The Pharmacy Recruiter - The HDRx Blog

5th Annual HDRx Braves Pharmacy Appreciation and Loyalty Event

It's that time again! 

5th Annual Pharmacy Appreciation Day

Sunday, August 23rd at 11:30 AM

Cost: FREE for Pharmacists, additional tickets available for $35 each (includes ticket and food)

Turner Field, Atlanta, GA

Program Details

• 11:30 AM Pharmacy Party-Rightfield Patio, Turner Field
• 11:30-12:30 Braves Mascot Visit
• 1:30 PM Game Starts

Food, beer and refreshments will be served at the Pharmacy Appreciation Party prior to the Game.

Please make sure you also stop by the party for your chance to win some fabulous prizes!

ALL TICKETS WILL BE HELD AT WILL-CALL!

Click Here to Register: http://hdrxbraves-fbnews.eventbrite.com/

If you have any questions about the event, including hotel information and other Atlanta activities please contact Christy Campbell at 404.451.5143 or campbellmck@yahoo.com

www.hiredynamicsrx.com

Upcoming Event: SCPhA - Myrtle Beach, SC Friday 6/26/09

We'll be exhibiting at the SC Pharmacy Association Annual Meeting and Convention in sunny Myrtle Beach, SC on Friday!  Come by and see us if you're attending!

Link to SCPhA: http://www.scrx.org/

Link to register: http://www.scrx.org/displayconvregister.cfm?convnbr=6385

Hope to see you there!

Research on the value of pharmacists

Lately, I've been conducting my own preliminary research on the quantifiable value of a pharmacist to a facility or employer.  Most of the information I've found has been eye opening, to say the least.  Current information supports that pharmacists' true value to their organization comes from their role in a risk management position.  Stopping or minimizing medication errors and making clinical interventions on behalf of the patient to improve outcomes and reduce cost.  As for how that affects the facility on a monetary basis, some facilities have these numbers and some are just now starting to track this. 

OK, so that's not news - that's stuff most informed pharmacists know right?

From a recruiting perspective, I want to offer the thought that an A-level pharmacist employee can outperform a B or C level employee over time 80% of the time.  I would also venture to propose that 80% of the clinical interventions are done primarily by the top 20% of the pharmacy staff - the A level employees.  That hypothesis means that the more A-level talent an employer has on staff the higher the value is of the pharmacy staff to the facility.  Over the course of the next 6 months, I will be conducting informal interviews with clients and facilities to determine if this is true.  (Contact me if you would like to help contribute)

If this does hold true, facilities should look to upgrade staff and reallocate B and C level employees to other roles or help them find a more suitable situation. That may be harsh, but in the current economy value is created on a daily basis starting with 1 person.  And the more A-level employees an organization has the higher the value to cost benefit is. 

Potential reading on this topic:

Topgrading: http://www.topgrading.com/

Performance Based Hiring: http://www.adlerconcepts.com/

Pharmacy: hiring slowly making improvement

I'm definitely encouraged that lately things seem to be getting a little better for pharmacy hiring in the last 60 days.  I've observed,slowly and selectively, that facilities are starting to hire again.  The first of the year was rough for everyone, hospitals and pharmacies included.  I anticipate that things should continue to slowly improve throughout the next quarter. 

In addition, if you've been waiting and "sitting tight" this may now be a better time to consider making a move.  History has shown that the period immediately following a recession and leading out there tends to be a mass exodus of job changers.  These are the folks that endured difficult conditions, burnout, stress and being overworked while facilities tried to do more with less.

By no means do I think that we're out of the woods yet, but these signs should be encouraging for anyone in the profession. 

Dynamic Resume Tips - Get Your Resume Working for You

Lately, I've been working with a few people on their resumes and trying to bring them into the 21st century.  And really each of them began with what Career Services helped them put together in school.  Now, there's nothing wrong with having them help you with putting something together...if you want it to look like a thousand other resumes.  I don't think I have to tell you right now that that is NOT a good thing if you want to get a job in the next 90 days.

I think we need to take more of a cue these days from the resume "portfolios" that marketing and design professionals use.  Make it more DYNAMIC.  Don't just tell me, SHOW me.  I want to see you jump off the page at me.  I don't say this to any one profession.  The tools exist NOW on the web to make even the least web-savvy person capable and an "interesting" candidate. 

Next time you are re-working your resume, or getting ready to send it out remember that the vast majority of people you are sending it to will view it first on their computer.  So let's run with that.  Here's 3 tips to consider:

1.  Use Slideshare.  We've all done presentations over the course of our career or education.  I suggest linking 2-3 of your best and most outstanding presentations to your resume.  Slideshare is easy and free to use.  It can even give you the opportunity to embed the presentation into a page if you like.  I recommend starting just with the link it provides and go from there.  On the resume, include the name of the presentation, the value it created (briefly, please) and the link.  People will be so intrigued that they will have to click. 

2.  References.  You would think people would have picked up on this by now but most have not.  If you are waiting for the company to check your references after they have made an offer to you, you have missed out on a HUGE opportunity to stand out using one of the oldest principles of influence.  This one is easy.  Call your top 3 references and ask them to write you a letter of recommendation and to send it to you in both a MS Word and PDF format (Primo PDF can convert for free if they don't have a way to do that).  Now, follow this format:

COMPANY NAME, Title, Dates
    Accomplishments: blah blah blah....
    Quote from Reference: "John Doe is the greatest employee I've ever had he helped us
    save/make     1     gazillion dollars, and I would have his babies if I could....."
    Experience:......

You get my idea here.  What this does is important, using the principle of "social proof" you create a buzz about you by listing what other people say, and they WANT to read on.  Now, see that I said a QUOTE, not the entire reference letter.  Put that at the end so they can read on later. 

3.  Include links to your Linked In profile  Notice I did not say your Facebook page, assume that they will try to look that up - and adjust accordingly.  By providing links to Linked In, they can see additional recommendations you may not have included and they can see the "company you keep".  They may even see someone they know who they can contact to talk about you.  You may even help them land the next big client, or next big idea. 

All of these are meant to make your resume more dynamic, while still providing the hiring manager with what they need to see.  And remember, the resume ONLY get's you the interview so once your behind those doors it's up to you to prove yourself in person. 

Ease the Pain of Staff Recruitment - Link to article

Here is the link to the article in Pharmacy Purchasing and Proudcts magazine on using Staffing and Recruiting firms for Pharmacy. 

http://www.pppmag.com/pp-p-may-issue-2009/ease-the-pain-of-staff-recruitment.html

Swine Flu: pharmacy curse or opportunity

Lately I've been reading some of the blogs by other pharmacists in retail pharmacies complaining about the hype (just or not) caused by the media and patients around the Swine Flu, sorry the H1N1 virus, and it got me thinking. 

Too often I hear about pharmacists that want to do more, and have closer relationships with their patients and really impact their lives.  I would say that this is a great opportunity to make that happen.  As commonly called "the most accessible health professional" you have the opportunity to assist those who come into the pharmacy seeking help.  This is a great chance to begin conversations with people that otherwise would have looked to you only on a transactional basis before.  Many of these people need to be educated about the truth of what H1N1 really is and how they can prevent it.  For pharmacies, why not hold an H1N1 "clinic" that distributes information on what to look for and what to avoid.  For one, that will get more people in the pharmacy with more of a chance to conduct clinical services like MTM, or diabetes management. 

This is a great chance to develop repeat customers for you business if you're a small independent owner too. 

Stand out, be different and people will remember you for it.

Think of how long pharmacies have been looking for people to come in with questions and actually speak with the pharmacist.  Now they're here, what are you going to do with it?

Tips to avoid burnout in the pharmacy

Sure, it's always easier to say "here are some easy steps to avoid burnout while working" but they always assume that you can step away from the desk, breath, and leave the world around you for a second and feel better.  What they don't account for is someone coming up to ask where the adult diapers are, while you're on the phone with a 3rd party, with someone waiting at the drivethru window knocking on the glass.

Ahh, a day in the life of a Pharmacist.

It's no secret that pharmacy, especially retail pharmacy, can put pharmacists at high risk of burnout with the expectations put on them by financial models designed to get as much medication out of the pharmacy as possible, all in the course of a 10 or 12-hour shift. In fact, APHA conducted a survey that found that 57.1% of respondents revealed a moderate level of burnout.  Half the survey population.  "The study found that the typical pharmacist who reported the highest level of burnout was a woman less than 40 years old, who works in a chain community pharmacy setting, and who has been in practice and in the same job for less than 10 years."

So how do you avoid burnout, when you have little control over your day?  Here are some options:

1. Special Projects.  You're probably thinking, why give yourself more work when you're already overworked?  This isn't meant to add work, more to reengage you in your profession.  And if you find the right idea, it won't feel like work.  Some examples: volunteer to do MTM, hold a diabetes clinic, think of ideas that could help better the customer service in the pharmacy or add services that customers could benefit from. Not only will this give you a push to learn something new, but it will potentially make you a better asset to your employer.  Remember this can be inside or your workplace and also outside.  And if you're employer frowns upon special projects, skip to option #3.
2. Mentor.  You are an experienced professional with budding young minds working around you every day.  Think how how they look at you running your like your hair's on fire, mumbling under your breath like Milton from Officespace.  Remember how you first found pharmacy. It wasn't too long ago that you may have been a teenager working in a family friends' pharmacy after work or on the weekends.  Teach the future of pharmacy about it's past, what they have the opportunity to contribute to healthcare, and help them direct pharmacy in the way it should go.  We like to think that Walgreen's and CVS have been around forever, but Joe's Pharmacy was there before.
3. Quit. Yes, I seriously just wrote that.  It's likely a reality that many of the people reading this are probably so miserable that this might very well be the best option to be happier.  Start something new.  Go out on your own.  There are new opportunities in pharmacy coming, and now might be the perfect time to start something.  Remember, Microsoft was started during a recession.  The right idea and business model can work in any economy. 

Those are three options to help you avoid burnout, and ultimately re-energize you.  Sorry, I didn't post breathing tips, counting to 10, or any meditation secrets.  I'll leave that to the pros.

Best of luck to you all!  If all else fails, SERENITY NOW! 

Many Pharmacists Now Finding it Hard to Find Work

Some Pharmacists are now finding it difficult to do something that was relatively easy before, find work.  It's important to look at why this is taking place, especially after at least a 3-year period where most employers would go to great lengths to lure a Pharmacist with large sign-on bonuses, relocation packages, and other perks. 

To start, the slumping economy has resulted in many retail stores cutting back on hours and support.  It's been reported that many patients are now either waiting to fill their prescriptions or not filling them at all to save money.  Clearly, less people coming into the pharmacy means less need for staff, so stores that staffed 2 Pharmacists and 4 Techs before are now only using 1 Pharmacist and 2 Techs.  Multiply that by 4 for each street corner and you start to see the trickle down of how this affects Pharmacists of all ages and all availabilities.  Some are also reducing hours.

As the economy shrinks, whether that's good or bad in the long run, there is also push by many insurance companies to utilize mail order pharmacies which also impacts the need for the local Pharmacist.  Insurance companies have seen this time as an excellent opportunity to staff up their fulfillment centers and begin to influence their patients to utilize them. 

Overall, the most affected demographic of the community/retail Pharmacist side is the part-time or PRN Pharmacist.  Many are having to decide to go back to work full-time, not work at all, or look at another alternative in a non-traditional setting.  Many markets, especially metro areas, have been flooded with available Pharmacists looking for work. 

The non-retail settings are not immune and have also been affected.  Hospitals have cut back on their use of PRN staff, and agency Pharmacists.  In some cases, they have decided not to fill positions that were previously open.  This is due to the huge increase of uninsured patients that now are coming through the doors, increasing the workload but not overall revenue.  Some even have laid off staff (yes, you read that right).  Budgets are extremely tight at most facilities and every director has to continually justify adding or replacing staff. 

There are some bright spots with hospitals too.  Specialty practice areas are starting to slowly expand.  Oncology, Pediatrics, Cardiology among others, are expected to add staff over the next few years.  Some facilities have opted to reduce the number of Staff Pharmacists needed and hire additional Clinical Specialty Pharmacists.  This talent pool however remains small, most candidates are residency trained (sometimes with PGY2 sub-specialty), and/or have extensive experience in the area.

Home health and long term care settings have not been as adversely affected and show modest stability, partially because of their closed-door models which require less overall operating costs.  Also, many hospitals and patients are starting to utilize home healthcare as a less expensive option than a hospital stay. 

The challenge many Hospital and Retail Pharmacists now face is that their skills are identical to the person next to them, making it difficult to win out in a competitive interview situation.  The days of the "generalist" or "traditional" Staff Pharmacist look to be shrinking.  Lack of differentiation makes many just another face in the crowd.  Pharmacists applications to jobs have nearly doubled in some areas.  The important thing for each candidate to realize is that they must figure out how they stand out.  Be clear about your accomplishments, past successes, and what additional value you can bring to the organization.  Or, find a specialty and pursue that. 

Get a better life, by finding a better job

It occurred to me while reading the new bookI Will Teach You To Be Rich by blogger/author Ramit Sethi, that many of the reasons why people fall into personal financial trouble are very similar to why people end up 19 years into a bad job.  They've been unhappy for so long, but the thought of all the perceived effort to look for a new job paralyzes them.  When in actuality a strategic and properly planned job search is quite easy to execute.

I've talked to countless candidates who rate their current state of fulfillment in their job as anywhere between 0 and 7 out of a possible 10.  But when they begin to think about looking at something else they get so overwhelmed that they are willing to accept being unhappy, unfulfilled, and content to suffer further.  Why is that?

It's my hope that this simple list can help ease some of the stress on that process and motivate people in truly unhealthy (physically and professionally) jobs to start the process of making their life better.  OK, let's head to the kitchen table with paper and a pen.

Step 1: Stop and think about your current situation.  Rank your current situation on a scale of 1-10 based on how fulfilled you are in your job.  If you rank yourself anything less than an 8, list out all the things you wish you could change if you had the power.  How much of your life are you sacrificing currently and how much better would it be if you could alter that situation?  Take the time to do this, the results might surprise you and make you a little mad at not doing anything sooner.  That's ok, and that energy will help carry you to the next step.

Step 2: Explore where you want to go.  First, take stock in where you are in your career and your life (talk to your spouse too) and figure out what you and your family is willing to give up to make a change for the better.  Longer commute, less money, relocation, etc.  This is the part where most people get overwhelmed, but push through it, and give yourself a realistic chance at happiness. Sometimes just a 15-20 minute longer commute can make a major difference.  As well, the perfect job may be in another state.  Be open to as much change that you and your family can accept.  At the end of this step give yourself a pat on the back, one of the hardest parts is over. 

Step 3: Talk to who you know that can help.  Don't do this alone.  Now that you know what you are looking for and where you are looking for it, go and talk first to your closest friends.  These are the people that you trust to give you honest feedback about your goals, and also can help determine if they are realistic or not (if not, repeat Step 1 and Step 2 on areas where you can compromise some).  They are also the people who can also connect you to where that opportunity may be.  If not directly, then maybe connect you to someone else they know.  This is just good old-fashioned networking.  It's amazing but so many people have nearly forgotten how to do this successfully. 

NOTE: At any point, if you start to lose the momentum, review your list from Step 1 and remember how much different your life will be once you find that next better position.  Think about that feeling of when you have time back with your family, or the ability to leave at 5 o'clock and not need 2 hours at home to "destress".  Keep your original list in your wallet or purse if you need to help you stay motivated. 

Step 4: Research the area.  Contact a recruiter.  Good recruiters can sometime be a wealth of knowledge.  They work with many situations each day and can help you determine what might be a next step.  Research the places you might like to work. Use the web to search message boards, blogs, Twitter, or any other source that might provide the insight you need to seek out better opportunities.  That's the nice thing about the web, most of the time someone else has already done the research for you.  You just need to type it into Google.

Step 5: Contact the staff or manager directly.  (This one might get me in trouble.  As a Recruiter I know that I can help some people, but not everyone.  After Step 4 that will have alrady been determined, so I say this with the caveat that you are going it without the aid of one.)  Here is the easiest way to figure out if "the opening you saw on Careerbuilder" is worth your time and energy to fill out the application: pick up the phone and call into the facility first.  I know crazy, right?  Most pharmacies will pick up the phone and not go to voicemail - opposite of HR sometimes.  Once that person answers the phone, simply explain who you are and why you are calling.  Since pharmacy is a field with a huge shortage most will be happy to give you some insight into why they enjoy working there (and many times not - which is still helpful) and also give you the best chance to connect with the manager.  Once you've connected with the manager that gives you the best chance to be on the top of the stack among all the people who applied on-line.  Then simply, repeat this step until you have found what you are looking for.  And in the process you are expanding your network at the same time.

NOTE AGAIN: There may come a time when you find the perfect place and the perfect job for you, but they don't have an opening right now.  If you can wait it out, just regularly keep in touch with the manager there and when a spot comes open you'll be right there and ready.  Patience will reward you in that situation.  If you truly are not in a position where you can wait, then make the hard decision and move on but ask the manager where might a similar opportunity be like his or hers.  That could steer you another direction to make a quicker change. 

These are just 5 steps in a long post about making change happen.  Oftentimes, the hardest part is just getting started.  That's what I learned about personal finance.  Take it one step at a time, realize it's ok to make mistakes, and commit to making a change for a better and happier outcome.  You can, we all can -  "just do it" as Nike would say.