As seen in the Nov/Dec issue of Retail Pharmacy Assistants e-magazine.
This month we spoke with the Victoria-based retail manager about her career highlights, challenges and tips for other pharmacy assistants.
How long have you been working in retail pharmacy?
Over 20 years.
How did you come to work within the industry? What drew you towards a profession in retail pharmacy?
I’m originally from Ireland and started being exposed to the pharmacy industry through working with my brother-in-law in a community pharmacy there.
That experience shaped my interest in all things pharmacy, so I continued on this career path and brought it across to Australia when I moved here around 12 years ago. I haven’t looked back since.
I love the fact that pharmacy has a balanced mix of retail and clinical, and a lot of opportunities to engage with the local community.
Talk us through what a day in your life would look like.
Working in a community pharmacy in general can get quite busy, especially in a fast-paced discount pharmacy environment.
My day would begin with ensuring that I’m up to date with any changes, any communications, and any outstanding tasks.
Being part of the Chemist Discount Centre (CDC) brand, we’ve streamlined communications, planograms and processes, which really helps with keeping on top of everything.
I would then have a ‘plan of attack’ for the day and delegate duties to the team members to make sure that the pharmacy will run smoothly for the day while tasks are also actioned accordingly.
Typically, in a community pharmacy, daily tasks also include ordering and stock control, which takes up a lot of time.
As part of the CDC brand, however, all our inventory management is automated through a program called ‘Buy-IT-right’.
The system calculates our entire pharmacy’s orders daily, based on the quantity that we need, and submits the orders to suppliers and wholesalers once it has reached a certain minimum requirement to achieve the best deal.
It also automates our invoices and stock-on-hand updates, therefore reducing a lot of paperwork and handling. This system really frees up our team members so we can spend more time with customers, instead of doing repetitive tasks every day.
What have been some of the highlights in your career as a pharmacy assistant so far?
The highlight for me is progressing through my career in pharmacy, from being a pharmacy assistant back in Ireland, then transferring my skills and building my knowledge of the Australian pharmacy industry, then upskilling myself through a dispensary technician course, and now becoming the Retail Manager here at CDC Patterson Lakes.
It has been a fulfilling journey, not only from a professional perspective through career progression but also through the personal satisfaction of being able to help people in the community that need accessible advice and services through the pharmacy.
What has been the most challenging part of working as a retail pharmacy assistant?
The pharmacy industry is always changing rapidly, with new legislation, and new medicines continually being introduced on the market. Being on the frontline of healthcare can be quite daunting, especially when unprecedented occurrences happen, such as the Covid pandemic.
This requires us to keep up to date with everything that’s changing around us, be resilient and keep positive so that we’re able to service the community when they need us the most.
How important is ongoing professional development for retail pharmacy assistants?
This is extremely important because the pharmacy industry is fast-paced and continuously changing.
We’re at the forefront of community healthcare, so it’s imperative that all pharmacy team members are always well-informed, upskilled and equipped to assist the pharmacists in delivering the best programs and services for the local community.
Professional development is also extremely fulfilling, as you can grow your skill sets, learn new things, and progress your career to the next level.
Retail pharmacy (and the healthcare industry) has faced some serious challenges over the past two years with Covid. What has helped you and your team members to get through these difficult times? What’s your advice on overcoming challenges?
It was really challenging to balance between being available to the community and dealing with the public in a safe manner while at the same time minimising our own risk and exposure.
Having a positive mindset and a great team that persevered together through challenging times really helped. It wasn’t just that we were all grateful we still had jobs, but [what also helped was that] we were greatly appreciated by the community because we were available for them in times of need.
My advice for overcoming challenges would be to remain positive, be strong and remember that it’s always rewarding at the end – because it truly was for me, after the peak of the Covid pandemic was behind us.
Where do you see the industry headed in the next few years?
I think that in the last few years with the pandemic, pharmacists and pharmacy assistants really have shown the value of our services. The community relied on us for regular support, and they also needed to feel safe coming into the pharmacy for their medication and advice – and we delivered.
Pharmacists have expanded their scope of practice by being able to provide a wider range of vaccination services, and conduct supervised rapid antigen testing, and I know that there have been trials of pharmacists being able to prescribe as well.
I think the more programs and services become available through the pharmacy, the greater role pharmacy assistants also play in delivering a seamless experience for people in the community.
If there was something you could change and/or improve about the industry, what would it be?
Since the pandemic, consumer behaviour has changed dramatically. We see a lot more traction with contactless or paperless services, and in some cases, it’s become an expectation.
Pharmacies, therefore, need to embrace automation and technology to keep improving our operational efficiencies in the pharmacy and deliver to the consumers’ expectations.
Additionally, as the industry grows and the pharmacy profession also gets more acknowledgement for the expanded programs and services that are accessible through the pharmacy, it would be great for the greater pharmacy team to also receive the rewards and recognition they deserve.
This feature was originally published in the Nov/Dec issue of Retail Pharmacy Assistants e-magazine.
