Why I Chose Retail Pharmacy

This article is going to talk about why I chose retail pharmacy as my career path. Throughout pharmacy school I’ve come to learn that retail pharmacy is a last resort for most students. Some students don’t even see retail pharmacy as an option for them at all. Most complain about the understaffed conditions, working long hours with no breaks, or dealing with angry customers in a retail setting where the customer is always right. However, I have always known that I wanted to be a retail pharmacist from the beginning of pharmacy school and probably even halfway through my undergraduate studies. I will concede that there are undesirable aspects to retail pharmacy, yet I think the positives far outweigh the negative. I have worked for CVS Pharmacy for about 4 years as an intern and I also have experience in Rite Aid and Walgreens pharmacy through rotations in my P4 year of pharmacy school. I also have experience in acute care settings (Critical Care Unit of Ocean Medical Center, Brick NJ) as well as ambulatory care (Zufall Health, Morristown NJ) again through rotations. I have also have had experience at an in-patient pharmacy (University Hospital, Newark NJ). In the end, retail pharmacy always stuck with me as my number one option for my career path.

“If you’re going through hell, you’re in retail pharmacy.”

I want to address the negative and undesirable aspects of retail pharmacy and how I deal with them. The most obvious of these is having to deal with angry and ungrateful customers in a retail setting. This is probably the number one thing people complain about when working in retail. No matter what you do or how hard you try it is inevitable that in a retail pharmacy you will get yelled at. Some examples of reasons people get angry include prescription prices being too high, something is out of stock, a refill is too soon, or the wait is too long. I have witnessed angry customers spit at a pharmacist, yell in their face, storm out, and of course the plethora of negative reviews left by customers. In my opinion it is all about how you react and are able to deal with angry customers. I have always been a laid back and relaxed person, I never take anything to heart or bring anything home with me. I think this type of personality and way of thinking is the most important thing to strive for in retail pharmacy. We have to put ourselves in the customers shoes and do our best to meet their needs. At the end of the day if I know I did all I could to satisfy a customers needs and they still are angry or ungrateful, I can’t be disappointed in myself. The most important thing that is overlooked by people who work in retail is all the pleasant and happy customers that come in everyday. There are so many customers that come in who are genuinely grateful for the work you do. I have seen customers bring in baked goods for pharmacists as a token of appreciation. The gratitude of these customers is far greater of a reward than any detriments brought on by angry customers.

Another aspect of retail pharmacy that everyone complains about is the lack of hours allocated for technicians and the nonstop work pharmacists have to do without time for breaks. While it is true there is always a struggle to find the best schedule for the number of hours allocated for technicians, it all comes down to the manager and how they best use these hours. I have worked in stores where pharmacy managers are able to optimize a schedule where the best technicians or the most technicians are scheduled during the busiest shifts. I have also worked at pharmacies that were severely understaffed and it seemed like one person was doing everything in the pharmacy. It all comes down to the pharmacy manager and making sure that there are enough technicians on the staff and enough technicians working at the right times. As for the fact that pharmacists in retail sometimes work 12 hour days without breaks, you have to take into account that these pharmacists are not working everyday. Most pharmacists work every other day or have multiple days off in a row as well as alternating weekends off. I think this is one my favorite aspects to retail pharmacy. Also, contrary to popular belief there is time for pharmacists to take at least a 5 to 10 minute break even at the busiest of stores. Again I believe it all comes down to individual mentality, you definitely have to be a positive thinking person to work in retail pharmacy.

In conclusion, retail pharmacy’s benefits far outweigh the negatives. I love being in a fast paced environment where I am able to engage with different customers everyday. I love the schedule of a retail pharmacist as well. Retail pharmacists are really able to make an impact on patients health and this is just going to increase as retail pharmacy evolves. For example, CVS Pharmacy is starting to roll out Health Hubs where the pharmacist is going to take on a greater role in counseling patients. Retail pharmacy is definitely a way better career choice than many make it out to be. And remember, no job is perfect…the grass is always greener on the other side.

Thanks for reading,

Dennys Tapia III