Staff pharmacist won't listen to technician.

[Sparda29]

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I'm the supervising pharmacist at an independent. I work Monday to Thursday and we have a staff pharmacist who works Friday and Saturday, we're closed on Sundays. I tell my technician things to inform the staff pharmacist about but she just won't listen to her.

**** like "put scripts away into the script book in numerical order so I don't have to organize it on Monday or organize it yourself if you're not going to put them away in numerical order".

Or there will be a large patient order with 1-2 items that are out of stock, I'll fill whatever that is in stock and leave it in a basket with the labels for the things that are out of stock. She'll ignore that and just reprint the labels and do the whole ****ing order again instead of using the stuff I already did.

What to do?

 

[Mounjaro]

You confront her about it. Obviously you have the jurisdiction to do so. Her job isn't necessarily on the line if she doesn't listen to the tech, but you're the supervisor, it's a given.


I never understood why passing "dirty work" onto a tech would ever do anything. I had a conflict with my pharmacy manager and she told her lead tech to discuss it with me. Instead, the lead tech decided to tell me that she has no idea why she wouldn't confront me herself on the issue when she (the tech) doesn't know anything about what happened.

 

[steveysmith54]

Sounds like your pharmacist just doesn't care about her job rather than she doesn't listen to the tech.

 

[Lnsean]

are you sure you're the supervising pharmacist? it sounds like you have no authority.

go in one afternoon during her shift or at the end...and talk to her:

"look this is what is expected of every pharmacist that works here. I want to see that happen every night after you close."

 

[297point1]

Long ago, I remember a guy on SDN...
- When he was a student, thought he knew better than everyone else about how to be a pharmacist
- When he was a young graduate pharmacist, would complain incessantly about technicians, senior pharmacists, pharmacy management, and nurses
- Who always had ideas for how things could be done better- some of which were legit, but others were super-shady (and probably illegal)

And now that same person is here asking for advice on dealing with a pharmacist who doesn't listen.

This is delicious.

 

[297point1]

For real now: @Lnsean has it right: you are the boss, applesauce.

Tell them what you want them to do. Tell them clearly. Take your time, and make sure she understands.

And if she doesn't follow through: document, document, document. At some point, you'll need talk to your boss about termination. After all, there are unemployed or underemployed pharmacists on every street corner (if you believe some posts on this site)- you shouldn't have any issue replacing her.

Good luck.

 

[farmadiazepine]

I don't like messages being passed over to me from a technician who says "The other pharmacist told me to tell you that..". Honestly, I take it with a grain of salt. Why don't you just call the other pharmacist on Friday or Saturday? Or go visit them one day. Working retail on Friday and Saturday sucks as*. I work per diem Fridays and Saturdays at an independent. Whatever the main pharmacist tells the tech to tell me, I could really care less. Just call me up. I haven't even met the main pharmacist at the place I am working, and it's been 6 months already. What does that tell you about their character to newbies? Be smart, just talk to them yourself.

The other pharmacist I work for at an independent every other Wednesday never tells the tech to tell me anything to do. He tells me himself. I respect it a lot, and because he is kind enough to tell me himself, I go out of my way to do shi* for him. I'll be opening up the gates when I am closing to let one more customer come in at closing time at his store. The other pharmacy, I close early and tell people, sorry. That's the difference when you speak to the person yourself. Don't pass messages like it's telephone.

 

[farmadiazepine]

Let me work for you every other Tuesday, I am looking for hours just 2 more days a month

 

[Sparda29]

I usually leave notes but they get ignored. Like I have a little note right above the bins where we keep the filled scripts and it says "keep in numerical order at all times". However, I come back every Monday to find the scripts scrambled all over. Its easier to do if you just put the scripts into the bin in numerical order as you're filling.

The other note I left is to print a label for a script that is being put into "filed/on hold status" and affix the label to the script, this chick just writes the script # on the back of the script. The problem with this is that the scanner picks up the barcode on the label but doesn't pick up handwritten numbers.

 

[farmadiazepine]

Yes, you have a slightly bigger problem. She doesn't care or is too dumb to know.

 

[deleted480308]

Drive to the office during their shift. Look them in the eye like a man and explain the expectations and consequences for not meeting expectations. Evaluate the ongoing success at meeting those expectations. Execute consequences of not meeting expectations.

Don't hand off supervisory instructions to be delivered by a tech. It's your job to communicate.

 

[owlegrad]

. Its easier to do if you just put the scripts into the bin in numerical order as you're filling.

OMG Yes! Yes yes yes. Why is this so hard for people to wrap their head around?

 

[Sparda29]

OMG Yes! Yes yes yes. Why is this so hard for people to wrap their head around?

I know, it's not like we're filling 500 a day. We probably have 75-80 new scripts a day and a bunch of refills.

 

[Deja]

Long ago, I remember a guy on SDN...
- When he was a student, thought he knew better than everyone else about how to be a pharmacist
- When he was a young graduate pharmacist, would complain incessantly about technicians, senior pharmacists, pharmacy management, and nurses
- Who always had ideas for how things could be done better- some of which were legit, but others were super-shady (and probably illegal)

And now that same person is here asking for advice on dealing with a pharmacist who doesn't listen.

This is delicious.

Yeah sparda29, think back to your older days... actually you might not have changed... in either case, if your staff pharmacist thinks her way of doing things is the correct way and more effcient way and you never talk to her in person, why the hell would she listen to the tech? if you want things to change take 20mins out of your day and go in to talk to your pharmacist and tell her why you want it done this way. I mean, you probably would have ignored the notes too back in your days if no one ever talked to you

 

[owlegrad]

I don't like messages being passed over to me from a technician who says "The other pharmacist told me to tell you that..". Honestly, I take it with a grain of salt.

I agree with this. I was told at the beginning of my career that techs have a habit of playing pharmacists against each other. While I think that is a broad brush I do agree with it. No way I am going to accept correction from a tech based on "the other pharmacists told me...".

 

[Reirrac]

Techs telling pharmacists what to do won't go well. Since you're the boss, talking to them face to face would be best.

 

[Lexington2012]

Isn't organizing the scripts typically tech work? If I heard this, I would just assume the tech is trying to get out of his responsibilities.

 

[Trishna28]

Since you are the supervisor, you should talk to her directly before this escalates further.

 

[ldiot]

This is typically tech work but I'm guessing at 80 scripts a day she is probably the one typing/printing them so should therefore file them.

Make a new sign and tape it on the computer screen?

 

[owlegrad]

I hate hanging notes and try to manage by signs posted everywhere. So tacky IMO.

 

[Sparda29]

Isn't organizing the scripts typically tech work? If I heard this, I would just assume the tech is trying to get out of his responsibilities.

The techs scan the scripts after I organize them and put them into a book in order. The pharmacist is probably thinking, let them scan it out of order and put it in order themselves.

 

[BidingMyTime]

I have never seen this done, a pharmacist telling a technician to tell another pharmacist what to do. This is a bad idea, communication through 3rd parties is almost always a bad idea, but for another employee to pass on a message to her supervisor telling her supervisor what to do? How do you think this will work?

 

[ldiot]

I hate hanging notes and try to manage by signs posted everywhere. So tacky IMO.

Well if he puts the note on the screen I doubt it will be staying there.