I remember the moment like it was only yesterday. It's not often you get the feeling that you're living in a world where things are breaking your way, especially if you're me, especially when I'm dealing in things work related. But there I was in a momentary place where every child has a puppy and rides around on a unicorn that shits out rainbows. Representatives of my employer were actually giving positive encouragement to rank and file employees. They had given them both a challenge and the tools to meet it, and most disorienting of all, had acted pleased when the challenge had been met. I had just graduated with the absolute last class of immunizing pharmacists in my company, and while there were smiles and back slaps all around, I knew what would be coming next.
I remember that moment like it was yesterday because it almost was. In less than three months the positive encouragement has morphed into business as usual. THE FLU SHOT NUMBERS SENT OUT IN LAST MEMO WERE NOT A GOAL, THEY WERE A MINIMUM!! ALL STORES ARE REQUIRED TO MEET THESE NUMBERS AND THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES FOR THOSE THAT DO NOT!!! I was genuinely shocked....that it took them this long to return to normal. I rolled my eyes, deleted the message, then walked over to the shelf and broke the seal on a bottle of Jalyn that had been gathering dust and was ready to be sent back to our wholesaler. A little harmless Lordstown syndrome is good for the soul when you work in retail pharmacy.
Thing is, it takes awhile to realize that being a retail pharmacy manager in turn of 21st century America is a setup for failure. That taking your corporate office seriously is a recipe for insanity. The game of unreasonable expectations is one that is played in every major chain, but it takes a few years of browbeating before it usually sinks in. My pharmacy manager isn't there yet, and I can see the stress on her face, aggravated by the fact she's here on a work visa. She's fired and she's also deported. So she's desperately toeing the company line, practically begging everyone who sets foot in the store to get a flu shot. I'm passive about the whole thing, if you want a flu shot, I'll make sure you don't leave without one, but I'm not about to bug your life to talk you into it. I've got plenty of other shit to do.
So far this week I have given 10 more shots than my stressed out, desperate pharmacy manager.
Because she also doesn't realize that the bullies from above, like most bullies, aren't very smart. That their suggested way of doing things rarely matches with what works in the real world. That if you really do want to give more flu shots, their MANDATORY PROCEDURE probably isn't the most effective way to do it.
So the pressure will build and the stress will rise, not only for my manager, but for like minded de-professionalized professionals throughout the company. We've had pharmacists crack under their pressure before, committing fraud regarding some sort of customer service survey and having to write a letter of apology in the company newsletter. Others that got fired over bending the rules when the frequent shopper card came out. If the bullies from above were able to break people over unimportant crap such as that, you know what's going to happen when the type of dollars to be made giving flu shots is on the line.
Someone, somewhere, is going to start making up false flu shot prescriptions to get the bullies from above off their back. I'm calling it right now. And if those false flu shots involve Medicare, which would be the easiest to do since Medicare flu shots have a zero co-pay, whoever does it will be aqua-fucked. Because that person will have just defrauded the federal government. That person will face fines and banishment from the Medicare program, making them unhirable, while the corporation that broke them with prescriptions on a time clock, lists of phone calls that MUST be made, staff cuts and sheets of unobtainable goals will at most, get a slap on the wrist.
It's not worth it. Learn to ignore them my friends, or at the very least, accidentally knock a few Lipitor tablets into the trash with every memo.
9 comments:
I left retail years ago after realizing that upper management was increasingly populated by the Dumb and Dumber. My friends in that Orwellian world of chain store pharmacy are now under an idiotic quota system that judges their performance solely on the basis of the number of "shots" per week. This is on top of widespread reductions in staff hours in the face of increased RX volume (must be rocket science?) The rabidly intense focus on immunizing activity is utterly baffling to me, especially since it would be more economical to simply hire an LPN for the cost of a tech and have them do it. The time spent immunizing geezers with barely functional immune systems means less time for dispensing, so the busy immunizer scores points with the morons in management but gets in trouble with the same morons because of complaints from the other customers kept waiting. The Safeways, RiteAids, etc. have finally succeeded in turning the pharmacy into a flea circus.
Sorry to hear how bad things are getting in retail...All I can say is get the hell out if you can! Try LTC, mail order, managed care, compounding, hospital, etc. It is a tough market out there but worth a shot. After 3 years of retail pharmacy as an intern, I knew I would kill myself if I stayed in retail as a pharmacist. I am working for a hospital now as a pharmacist and I love the job. Only flu shots I will give this year will be too my fellow pharmacists and technicians.
I wondered why every time our hours get cut some expensive medicine ends up spilled all over the floor. That said I've never minded flu shots. They are actually a good service for us to provide the public. That said if a 20 year old healthy female comes in to get her birth control I'm certainly not going to bug her about a flu shot. But when the 60 year old dude comes in and gets his Combivent or the 30 year old girl comes in to get her Atripla you better believe I am going to insist that they get vaccinated. It really is one of the best ways you can prevent disease as a pharmacist.
An emerging theory called
"Psychopath cowboys, sociopath herds" is starting to sound pretty relevant here in retail land. It's creeping me out.
I have no problems giving flu shots but I do have problems giving flu shots on top of everything else we do.
My advice is follow your heart. If you love being a pharmacist stay there. If the profession if driving you nuts find a way to make a living that you enjoy. I got a government job, where I work out in the field rather than in a caged pharmacy. I enjoy going to work every day.
I'm so glad I found this!!! I'm still a new (yet much older) pharmacist (graduated 2010) and the only thing that has saved me from the corporate-kool-aid-drinking crowd has been my life experience before becoming a pharmacist. I ignore lots of things that come from corporate -- these people are complete idiots.
Our brainiacs at corporate are enticing us this year with flippin' CUPCAKES! That's right! The store with the most flu shots earns cupcakes for the entire store! How completely insulting and demeaning! But hey, at least we are not having to meet quotas YET. Hey, I have an idea! How about a BONUS based on how many flu shots we give on top of all our other duties! Now that's something I might be interested in.
It's only gonna get worse. I hate the quotas and competition. I am not a saleswoman. I hate being a needle pusher. (That is a nurse's job. If I wanted to be nurse, I would have) Every month, there is more pressure to do more on top of all we are resposible for. We are "the final check" before our patient injests poison. Accuracy and care used to be a virtue.
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