Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Health Professions
 
Board
Board of Pharmacy
 
chapter
Regulations Governing the Practice of Pharmacy [18 VAC 110 ‑ 20]
Action Pharmacy working conditions
Stage Emergency/NOIRA
Comment Period Ended on 11/22/2023
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10/25/23  10:12 am
Commenter: Norther Virginia retail pharmacist.

Pharmacist working conditions
 

We need more help. A pharmacy that fills 400 prescription a day plus all the vaccination needs three full time pharmacist plus two full time technicians working together to provide a safe service to customers. In a place we work RPH gets no break. Every company must give their pharmacist half an hour break by closing the pharmacy for half a hour. A pharmacist should not work for 9 hours without lunch or bathroom break and provide excellent service day after day. For every 150 prescription we need to add another pharmacist. Pharmacist can not type , count , dispense and ring up customers all by herself or himself  and run out to give vaccines too  in a safe manner. Every  pharmacy must have enough techs and clerks so the pharmacist does not have to juggle between typing, counting ,counseling ,answering the phones and giving immunization. It is physically getting impossible and mentally putting the pharmacist under so much pressure. No patient is safe under this working condition and mistake might happen every day. Company should hire immunizer for busier pharmacies.
we can not be on top of the all  the metrics while juggling to serve the patients who are standing right in front of us for their prescriptions or vaccinations. Most of us have to stay over after closing to keep up with the metrics. Working conditions for most pharmacists are getting unbearable to the point that no one wants to work for retail. We need help and we need change for patients safety and our mental health. We need more help. We can not work under this much pressure day after day. 

CommentID: 220448