big "**** you" by not answering the phones. Often times at CVS and Costco, we would let the phones ring on and on for minutes. To avoid the "one pharmacy call", etc stuff, just pick it up and put it right on hold. It annoys the **** out of customers, but if I don't have any tech help, I don't give a ****. If and when I open up my own pharmacy, I'll have one person dedicated to the phone and clerical work.

How many jobs do you think Sparda will get fired from before he adjusts his attitude?

 

[rx2010]

We are expected to answer the phone within 2 rings, and sometimes the DM will call just to see if we are doing that. 🙁

One of the pharmacists I trained with told me that for refills, we are not responsible for checking if the drug, directions, doctor, etc are correct and that if there was an error on those refills, it's the fault of original RPh that checked it. She said we are only responsible for making sure the pills in the bottle and the name on the bottle matches and that's it. Is this true? I couldn't find that in the law book...

 

[Praziquantel86]

We are expected to answer the phone within 2 rings, and sometimes the DM will call just to see if we are doing that. 🙁

One of the pharmacists I trained with told me that for refills, we are not responsible for checking if the drug, directions, doctor, etc are correct and that if there was an error on those refills, it's the fault of original RPh that checked it. She said we are only responsible for making sure the pills in the bottle and the name on the bottle matches and that's it. Is this true? I couldn't find that in the law book...

That is absolutely not true. You're responsible for each and every item on each and every prescription or refill that goes through. Someone screwing up doesn't give you carte blanche to be a bad pharmacist.

 

[Sparda29]

We are expected to answer the phone within 2 rings, and sometimes the DM will call just to see if we are doing that. 🙁

One of the pharmacists I trained with told me that for refills, we are not responsible for checking if the drug, directions, doctor, etc are correct and that if there was an error on those refills, it's the fault of original RPh that checked it. She said we are only responsible for making sure the pills in the bottle and the name on the bottle matches and that's it. Is this true? I couldn't find that in the law book...

Nope, if there was an error on the original fill, you fix it.

 

[rx2010]

That's what I was thinking, too. When I was practicing verifying with her, I would check the original script to make sure everything was correct and she would point out to me that it's a refill and that we only need to check the pills in the bottle and the name on the label, nothing else.

 

[rxlea]

Find another job, man.

 

[tungsten87]

Find another job, man.

lol... quit after one bad day? op should at least try to tough it out for a few months before searching for a new job. also, the op has little to no retail experience which makes being a pharmacist in this setting even more difficult. i can imagine that it's a mad house there but once adjusted to the job it should become less stressful.

 

[spacecowgirl]

It will get better. Develop a routine for checking and you'll get faster. It's really hard but try not to get flustered as it will slow you down further; no one ever died waiting for an outpatient prescription but they could die if you hurry and give them the wrong thing.

 

[rxlea]

I was joking. OP, listen to these guys. Once you've learned everything, it will be a breeze. Although I am not a pharmacist, I had a similar experience when I started at the hospital. They didn't have any formal training program. I was just sort of thrown into the IV room one day. With stat labels and timed meds and chemo and outpatient meds coming all at once, I thought I was going to go insane. But now, 3+ years later, I've got everything figured out. Prioritize. You'll get into your groove and you will be able to hold like 5-10 things in your head of what you have to do. Good luck.

 

[RxWildcat]

Welcome to retail.

 

[owlegrad]

How many jobs do you think Sparda will get fired from before he adjusts his attitude?

Many, but I thought his advice here was on point. Direct your help to the station where they will help you the most, prioritize your verifying based on expected pick up time, and never take a phone call if you can't give the person on the other end 100% of your attention. If you must answer the phone - just pick up the phone, say "Hold Please", and put them on hold until you can help them. Great advice. 👍

I would also add that if it's really that bad make it clear to waiters that the wait time is 30 min - an hour. Basically tell people that they cannot wait and ask them when they would like to pick it up. No Waiting. Don't let your help/patients try to hold you to a standard that is unsafe or overly stressful.

 

[aboveliquidice]

Move the older tech to pick up and EXPLAIN to him that he doesn't type fast enough. (I've had Rx managers move me to pick up just because they didn't want to work pick up themselves, even though I type + pull + count much faster than they do.)

Verify... a trick that I learned from one of the pharmacists that I worked with is this:

Only verify "waiter" prescriptions (people who are in the store waiting). For all the other prescription orders, leave them in a basket. If someone comes in to pick up their prescription that they called in or whatever, just find which basket it is in, verify it right there, and send them on their way. Verify other orders during downtime.

Phone is the pain in the ass. IMO, if corporate is not giving you more tech help, give them a big "**** you" by not answering the phones. Often times at CVS and Costco, we would let the phones ring on and on for minutes. To avoid the "one pharmacy call", etc stuff, just pick it up and put it right on hold. It annoys the **** out of customers, but if I don't have any tech help, I don't give a ****. If and when I open up my own pharmacy, I'll have one person dedicated to the phone and clerical work.

I was thinking the same thing. Control your help, not the other way around. Don't just complain about them, tell them what you want them to do. You will get better as time goes by.

Good Luck!

I love how big people talk about how easy it is to be a retail pharmacist.

How much experience do you have as a retail RPh? Zero.

OP - if the user name has pharmacy student under it...

 

[owlegrad]

I love how big people talk about how easy it is to be a retail pharmacist.

How much experience do you have as a retail RPh? Zero.

OP - if the user name has pharmacy student under it...

Did my post imply that I thought being a retail pharmacist was easy? I was going for "supportive and encouraging". Sorry if I missed the mark.

The OP wanted advice on how to make his day a little easier and we gave him some tips. He can take them or leave them, but if you specifically disagree with what we wrote please chime in. If your saying that we have nothing to contribute because we are not pharmacists, than that's your opinion. The OP can decide for himself if he agrees with us, but I thought he wanted advice on how to handle a busy pharmacy, which is what we gave him. I don't see you giving him any advice on how to handle a busy pharmacy.

Also because the OP has never worked in retail he might want input from multiple levels. Any retail experience > no experience? The tips we gave him are what we have seen other pharmacists do, which I believe is what he was asking for.

Now if you will excuse me I have some serious soul-searching to do. I never thought I would be lumped together with Sparda and I certainly never imagined I would be joint-defending him.

 

[rxlea]

Can the retail pharmacists hire/fire their own people? when I worked at Osco back in the day, the pharmacy manager did the hiring but the RPhs would give their input too. If you couldn't cut it as a tech, you were canned. One of the beautiful things about a "right to work" state. So, we are only as good as our weakest link. OP do you have any say in what techs are hired?

 

[Sparda29]

I love how big people talk about how easy it is to be a retail pharmacist.

How much experience do you have as a retail RPh? Zero.

OP - if the user name has pharmacy student under it...

Did I ever say it was easy? I think working in retail for 4 years qualifies me in knowing how to make the work flow easier.

 

[Old Timer]

To the OP, I want you to remember some things. First, it is only a job. Stress is self imposed. I would need to know the size of the pharmacy and the number of scripts you fill per day to comment on if you are understaffed, though it appears you are.

In the situation you are in, with one tech, I usually do data entry and verification and have the tech do production and register. You have to be adaptable. If you typed in three waiters and the tech is filling them, then you go to the register if someone comes in. If you are verifying 5 waiters, let the tech take the next person at drop off.

Try to avoid typing, counting and verifying yourself.

When you verify, do it the same way every time. Get a system and don't deviate. If you do it the same way, in the same order every time, you will never skip a step.

You will get faster, you will get more proficient. You will learn when to call the doctor for a drug interaction and when to speak to the customer. It takes time.

And as a general piece of advice. Read whatever Sparda29 says and do the opposite. You will do just fine.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

My theory on refills is check everything one time (As opposed to checking a new prescription twice slowly) for the first refill.

For any refills after that, just check the name, DOB, drug, and drug strength. Chances are if the patient is alive on the third refill without complaint, the script is filled correctly. If there are any mistakes, it is probably minor like wrong doctor, directions transcribed incorrectly but still okay, etc.

It might not be professional but when you are in a busy store where you are doing something non stop, I rather allocate more time checking new prescriptions.

Of course, it is what you are comfortable with. It is rare to find an error on a maintance medication after the 1st refill. Lipitor 20 mg is almost going to be always once daily, Ambien, one at bedtime, Flonase 2 sprays en qd... etc. You can waste time changing the doctor... or double checking the directions... etc but that is up to you.

 

[RxWildcat]

My theory on refills is check everything one time (As opposed to checking a new prescription twice slowly) for the first refill.

For any refills after that, just check the name, DOB, drug, and drug strength. Chances are if the patient is alive on the third refill without complaint, the script is filled correctly. If there are any mistakes, it is probably minor like wrong doctor, directions transcribed incorrectly but still okay, etc.

It might not be professional but when you are in a busy store where you are doing something non stop, I rather allocate more time checking new prescriptions.

Of course, it is what you are comfortable with. It is rare to find an error on a maintance medication after the 1st refill. Lipitor 20 mg is almost going to be always once daily, Ambien, one at bedtime, Flonase 2 sprays en qd... etc. You can waste time changing the doctor... or double checking the directions... etc but that is up to you.

I agree except I always checked the product inside the vial too. I've seen plenty of times where labels were placed on the wrong vial.

 

[rxlynn]

We are expected to answer the phone within 2 rings, and sometimes the DM will call just to see if we are doing that. 🙁

One of the pharmacists I trained with told me that for refills, we are not responsible for checking if the drug, directions, doctor, etc are correct and that if there was an error on those refills, it's the fault of original RPh that checked it. She said we are only responsible for making sure the pills in the bottle and the name on the bottle matches and that's it. Is this true? I couldn't find that in the law book...

Only true if you plan to be a crappy pharmacist. I'm in my first month of practice as well, and I caught two misfilled Rx's in one day, both of which had been refilled before because I was checking drug and directions, not just pills in the bottle.

 

[MountainPharmD]

Only true if you plan to be a crappy pharmacist. I'm in my first month of practice as well, and I caught two misfilled Rx's in one day, both of which had been refilled before because I was checking drug and directions, not just pills in the bottle.

I guess you work at a pharmacy that fills 20 rx's a day? If you plan on doing this at a normal retail pharmacy you won't last a month. You will also be very unpopular with your partner as well as your techs because it will take you forever to get anything done.

I can see it now. You come in in the morning and there are 100 refill prescriptions in the que. You go thorugh and check each one as if it were a new prescription. Your partner comes in at 1 and has to resit the urge to strangle you because there are 200 prescriptions backed up to be checked because you want to check each refill prescription as it it were a new one.

To me that is a crappy pharmacist.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

I agree except I always checked the product inside the vial too. I've seen plenty of times where labels were placed on the wrong vial.

Yup, I only check vial to scanned image, not image to comp. .

 

[J ROD]

Lesson:

Dont work retail.....

 

[Old Timer]

Lesson:

Don't work retail.....

That's brilliant..... Like you would never be shorthanded at a hospital🙄🙄

 

[Sparda29]

That's brilliant..... Like you would never be shorthanded at a hospital🙄🙄

Being shorthanded at a hospital would probably be easier.

 

[Old Timer]

Being shorthanded at a hospital would probably be easier.

Ask Mikey about that. More likely to kill someone inpatient....

 

[Its Z]

Being shorthanded at a hospital would probably be easier.

Yeah but you can kill someone much easier too. Remember, you're dealing with critically ill patients in the hospital...if you don't get those critical meds and drips on time to coding patients, they die.

Not like patient having to wait 2 hours for a refill of BC...

 

[ucrx]

Being shorthanded at a hospital would probably be easier.

I don't know about this. Others mentioned the safety aspect- this definitely adds a level for hospital. And medications needed in the hospital are usually actually needed quickly with nurses calling asking for the drug the doctor wrote for 3 seconds earlier. It has more similarities to community than I would have thought.

 

[NormalSaline]

We are expected to answer the phone within 2 rings, and sometimes the DM will call just to see if we are doing that. 🙁

One of the pharmacists I trained with told me that for refills, we are not responsible for checking if the drug, directions, doctor, etc are correct and that if there was an error on those refills, it's the fault of original RPh that checked it. She said we are only responsible for making sure the pills in the bottle and the name on the bottle matches and that's it. Is this true? I couldn't find that in the law book...

WOW...sounds like somebody is really looking out for the patient's safety.

 

[Old Timer]

Since I have the images, I check the hard copy, each and every time. I don't look as thoroughly as I do on the first fill and the first refill. But I do look at it. It also depends on the store I am at. There are stores where I have less confidence in the pharmacists and therefore I check much more carefully.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

I have probably worked with 75-100 retail pharmacists and never seen a single pharmacist routinely check the original image on a refill. What about store that don't have images electronically? Do you look through the filed hardcopies in the back of the pharmacy when verifying every refill? Sounds pretty crazy to me.

Yup, exactly. Although I do check images on refill and compare my bottle to it, I have filled many prescriptions at independent pharmacy where there are no images. I just make sure it is the right drug going to the right patient based on the label. A lot of people forget that in smaller chains/independents, the technology is not there yet or not affordable.