Pharmacy counter staff useless

Ive been working in a community pharmacy for three years now, I started as a sales assistant & am now a qualified NVQ2 Dispenser. I think pharmacy staff need to be given a break once in a while. One minute you're trying to tell someone that if theyve got a dry tickly cough that taking chesty cough syrup will do them no good whatsoever, the next you could be doing a diabetes test and trying to keep the patient from having a panic attack & fainting on you, then you get people coming in to pick up their prescriptions & having a go at you cos your driver hasn't picked it up from the surgery yet as the doctor hasn't signed it, because they only ordered yesterday. We have to deal with harsh consequences everytime something goes wrong - it is NEVER the surgerys fault or the patient - it is ALWAYS the pharmacy's fault. I think people need to understand that one person cannot hold in their head knowledge about every single product they sell. I always try to help to the best of my knowledge, if I can't help then I refer to a pharmacist. It's really frustrating that me & my colleagues spend time learning information about a vast amount of products for some twit to look down their nose at us & say 'You don't know anything about XXX I have to speak to the pharmacist at once' when they don't even give us a chance.
Another point - the reason why there are more pharmacies than primary schools is because children attend primary school, but EVERYONE at some time needs medicine. Lets say we shut down all the 'mini-pharmacies' I don't think many people would like it if they had to wait for two hours for some antibiotics now would they??
Ask for the pharmacist lunch hours-why can't they eat at the same time as everyone else? Just because they work for the community doesn't mean they have to answer them whenever the community says. At the company I work for, the pharmacist has to stay on the premises while they are on their lunch,& has a maximum of 30 minutes-give them a break please.

Oh you were so ill with insect bits, may be you could not make up your mind, other day I went to the market to by POTATOES, there were so many verities to choose from and no label or information to tell me of its test, cooking time, health value, and proper use in the meal, I could have landed buying baking potato for fries so labels and instructions on the products does help to make up independent choice, (your freedom of choice would not have been rapped) if need some thing for headache and if was seeking friendly opinion I would get different response from different groups of people infant would have recommended Calpol, youth would have recommended Anadin, older wood have recommended Nerofen or stronger and I would have told you “Go see you GP again they will give you best medicine if you did not take anti-malarial”
Counter assistant was damn right unless this was your first visit to pharmacy

US pharmacist, you missed the point completely. I knew what the problem was and I wasn't asking for medical advice. I was asking for advice about the products sold IN THE CHEMIST. Something along the lines of, "oh.. well most people go for them..." or "this one's good but expensive, and this one works well too..." This clown didn't even know what isle to direct me to either.

The writer is clearly just a whinny needy person who wants everybody to kowtow at her when she comes into the pharmacy. I get so annoyed at people coming into the pharmacy to show me their arms and ask me, "what is this?" The public should know that neither the pharmacist nor the pharmacy technicians are trainned to diagnose and when something goes wrong, you guys hold us accountable. Our main duty is dispensary; to make sure that correct medications are given out. We are busy enough with that and how could we "give a damn" when our main job is clearly not to diagnose! Anything that a pharmacist is doing out of this scope should be appreciated by the patients. To add insult to this, I am sure the writer didn't expect to pay for this service either! So I think the writer should shut her trap and be gratful that at least someone was there to guide her to the right section.

Gawsh, are you dumb? Use the internet to find out about whatever drugs you need before you go to the pharmacy. If you don't understand your ailment go to your doctor. There are far too many mini-pharmacies. It's actually costing the nation billions keeping all these businesses we don't need going. There are more pharmacies than primary schools. Think about it; is that necessary?

Just remember a pharmacy is a business, not a social institution. They're there to sell you quack medicines if they can. Junk for backaches and the like. They make mega bucks outta this. If the medecine can do you any good you probably need a prescription for it.

The national health service neds to think how it runs is local health care units. Our doctors surgeries are far too small. The doctors need to be directly employed by the NHS or health care trust. The present system is mediaeval. A large health care unit should have its own pharmacy.

I go to see the doctor: I get my drugs at the same time.

I have worked in a pharmacy for 4 years. I had to do the Interactive Course which I found very interesting. People come into our shop and find us very helpful. I go out of my way to advise people with their ailments. I am not doing it for the money as I would have left earlier because we are notoriously underpaid for the hard work we put in. Its better to work for low payt in something you enjoy or get more money in something you hate! I could earn more in Tescos on checkout! Our pharmacist only takes half hour lunch and people still complain!

Pharmacy Counter Staff Useless!!

I recruit for that industry and trying to find a certified Medicines Counter Assistant these days is like "Gold-Dust".
Clients are not prepared to pay and the candidates do not want to get out of bed for minimum wage, so I'm not surprised.

I've been working in a pharmacy for nearly 2 years i've just started my dispensing course. the fact people can say counter assistants are useless when all we ever do is look out for the interest of other people is complete rubbish. the only way a pharmacy can be run poorly is if people dont work as a team, and if a person isnt up to the standards within a pharmacy they shuldn't be able to stay.

I asked a pharmacy assistant if they carried digital thermometers (not a medicine question, but still one of first aid) and she point blank told me no but they had children’s forehead strips. I wandered in and around the isles looking for my other purchases, only to come across the children’s forehead strips… right beside the digital thermometers, not two meters from the pharmacy desk. I ended up using the check out at the pharmacy desk and I pointed out to her that they were in the store and she said ‘oh, you mean to take temperature! Why didn’t you just ask for that?’ Huh? I hadn’t realized 'digital thermometer' was a complex medical term.

Pharmacy counter staff useless - They're not this good!

Whilst in Boots I asked for some Milk of Magnesia and was instructed to visit the geography section of the book department. Eh!!

for the attention of Caitlin,your friend may not have done any training but has worked in the pharmacy trade for a long period of time.It is a legal requirement that all new staff members working in a pharmacy, have to start and complete the Interactive learning course which are run by The National Pharmaceutical Assosiation.

I have worked in a very well established Pharmacy for a long period of time now and am involved with our staffs training and development.So it's actually you 'darling'that needs to get your facts right......

My training and knowledge was acquired through self education of complimentary and conventional medicine: having my Bachelor of Science education was of immense significance to amount my success in sales and customer counselling. Employed in six different community pharmacies and three medical centre pharmacies over the past ten years is the basis of my creditability. Since working as a pharmacy store manager, dispensary technician and pharmacy assistant have chosen to leave the pharmaceutical industry and look for a career that I am able to assist society because I have watched the pharmacy interest go down, quality care go down and Pharmacist Employers only care about MONEY. There is not enough training provided for assistance because employers dont care!!!!!!!!!
I once believed that a Pharmacy strived on having the best interest of customer health and care as a leading motto: serving as a pharmacy assistant for the past ten years has made me witness a transition not only affecting quality and care for consumer health but also the quality and work ethics for pharmacy assistants. What was once dedication to benefit society, serve individual needs, promote wellbeing and obtain health solutions has now become a mergence of corporate interest; Pharmacy Direct, Chemist Warehouse, Priceline Pharmacy, investors and shareholders controlled by the Guild of Australia and represented by a commercial global market.