Dr. O'Conner's Column
Dr. Tom O'Connor, Pharm.D., M.B.A.
Here, Dr. Tom O'Connor, Pharm.D., M.B.A. , will answer your career questions and give you helpful hints on how to make the most out of your profession.
Do you have career questions for Dr. O'Connor?? If so just click here and Dr. O'Connor will help!
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Question: I have worked in retail pharmacy for 15 yrs (13 yrs in NJ and the last yr or so in TN.). Well...I have just had the unthinkable happen to me. My store (a small "convience-type" store with a drive thru window, but part of a large chain) was held up at gunpoint...needless to say, I have about had it with retail, even tho it's what I like the best. I will not be going back there, however I won't give up pharmacy, as it is my livlihood and I am a single mother of 2 young boys. What suggestions do you have for a direction that I should pursue? Iwant part time about 20-25 hrs/week, and couldn't possibly work the night shift that hospitals almost always require. I really have no other experience other than retail. There are few pharmaceutical companies here...there are a handful of home health care infusion companies, and there are lots of big chains. I live in a town just northeast of Memphis,TN. I have considered mail order or working with insurance companies, but I have heard that it's really boring. but it appeals to me as I feel it may be safer. What do you think about my situation?
Answer: I'm so sorry to hear about your hold-up. Unfortunately it's not an uncommon experience and several of my retail pharmacy friends have suffered through it. All have had trouble going back to retail pharmacy after the experience. I guess the day will come when pharmacies are designed with the same security as banks. It will increase the cost of community practice but it's what we have to do to provide a safe work environment.
I think you may be on the right track when you consider mail services and managed care. Mail services have come a long way since the 60's an now provide services along with the prescription. If you have a mail service in your area....check it out. You may be surprised at the opportunities and the environment is secure. Most have at least 2 shifts which give you more opportunities for employment.
Managed care organizations and pharmacy benefit companies continue to grow and seek the services of experienced pharmacists. Jobs include formulary management, quality control, and information management. If these subjects sound unfamiliar, you may want to get a refresher course in a few. Taking courses often puts you in touch with the people who know the local market. That's a quick way to grow another career network.
Make sure you start attending professional association meetings in your area. I'd suggest hospital and consultant pharmacy. Consultant pharmacy may give your the safety and scheduling flexibility you need with your young children.
I hope that I've been some help...please do me a favor. Keep me posted as you sort through your options. I'm happy to help. After all, most of my students now are women and I'd have to help them combine their family roles with their profession. Let's start by seeing what I can do for you.
Just a thought....if 50% of marriages end in divorce and if 50% of our new graduates are women, then one out of four pharmacists will be a single Mom. That's an issue of major importance to the profession.
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Question: I have been a registered Pharmacist in NYS since 1978. I went out and immediately bought a store in Brooklyn. I was fed up in 1982 and sold the store. I worked for various chain stores for a few years and decided to go back to school and receive my Masters' Degree in Pharmacology in 1991 from Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Since then I have been rather inactive outside of my participation in C.E. monthly. I am interested in the realm of Pharmacological Research. My Academic career is distinguished. I would be thankful for any advice you might have to offer.
Answer: To give you any real direction, we'd have to talk and I'd need your resume. In general, it sounds as though the pharmaceutical industry might have something that you're looking for. Also, there are numerous companies that conduct clinical research for the pharmaceutical industries. They may also be interested in your pharmacology background.
You might test that market by getting a copy of a major Philadelphia or Trenton paper. The pharmaceutical industry markets positions heavily in them on Sundays. Try the Philadelphia Inquirer as a start.
If you need more assistance I'd be happy to help but I need some more information. Are you looking for clinical or non-clinical pharmacology? Are you willing to relocate? What have you done with your pharmacology degree to date? Would this be a career transition or simply an advancement?
Please let me know more so that I can offer some directed advise.
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Question: I would like your thoughts on certified technicians. Do you think this is hope for the future with technicians doing more of the work and allowing the pharamacist the freedom to get more involved in patient care? Would you recommend certification for technicians?
I am a certified technician but not interested in going back to school. I think a certified technician would be very useful in the clinical setting, however I don't see much advancement in that area. In fact, I am having difficulty getting reconized as being further along in my technician duties than an UN-certified tech. Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you
Answer: I believe that the time is right for certified technicians. You're just a little ahead of the trend. Pharmacists will never be able to provide pharmaceutical care unless they remove themselves from the prescription assembly line. Most pharmacy opinion leaders feel that pharmaceutical care will be the next evolution for pharmacy practice. Without it, pharmacy will be a commodity distribution network and therapies will fail as people will not have an opportunity to learn how to use medications appropriately.
If the pharmacist is to be the quality assurance agent, counselor, and patient monitor, someone has to process prescriptions. That's the certified technicians.
The personal problem you have is that technicians' jobs in general are dead-end. You're trained for a specific function rather than educated for providing a board array of services. That's the primary difference between training and education.
There is another reason why certified technicians positions will grow slowly. Many of these jobs are already filled by RPhs.
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Question: I am a recent graduate from pharmacy school and remember one of my preceptors going to Lilly for a special "school" on diabetes. I am more interested in asthma. Is there any "schools" out there like that for asthma? Are there any close to Michigan? Thanks for the info!
Answer: A few progressive pharmacy schools are starting to move well beyond the traditional CE program for maintaining compencies. These skill developing programs actually advance rather than simply maintain your career. The two major diseases which focus on skill development are diabetes and asthma. They are selected primarily because we can demonstrate the cost effectiveness of early intervention.
Temple School of Pharmacy in Philadelphia offers both programs and the response rate has be exeptional. Dr. Michael Jacobs directs these offerings and he can be reached at 215.707.4990. Since you are interested in the asthma program, I know that Rhone Poulence Rorer sponsors them and some of the sponsored programs may be in your neck of the woods. You might want to get in touch with Mr. Robert Uzzo, Directors of Professional Relations at RPR. Tell him Temple Tom sent you. His number is 610.454.8281. He also serves on the editorial board for Pharmacy Times so he'll appreciate the connection.
Good luck with your search. Let me know how things work out. I enjoy the feedback.
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Question: I have recently graduated pharmacy school at the University of Connecticut and have entered the retail pharmacy jungle. I find it difficult to counsel patients to the extent they need to be, since it is such a high volume chain. Is there any helpful tips that I could use that could help make counseling an everyday occurence rather than something I don't have time for.
Answer: Without the support of the pharmacy management, there's not a whole lot you can do to restructure the work flow. However there are things you can do to be more efficient in your counseling. First, don't start out by trying to counsel everyone on each and every prescription. I know that it's the law but it's almost impossible. Start out by counseling on those issues which
a most vital to your patients. I'd suggest starting with helping your patients comply with the directions for use. Explain the reason for the medication and the importance of taking it correctly.
You should probably decide what's important to say and practice it ahead of time. Even an experienced teacher makes a lesson plan. Also focus your efforts on those who have the time to listen. The hurried shopper is just not ready to hear what you have to say no matter how valuable it may be.
Finally, don't give up trying. Your professional advise is the only real way that your pharmacy can differentiate itself from the competition. I truly believe that the Managed Care Movement will soon change its focus from cost to quality. Then the value of your skills will be realized.
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Question: I am a retail pharmacist in central PA. and looking for something a little different. I am a bilingual and a dual citizen -French-American. Do you know of any opportunities in PA. where I might be able to combine my pharmacy with my cultural/language background??
Answer: If you think you might want a career in the pharmaceutical industry, I bet that a French-based company would appreciate your bilingual skills. I'd start by contacting Rhone-Poulenc Rorer. They're a French company with American Headquarters in Collegeville, PA. Mr. Robert Uzzo is Director of Professional Services there and can be reached at the following address: 500 Arcola Road, P.O. Box 1200, Collegeville, PA 19426. Mr. Uzzo is a pharmacist himself and may be able to direct you to people and positions. He's also a personal friend of mine so you may want to let him know we've been in contact.
Good luck and let me know how your search progresses.
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Question: I will be opening an independent pharmacy in the near future. I need to hire someone to work this pharmacy during the times I can't be there. How can I go about doing the proper background checks on applicants? Is there anything else I should be aware of in hiring?
Answer: Before you hire a part-time pharmacist, take the time to develop a job-analysis. It should have two parts. The first part is the duties and responsibilities you expect. This portion is often called the job description. Make sure it is comprehensive. The second part of the job analysis is the skills, experience, education, and licenses necessary to fulfill the job description.
Now that you know specifically who you're looking for, you should advertise through word-of-mouth using your local pharmacy associations. The candidate should supply you with a resume, at least two letters of recommendation, and proof of licensure. The qualified candidate should then have a formal interview with you and, if you hire, be sure to do so on a 6 month probationary period. That will make it easier to terminate if there's a unforeseen problem. You may also want to call your state
board of pharmacy as a background check.
Good luck and write if you need more specifics.
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Question: I am a B.S. pharmacist and have working for a large retail chain in San Jose, Ca. for the past 7 years. Although I enjoyed my work in the beginning, I am finding myself increasing frustrated and can't imagine spending the next 20 years of my life in a retail position (I'm 31 years old). I would like to explore other career options, but I don't know where to begin. There are a lot of pharmaceutical and bio-tech companies in my area, but are ther jobs for pharmacists such as myself at these companies? I'm willing to go back to school, if necessary, but I clearly need some direction first. I would appreciate your advice on how to begin a career search. Thanks in advance!
Answer: Opportunities in Biotech..... Before you start your job search, be sure that you know what kind of a job your looking for. Forget for a moment where it might be or what industry it might be in. What skills, activities, and interests would make you feel professionally fulfilled. It sounds like your jumping on biotech simply as a ticket out of your current situation. Why do you feel that you'd like the biotech industry? Answer that question first for yourself. I want to make sure that you don't jump from on frying pan to another. You do have the time to do some serious reflection and job search. Let's use the opportunity and approach the problem using the scientific methology....define the problem, determine criteria for success, consider restrictions such as travel, moving, etc.
Assuming that the biotech industry is for you, you may want to consider, quality assurance, quality control, regulatory affairs, product information, marketing\sales. All of these choices bring another set of decisions and each one has a different strategy for success. Additional education and the type of education will depend on the field you select.
My advice for you would be to consult with a reputable career development firm specializing in the biotech\pharmaceutical industry. Meanwhile I'd attend some courses and seminars put on by the DIA (Drug Information Association). That will give you a feel for the industry and it's current challenges. Finally, there has to be a pharmaceutical association in your area. Join it and attend its meetings. This three-point approach to information and networking will give you a better vision of the opportunities and limitations you'll face.
Good luck and I hope that my starting advice is helpful. Bottom line...do not resign yourself to a career that doesn't make you happy. Make your plans to escape and follow through on them. For professionals like you with options, life's too short to be unsatisfied with your work. Forgive the philosophy but teachers can't help it.
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Question: I currently hold a sales position with a national wholesaler, and I'm interested in leaving my job to form a buying group of independent retail pharmacies. From my perspective, it seems that much could be done to improve the buying power of the independent pharmacist (making his business much more profitable) if one could assemble a group of stores with the goal of reducing the cost of their Rx purhcases.
How can I go about finding more information (on existing buying groups, means by which the wholesale industry has kept independents from joining forces, etc)?
Answer: I'm not an expert on "buying groups" but I think their era has passed. Pharmacies that still thrive as independents have joined buying groups by now. The future success of independent pharmacies will be in providing services. As soon as the PBMs sense any profit through inventory, they come in with a new contract with another percentage cut off of AWP. It's
a no-win situation for pharmacy.
If you want to strike out on your own, I think you're a little behind the curve if you want to develop a new buying group. To be successful you'll have to have a distinctive competency that hasn't been explored yet. If you have one.....don't share it here.
Good luck.
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Question: I would like to find out more about Psychiatric Pharmacy Practice Specialty Certification. Could you tell me what a pharmacist with that particular certification would do and how I could find more out about it? Thank-you!
Answer: The Board of Pharmaceutical Specialities (BPS) administers a certification examination for Psychiatric Pharmacy Practice. Testing centers include the cities of New Orlens, Chicago, Newark, Philadelphia, and LA. For more information call the BPS at 202-429-7591.
Why become certified? Career opportunities present themselves to thosewho have demonstrated skills and have differentiated themselves through education and experience. Certification is just another "feather in your cap". It's an outward sign of a quality image. Do you need it? Maybe not. Will it help your career? Most likely.
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Question: I would like to find out about different careers in pharmacy. I am a retail pharmacist today, I have been in hospital pharmacy and I am not interested in the monotony of mail order pharmacy. I would not mind going back to school for more education, but I would really like to educate myself about different pharmacy careers so I can set a goal before I do anything. Could you please give me some ideas or tell me where to turn. Thanks! You provide a great service!
Answer: The best source for developing your pharmacy career is Glaxo's Career Pathways. Many schools of pharmacy have faculty trained to administer this program to seniors and recent grads. I'd call your local school of pharmacy to see if they have participated in this career program. If not, call Glaxo directly. They may be able to help you. If you have trouble getting info on the program, please e-mail me and I'll do some basic research for you...no charge of course.
Good luck.
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