Who am I?

Ok.  So I've been thinking a lot about this today.  What has really changed since I've started to get agitated at work?  I started out working in a pharmacy and in a hospital pharmacy during University as a Pharmacy Technician.  So when I became a Pharmacist I came into it with a different view.  Unlike the new grads that I've been seeing over the recent years that come into the profession as a licensed Pharmacist expecting 6 figures, a car, a bonus and thier entire tuition paid for by the company hiring them and just stand at the end of the counter waiting to be handed prescriptions to check and playing on the internet, I had a "tech's" background.

I came into work and WORKED.  I have always been the Pharmacist that did whatever it took to keep the pharmacy running smoothly so that our customers always came in and didn't have to wait for a thing.  I'd come in 1 hour early to put away the stock so that when the techs got to work they could just begin working on filling the prescriptions so that there wasn't a backlog and people waiting for thier medications.  I would file the hardcopies for the techs, pull and process the expired medications, heck, I would even vacuum and dust and do the dishes.  This, on top of my 12 hours shift and duties of Pharmacist or Pharmacy Manager or even Relief/Locum Pharmacist.

Now, for some reason I'm resenting it.  So I stopped doing all the things that us Pharmacists don't do.  I just checked prescriptions and focussed on my managerial duties for 1 whole month.  And guess what?  The store fell apart.  So now, I decided to go back to "pitching in" and resent it.  Why can I do my job AND everyone elses?

You may say, just hire better people.  Well, that's easier said than done.  You've got the union to consider as well as the fact that I live in a small town.  Good staff, let alone any kind of educated staff, is hard to come by.  Then there is headoffice giving you a very rigid alotment of hours for staffing the pharmacy.

So, I can't catch my breath.  I'm seeing it today...I just need to get back to seeing pharmacy the way I used to and "pitch in' but it's hard when you have all these other professional services that have been been added by headoffice and the college...services that I want the time to offer but have no time to offer since we have to keep the store running.

How do I get past this?

Is unionization the answer for pharmacists?

Here is an interesting article posted by the Redheaded Pharmacist on Unions.

http://www.theredheadedpharmacist.com/?p=3284

Check it out

Days like this make me want to stick it out

Days like today make me want to stick it out at work.  Today had absolutely NOTHING to do with work though.  It was my day off with the kids and we just play and have so much fun.  My daughter says to me today that she never ever wants to leave here.  She wants to live in this house with us even when she's a big girl like me.  I understand what she's talking about.  We live in such a beautiful part of the country.  Fresh air, no traffic, no violence, no stress in your non-work life (except for how to get out of your driveway during a snow storm!).

It makes me just want to suck it up and keep on working just so we can stay in this part of the country.  Whatever years of life work is taking away from me are added on by my non-work environment :)

Oh Happy Day!

California Pharmacists Association to launch employee pharmacist ombudsman program

An interesting article on a state sponsored association to support employee Pharmacists.  The are creating a neutral body to mediate between Pharmacists and Empolyers:

http://drugtopics.modernmedicine.com/drugtopics/Modern+Medicine+News/CPhA-to-launch-employee-pharmacist-ombudsman-progr/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/702255

Trying a different approach.

So, this week I decided to try a different approach.  I will just spend my time at work counting pills, filing and going to the cash register.  This way I will make sure that all the prescriptions are filled and the customers are happy.  All the work got done.  This is good.  Right?  This is want everyone wants right?

So, this week I didn't get any managerial work done.  I didn't get the audits completed for the insurance companies and didn't get a chance to do any MedsChecks.  But that's ok.  I got all the prescriptions filled.

How long will I be ok with this way of working?  I'm a very highly paid technician and cashier.  I am not using my brain cells for more than checking prescriptions.

Is this what community pharmacy is becoming?

I've been thinking about doing this for a while...

So, I've been thinking about doing this for a while now.  I have read a lot of blogs in the past and thought, hmmmm...this is a good idea.  But I have never mustered up the courage to do it until now.  And I really don't know what has made me take the leap tonight but here goes.

I suppose the reason I feel compelled to write and ramble on is for my own self-interest.  I've been trolling around on the internet for months now trying to see if there is anyone out there that feels the way I do about Pharmacy here in Ontario, Canada specifically.

I work for a Chain pharmacy as Manager due to the fact that there is no where else to work since we live in rural Canada.

I have always been a very compentant and efficiant worker but it seems that in the last 7 months it's gotten out of control. 

The Ontario government imposed thier funding cuts in July of 2010.  

Since then Chain companies (and I'm assuming Independants) have cut support hours of technicians but still expected the pharmacists to provide safe service to thier patients.  The pharmacists are expected to pick up the slack of the lack of technicians by performing more technical duties (ie. more counting, filing of prescriptions, putting away stock, ringing prescriptions as well as OTCs at the cash register) as well as increase the number of MedsChecks and other services to increase revenue for the pharmacy companies.

I have absolutely NOTHING against the technical duties that have to be performed in a pharmacy to keep it going.  However, my issue is with expecting the pharmacist to be doing ALL of these duties as well as checking and counselling patients safely on a 12 hour shift where you're not allowed a lunch or supper break let alone finding time to go to the bathroom.

Here's my question.  The companies are cutting support hours based on the previous years budget.  Yes I agree we are losing money compared to what they were EXPECTING to make this year but they are still making money (or most of them are).  Does it make sense to be cutting staffing hours and back-logging the pharmacy to the point of aggrivating your remaining customers?  Patients will go somewhere else if they have to keep coming back and thier prescription is not done AGAIN. 

Opps, the Pharmacist is letting someone into the bathroom...sorry you are going to have to wait for them to check your prescription...but wait...sorry the one and only technician is at the cash register ringing someone through...yes you remembered last year when there were 3 happy, smiling technicians here to serve you and you prescription was always done in less than 20 minutes.  BUT today, you get one grumpy technician and 1 pharmacist who hasn't eaten lunch and has been dying to go to the bathroom for the last 3.5 hours to serve you.  Have a nice day!

Does anyone feel that Community Pharmacy has recently gotten out of control?!