Letter from an anonymous frustrated retail pharmacist
Dear pharmacy retail companies:
You have completely ruined not only the pharmacy retail industry but have been a major factor in comprising the health of Americans.
Why do I say this? Well over the past couple years you have been making cuts in staffing, particularly with technician hours while simultaneously increasing our responsibilities and workload. Pharmacy technicians are an essential part of the pharmacy as they allow the pharmacist to practice the true profession of pharmacy by verifying orders correctly and ensuring that the patient ultimately receives their medication safely and appropriately. With these cuts, medication safety has completely been compromised.
Most pharmacists now have to work as both the pharmacist and pharmacy technician which is NOT safe for patients especially when there are over 300 orders to fulfill on a daily basis. Retail pharmacists are stressed and their jobs are becoming nearly impossible. Imagine acting as a cashier, pulling medications, counting medications, inputting prescription orders, counseling patients, giving vaccinations and answering a phone that rings every 30 seconds….. all by themselves. How can a pharmacist do the one thing they are supposed to do well, which is to provide the safe and effective use of medication to the public.
Unfortunately, patients cannot even refer to us anymore as their most trusted health care professional. As companies you are all only focused on money and revenue and sadly lack care about the health of patients and the health of their pharmacists who are the last point of contact before a medication goes to an individual. I have customers telling me and my colleagues that how you all treat us in inhumane and that most of our pharmacies are understaffed which provides an unfavorable experience for them.
Change needs to be conducted now. How you are treating the pharmacists and customers who play a big role in the revenue you obtain is wrong. It is a matter of time that soon we will all stand up for ourselves which may affect your business. Because at the end of the day this may not hurt your pockets how we are being treated, but it is certainly affecting the care of the customers you depend on and I would like to make it known to the public.
So for those reading this that come fill at these pharmacies come stand in unity with us and let these companies know that how they are treating us is wrong.
Sincerely,
A very frustrated, stressed pharmacist
Yes, Yes, Yes!!!
Do we need a Pharmacist UNION to quit what large retail companies are doing? I am so sick of how Pharmacists are treated in retail pharmacy. It is a wonder we don’t kill people because instead of verifying prescriptions, we are playing cashier. It is disgusting that a small CVS Pharmacy nets over 3 million dollars a year and yet we cannot have a technician. Then we are timed on everything we do to boot and measured on unrealistic metrics.
HELLO STATE PHARMACY BOARDS!!!!
ARE YOU BEING PAID OFF BY LARGE COMPANIES TO ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN? THE STATE PHARMACY BOARDS TURN A BLIND EYE, SO HMMMMMM????
Look at Illinois CVS Pharmacy union —- CVS is NOT paying pharmacists back pay on their union contracts. GREED-GREED and more GREED as the CEO’s of these companies are making 12 + million dollars a year, Why do they get to keep their secretaries and staff? Why don’t they give up something and allow pharmacist time to verify prescriptions?
People, the CEO’s salary is posted to the pubic every 2 years and then to boot, look at all the perks these CEO’s get:
Jets, stocks, bonuses and it just goes on and on, but we cannot afford technicians? BS!
Does anyone watch Kroger Company?
Look at their VERY UNETHICAL hiring practices!
All they do is hire pharmacy interns and place them into pharmacist positions to keep the gene pool young. Where is the EEOC? I do believe this is discrimination Kroger Company and I cannot wait to see you get fined for your unethical practice.
Another disgusted PharmD.