How to survive retail pharmacy
I’m not going to lie. I hate my job. Not the pharmacist part but the retail part. Specifically, I hate serving people in the till. Most of them are so condescending.
Retail pharmacy used to have a lot more staffs, so I can focus on doing pharmacist type work. However, thanks to the pandemic, pharmacists have to do more than just their job scope.
For example, I had this one customer who wanted to get an advice on what charging cable to buy for her iPhone X. I told her that the lightning cable should work but she’s not satisfied with that answer. She want assurances that if the charging cable doesn’t fit, she can get a refund.
In the book, Why You by James Reed, James wrote about making your own job more enjoyable first before looking for another one because you can be sure to be asked on it.
Based on that advice, I googled to see if there is any way I can improve my work conditions and here are five top tips that could possible makes the work better.
Tip # 1: Reframe your thinking
Serving the till is probably the least favourite part of my job and rather than thinking of it as something that I hate to do, think of it as something that helps me develop networking skill.
Ask people about their day and how they are doing. I am quite an introvert and this kind of talk is not my cup of tea but the good thing is you don’t have to say anything else. Just let people talk about their day.
Also, think of it as something you get to do, not something you have to do.
Tip # 2: Think of the bigger picture
Let’s be real here. Many community pharmacist stays in pharmacy because of money, including me 🤓. It pays relatively well, though not well enough compared to anyone else with a four-year degree and a one year on-the-job training.
However, keep your eye on something bigger. You have the option to pursue store management, independent prescribing, or even anything else. The job is not that intellectually demanding so you can fit in a lot more in your free hours.
Just make sure that you pay attention to patient safety, focusing on contra-indications of medicines when giving your advice. Fun fact: you can refer to BNF when giving advice and it is completely fine to do that. I do that all the time because it is impossible to keep up with all new development without referring to these sources.
Tip #3: Talk to another retail pharmacist who is not a manager
Sometimes, all you need is someone to hear you ranting. I’m fortunate that I met some amazing people who I can talk to about any interactions with customers and patients without being judged.
It’s not advice that we need. It’s the acknowledgment that we are being listened to.
It works with patients too. Sometimes, all they need is someone who listens to their problem.
Tip #4: Keep a stress ball handy
It works, honestly. I had a stress ball that looks like a capsule of Flarin. Give it all when you squeeze the ball. It helps.
Even if you don’t have it, just make a fist and give all your emotions to it.
Tip #5: Switch off completely when you’re not at work
It can be hard sometime especially when you are the only person who understands your patient needs. To do this properly, make sure you leave a handover note and set up a working system where the pharmacy can run itself as if you’re not there.
At the start of my shift, I created a simple document on notepad, and write anything and everything about the patients I am serving. It created a record for me and also aid my clinical judgment, in case I want to reflect on whether I made the right call. I then add salient points to patients’ personal medical records (PMR) so that when your team have any queries, they can find it here.
If you have any other tips that help you survive retail pharmacy, do let me know.
Syafiq.
Originally published at https://www.syafiqkay.com on June 30, 2021.
