So what I have noticed is it seems interns are taken for granted because they are ... interns. Interns can pretty much do everything a pharmacist can do, under the supervision of a pharmacist. Because of this definition of the intern role, I find that the pharmacist abuses this privilege. This is an observation from several of my pharmacy intern classmates as well, as comparing their intern roles to mine. The IPPE in NYS started last week and with only a week into my internship, I want to call it quits already.
My case: I have the urge to call it quits because I am not learning much, and I am counting pills into a bottle (oh the stereotype is true!). The pharmacist is also unwilling to really teach me how to use the computer, which is fine I don't mind. But how am I supposed to see drug-drug interactions, or any other form of problems that comes up with the patient? I have brought this up, my pharmacist told me I don't need to learn the system since I won't be here for the long term and I'm not going to use it much (actually, I find myself using it now only from observing how others type into the computer, and playing around with it during my lunch break). And, I do use the computer when people ask me for refills and price checks. Which is another thing, refills -- when I get a phone call about refills I can't check right away since I'm not supposed to know how to use the computer. So I write down the refill #, and then I give it to the tech. Tech says, "Oh they don't have refills." Makes me call the patient back. This process could have been avoided if I was just simply taught how to do simple things on the computer, and the patient wouldn't have been upset at me on the phone.
Friend #1: My other friend interning upstate is stuck on the phone all day, from patient phone calls to doctor phone calls. Whenever the pharmacist has a phone call, my friend gets it. And when I say all phone calls, I mean even phone calls from people asking about if a certain shampoo is in stock.
Friend #2: This friend worked at the same chain, but is interning in a different store. Because of my friend's knowledge of the store already, they stick #2 at the register. And uh.. that's not part of what we're paying for to intern and learn.
Friend #3: This friend has the worst of all. #3 has to sweep, wipe the counters, all for a good review from the pharmacist. Pharmacist says, "This is what I had to do...." as the reasoning. Poor friend!
We're not allowed to switch sites once we have a site given by the school. If we want to switch, or fail the IPPE to go somewhere else, there is a fee of $250 (or just about).
What happened to the respect of the profession? The teaching, the learning, the willingness to guide other pharmacy students into the profession? It's so difficult to love the profession now after seeing this kind of intern usage abuse. So it seems the interns are part of the bottom barrel and worst than anyone else already working in the store; as our role is part pharmacist and part everything else, we get to do both.
Does anyone else have any good or bad intern experiences? Please share.
My case: I have the urge to call it quits because I am not learning much, and I am counting pills into a bottle (oh the stereotype is true!). The pharmacist is also unwilling to really teach me how to use the computer, which is fine I don't mind. But how am I supposed to see drug-drug interactions, or any other form of problems that comes up with the patient? I have brought this up, my pharmacist told me I don't need to learn the system since I won't be here for the long term and I'm not going to use it much (actually, I find myself using it now only from observing how others type into the computer, and playing around with it during my lunch break). And, I do use the computer when people ask me for refills and price checks. Which is another thing, refills -- when I get a phone call about refills I can't check right away since I'm not supposed to know how to use the computer. So I write down the refill #, and then I give it to the tech. Tech says, "Oh they don't have refills." Makes me call the patient back. This process could have been avoided if I was just simply taught how to do simple things on the computer, and the patient wouldn't have been upset at me on the phone.
Friend #1: My other friend interning upstate is stuck on the phone all day, from patient phone calls to doctor phone calls. Whenever the pharmacist has a phone call, my friend gets it. And when I say all phone calls, I mean even phone calls from people asking about if a certain shampoo is in stock.
Friend #2: This friend worked at the same chain, but is interning in a different store. Because of my friend's knowledge of the store already, they stick #2 at the register. And uh.. that's not part of what we're paying for to intern and learn.
Friend #3: This friend has the worst of all. #3 has to sweep, wipe the counters, all for a good review from the pharmacist. Pharmacist says, "This is what I had to do...." as the reasoning. Poor friend!
We're not allowed to switch sites once we have a site given by the school. If we want to switch, or fail the IPPE to go somewhere else, there is a fee of $250 (or just about).
What happened to the respect of the profession? The teaching, the learning, the willingness to guide other pharmacy students into the profession? It's so difficult to love the profession now after seeing this kind of intern usage abuse. So it seems the interns are part of the bottom barrel and worst than anyone else already working in the store; as our role is part pharmacist and part everything else, we get to do both.
Does anyone else have any good or bad intern experiences? Please share.
