tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post6041242816758529805..comments2023-06-25T06:35:00.953-04:00Comments on Retail Pharmacy, Life, and General Lunacy: A Really Difficult JobPharmacy Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06988761844897996541noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-55175222999704873882010-08-01T03:19:30.502-04:002010-08-01T03:19:30.502-04:00This blog is a great insight to the pro's and ...This blog is a great insight to the pro's and con's of pharmacy work. I'm 17 years of age and contemplating pharmacology and reading this blog has answered a heap of questions. You have a really nice style of writing as well, so much that I've been reading your blog for well over 3 hours.<br /><br />Thanks, and good luck on your future endeavours!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-42953925987068032352010-07-23T02:02:38.504-04:002010-07-23T02:02:38.504-04:00There are parts I agree with in your blog and part...There are parts I agree with in your blog and parts I do not agree with. <br /><br />Let's start with opposing opinions and then I'll state was opinions I share with you.<br /><br />First, let me give you some background information<br /><br />- I am a 20 yr old female college student, in school full time and working roughly 25 hrs/week part-time at a retail pharmacy. (no school this summer so I'm working more hours but you get the picture). I have worked at this retail pharmacy for 10 months. <br /><br />I don't get why you give so little respect to your technicians? How long have they been working for you? Also, it's good to have them ask you questions in my opinion. Would you rather them shut up, make a mistake, you not catch up, and serious repercussions arise from this incident or spending 10 seconds out of your hectic schedule to answer their question? Are these certified/senior techs or what? In that case I could understand some but otherwise no. <br /><br />Another thing is your arrogance is seemingly obvious. Let me quote you<br /><br />"Moreover, despite being much more intelligent and more educated than pretty much everyone in the entire store, I ultimately have to answer to and follow the asinine rules made up by "head cashiers." Once again, I went through 6 years of college to get a doctorate in pharmacy. I graduated in the top 10% of my class."<br /><br />Are you serious, sir? <br /><br />Okay here are the parts I DO agree with you on.<br /><br />- I think consultation is a messed up process. I feel really bad for the pharmacists. You have a customer yelling in your ear because they wanted a 30 day supply instead of 90, they can't get their hydrocodone, some doctor's assistant is bitching because she is on hold trying to call in a prescription, and then you counsel a patient in drive thru who won't listen to you but you have to do it because it is the law. I definitely see your frustration. <br /><br />No lunch break and no potty break? It's seriously a nightmare. <br /><br />I cannot fathom the degree of stress pharmacists face on an every day basis. My major was pre-pharmacy but now it is dental hygiene. I would not be able to handle the stress of others.<br /><br />It's not fair, to be honest. If you are stressed and rushed, you're more likely to make an accident. I think there should be a patient education class on the pharmacy. It's just ridiculous. <br /><br />I called 8 different pharmacies today trying to see if someone had Oxycontin. What does the customer do? Gets pissed off because I won't have her Hydrocodone ready before she leaves. The lines are long and I never got a thank you. It's so disrespectful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-75726817493654979472010-07-12T09:15:21.590-04:002010-07-12T09:15:21.590-04:00I totally agree with everything you said. Imagine...I totally agree with everything you said. Imagine doing all of that and being pregnant. Not an easy thing...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-64448484828618534912010-07-07T11:12:33.748-04:002010-07-07T11:12:33.748-04:00You didn't talk about the drive thrus. My comp...You didn't talk about the drive thrus. My company wants Pharmacist to ring up the medication at the register so that the pharmacist can counsel the patient. I feel like I am a cashier more than a pharmacist. I already hate retail pharmacy job and can't wait to go back to hospital where I can at least use most of my time doing pharmacist job.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-69317319330021757642010-07-03T07:56:16.746-04:002010-07-03T07:56:16.746-04:00Hi Mike good to see you again. I hope someday you ...Hi Mike good to see you again. I hope someday you are considering that trainer gig when you I guess accumulate your nest egg.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-31451705832686929002010-07-03T07:52:14.104-04:002010-07-03T07:52:14.104-04:00I just saw the UCSF PharmD program syllabus, and I...I just saw the UCSF PharmD program syllabus, and I guess many were complaining. It is now split into 3 specialties so that someone going into research won't complain of endless clinical classes, and someone in the business side won't have to take heavy research classes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-68749770447124210712010-07-03T07:50:38.865-04:002010-07-03T07:50:38.865-04:00Mike,I dunno where you work, but I'm forever h...Mike,I dunno where you work, but I'm forever haunted by a retail pharmacy award hanging on their wall saying, #1 pharmacy for highest dispensed Rx's. Heck, it wasn't cuz of quality service, but cuz it was in an ideal location.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-11142521791442717492010-07-02T19:51:47.924-04:002010-07-02T19:51:47.924-04:00I work at an independent in a town of about 4000 p...I work at an independent in a town of about 4000 people. We fill 1600 rxs/week with one pharmacist and four techs at a time. All the cashiers are trained techs, and can step in at anytime and help w/ overflow. We have a HUGE, way more than adequate, inventory - we average maybe 2 or 3 owes a WEEK. Our phone system is an IVRS and the patients USE it. The phone rings about four times an hour. <br /><br /><br />Do I make "chain money"? Not quite - I pull in about $108-110k/year. I also wear jeans and a t-shirt (clean one) to work, I have NO insurance premiums or deductibles, we have take-out lunch EVERY day (out of the petty cash, per the owner's instructions), we close at 6pm SHARP, and I work 39 hours a week. I spend most of those 39 hours on the sales floor/in FRONT of the counter talking to patients. They're not intimidated by a white coat, a shirt and tie, or a name tag that says "Dr. So-and-so, PharmD." They know that they're talking to a friend who is familiar with their medical history, their medication usage, and the names of their kids and favorite sports team. In all my time there, I have had about (literally) 4 or 5 "stressful" moments.<br /><br />Also, a 401(k) with 6% match and a profit-sharing plan that you wouldn't believe if I told you about it.<br /><br />Why am I bragging about my job? Because I work for an independent - maybe I don't get a company car, and I haven't reached the prestigious $60 an hour level, but I've never been so happy in my career - shit, in my LIFE.<br /><br />And before you ask, yeah, we're viable. There's a Rite Aid that I can see right out the front door, and the next town over (much bigger) has about nine pharmacies total. We kick every one of their asses (number-wise and sales-wise) every week.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-57924019604755405262010-07-01T21:47:19.480-04:002010-07-01T21:47:19.480-04:00Yes, maybe it doesn't require 6 years to becom...Yes, maybe it doesn't require 6 years to become a pharmacist and no need for pharamcy schools to teach you all the information that you don't get to use on the job. Then anyone could become a pharmacist and take your job away. The reason why US made a switch from BPham to D.Pham was to prevent having too many pharmacists and too many people going to pharmacy school. Remember when the IT world was booming, everyone went to study IT, and then what happened, people couldn't get jobs after graduation. But I think pharmacy is slowly heading toward that direction with the number of new pharmacy schools opening each year. Reality is always different from what we learn in school.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-78827695914023550792010-06-28T20:43:52.858-04:002010-06-28T20:43:52.858-04:00That's why you get paid almost $60/hr. It'...That's why you get paid almost $60/hr. It's a high stress job that needs a lot education. The pay matches the stress.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-92150662795042767052010-06-27T00:51:47.356-04:002010-06-27T00:51:47.356-04:00Hospital pharmacy is no picnic either. The interru...Hospital pharmacy is no picnic either. The interruptions are also constant, pagers, phones, emails, etc. I, too am constantly listening to what my techs are doing all the time to make sure they are giving nurses the correct information and handling situations appropriately. And the techs have no idea what we do all day. When a lot of your work goes on by thinking about things that nobody can see, techs think our job is easy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-1486829679960563132010-06-26T14:21:39.829-04:002010-06-26T14:21:39.829-04:00I'm finishing up school, working on starting t...I'm finishing up school, working on starting the process to establish an independent pharmacy where I can spend more time working directly with patients rather than counting by 5's. Only time will tell, as always, but if this profession is ever going to change we'll have to change it.melachrinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10818749737833058096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-63785988146437406762010-06-25T17:21:10.166-04:002010-06-25T17:21:10.166-04:00excellent post. The UK tried to move towards this....excellent post. The UK tried to move towards this. Rather than getting paid or volume of dispensing, we now get paid or volume + additional services. You may have read about MUR's. Basically we get paid for a comprehensive patient counselling session. It has been an huge challenge for the profession, especially with a LOT of bullying fromm middle management. But my friends & I are at a stage now where it is all good. Proper payment (£28) for a proper consultation and customers recognising YOUR contribution rather than all the interventions going on unpaid & out of sight. Still a way to go though...Mrs MRPharmShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13875813035155390023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-30425284891260136842010-06-25T15:53:37.056-04:002010-06-25T15:53:37.056-04:00I think you make a good argument Mike. I am still...I think you make a good argument Mike. I am still in school so I do not think I have the right to say 'you don't need a 6 year degree to practice in retail pharmacy' but when I graduate I am sure I will still find that to be the case. When I first entered pharmacy school, I loved the idea of retail pharmacy but now after interning in it, it is just not for me, I respect those who stay in it and strive to better retail pharmacy. No privacy, idiot store managers, constant interruptions, poor staffing, insurance, and the struggle to battle business vs pharmacy practice....it is a tough game.<br />I agree with you that not all unhappy retail pharmacists can just walk away but that has nothing to do with you trying to walk away. Finding another position may require moving but it is a option. When I think about it, I try to imagine practicing retail pharmacy for the next 25-30 years and I just can not see myself doing it...<br />Trying to herd up pharmacists to make a change is like herding cats. Maybe I am a pessimist but in the end I see the corporations winning out, more and more schools are opening, we have not even seen the bulk of the effect that all these graduates will have in this recession, things are going to get worse before they can get better.<br /><br />I say get out while you can or at least try to get out, especially if you are not happy. <br />On a side note, there are 2 retail pharmacies in my area where the pharmacist applied for grants to fund an ambulatory care center at the pharmacy at it is pretty sweet. She is able to staff and offer several coaching classes, screenings, BP checks, and one of them has just began a collaborative drug therapy management protocol with a local physician group for a smoking cessation class. If it goes well, the physician group is interested in possibility of doing an anti-coag clinic as well. They took the initiative to apply for the grants and go meet with the prescribers and they are very happy with their careers as a result. Retail can be better but it takes a lot of work.<br />Whatever you decide, good luck and I love reading your blog.PharmJamnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-52978489903556054102010-06-25T14:37:39.330-04:002010-06-25T14:37:39.330-04:00Mike, I couldn't agree more. The current mode...Mike, I couldn't agree more. The current model, and the interruptions that are built into it, SUCKS. Would any other professional tolerate this on a day to day basis? And still maintain a calm and pleasant demeanor for the next patient? Is a retail pharmacy a pill mill or a site for providing health care services? Can't have both. <br /><br />I don't think many of my patients have any clue of the many tasks we are juggling right before their eyes. They wave me away when I approach for refill consults, just want to get their pills and get outta there. They seem to feel that I am holding them up by making some sort of sales pitch, doing them a disservice, when offering them consultation. I can say what I want, they aren't listening, make them wait 10 seconds and they are already distracted, texting away. "Is what you just said all printed on the label (cause I wasn't listening)" <br /><br />It is agonizing because we work so hard for those few customers every day who seek our help, find the answers they need, and value our time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-63006372344445685062010-06-25T10:16:42.350-04:002010-06-25T10:16:42.350-04:00So I don't want to say I have a stressful job,...So I don't want to say I have a stressful job, but I wanted to comment on doing something just diametrically opposed to what you studied in school.<br /><br />I'm an accountant by profession. In accounting classes you learn, in a big picture way, how do write financial statements and perform consolidations and so forth. In real life, I tell callers a hundred times a day which form to use and which account code they should write on the form. Never covered in my academic coursework and has nothing to do with what I studied in school. Oh yeah, and a trained monkey could do it just as well without a license and a master's degree.<br /><br />I think that's true of many professions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-17570631687986592662010-06-25T10:04:49.387-04:002010-06-25T10:04:49.387-04:00I am really considering going into pharmacy. I am ...I am really considering going into pharmacy. I am 30 years old with an MBA and BS in Computer Science. I have been working for the same company, first as a programmer and then as an internet project manager, for 10 years and I hate it. Not because it is hard or stressful, for the most part, but because I am tired on not being listened to and dealing with ignorant marketers and marketing managers all day who have no idea what they are talking about. I am trying to look for something completely different, outside of IT or project management, because I feel even if I get a new job that it would be more of the same anywhere I go. <br />I do understand all jobs, no matter what they are or where they are, will have stress and will have ignorant and dumb people you work with.<br />I read your post and it does kind of depress me, however I know that is just the adult world. It is called a job for a reason and being fun and easy isn't one of them. However, would you still recommend pharmacy to people as a decent career path? Is there any direction you would go this early on in the process (maybe take different classes or try some other internship while in pharmacy school) to put yourself on a path away from retail pharmacy and towards a more rewarding area of the business?<br />Thanks for your input.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-14523190030300315732010-06-25T08:17:07.088-04:002010-06-25T08:17:07.088-04:00I read the article before. I don't think her ...I read the article before. I don't think her stance is a tough one exactly. I don't think she's saying, "quit your whining." It's more like she's offering a different, more optimistic perspective.<br /><br />She's partially correct. It is our choice to stay in retail pharmacy. However, to say that the experience I depicted applies strictly to my own situation is incorrect. Retail pharmacy IS, for the majority, exactly how I described it. It's draining. It's frustrating. Often, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.<br /><br />Most retail pharmacists really aren't THAT happy with their jobs. Some might deal better than others. Some may work in slower pharmacies and not feel the same stress level. However, what I and a lot of other pharmacy bloggers write about is an accurate portrayal of the profession.<br /><br />Here's the question then: If most of us dislike the state of that profession, does that mean that we ALL drop what we're doing and find new jobs. The marketplace wouldn't be able to handle it. As a lot of pharmacists have found out, there aren't a helluva lot of hospital or clinical jobs out there. There's certainly not enough for ALL the pharmacists who dislike the state of their retail jobs.<br /><br />Moreover, if the experience I describe is so universal, isn't it in our best interests (not to mention the patients') to try to change it for the better? Why should we put up with ridiculous business expectations and poor patient care? Our attitudes aren't what's wrong with retail pharmacy. Retail pharmacy, in itself, is the problem.<br /><br />We fight for what we think are the necessary changes. We want more pharmacist help. We want more technicians. We want to be able to take a break without falling behind. However, we want to keep our $120,000/yr salaries. It's unrealistic. Our employers will not give us more pharmacist help when pharmacist help is the biggest thing standing in the way of profits. They don't care that we go home burned out. All they care is if it's feasible to fill even more scripts per week with even less help.<br /><br />That's just the nature of business. As I described, the business aspect of retail pharmacy in it's current form, will ALWAYS be in opposition with the professional side. That's why I'm starting to think that just maybe the solution is to somehow change the model so that the business end of simply filling scripts can be separated from the business end of practicing pharmacy. As much as I hate to admit it, you don't need 6 years of college and $120,000/yr to count by 5. Maybe, despite taking current retail pharmacists' jobs away, centralized filling and expanded technician roles is what we need to finally start practicing pharmacy the way we know we should.Pharmacy Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06988761844897996541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817205780911729159.post-25668751530197648222010-06-25T07:42:49.016-04:002010-06-25T07:42:49.016-04:00Did you get a chance to read the commentary from D...Did you get a chance to read the commentary from Dr. Anna Garrett posted in April 2010 in Drug Topics ("Reality: Have it your way")<br /> http://drugtopics.modernmedicine.com/drugtopics/Modern+Medicine+Now/Stressed-out-pharmacists-have-a-choice/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/664505?contextCategoryId=47511<br /><br />Do you think she has a point, or do you think her tough stance of "like it or leave it, but stop complaining" is unrealistic?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com