In this month’s PA Profile, we spoke with Louise Joseph retail manager at Priceline Pharmacy Albany Creek about her career highlights, challenges, and tips for other pharmacy assistants and staff.
How long have you been working in retail pharmacy? What is your current role?
I’ve been working at this store for 23 years. I currently hold the role of Retail Manager.
Talk us through what a day in your life would look like.
I start my day early as I love to get a jump on daily jobs like banking, reviewing sales reports and organising my team’s task lists to get the store ready for the day.
The morning begins with a team huddle to run through focus points, then I walk through the store to check for any quick fixes and stand-out issues to correct.
I like to split the day between serving our customers and working through my task list. The Priceline support office provides great communication and updates, which I access throughout the day.
Each day is vastly different – everything from human resources, dispensing, training and stock management to merchandising. I enjoy it all. Having full autonomy with my day means I can focus on what’s most important at a specific moment.
How did you come to work within the industry? What drew you towards a profession in retail pharmacy?
My family were regular customers of our store when I was growing up. When I was 16, the pharmacist manager asked if I would like to apply for a position as a junior pharmacy assistant.
The staff who worked here seemed incredibly kind and professional. They were always so helpful, which made it a no-brainer to take the job offer. I started in January 2000, and here I am, 23 years later.
What have been some of the highlights in your career as a pharmacy assistant so far?
My career highlights are linked to my personal sense of accomplishment. I’ve gained wonderful experiences within the industry each time I’ve been promoted to a different role, been given more responsibility or had the opportunity to expand my skill set.
Completing my Certificate III in Dispensary Operations for Community Pharmacy in 2006 and then moving from stock controlling to the dispensary team was a major milestone.
By far, the best highlight has been the experience of moving into a new space, a new franchise, and a new role as Retail Manager of our Priceline Pharmacy.
The opportunity to lead the team, coordinate with our franchise partners and network with the Priceline support office team has been amazing.
What has been the most challenging part of working as a retail pharmacy assistant?
Recruitment is challenging at the moment – interviewing, finding the right person, training and then retraining. The entire process feels considerably more challenging than in previous years.
While it’s been testing, it’s also thought-provoking and has prompted new ways of thinking as we look into different ways of organising staff during the day.
COVID-19 also threw up a whole array of challenges, and at the time we didn’t foresee just how dramatic those changes would be – the increase in sheer prescription numbers and over-the-counter cold and flu sales, face masks and rapid antigen test sales, the rollout of the national vaccine program and the continuing challenges of medication out-of-stocks.
Is working in retail pharmacy something you think you’ll be doing in the long term?
I feel like working in retail pharmacy for over 20 years has already been long-term. I knew early on in my career that I would be committed to this store and our franchise partners for a long time.
I’ve enjoyed my time within the pharmacy industry and hope it continues for the foreseeable future.
How important is ongoing professional development for retail pharmacy assistants?
Professional development in pharmacy has grown exponentially in the past three years. I think the need for skills growth and expanded knowledge is vital to sustain and improve our business.
Pharmacy programs are coming thick and fast, so the need for continual training and development has never been more important.
Learning is also exciting. The introduction of new training platforms by Priceline has allowed team members to easily access information wherever they’re located. I also encourage and partake in any in-person training on offer.
How would you describe working as a retail pharmacy assistant to anyone new to or considering the profession?
I would describe retail pharmacy as an extension of family.
We have the privilege of helping customers in some of their most difficult life moments, but also some of their most wonderful, so compassion, understanding and the ability to really listen are imperative.
If anyone is in the business of customer service and possesses incredible people skills and a hunger to continually learn, then pharmacy is an industry to consider.
What is your advice to other retail pharmacy assistants in terms of achieving career goals and stepping up within the industry?
My advice is simple: jump at any opportunity. Take any chance to learn and/or train – knowledge is power. Speak to your manager or owner about how you can access extra training and what you can learn to work your way up. Any opportunity to upskill yourself will work in your favour.
Another piece of advice is to take any opportunity to network. Meet as many people as you can within the industry – customers, staff, support teams, external health professionals, franchise teams and other pharmacy assistants. You can do this within stores or through training opportunities.
Retail pharmacy has faced some serious challenges over the past few years. What’s your advice to other pharmacy assistants on overcoming challenges and persevering through difficult times?
Retail pharmacy has had such upheaval since COVID-19 hit Australia in March 2020. Each month we were faced with an ever-changing medical landscape, and the demands on staff were increasing in all aspects of life and work.
I’ve worked hard in-store to bring about a shift in culture and equipping my team with the skills and knowledge on how to approach challenges like mental health, burnout, personnel clashes and consumer hostility.
My advice is to have an honest conversation with your leadership team regarding your health and any concerns you may have. Don’t be afraid to approach them for a conversation.
Take notes and bring these with you to help express how you’re feeling. Think about what’s challenging you most, and together you can work out a way forward in the best interests of yourself and the business.
It’s vital to support and encourage staff (and oneself) to take care in the downtime as much as in the work time. Prioritise physical and mental health. As a leader, it’s important for me to model this behaviour and support them as much as I can.
What are your goals for 2023? What would you like to achieve within your role as a PA this year? And what’s your advice to other pharmacy assistants on sticking with and achieving their goals?
My first goal for this year was to restructure the team to include a floor management/second-in-command role and train this person in marketing and stock management tasks, to free up my time so I can focus on achieving other goals.
I’m aiming to spend more time on training and retraining our staff, analysing sales data and increasing our KPIs in-store.
I’m working towards Priceline Pharmacy Albany Creek being crowned Priceline Store of the Year for Queensland in 2023/24.
My shared advice is communication. Communicate your goals to the franchise partners, your staff and your family. The more invested you are in your goals, the more likely you are to work hard to achieve them.
I find that learning from others can be especially important to achieving my goals. Look at individual performances or gain inspiration from other stores … Incorporating these ideas into what you attempt can be a powerful way to succeed.
If there was one thing you could change or improve about the industry, what would it be?
The one aspect I think needs improving is the appreciation from upper levels of government and the healthcare sector for pharmacy, both as a small business entity and an industry as a whole.
Primary healthcare has a pivotal role in our community, with COVID-19 shining a spotlight on the importance of community pharmacy.
In addition to this, we had the concessional RAT program, providing medications to consumers throughout lockdowns, and having to think on our feet to adapt to a rapidly changing healthcare climate.
Priceline and the Pharmacy Guild have provided amazing support during these challenges.
This feature was originally published in the February issue of Retail Pharmacy Assistants e-magazine.
