Are there any ACT's here? What do you do on an average day?

[Bellalouise]

Hi, I'm a newly qualified ACT. I'm not really enjoying the job at the moment, I'm hoping someone on here can help me out. Our pharmacy is busy and we have one full time dispenser and 2 part-time dispensers. Since I've qualified my manager has set me the task of putting away stock, ordering repeats, ordering stock and checking prescriptions in between. I'm finding that these jobs are so time consuming that I'm not actually getting to do much checking and the pharmacist has to help me out. I can see why my manager has given me these jobs (so the dispensers can get on with dispensing for me as I can't have anything to do with the labelling and dispensing process). I've done this for a few weeks now and feel under so much pressure, I have to help serve on the chemist counter too which is also time consuming. I'm going to speak to my manager about it soon but before I do I thought I'd ask if anyone on here is an ACT and what do you do each day for the job to work? Do you have enough staff? I think this is part of the problem in our pharmacy

[dizzyb23]

Wow, sounds so familiar. Can I firstly say a huge well done on completing your ACT course. I've recently done it myself so I can relate to how you're feeling. There are big issues facing a lot of community pharmacies, multiples and independents alike. And its only going to get worse. Staffing levels are dangerously low, work levels too high, unrealistic targets and management with no clue. Stuck in the middle are the Pharmacists. The way I see it is no longer are we allowed to put patients/customers first. Its purely about the money now. As ACT's in community pharmacy, we will still end up bagging nappies and banging on about advantage cards and listening to rude customers moaning about anything and everything when we should be looking after a dispensary, our pharmacist and the scripts. Since I started as a temp sometime ago, i've spent over 70% of my time on the counter and the few counter staff we do have are faffing about in the stock room or dispensary!!! Totally crazy but that's the way it goes. We have a rude and lazy part time ACT who does only what she wants to do and gets away with it, three part time dispensers off on sick or maternity leave and a part time regular Pharmacist who isn't coping but pretending that she is. Our staff turnover is the worst i've ever come across and our manager isn't pharmacy experienced and is trying to do the right things but is failing miserably. If you are lucky enough to actually get to work in your dispensary, then the stock management and other bread and butter tasks you mentioned are the norm for us to be dealing with. All I really can say is speak to your manager about the counter work and get something organised with them. Maybe a rota might help. It may also help to speak to your Area Manager or OSM depending on which company you're working for. They may actually not be aware of the issues. Looking after the dispensary is a big part of our job and to be honest, the main part. I know its a pain in the a** but at least you'll be getting things organised which really will help in the long run.
I hope all this has helped you a little bit. You aren't alone in the way you are feeling. There are so many of us out there. I've given up on community pharmacy now as I just don't agree with the way things are going and hate to see how bad things have become. I started as a saturday girly way back in the 80's and remember how we used to always put the patient first and profits second. Now its profits first, second and third.......My daily routine is basically that of a GDB(General Dogs Body). I do all the stuff lazy ACT can't be bothered to do, I deal with the stock which in our pharmacy is a lot!!! I order all the specials because no one else will do it, I answer the constantly ringing phones, tidy up, basic dispensary housekeeping, dispensing, finding missing scripts and serve on the b***** counter!!! Note that at no point do I mention any checking!!! Haven't done any of that as there's no time. So as you can see, your experience is the norm these days. I do all this and make tea for my Pharmacist and try my best to make sure she is ok. I don't get a single thanks for any of it. All I do get is the negative stuff.....I even get moaned at for things that have happened when i've been off!!! And this bunch wonder why I hate my job so much!!! And before anyone tries to be clever and replies with "don't just moan, do something about it" or the old chestnut "get another job then"....I haven't just moaned. I've done so much more than that and i've had a few job interviews over the past year but with no luck so far but I keep trying...For what it's worth, if you continue to have a bad experience and you've been proactive about your situation and nothing changes then have a serious think about what you want to do in your career. If you need to chat more or just want someone to whinge at, feel free to PM me any time.

[lilly hunt]

i was saddened to read your review on your act role it is said thst you have studied and worked hard not to be appreciated,but like you say your not on your own.am studying for nvq 3 npa and it is challenging,could you give me a brief outline of your role as act as it should be!and what the benefits of having this role! this could help me and you as then you can move in the direction towards it and know your destination as it should be.lilly. private message me is fine .take care.

[dizzyb23]

Hi Lilly
I hope my postings haven't upset you or put you off the role of a Tech/ACT....That was not my intention but all this has unfortunately been my recent experiences and i'm not one to pretend things are fine when clearly they aren't. And also, the opinions expressed on my postings are only my opinions.
Anyway, the role of an ACT as it should be!!! That's quite a difficult one as i've seen various ACT folk in various roles and work places. But I still think that a good ACT would be the GDB but in a way that's appreciated. My fave ACT person that i've had the honour to work with was and is a very capable and experienced person. She was also chief Cancer Services Tech and the way she ran the dispensary was amazing and something to aspire to. She was the one that everyone went to for the answers, the one who ran the CPD courses, she also taught the NVQ 3 students and did all the troubleshooting too. And she was so appreciated and needed by all. I would love to be like this wonderful lady one day and to do the role of ACT the way she did. The problem can be that some ACT's think they run the show and they act like it too. they are power mad individuals who don't respect anybody. Their people management skills are missing and they are just rude. They only check scripts and NOTHING else. So when there are no scripts to check but a mountain of stock to put away, they are the type to walk away and go for yet another tea break. I do not ever want to be that type of ACT.....
For me, it's simply a case of job searching and to keep on looking for the work place that suits me.
Good luck with your NVQ 3. Forget about ACT things for now as this can wait for a few years. Learn all you can with your current course and most of all enjoy it...