Need advice for first time Retail Pharmacist

[AlmostAPharmD]

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I have been extended an offer from Walgreens and I'm going to accept it. It was not my first choice, but I feel very lucky I found anything at all when a lot of my colleagues have yet to find employment, and I get to stay in the big city I currently live in. So I'm grateful...but scared. I have never worked retail aside from the 1 month of rotation I had last year. I have extensive hospital experience though. I am looking for advice on how to make this transition. Anyone who works for Walgreens care to extend any advice? I am going into this job with an open and positive mind and I plan to love it. 🙂

 

[rph3664]

I wish you the best. When I started doing retail, one of my friends suggested an indwelling catheter with a leg bag. This was, BTW, a low volume pharmacy with a bathroom behind the counter.

 

[AlmostAPharmD]

I wish you the best. When I started doing retail, one of my friends suggested an indwelling catheter with a leg bag. This was, BTW, a low volume pharmacy with a bathroom behind the counter.

Are you still doing retail? 🙂 LOL..

 

[R2pharmD2]

I have been extended an offer from Walgreens and I'm going to accept it. It was not my first choice, but I feel very lucky I found anything at all when a lot of my colleagues have yet to find employment, and I get to stay in the big city I currently live in. So I'm grateful...but scared. I have never worked retail aside from the 1 month of rotation I had last year. I have extensive hospital experience though. I am looking for advice on how to make this transition. Anyone who works for Walgreens care to extend any advice? I am going into this job with an open and positive mind and I plan to love it. 🙂

I don't work for Walgreens, but in my experience, there is a much greater emphasis on speed in retail compared to working hospital pharmacy. Don't rush yourself just because you've got an impatient customer who needs it now (you'll be surprised how often they just gotta have it ASAP ). Always take the time you need to be safe, and speed will come with time.

 

[Allure]

It will be hard at first because you don't know a lot of things, but after awhile, it gets easier. I worked at retail today and it was truck day and my computer didn't work, i spent 30 minutes on the phone with help desk and they still couldn't fix it, but I still managed to eat like 5 times, so don't let people scare you when they tell you that you can't use the restroom. You just have to know how to manage your time.

What you need is a notebook so that you can write down everything. It will help you later on. You will not remember everything at first. I think it takes about a year to be really comfortable with it. When I first started, it was so overwhelming that I never thought that one day, I can do all this crazy stuff without even thinking about it. You will be fine.

 

[Ackj]

I still managed to eat like 5 times

Impressive. I don't even do that on my days off

 

[Allure]

Impressive. I don't even do that on my days off

Hahah...I do eat too much 😳 The techs were making fun of me, saying that I hadn't eaten all week and I was making up for it.

 

[owlegrad]

...What you need is a notebook so that you can write down everything. It will help you later on.... .

😍😍😍😍

 

[Jenny2009]

retail will not be easy; expect for the worst because it is likely will be.

 

[MindOverMatter]

Walgreen's has one of the best computer systems in the industry. One you learn how to use it effectively your job will be much easier. Like a poster said above, bring a little notepad and jot down a lot of notes while you are learning, and ask the techs for help on things that you're not sure about.

I worked at a very busy store (~700/day) and things ran smoothly. You will be fine.

 

[PharmGamerKid]

Like someone mentioned earlier, Walgreens has AWESOME computer system. I feel like I have lost a lot of pharmacy brain cells since the computer does a lot of thinking for me (esp. w/ therapeutic substitutions).

However, in working retail like Walgreens, be prepared to multi-task and work under pressure. Techs and patients will try to rush you, but you just have to tune them out and tell them to wait.

They'll probably start you out as a floater with less responsibilities (not having to worry too much about inventory, problem patients, stupid statistics like wait time, etc.). You'll also experience good stores w/ good techs and good work flow vs. stores w/ tech dramas and bad work flow.

Important: Be flexible, be receptive, but don't let anyone push you around. Anything that happens in the pharmacy is your responsibility.

 

[pfaction]

1) Forget any and all drug facts you know. clinicalpharmacology.com will take over for you, and so will the computer system.
2) Learn insurances FAST. Write down common ones.
3) Make sure you F4 and get waiters out ASAP.

I want to kill myself because this is what pharmacy has boiled down to. But, more importantly, congrats on getting a JOB.

 

[ethyl]

And now onto the important stuff. Get some really comfy shoes. Find a tasty lunch that can be cooked (or already prepped) and eaten within 5-7 minutes. Always have something to drink, otherwise you'll be extremely thirsty by the end of your shift and your breath will kill dragons.

 

[MountainPharmD]

1) Forget any and all drug facts you know. clinicalpharmacology.com will take over for you, and so will the computer system.
2) Learn insurances FAST. Write down common ones.
3) Make sure you F4 and get waiters out ASAP.

I want to kill myself because this is what pharmacy has boiled down to. But, more importantly, congrats on getting a JOB.

Yep that about sums it up. At least you have a job right?

 

[blueclassring]

If you can find a work environment where you can dictate wait times, then all the better. Remember, if you mess up it's your license. Do the best to take your time especially when it comes to dispensing meds for children.

 

[Old]

If you can find a work environment where you can dictate wait times, then all the better. Remember, if you mess up it's your license. Do the best to take your time especially when it comes to dispensing meds for children.

Very wise words.👍

 

[PumpkinSmasher]

Important decision...........

Scotch or bourbon at the end of the shift.....make your choice!😉

 

[fattunesy]

If you can find a work environment where you can dictate wait times, then all the better. Remember, if you mess up it's your license. Do the best to take your time especially when it comes to dispensing meds for children.

Thats all well and good, except WAG tracks wait times and how many scripts/ hour each pharmacist does. The current emphasis on most District Supervisors is "verified by promised time" and getting waiters out under 15 minutes. Being careful is vitally important, it is your license on the line. At first it will even be understood that you are gonna be slow. However, the expectation is that you will pick up the pace until you are hitting the goals set for pharmacists in your area. If you consistently lag behind then you might find yourself floating for a long, long time without even a split shift to show for it. Don't get me wrong I am NOT telling you to work dangerously fast, just letting you know what the expectations will be.

If you don't mind me asking, hwo did you get a job with a major chain in an urban area that you have not worked for previously? I had heard most chains were not offering positions to anyone other than current interns, though that might just be certain locations.