working condition for retail pharm tech

[pharmacia]

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Hi,
I'm currently working at Target pharmacy in Oregon. I was grateful initially when I got this job a month ago after sending out resumes for five months. Well, to begin with, they really don't train me and expect me to work. My boss will be explaining something and in a few minute, I need to ring up a register or answer the phone calls, etc.

There are too many things that I don't get a complete picture nor detail procedures to remember them. I'm not sure this is true with most of retail pharmacies but I'm too frustrated by their expectation to do what they are doing in such a short time. Plus I only work around 12 hours a week which is not enough time to learn everything.

Are we supposed to have a photographic memory to retain everything what we see? If that's true, I'm willing to quit this $7.50/hr job for any place with better working condition.

 

[loneranger]

Hi,
I'm currently working at Target pharmacy in Oregon. I was grateful initially when I got this job a month ago after sending out resumes for five months. Well, to begin with, they really don't train me and expect me to work. My boss will be explaining something and in a few minute, I need to ring up a register or answer the phone calls, etc.

There are too many things that I don't get a complete picture nor detail procedures to remember them. I'm not sure this is true with most of retail pharmacies but I'm too frustrated by their expectation to do what they are doing in such a short time. Plus I only work around 12 hours a week which is not enough time to learn everything.

Are we supposed to have a photographic memory to retain everything what we see? If that's true, I'm willing to quit this $7.50/hr job for any place with better working condition.

Welcome to the retail pharmacy world. You'll be lucky to find a pharmacy that really trains you and treats you with respect.

 

[longstech]

I agree with loneranger. Some of the more successful clerks/techs we have had in our pharmacy have taken notes and then gone home and studied them. This greatly improved their knowledge of what was going on and usually did not take them as long to catch on. They also made far less mistakes than others who choose to try and learn as you are. I know that this seems like extra work, but I think that it will greatly improve your current work situation.

It is very difficult in the beginning, but eventually you should get the hang of it and it will gradually become easier.

Hang in there!!!

 

[UFGatorRx]

Hi,
I'm currently working at Target pharmacy in Oregon. I was grateful initially when I got this job a month ago after sending out resumes for five months. Well, to begin with, they really don't train me and expect me to work. My boss will be explaining something and in a few minute, I need to ring up a register or answer the phone calls, etc.

There are too many things that I don't get a complete picture nor detail procedures to remember them. I'm not sure this is true with most of retail pharmacies but I'm too frustrated by their expectation to do what they are doing in such a short time. Plus I only work around 12 hours a week which is not enough time to learn everything.

Are we supposed to have a photographic memory to retain everything what we see? If that's true, I'm willing to quit this $7.50/hr job for any place with better working condition.

The same exact thing happened to me working at CVS. It was the busiest pharmacy in town so everyone was too busy to properly train me. Instead, they sent me to "training sessions" at the corporate office where we just read from manuals for 5 hours at a time. My suggestion: ask to work a few shifts that are less busy or work temporarily in a slower store. AND DO THIS QUICKLY before you're slowly fazed out of the schedule, like I was. How can you be expected to do things that you haven't been trained to do? Respectfully explain that to them and hopefully something happens 😀

 

[selo]

Hey,
I am in the same boat. I started to work as an intern as Walgreens last week, and some tech and pharmacist expect me to know everything. I am not trained because the store is too busy, and some tech do not want to train me, and expect me to know how to deal with insurance company. the pharmacy manager sent me to the office to do some online training, which is not enough.As for me, the best way to learn is by doing.I never get a chance to do something bymyslself, except ringing the register,and checking the bin when patient come to pick up meds.i am willing to quit.too much pressure . i have to be on my feet for hours. and more importanly i am in the second semester of pharmacy school. Ihave 8 classes!
I have to quit.

Hi,
I'm currently working at Target pharmacy in Oregon. I was grateful initially when I got this job a month ago after sending out resumes for five months. Well, to begin with, they really don't train me and expect me to work. My boss will be explaining something and in a few minute, I need to ring up a register or answer the phone calls, etc.

There are too many things that I don't get a complete picture nor detail procedures to remember them. I'm not sure this is true with most of retail pharmacies but I'm too frustrated by their expectation to do what they are doing in such a short time. Plus I only work around 12 hours a week which is not enough time to learn everything.

Are we supposed to have a photographic memory to retain everything what we see? If that's true, I'm willing to quit this $7.50/hr job for any place with better working condition.

 

[pharmacia]

Hey,
I am in the same boat. I started to work as an intern as Walgreens last week, and some tech and pharmacist expect me to know everything. I am not trained because the store is too busy, and some tech do not want to train me, and expect me to know how to deal with insurance company. the pharmacy manager sent me to the office to do some online training, which is not enough.As for me, the best way to learn is by doing.I never get a chance to do something bymyslself, except ringing the register,and checking the bin when patient come to pick up meds.i am willing to quit.too much pressure . i have to be on my feet for hours. and more importanly i am in the second semester of pharmacy school. Ihave 8 classes!
I have to quit.

Thanks for sharing your situations all of you! I've worked in IT and have graduate degree, trying to find out whether pharmacy is for me. So far, they've been treating me really mean. I even heard my manager (who is just recent graduate from pharm school) calling other store manager and telling her how slow I am, etc. I guess they just hired me instead of some other applicants who have been through tech school, hoping that I'll be a super fast learner and able to do everything on my own (btw, I've worked at an insurance company as an actuarial analyst and my boss told me he was so glad to have someone who has worked in insurance).

So far, I've been working at Target only for three weeks now and as you said they are reducing my work hour to around 10 hours per week. I can either look for other stores(but there's no guarantee that they'll provide better training than TArget) or trying to get some help outside of work.

 

[loneranger]

it's funny how they have you go through a series of screens on the computer and call that training. I also started out at a busy pharmacy and my manager would have me worked on busy mondays because they were understaffed. It was very hectic because I started working when Medicare Part D was initiated. The pharmacy manager would constantly yell at me in front of other workers because she expected me to know everything. It was absurd. She never bothered to train me herself. It was a kind of training where you learn from your mistakes and from getting yelled at. But later on, as I gained experience, I started learning the brand and generic names. I started getting the hang of how to use the dispensing software and troubleshooting the insurance problems. Now it's a breeze.

My advice is to hang in there, take notes, learn from your mistakes, and learn the generics and brand names.

 

[Sharwood]

Hey,

I've worked at CVS for two years now. They didn't train me either. Instead, they started me working the register on the first of the month. I work at a store where we can do upwards of 800 scripts a day. Trial by fire...I got used to it though. You will pick it up after a while, and they only started me at $7/hr 🙁. Oh well, good luck!!

 

[All4MyDaughter]

If you have no pharmacy experience it is darn hard to pick up everything you need to learn when you only work 10 hours/week. Both of my retail positions I started during the summer when I was working a lot more hours per week and it was easier to pick things up. I still don't know everything and I have been with Walgreens since May.

Now, I only work once or twice a month and it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to learn anything new because I forget it in the 28+ days I have between shifts. When I'm there I just try to count or work the register because it is easier on everyone else (they don't have to constantly answer my questions). I work in a very busy Walgreens.

I'm considering a move to another chain where I will be helping to open a new store. So we'll see how that goes.

Hang in there. I would talk to the pharmacy manager about your problem. Explain to them that you are having trouble picking up things (and retaining info) because you don't work very much. Ask them what they want you to focus on first (filling? working the register? something else?) and how to best learn that work station. I wouldn't quit- you haven't been there very long and another store/chain is unlikely to be significantly different. Good luck!

 

[rxlynn]

Hi,
I'm currently working at Target pharmacy in Oregon. I was grateful initially when I got this job a month ago after sending out resumes for five months. Well, to begin with, they really don't train me and expect me to work. My boss will be explaining something and in a few minute, I need to ring up a register or answer the phone calls, etc.

There are too many things that I don't get a complete picture nor detail procedures to remember them. I'm not sure this is true with most of retail pharmacies but I'm too frustrated by their expectation to do what they are doing in such a short time. Plus I only work around 12 hours a week which is not enough time to learn everything.

Are we supposed to have a photographic memory to retain everything what we see? If that's true, I'm willing to quit this $7.50/hr job for any place with better working condition.

Hi - there are a lot of sympathetic ears here - we remember what it was like when we first set foot in a pharmacy. Does Target have anybody on the district level who is in charge of technician training? If so, ask if that person can come to your store when you are working and work along side you - that should help you pick up some stuff faster. What sort of training materials do they have? I work for CVS and they not too long ago sent a little (almost coat pocket size) booklet out to the stores that is just a quick reference for how do you do a lot of the common functions you would see on a day to day basis - something like that might be helpful.

It sounds like your boss is at least trying to explain some things to you - then you say you get interrupted. That is unlikely to change no matter how long you are in a retail pharmacy. There are certain things only the pharmacist can do, so they tend to get called away often. If that scenario of multi-tasking really bothers you, then maybe you should consider some other type of practice setting - retail is always going to demand that you multi-task, and it is probably much more fast paced than some other jobs.

Also, I second the earlier poster - it is very difficult to get used to a new job in a pharmacy unless you are working more hours in the week - the more you are there, the more you will see how to handle different situations. And, as somebody else pointed out, you might have to spend a bit of time on your own learning some basics. The first 6 to 8 months I was in a pharmacy, every time I counted a drug I hadn't heard of before, I went home that night and looked it up. It wasn't too long before I knew a lot of brands/generics and had an idea of what was an antibiotic, a blood pressure med, etc.

Lastly, hang in there! It really will get better with time.

 

[PhilosophyGrl]

I understand where you're coming from. I was basically thrown into the pharmacy with a "have at it" attitude. I picked up quickly though and can basically do almost everything without asking too many questions.

We're supposed to do computer training and get experience in the pharmacy, but I haven't seen the computer since basically starting. Just give it some time. You'll get use to it.

 

[lizardgirl]

When I first started in a pharmacy, the pharmacy director that hired me told me that I would hate my job for the first 6-8 weeks until one day everything finally clicked. He was absolutely correct. The training was minimal - if any - in most areas of the job, but I took the time to learn things on my own.

Hang in there. It WILL get better. 🙂

 

[Milk Man]

If you cant handle it now, when you graduate, the same exact situation will occur.

In pharmacy, you will NEVER get enough training. Not as a tech. Not as a pharmacist.

 

[greatdeals225]

Good luck!!

It is true that the first months are very hectic.. but then again.. think about it... only a few months, then your life will be easy again

and think about it, when you become a pharmacist, your job will be of your boss. However, remember then to treat your "newly hired" technicians like you would have loved to have been treated when you first got the job!