When I was 21, I worked as a unit clerk for a Nursing Home. It was a terrible fit for me, but it paid better than any other job I could get at the time. As the newest employee on the team, I did not have a dedicated shift. Instead, I filled in whenever they needed me. Sometimes I worked day-shift, which was really difficult for me because that was when everything was hectic and my lack of experience made me inefficient. My favorite shift was the second shift from 3-11PM. Everything slowed down then. Doctors, a chief cause of stress for everyone, didn’t do rounds after 3 PM. After dinner was served at 5 PM, demands from the patients slowed down. Families would visit, but there was no PT, OT, exams, new admissions, discharges or other urgent, time-sensitive tasks.
After I was there for several months, the most senior clerk resigned and her role on day shift opened up. The second most senior clerk, who was working steady second shift applied for the day shift role. I, naturally applied for the second shift full-time position. I liked the schedule, the workload and the second shift staff. Plus, instead of being a part-time, on call employee, I could move into a full-time role with benefits and a steady schedule.
This was a small operation with <100 employees, so my interview was with the CEO of the organization. When he was interviewing me, he asked me for my opinion on the entire operations, the unit clerk’s responsibility, what could be done better, etc.
I was naive. I told him exactly what I thought. I told him about the great employees, my challenges on the day shift, why I was so excited to move into the slower paced second shift, etc. I remember seeing a look of surprise on his face when we were talking. I guess he wasn’t expecting someone to be as honest as I was. I didn’t throw anyone under the bus, but I think he found out some things he didn’t realize were happening.
About a week later, he called me into his office to tell me he was moving the 2nd shift clerk into the full-time day shift role. The he said he was cutting the 2nd shift position from full-time to part-time , because, as I had told him, this shift wasn’t very busy and didn’t justify having a clerk there for 8 full hours a night. He said there were budget constraints and this was one way he could reduce costs.
So I screwed myself out of a full-time job. Fortunately for me, a former employer reached out a few weeks later to offer me a job managing a warehouse for a company he had just joined. I jumped at that opportunity – it was better pay, a better fit and I was good at it. So it all worked out for the best for everyone.
I thought about this experience when I went to the pharmacy to pickup my allergy meds recently. Since Covid, of the pharmacies in my area have reduced their hours. They all also close for “lunch” every day for 60-90 minutes and no prescriptions can be filled during that time. During holidays, they are closed. They even close for extra days before and after holidays.
I understand why. Pharmacists have been complaining that they are overworked, understaffed, underpaid, unappreciated, asked to do more, etc.
Perhaps they are – I don’t have any insight into being a pharmacist. I suspect that any who work for CVS and Walgreens are certainly being squeezed by “the man”. That, after all, is big corporate standard policy.
But here’s the thing – I almost never talk to an actual pharmacist. When I need a prescription or my OTC allergy meds that are being the counter (because I might melt them down to make meth), I only deal with pharmacy techs. My last flu and covid shots were administered by a pharmacy tech.
Th only time I talk to a pharmacist is if everyone else is busy and the pharmacist has no choice but to wait on me.
So for now, pharmacists are able to push back and get a few extra benefits and perks because of the labor market and market issues.
But I don’t need a pharmacist. I would be completely satisfied using a vending a machine. Or an automated pill dispensing robot.
Don’t think for a second that CVS and Walgreens aren’t planning for this. As soon as they can replace people with robots they will.
I wonder if the pharmacists will have the same thought I did so many years ago as a unit clerk and wonder “Did I just work my out of a job?”
It’s coming, whether they realize it or not.