Any help would be appreciated

[faybee]

Hi everyone
I am currently doing pre-reg at a community pharmacy and my tutor has asked me to clean the pharmacy, that includes mopping the floors etc. As far as I am aware this is a training year and cleaning isnt part of the contract. I dont know whether to speak to my tutor about this or if this is even normal?
Any help would be appreciated

[Asterix]

is this an indepedent pharmacy? sorting out stock or a little bit of tidying on the counter is acceptable but cleaning floors is over the top!

[DavidS]

As a prereg, and as a managing director, I had to mop floors, hoover, dust shelves, carry lots and lots of boxes up and down stairs, load and unload vans, clean loos, fill shelves with all manner of stock, including but by no means limited to female sanitary wear, and make the tea.

I don't know if it's part of the contract - I suspect that it isn't - but as a future responsible pharmacist you will need to know that the place is properly cleaned, so I guess from that perspective there is some rationale behind it.

These manual/menial tasks could be looked at as a welcome break from the concentration and hard mental work involved in working with prescriptions, or they could be looked at as a demeaning chore that should be done by less-qualified staff. I guess it's up to you.

[faybee]

Yes I do not mind tidying up and putting the stock away BUT mopping the floor and cleaning the toilets as far I believe or have seen from previous experinces is a job that no pharmacist will do! So I don really see it as part of the "training" besides I feel like am getting bullied in that pharmacy and yes it is an independent pharmacy. I want to ask if anyone knows how I would go about changing my placement?

[Asterix]

that type of cleaning is a joke and you shouldn't put up with it. Have a word with your tutor, contact the gphc pre-reg divison team and if it doesnt help start applying elsewhere

[difdif]

u can start looking now but it won't b easy changing placements..even if u involve the pda..
if u are directly bullied and if cleaning (mopping) isnt the only problem, then yado whatever to change..
but if it is just that...i would put up with it..a few months, pass ur exam and never touch a mop again at work unless in case of spillage or so on..that's the way i see it.

[Asterix]

yeah but the poor girl is cleaning toilets too, thats just ridiculuous

[admin]

Hi Guys

I just thought I'd shove another opinion in here. I have many times cleaned floors, toilets, whatever needs doing. I have been at work this morning from 9am to 1pm and vacuumed the floor! I was getting paid £25 per hour to sweep up, so I see no problem in doing it myself.

[shan]

There are two faces I can see here . . . . .

1) There is no professional cleaner appointed by the Pharmacy. Hence, the staff take responsibility of the cleanliness on a rota basis, which includes the pre-reg and may/ may not include the pharmacist. Some pharmacies have it written somwhere in the pharmacy as a notice or a document. Others just tell each staff verbally and the staff don't mind doing it as it is shared by all.

2) The Pharmacist and regular staff want to teach a lesson/ play a prank on the pre-reg (who may or may not be acting smart) and will ask the pre-reg to do the odd jobs.

If it is the first case then it should be normal to accept the duties as a fellow collegue and relax. If it is the second case and if it was just as a prank then also it is ok since it is for a short time only. But, if it is intended to hurt your personality without you being at fault, then it would certainly concern me, as it may hamper the training of a pre-reg if it continues.

Overall, I feel no shame in doing these odd jobs for the pharmacy, as rightly mentioned by Elaine we get a better rate than the usual cleaner . I still sweep floors when it is too messy in the dispensary or when the winds start playing the automatic doors and all the thrash on the road finds the comfort of the pharmacy. It is rather you do it yourself and let the scarce staff do the dispensing bit, so that you can do the job to your own expectation and at the same time the dispensing process doesn't stop. Hit two birds with a single stone

Shan

[Pharmanaut]

Look upon it as character building.
If you have done the messy jobs you also get the confidence to ask someone else to do it when becomes your turn to be in that position. Cleaning and restocking the dispensary is also a great way to find out where everything is and expiry dates on stuff.

If its a joke join in the banter.
Say something like "I've got to order a long stand from the supplier next", or some "Striped paint" or "3m of fallopian tube" etc.