Part time evening/weekend work question

[Circles3]

Hi

I'm a hospital pharmacist and currently on Maternity leave. I have 2 small children and I'm looking for something that we fit around my children. Since hospital pharmacy is not as flexible as retail in terms of hours etc. I thinking of looking into part time evening work/occasional weekend work in retail (possibly supermarket chains) when my maternity ends. I have no experience in retail as a pharmacist but have 5 years post-qualification experience. Does anyone know how easy it would be for me to get evening work and how difficult I may find the jump from hospital to community? Also any ideas of a typical salary (per hour) I could be looking at as an employee pharmacist rather than locum and also if i would be likely to encounter any problems (ie anti-social behavior) when working evenings (particularly Fri/Sat).

Hope someone out there can help

Thanks

[johnep]

You are exactly why I used to suggest pharmacy to girls as an excellent way of combining work and family. 100 hour supermarket would be the way to go. They have security staff. Often have a 'panic' button as well. Go in and talk to the pharmacist/tech and see if can shadow for a couple of hours to see layout and computer. John Evans of Asda is a poster here, you could pm him to start.

johnep

[andrew paxton]

As a locum who now does mostly evening work at Sainsburys in the absence of much else in locuming, I'd say, go for it, but be aware that there is quite a lot of competition for places. For Sainsbury's, go on to https://venloc.co.uk/sainsburys/

[sparkybw]

I worked evenings and weekends in my local Asda and had no problems with anti-social behaviour. The store is open 24 hours and there are security people on site. If you have some out patient experience in the hospital then you won't find it very much different working in community. Here's a link so you can see the application process. Asda.jobs - Pharmacy & Optical - Pharmacy

[andrew paxton]

Just another thought, You need certification in MUR, NMS (possibly EHC, but I don't do that) and any local schemes that are running through the PCT, as well as the assumed ability to operate a computer system and keep patient medication records. There are about 5 decent-ish computer systems out there: Pharmacy Manager, Nexphase, Proscript, Analyst and Lloyds Compass. Apparently Pharmasys exists, but I've never seen it. Get a bit of experience in using them. Ask whether you would be allowed to shadow someone that uses each system, and get to understand what each can do. Very few companies use all the features of their chosen system, so see it operating in more than one company: PM at Sainsburys, Superdrug and the Co-op. Nexphase at Boots and Asda, Proscript at Rowlands and Cohens, Analyst in independents and Assura and of course, Compass only in Lloyds.

[Ushio78]

Very few companies use all the features of their chosen system, so see it operating in more than one company: PM at Sainsburys, Superdrug and the Co-op. Nexphase at Boots and Asda, Proscript at Rowlands and Cohens, Analyst in independents and Assura and of course, Compass only in Lloyds.

Pharmacy Manager used also at Tesco.

Matt

[hibernia]

Hi

I'm a hospital pharmacist and currently on Maternity leave. I have 2 small children and I'm looking for something that we fit around my children. Since hospital pharmacy is not as flexible as retail in terms of hours etc. I thinking of looking into part time evening work/occasional weekend work in retail (possibly supermarket chains) when my maternity ends.

This may well be a good option for you but think carefully about it. Retail isn't always that flexible. The one thing an employer needs is to be sure you will turn up and children have a habit of getting sick at the worst possible time. In a hospital there are colleagues to cover for you but if you work in the community you are usually on your own and have to search for a babysitter or a locum to do your shift.
As your children get a little older, and it happens very quickly, you are tied to school timetables and they will have activities in the evening and weekends and want to know why you are never there to see them playing football or doing ballet or whatever.

There isn't an easy answer. No career allows you to 'have it all' in terms of working and being with your children. There is constant compromise whatever you decide but I would be slow to turn my back on a 9-5 Mon-Fri job because that is still the easiest one to organise childcare around. Unless your partner has very secure employment, and that is rare nowadays, a steady income has a lot to recommend it.

[johnep]

Saturdays with hubby looking after the kids, could be considered.
Find out if another pharmacist available locally, who could cover for a few hours for you if necessary.
johnep

[Circles3]

Hi

Thanks for all your replies, you have all been very helpful.
Hibernia, I'm really only looking for a couple of evenings a week , so don't think it will interfere to much with the kids activities. . The cost of childcare for 2 young ones when working 9-5 will leave little in the pay packet at the end of the month. Also, by working evenings I would be around to take them to and from school when they are a bit older. Hubby is in a secure job, so don't really have to worry. Although, you have given me some food for thought.
Sparkybw, could you tell me if the kind of work that you did in the evenings. Obviously, as GP's are closed, I would imagine that there would be a lot less prescriptions but do you have more work in terms of OTC advice, Dosettes, Ordering etc.
Andrew, would the competition for places apply if I was looking for work as an employee rather than a locum. Also how do I go about getting MUR /NMS certified.?

Sorry to ask more questions but hope you can help.

[andrew paxton]

Employees count more than locums. The employer would prefer to own you body and soul than have you working for whoever you like. I've lost countless regular days on the basis that there has now been a manager (employed, of course) appointed. I have been generally lucky that I've found replacement days. To get MUR certified: CPPE do a course, which is quite difficult. They now work on a credit for learning basis. Everyone gets a certain amount of credits, which you use to 'pay' for the courses. You can pay to top-up your credits, if necessary. Various other universities offer accreditation too. I am aware of the Medway course. The courses are generally set up with more like clinical medication reviews in mind. Many of the questions are designed to check your depth of therapeutic knowledge. The MUR is more of a conversation than that. It is more important to have empathy with the patient, and know when to look things up, than to know everything. However, it is a hoop we have to jump through. If and when you pass the course, you will receive (electronically or in hard copy) a certificate. You need to send a copy of that to all pcts in which you wish to work. The standards for MURs are prescribed by statute, and are in the Drug Tariff. One is that the pharmacy have a proper consultation room. Even now, some pharmacies don't have one. The person doing the MUR has to be certificated, and the pct need to have a copy of the certificate. There has to be written consent (new since October 2100) The MUR is either a review, that is, carried out on a patient (regular for 3 months or more, and on two or more regular medications) on the basis that they qualify and they haven't had one for a year or more, or a Prescription Intervention, that is, where, in the reasonable opinion of the pharmacist, something in the prescription now being dispensed indicates that not all is well with the patient's use of the medication. Since October 2011, 50% of all MURs have to be carried out on patients in the targeted groups of Respiratory disease, Patients on high-risk medicines (defined, not necessarily what you or I would consider high risk) and patients recently discharged form hospital (see National target groups for MURs · Pharmacy Contract & Services · PSNC) The point I need to make is that it is a review of the patient's USE of medicines, not necessarily their benefit or therapeutic appropriateness, although as pharmacists, if that arises, we cover it as well.
NMS is new, again from 1st October, and the requirements are that we are certificated to do MURs (hence the need to do the MUR course), we have a consultation room and that we have read and understand the purposes and standards for the service. There is a form that we need to fill in (Self-certification) for that. Some pharamcies have done loads, and some none at all. Proscript organises the whole two services, which is why I like working for Rowlands