BLOG
Blog
“Pharmacist Call on Line One” “New Patient Consultation, Please” “I Would Like to Get My Flu Shot” “District Manager is Here” “We Have 4 Patients In-Store Waiting for Pickup” Does this sound familiar? I am sure I left some things out, but you get the point. The demands are constant. And, I didn’t even list the things constantly on your mind… “What can I do to improve our KPIs?” “We’ve got Inventory coming up, I’ve got so much to do to be ready.” “Why did they cut my support hours, again?” “Is it performance review time, already?” “How can I boost team morale?” Again, I know this list isn’t all inclusive. Clearly the demands of a pharmacist are many and at times it can feel overwhelming. However, I am here to tell you that there is something you can do about all this NOISE. The concept isn’t earth shattering - it is all about your execution. All these things are important and need to be done. I am not disputing that. Everyday, all day, you constantly assign priority to what you will do next. DID YOU KNOW… not all demands are created equal? Sometimes we get in the habit of picking the easy tasks so we can check them off the list. But, just eliminating items from the “to-do” list isn’t going to take the pressure off. I absolutely love the concepts in the book, “The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results”, by Gary Keller. The book is definitely worth a read for anyone wanting to improve their productivity. But, the two big concepts that I believe will without a doubt help you TURN DOWN THE NOISE are: Everyday, choose the ONE thing that if you get done will make everything else easier or seem less important. Adopt the concept of time blocking. Don’t worry about taking your list and putting it in order everyday from most important to least important. Just take that ONE thing that you determined was the most important and focus all of your energy on that until it is finished. Don’t let any other tasks let you get distracted. Time blocking is a wonderful tool to help you do that. Essentially, time blocking is setting aside time to work on your ONE thing. It is uninterrupted time. I am not naive enough to think that a pharmacist can set aside hours per day to laser focus on one thing, but you can train yourself and your staff to allow some uninterrupted time. Just knowing you have time set aside to work on your ONE thing, helps eliminate some of that stress and pressure. Keep Growing. Donnie
Maybe that title is a slight exageration…maybe not. Are you familiar with Goodhart’s Law? Here’s a quick refresher: GOODHART’S LAW When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.
That phrase, “just a pharmacist”, really gets me fired up when I hear it. I have heard countless stories of pharmacists asking for clarification on a prescription or asking for more information for a prior authorization and being met with “you’re just a pharmacist, why do you need to know that information” from either a physician or a nurse. I admit that I had grown accustomed to hearing this from other medical professionals and worked really hard not to be condescending while still trying to get the much needed information to help my patients. However, I heard this maddening phrase at a time when I least expected it and it’s why I feel so strongly about advocating for pharmacists and encouraging them to strengthen their leadership skills. Here’s my story: I was working as the Pharmacy Manager for a large non-profit agency. We filled several hundred prescriptions per day and had a robust Patient Assistance Program that brought in over 10 million dollars worth of free medication every year. I loved the impact the pharmacy was making for the people who needed our services. As time went on, I longed for a larger role within the agency and I wanted to have a greater impact on the patients we served. During a scheduled meeting with my supervisor, I expressed this desire. She immediately replied, “but, you’re just a pharmacist.” This was not the response I was hoping for. But, I held myself together just long enough to ask her to consider it and not completely blow off my request. In the coming weeks, she started to feed me some smaller projects that she didn’t have time to manage. The projects soon became more abundant and more challenging. Soon, I was the Director of Medical and Pharmacy Operations and I was overseeing the outpatient clinic, physicians, and all the pharmacy. I was able to hire a pharmacy manager and no longer had daily dispensing duties. I was still a pharmacist. But, I was able to demonstrate that a pharmacist can be so much more than filling scripts and patient consultations. If you find yourself looking for greater opportunities and want to be more than “just a pharmacist”, then invest in yourself. Leadership is universal and is always in demand. As pharmacists, the better we can position ourselves in multiple practice environments, the easier it will be to get rid of the “just a pharmacist” stigma. Keep Growing. Donnie
Of all the pieces of advice I can give you, this is the easiest one to comprehend, but might be the hardest one to put into practice. So, as you read on, know that this is going to take a significant amount of practice and commitment. As I discussed in a previous post, Turn Down The Noise (check it out if you haven’t already), the demands of a pharmacist are many and at times can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to turn your attention on controlling what you can. Everything else you will need to accept or commit to being someone who creates change. I think it is so important to start to lay out all of your day to day duties and start to categorize them into THINGS IN MY CONTROL and THINGS BEYOND MY CONTROL . This matters because it actually gives you a list of things that should be the focal point of your attention. In most retail chain settings, pharmacists are tasked with a large amount of responsibility and little authority. What do I mean by this? Pharmacists are tasked with hitting certain Key Performance Indicators, Filling Prescriptions (accurately and efficiently), Vaccination Quotas and Other Clinical Services. However, the pharmacists don’t have any real input on those target numbers or the ability to decide how many pharmacist and support hours are needed. Instead, pharmacists are told what the expectation is and it is up to them to figure it out. These numbers and quotas are examples of things that may be beyond your control. I hear from pharmacists all the time that these are major pain points in the current pharmacy landscape. Instead of focusing on those, I challenge you to focus on the things that you CAN control! While you may not have any control over the number of staff hours you are allowed in your pharmacy, you certainly have control over how to utilize those hours. You may need to get really strategic with the allotment of those hours. That can mean, scheduling more technician hours at the beginning of the month versus the end of the month if you work in a pharmacy that always sees a surge during that time. You may not have control over the number of employers in the pharmacy. But, as a manager, you do have control over the people that you hire. You are in control of finding the personalities that are the right fit for you and the rest of your team. It may take some time to develop that skill, but it can transform the efficiency in your pharmacy operations. These are just a couple of examples related to the utilization of your staff. Another area you have control over is where you focus your time. Just because someone sends an email asking a question doesn’t mean that it has to be done right away or that it is the most important thing at the time. We often do little things just to check them off the list rather than focusing on the big thing that when accomplished will feel like the weight of the world is lifted off our backs. Other areas you can take control over are how much time you spend with each patient and YOUR attitude. (As a side note, you can’t control anyone else’s attitude! You CAN control how you respond to others, though.) Sometimes you will run across a problem that is out of your control yet impacts you greatly. Let’s talk about Creating Change . One fight I am seeing in state after state across the country is that pharmacists are pushing back against PBMs. This is a wonderful example of creating change. Pharmacists have decided that the practices and reimbursement formulas and strategies employed by Pharmacy Benefits Managers is enough of a threat to their existence that it is time to bring it to the attention of state lawmakers. And, now we are beginning to see legislation passed in an attempt to limit PBMs predatory practices. This is happening because individuals decided to stop complaining and create change. Another example of creating change is the decision to join and get involved with local, state and national pharmacy organizations. The more you speak up and address what is needed for your industry, the easier it will be to get some momentum moving in the right direction. Also, you can share how your struggles have lead to worse patient care and increased drug costs on your social media accounts. When people are aware, they can join you in creating change. Finally, an radical option for creating change would be to run for public office and be a voice for pharmacy inside of our government systems. To put it bluntly, complaining never makes anything better. Let’s commit to focusing our efforts on controlling what we can and creating change! Keep Growing. Donnie
