Fifteen-year olds vs Amateur Hour
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The first few times I work with a new shop assistant, I usually give them a bit of a workout. I'm not seeking to exact some 'trial by fire' but it is a kind of challenge.
As I explain to them, when a shop assistant gives advice, it's effectively the pharmacist talking. Also, when a shop assistant recommends a product, or does pretty much anything in a pharmacy, they're acting as a proxy for the pharmacist.
So, when I'm working with new people or training up someone fresh, I'm particularly fastidious when it comes to WWHAMM or WHAT-STOP-GO, or whichever algorithm is en vogue. That whole awkwardness that comes with asking about pregnancy, breastfeeding needs to evaporate pretty quickly.
This means that when you, as a patient, get asked those 'annoying' questions by my fifteen year-old assistant, they're coming from me. Because I want to help you, by making sure the medication is safe and appropriate for your condition and symptoms.
To a point, I expect shop assistants to be pretty cluey, and certainly to think about what they're doing. Some questions will often catch out inexperienced assistants, such as; "What's the strongest painkiller you've got?"
Other, seemingly soft requests, such as; "I need something to sleep." or, "I'd like some St. John's Wort.", will almost always need pharmacist interaction, ditto requests for Pharmacist-only medication.
Unsurprisingly then, an unquestioning assistant is a dangerous assistant. With time, pharmacy assistants pick up on the clues and subtleties of when to ask for help. If there's any doubt, the best thing an assistant can do is take a bit of your time, ask the pharmacist, ensure their advice is both safe and effective.
A much, much worse scenario is lay-person dishing out advice in my store. When I say "my store", it's because whilst I have few issues with a health problem being discussed by the public outside the store, in a pharmacy there's the potential for the advice to sound like it's coming from me. And hence, a there could be confusion over both veracity of advice, or even liability. Seriously, the kind of person who dishes out advice to someone they've never met in the pharmacy queue is likely to be completely wrong; the chances are they're here for advice too!
Next time you're in a busy pharmacy, I'd back the advice of a cluey fifteen year-old over some random. Especially when she's covered by my insurance. Remember, this is not amateur hour; shop assistants are trained to ask the right questions.
As I explain to them, when a shop assistant gives advice, it's effectively the pharmacist talking. Also, when a shop assistant recommends a product, or does pretty much anything in a pharmacy, they're acting as a proxy for the pharmacist.
So, when I'm working with new people or training up someone fresh, I'm particularly fastidious when it comes to WWHAMM or WHAT-STOP-GO, or whichever algorithm is en vogue. That whole awkwardness that comes with asking about pregnancy, breastfeeding needs to evaporate pretty quickly.
This means that when you, as a patient, get asked those 'annoying' questions by my fifteen year-old assistant, they're coming from me. Because I want to help you, by making sure the medication is safe and appropriate for your condition and symptoms.
To a point, I expect shop assistants to be pretty cluey, and certainly to think about what they're doing. Some questions will often catch out inexperienced assistants, such as; "What's the strongest painkiller you've got?"
Other, seemingly soft requests, such as; "I need something to sleep." or, "I'd like some St. John's Wort.", will almost always need pharmacist interaction, ditto requests for Pharmacist-only medication.
Unsurprisingly then, an unquestioning assistant is a dangerous assistant. With time, pharmacy assistants pick up on the clues and subtleties of when to ask for help. If there's any doubt, the best thing an assistant can do is take a bit of your time, ask the pharmacist, ensure their advice is both safe and effective.
A much, much worse scenario is lay-person dishing out advice in my store. When I say "my store", it's because whilst I have few issues with a health problem being discussed by the public outside the store, in a pharmacy there's the potential for the advice to sound like it's coming from me. And hence, a there could be confusion over both veracity of advice, or even liability. Seriously, the kind of person who dishes out advice to someone they've never met in the pharmacy queue is likely to be completely wrong; the chances are they're here for advice too!
Next time you're in a busy pharmacy, I'd back the advice of a cluey fifteen year-old over some random. Especially when she's covered by my insurance. Remember, this is not amateur hour; shop assistants are trained to ask the right questions.
