First Official Day of Inadequacy!

[PennyP]

Hi all, today was my first official day working as a trainee dispensing assistant although I have had a couple of days induction (not paid). One of my induction days, I was left to book in the stock on the computer and do the owings batch and I also dispensed on my own my very first prescription and even had to register the patient as a new patient as there were not on the system and passed with flying colours so I went away feeling reasonably confident to start my first official day today. Lo and behold it was just me and the Pharmacist (different Pharmacist did my induction) and I felt like a hinderance to him. He would not let me touch the computer, he would not let me dispense the drugs so all I did was work on the counter which I know is good experience. I know each Pharmacist has a different way of working but I came away with my confidence in my boots after having such good induction days. Maybe it will take a while for him to trust me but how I am meant to learn if I can't use the computer or do any dispensing HEY HO - "things can only get better" ........ sorry for the rant ..... need some cheering up as I am in again all day tomorrow !!!!

[judiloe]

Well, believe me we`ve all been there and it usually gets worse before it gets better!

[LeftArm]

Stay keen these things take time.

[sparkybw]

You will always find pharmacists who want to do everything themselves and won't let you do anything. But at the other extreme are those that just sit playing with their iphones and reading the paper who sigh every time you bring something up for checking. You just have to hope for the happy medium.

[hibernia]

You will always find pharmacists who want to do everything themselves and won't let you do anything.

You will, but this sounds more like a case of a pharmacist who for whatever reason didn't want to work with a person who is only starting out.
We all prefer trained and experienced staff and although we know everybody has to learn there are times, such as in a busy dispensary, when it is just so much easier to do it yourself than show somebody else how you want it done. It certainly isn't personal and shouldn't be taken as such. It comes down to the attitude of the pharmacist, their mood on the day, how much stress they are under and any number of other factors.

There is a cliche for every occasion and "Rome wasn't built in a day" probably fits this one.

[Fleegle]

Hi all, today was my first official day working as a trainee dispensing assistant although I have had a couple of days induction (not paid). One of my induction days, I was left to book in the stock on the computer and do the owings batch and I also dispensed on my own my very first prescription and even had to register the patient as a new patient as there were not on the system and passed with flying colours so I went away feeling reasonably confident to start my first official day today. Lo and behold it was just me and the Pharmacist (different Pharmacist did my induction) and I felt like a hinderance to him. He would not let me touch the computer, he would not let me dispense the drugs so all I did was work on the counter which I know is good experience. I know each Pharmacist has a different way of working but I came away with my confidence in my boots after having such good induction days. Maybe it will take a while for him to trust me but how I am meant to learn if I can't use the computer or do any dispensing HEY HO - "things can only get better" ........ sorry for the rant ..... need some cheering up as I am in again all day tomorrow !!!!

This worries me. Let me get this right. A Pharmacy business takes on a new trainee dispensing assistant and the training on offer is a two day unpaid 'induction course' tutored by 'Pharmacist One'. The trainee shows up for, I assume, paid employment and is confronted by 'Pharmacist Two' who quickly realises their assistant for the day has had hardly any training at all.
PennyP...It honestly takes a lot longer than two days in a dispensary to be able to confidently generate patient records on the computer and accurately dispense drugs.
In my opinion you have not been given a fair start. You really need proper training immediately.

Fleegle.

[lolaskates]

I only started as a dispenser two months ago, and I would agree you're not really getting a fair start. But your training is ongoing, every day is a learning curve and this is just part of that. The feelings of inadequacy will subside as you learn and gain confidence. That's half the battle, confidence and you will have good days and bad. Is there anyone you can shadow? The first week or so I was shadowing an experienced dispenser so i could see how things work. Everyone starts somewhere and if they can't be bothered to train you properly why put you in there in the first place? Speak up if it continues, because it doesn't seem fair.

[weeneldo]

If it was too busy to properly help you develop your skills, I would at least have tried to find a moment to teach you something. Even if it was counter stuff or showing you something on the computer or anything, I'd at least try to make you feel like you had something to contribute and something to take away from the day. And if that moment didn't come because it was so busy in the dispensary, I'm sure I could find a relatively low risk job for you to do that was still helping and learning. That might be working on the front counter because it too is busy, it might be doing something in the dispensary (eg. putting the order away, counting scripts etc).

The most important thing though is that the pharmacist should have given you an explanation as to why he'd like you to do such and such and that its really busy but he'll do his best to show you things and help you get better. I'm sure if he treated you like an adult and not just a resource then you might have felt a bit better about it.