How quiet is too quiet???

[Chocobo]

Hello people! , I'm new on here so not sure about where to post first but thought this would be a good place to start...
I'm a pharmacy pre-reg trainee currently doing my placement in a small independent pharmacy....and that brings me to why I'm on here.

The pharmacy?..modern, spacious.
The pharmacist?...friendly, helpful, good clinical knowledge.
The patients/customers?.....erm slightly non-existent.

I've been there for nearly 3 months now and while there are an adequate number of scripts to do through repeat dispensing the pharmacy isn,t on a main road and with no surgery near by there are hardly any walk ins or opportunities for OTC/responding to symptoms or just much practice for general customer interaction, therefore I have been seriously contemplating moving to another pharmacy.

I've spoken to a few people about it and have had mixed feedback like
"it's an important year and you should be getting the most experience you can, MOVE" or
"youve already spent 3 months there, if you move you'll have to start your pre-reg again, just stick it out".

I don't know if i'm expecting too much so I actually counted the number of people walking in and what they came in for to try and make a comparison. On a busyish day there were:
approx 13 walk ins for prescriptions.
10 for OTC items,
the rest (about 15-20) were for shop items (domestics) and script pick ups.

If anyone is wondering why on earth I did'nt leave sooner...I guess I was optimistic.

So can anyone tell me if this is too quiet for sufficient learning in my pre-reg year?
Any advice appreciated guys.

[Web Ferret]

I did my pre-reg in a 500+ a day. Spent all my time cracking off labels as I could type faster than anyone else and not much else.

If you have a good pharmacist and are learning stick it out - Plenty of pre-regs on here complaining about poor pharmacists.
Is there another branch you could go to for a week or so?

Working in a prescription factory doesn't teach you much as you are used as a dispenser.

As a pre-reg tutor in the past I would have loved a quieter place so I could do more teaching!

20 items a day - Sounds like my kind of shop! I recently worked out that I have done over a million items so far in my career and I'm not 40 yet.

[Fleegle]

Have to agree with Web Ferret..

Stay where you are.

Use the time you have wisely, learn and bring your knowledge with you. You won't get a chance like this again.

Fleeg.

[Chocobo]

I'm just worried that I'm missing out on different scenarios in the pharmacy or interacting with patients/customers and that I wont feel confident counselling people when I'm a practicing pharmacist where i'll be expected to have the answer.

I'm not saying I expect to learn absolutely everything but I'd like to have experienced enough scenarios to feel prepared for most things that might be thrown at me after i've qualified or at least be comfortable advising on common queries that should become almost second nature.

Then there's other things like MURs / NMS / EHC / methadone etc other services that I'd like to feel comfortable doing but won't if I don't have enough opportunities to do them

[Chocobo]

p.s thanks for the replies!

[Rafael]

Lets us know where is the store so we all come and locum there. You will be a no brainer if you leave!! Just pass your exam then you will learn something new everyday. Most of us did our training in prescription factories and were totally knackered the whole year.

[Nik]

when I'm a practicing pharmacist where i'll be expected to have the answer.

You won't (or shouldn't) be expected to know the answer to whatever question may be asked of you. Of course some clinical knowledge should be assumed but what's more important is knowing where to look for an answer. Doctors and pt's are much more appreciative if you tell them you don't know something but will find out for them and get back with an answer. Take this opportunity to learn as much as you can for the pre-reg exam, maybe practice OTC sales with another member of staff when it's quiet and enjoy it as much as you can.

[shan]

On the topic -- in my opinion it is too quiet when you are sleeping in front of the computer (with no other staff in the pharmacy) and you can hear the clock next door going "Ding Dong" lunch time

Shan

[kexin]

Like others have suggested, it may be worth arranging a short placement at another pharmacy or hospital.
But don't be too dissappointed that you're pharmacy isn't as busy as others. You have a luxury of a significant amount of free time that others wont' or don't have. Make the best use of it =) Revise, or maybe work out some kind of syllabus/learning plan with your tutor so that he can have a more active role in teaching you things. Seeing as you have few customers, I would advise on making each and every interaction with one of those customers count! Afterall, you have the time to prepare fairly adequately for it.