What do you hate the most about retail pharmacy?

[trailerpark]

Without reading anyone else's posts mine would be lack of tech help and the emphasis on all this stupid **** like IMZs and adherence arbitrary scores. Just have to pretend to care I guess and fly under the radar to keep getting those checks.

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[HandsomeVampire]

Being asked where the bathroom is...

 

[JustFillIt]

I would like to start by saying retail pharmacy is the pits... There is very little that is actually enjoyable about the job. I fill about 400 prescriptions in 10 hours (typical day) with no overlap at all. The amount is issues that comes up in a day is quite high when you do that much.

I have 4 technicians that each work 9 hours in the day as support. I am also the PIC

So - that is my situation and it can get hard. However I have decided to work smarter and it is actually going great. I have decided - if state/corporate law allow for a technician to to the duty I will delegate that out to the technician. I have my technicians doing flu shots, verbal transfers, verbal call ins, and they screen all of my doctor calls. This saves me so much time in the day. Also after I product verify I throw the bottle into its bag and I line them all up on the counter, then a technician comes and stuffs the bag with the paperwork.

I have not noticed any increase in errors at all with these initiatives and it makes hard retail much more manageable.

Also - another thing that works wonders is to have everyone come in an hour early and crush all of the data entry and fill. This sets the day up so that all you are dealing with is the incoming prescriptions instead of catching up with the autofill all day.

The first year of my practice it was horrible... I was working 14 hours a day. But now it is actually quite nice... I work 42 hours a week at most and my patients are happy, I am happy, and my technicians are happy. Wait times average at about 20-25 minutes for a new Rx drop off.

The pay is great, and I also only work 4 days on in a week and have 3 days off. I am currently in a luxery hotel in deep Maine where I am enjoying all of the fall colors in the trees and just taking it easy with my family.

My job satisfaction is quite high and it is because I have come up with solutions to how to deal with the situation I have found myself in.

 

[sozetone]

I hate it when the store opens, EVERYTHING happening in between, oh and my drive home. Is that too vague? lol

 

[sozetone]

I would like to start by saying retail pharmacy is the pits... There is very little that is actually enjoyable about the job. I fill about 400 prescriptions in 10 hours (typical day) with no overlap at all. The amount is issues that comes up in a day is quite high when you do that much.

I have 4 technicians that each work 9 hours in the day as support. I am also the PIC

So - that is my situation and it can get hard. However I have decided to work smarter and it is actually going great. I have decided - if state/corporate law allow for a technician to to the duty I will delegate that out to the technician. I have my technicians doing flu shots, verbal transfers, verbal call ins, and they screen all of my doctor calls. This saves me so much time in the day. Also after I product verify I throw the bottle into its bag and I line them all up on the counter, then a technician comes and stuffs the bag with the paperwork.

I have not noticed any increase in errors at all with these initiatives and it makes hard retail much more manageable.

Also - another thing that works wonders is to have everyone come in an hour early and crush all of the data entry and fill. This sets the day up so that all you are dealing with is the incoming prescriptions instead of catching up with the autofill all day.

The first year of my practice it was horrible... I was working 14 hours a day. But now it is actually quite nice... I work 42 hours a week at most and my patients are happy, I am happy, and my technicians are happy. Wait times average at about 20-25 minutes for a new Rx drop off.

The pay is great, and I also only work 4 days on in a week and have 3 days off. I am currently in a luxery hotel in deep Maine where I am enjoying all of the fall colors in the trees and just taking it easy with my family.

My job satisfaction is quite high and it is because I have come up with solutions to how to deal with the situation I have found myself in.

Yeah and when your DM stops in for the monthly visit, I'm sure he/she will find a dozen unapproved short cuts/policy violations from the sound of it. lol happy huh? not a word i normally hear in conjunction with retail pharmacy, but good for you. keep delegating, maybe eventually you wont have to do anything at all. lol

 

[sozetone]

I dislike the unreachable metrics which are applied. Applying metrics in healthcare is a very bad idea. Patients end up receiving treatment they don't need or shouldn't receive.

I agree, this smoke and mirrors game of "caring for the community". "increasing peoples health and wellness" is all a dog and pony show for the medicare/medicade people. Otherwise we would lose those contracts next year and keep losing business. ($$$) Adherence is everything bro....lol. oh and vaccinate EVERYTHING....even if your unsure...give them yellow fever, polio, chicken pox, hepatitis of all kinds, TDAP, Shingles vaccine (if you can get it).

 

[sozetone]

Here are my sincere questions:

Why do people in retail feel stuck like they cannot leave? Why can't most people who dislike retail/community pharmacy leave when I know others who left such positions within at least 6 months-5 years? If it was me who needed a job, I would take any hours any day of the week (the more, the better regardless of potential burnout). It seems to me from the comments on this post is the following: in the retail/community setting, there is no true support and there are few people willing and able to do the work.

So, why stay in that setting; why not leave and use your BPharm, MPharm, BS in Pharmacy, MS in Pharmacy, or PharmD for something else? Is the employer not paying for your CE credits or training outside of the realm of retail/community pharmacy or is it more of a choice to stay because you feel you cannot do anything else? Or is the salary so comfortable that you do not want to leave your present job?

I have seen PharmDs become doctors (MD/DO and/or PhD) and vice versa. I have seen an individual with a BS in pharmacy become a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) back in the 1970s. I have seen PharmDs today become medical writers, clinical pharmacists (PBM or not) with additional credentials to their name, pharmaceutical sales representatives either right of school or within 3 years after graduation. One of my preceptors teaches for a college and still keeps his Pharmacy Manager job at Publix (no residency). Most of them started in retail but did not end their career in that setting.

So, what is the real problem here?

The real problem? Not everyone wants to constantly be struggling to FIND new avenues of work and live to work. Most people want to settle down, have a family, a house, A dog, A jukebox...lol you know the American dream? Not constantly be going back to school or moving all over the country. These jobs go so fast like underwear you cant even safely buy a home and try to raise a family. The security level is so low, you could be in foreclosure and on food stamps real fast. Thats what keeps me up at night. It's not a matter of IF but a matter of WHEN.

 

[JustFillIt]

Yeah and when your DM stops in for the monthly visit, I'm sure he/she will find a dozen unapproved short cuts/policy violations from the sound of it. lol happy huh? not a word i normally hear in conjunction with retail pharmacy, but good for you. keep delegating, maybe eventually you wont have to do anything at all. lol

You know Absolutly nothing. I filled 425 Rx today in 10 hours with no overlap - I had a fantastic day.. does that make you jealous?

Nothing unapproved, and nothing happens that is not according to my state laws.

But yes - a successful pharmacy manager in the current state of retail pharmacy understands that pharmacy is now ran by technicians and the only way to reach a smooth operation is to delegate as much as possible. Be smart

 

[sozetone]

You know Absolutly nothing. I filled 425 Rx today in 10 hours with no overlap - I had a fantastic day.. does that make you jealous?

Nothing unapproved, and nothing happens that is not according to my state laws.

But yes - a successful pharmacy manager in the current state of retail pharmacy understands that pharmacy is now ran by technicians and the only way to reach a smooth operation is to delegate as much as possible. Be smart

Listen little one dont talk to me like that. I am a successful manager for many years. Dont tell me how to run my store. If you have enough techs to do all those responsibilities look forward to a cut soon. They dont want you "happy" or "comfortable". Right behind you are dozens of applicants they can pay 10-15/hr less. You need to wake up.

 

[GypsyHummus]

That is why I think it is important to be completely debt free. That way you can focus on emergency funds/savings then building wealth and invest in other areas of revenue. Passive income seems to be key. If things go down and you lose your job and can’t work in that area, you at least have some money coming in at all times.

Most of the wealthy people I know either A) work hard in a desirable field like surgery or B) made a modest income, investing in something like real estate, side hussle, etc. and lived off of 20k/year for 7 years.

I forget who said it, but something that resonated with me is something like “You will never be wealthy until you find out how to make money while you sleep”.

The real problem? Not everyone wants to constantly be struggling to FIND new avenues of work and live to work. Most people want to settle down, have a family, a house, A dog, A jukebox...lol you know the American dream? Not constantly be going back to school or moving all over the country. These jobs go so fast like underwear you cant even safely buy a home and try to raise a family. The security level is so low, you could be in foreclosure and on food stamps real fast. Thats what keeps me up at night. It's not a matter of IF but a matter of WHEN.

 

[sozetone]

That is why I think it is important to be completely debt free. That way you can focus on emergency funds/savings then building wealth and invest in other areas of revenue. Passive income seems to be key. If things go down and you lose your job and can’t work in that area, you at least have some money coming in at all times.

Most of the wealthy people I know either A) work hard in a desirable field like surgery or B) made a modest income, investing in something like real estate, side hussle, etc. and lived off of 20k/year for 7 years.

I forget who said it, but something that resonated with me is something like “You will never be wealthy until you find out how to make money while you sleep”.

I agree with ya man, you will NEVER get rich/wealthy working for someone else.