Pharmacy Forum UK - Blogs - admin http://www.pharmacy-forum.co.uk/blogs/admin/ Pharmacy forum for all pharmacy and pharmacist discussions, Join in now en Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:23:50 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.pharmacy-forum.co.uk/images/misc/rss.jpg Pharmacy Forum UK - Blogs - admin http://www.pharmacy-forum.co.uk/blogs/admin/ Deleted Blogs http://www.pharmacy-forum.co.uk/blogs/admin/40-deleted-blogs.html Sat, 26 Jun 2010 11:57:11 GMT Hi Guys Some people have posted in the blog section what should really be a forum post, so I have deleted them. If you want to do a blog then... Hi Guys

Some people have posted in the blog section what should really be a forum post, so I have deleted them.

If you want to do a blog then that's fine, but it's meant to be an online diary not a one off post.

Thanks

Elaine ]]> admin http://www.pharmacy-forum.co.uk/blogs/admin/40-deleted-blogs.html Emergency Locums http://www.pharmacy-forum.co.uk/blogs/admin/39-emergency-locums.html Sat, 26 Jun 2010 11:45:00 GMT Well it’s Saturday afternoon here in sunny Yorkshire and I can honestly say I am knackered. No really, I am. I have been working in Scunthorpe all... Well it’s Saturday afternoon here in sunny Yorkshire and I can honestly say I am knackered. No really, I am. I have been working in Scunthorpe all week and have to get up at 5am to get there on time. Anyway enough moaning. What has been a strange thing about this week is the number of “emergency” locums I have been texted by agencies – none of which I could do due to bookings I had already taken. I have had about six text messages this week offering over twenty shops at emergency rates.

The rate of pay has suddenly gone up for these emergencies, and one company sent me this text last night which sums it up.

Can anyone help me out tomorrow. Got a job in Cumbria 9.00 – 17.30 at £30 per hour, plus two hours travelling, full mileage paid. This will earn you about £420 for one shift – are you available?
If I could get these all the time I’d work a three day week and be happy.

Thinking about this, if anyone is a locum in my area (East Yorkshire) and wants any of these passing onto them I'd be happy to do so. Just PM me and I'll send you my mobile number. ]]> admin http://www.pharmacy-forum.co.uk/blogs/admin/39-emergency-locums.html My Morning Pharmacy Thoughts...... http://www.pharmacy-forum.co.uk/blogs/admin/37-my-morning-pharmacy-thoughts.html Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:52:48 GMT Well, the hours at this job are getting silly over here in East Yorkshire. A couple of weeks ago I actually worked from 6.30am to 10.30pm. As long as... Well, the hours at this job are getting silly over here in East Yorkshire. A couple of weeks ago I actually worked from 6.30am to 10.30pm. As long as you have an “official” break every six hours the company is happy it seems, and as long as you are the responsible pharmacist (to take any blame) of course.

The agency I work for seem to find it perfectly acceptable to book me in to finish at one place at 10.30pm, drive home for an hour, and be at that same location at 6.30am the next morning, as they did the following week. When I asked how was I supposed to eat, relax, wash and sleep in the six hours between shifts (it takes an hour to get there and one to come home, obviously) they said “Oh, didn’t we discuss the hours?” Of course they didn’t! But it’s my fault for assuming that Mon/Tues at the same shop meant the same shift. Basically being a pharmacist means everything is your fault. “That is what we get paid for” I have been told many times in the past. “We don’t do much, but we have a difficult degree and we take responsibility for everything” I have heard many times. One store manager once commented “A trained monkey could do what you do in there” so his position was rather clear I thought. Maybe he’s correct, but I can’t remember working with any monkeys, unless you count our evolutionary ancestors still within us!

How did pharmacy get so low that we are scrimmaging around at 6.30am looking for prescriptions? I seem to remember being happy, even slightly proud, to call myself a pharmacist when I very first qualified. Now I am simply a shop keeper, with all the shelf filling, bottle stacking and paperwork that’s associated with it. If I go on holiday or meet someone for the first time, I never say I am a pharmacist, I just say I work in a shop. If they ask what type I say a “chemist’s shop” and that seems to kill the topic.

Working for this present company means there is a pharmacist overlap of around four hours each day. Work wise this is completely unnecessary, but it means I often get to speak to other pharmacists regarding work. I can honestly say, virtually without exception, that every pharmacist I meet is unhappy doing this job. Some make their day more bearable by reading the paper and being generally lazy, some like to bet on horses and sit there picking out their winners in between customers, some are obsessed with sporting activities and constantly search the internet for that all important result. The common thread is the lack of respect, frustration, customer aggression and sheer bloody boredom this job has to offer.

Degrees, especially science degrees, are hard to get, and that means you must be reasonably bright to get one. Unfortunately bright people become easily bored, and that is where most of us are at, it seems to me. When I first qualified I was really excited to think of all the things I would be further learning, in the real world, to top up my university education. I imagined myself getting more and more skilled and knowledgeable the more time went on as I gained experience. The opposite seems to be true. I, like most of the people I speak to, have forgotten over 90% of my degree, and what I have learned on top is mainly how to supply things to people, and where to get those supplies from.

My first week on the job I asked an old female pharmacist if the local GP ever asked her opinion. “All the time” she proudly proclaimed. Great I thought, maybe my initial feelings about this job are wrong. “Why just the other day he asked me what flavours Fortisip come in” she beamed. “Oh Shit” I thought, “I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life” ]]> admin http://www.pharmacy-forum.co.uk/blogs/admin/37-my-morning-pharmacy-thoughts.html <![CDATA[I'm back !!!!]]> http://www.pharmacy-forum.co.uk/blogs/admin/33-im-back.html Mon, 10 May 2010 18:59:35 GMT Hi Monsters - I borrowed that from Lady Gaga......

Well good old Keith has fixed up my PC and router so I'm back. I have probably ignored plenty of people accidently so just e-mail me with any problems.

I was offered a job today in a pharmacy I do like working in, but the travel and hours are too much. Still, it's always nice to be asked.

Thanks to the mods for keeping the site clean from idiots.

In the near future I'm hoping to add new features so keep watching this space.

When we get to 5000 members I'll e-mail everyone!

Thanks for all the post contributions - keep em coming.

Elaine ]]> admin http://www.pharmacy-forum.co.uk/blogs/admin/33-im-back.html Broken Router http://www.pharmacy-forum.co.uk/blogs/admin/31-broken-router.html Sat, 08 May 2010 11:18:23 GMT Hi Everyone

My router is playing up and Keith is fixing it (or maybe replacing it) so I've had to wait to get at a shop where I can log on - this shop obviously.

I know I have at least one request for someone to join the pharmacist section, and I haven't had time to do it. If you are that person (I can't remember the members name either) then I apologise and will get round to it ASAP.

Elaine ]]> admin http://www.pharmacy-forum.co.uk/blogs/admin/31-broken-router.html