Handed in my notice but I’m sad about it!

[Poppynit]

Very long post ahead but I just want a bit of a hand hold to be honest! I’m a pharmacy technician working in retail pharmacy. I’ve been working in pharmacies since I was 16. I’ve worked in prison pharmacies, hospital pharmacies and retail pharmacies. I generally love it, I find it so interesting and I used to find it very rewarding but the amount of pressure put on us, the seriously unrealistic expectations from patients, the lack of appreciation (especially throughout the pandemic) and people not actually knowing what our job is has just got too much.

I came home from work yesterday after a shift from hell and cried for about 5 hours straight. My poor boyfriend didn’t get the peaceful PlayStation night that he’d been waiting for all week😂 I had a Dr’s receptionist call me petty for asking to clarify whether a child of 4 years old was meant to be prescribed co-amoxiclav tablets (they’re nearly as big as the average four year olds hands!) rather than suspension.

I spent an hour dealing with a patient who called me all the names under the sun because we gave her a split box of medication. Dr prescribed 14 tablets, they come in boxes of 100 and each strip has 10 tablets, so obviously we have to cut a strip to get the prescribed quantity. We do like to go the extra mile for our patients but giving them 86 more tablets than they’ve been prescribed is not something we do.

Our manager was on our case because we were ten items short of our target last week, apparently this is unacceptable and we aren’t working hard enough.

One of my colleagues had an appointment in his lunch break that ran over by nearly an hour so I had a stack of prescriptions about the thickness of the Yellow Pages to dispense while trying to serve patients, answer the phone, email surgeries and help the pharmacist dispense methadone.

Almost every patient that came to collect a prescription kicked off because we hadn’t even received the prescription despite the Dr telling them that it’d be ready by the time they got here. They hadn’t even been signed off by the Dr yet. Can you imagine if we just sent people to the drs and told them they’d be seen right away! I’m not having a dig at Drs by the way, I know that they are also under a huge amount of pressure but some just are not aware of our process, equally we don’t know a huge amount about theirs. I did suggest to my manager that I would be happy to organise an event or even just email the local surgeries to help them understand how we work and also for us to understand their processes too. That way we could work so much better alongside each other and provide the best service for our community. That idea was shot down, I was told it was a “hilariously stupid idea”.

I think the final straw was that while the pharmacist was on his lunch break (legally we cannot sell any OTC meds or hand out any prescriptions during this half an hour) and a woman called me a cunt for not letting her collect her medication and told every other person in the shop that I had blood on my hands.
That was just one days worth of shite, but it’s been like this for a couple of years now.

So this morning I handed my notice in. It was a totally rash decision and I feel like I’ve made the right decision for my mental health but fuck, I feel really sad about it as well. I actually think I’m going to de-register as a pharmacy technician because it’s not worth the very few extra pennies an hour for the amount of responsibility when I could actually earn more working as a customer assistant in a supermarket. Absolutely no shame in working in a supermarket of course.

I’m also really angry that I’ve let people make me not want to do something I love and am so passionate about. I feel like I’ve let down my colleagues too and left them in the shit. I think I will go back into pharmacy at some point but for now, I need a break. It’s such a mentally demanding job.

I guess I just want people to know that the job is not handing out sweets or sticking a label on a box. If we don’t do our job correctly, we could be responsible for somebody’s serious harm or death.

I’m sorry for how long this is, I needed to vent. Have any of you given up your dream job? Did you feel relieved? Did you go back to the job after a break?

Shit, that's so hard, I don't blame you though. To answer your question, yes I quit my dream job. My boss kept changing the goal posts. Clients that should have been seen weren't even on my list
I wasn't prepared to compromise my professionalism for their reputation

Oh op
Dealing with the public can be really miserable.
I’ve had a crappy day dealing with shouty, moaning patients.
On the way home I was thinking “I so wish I could win the lotto”. The way I feel today I wouldn’t even work my notice.

@MrsBarnstable Compromising your professionalism could also damage your own reputation, no job is worth that! Sounds like you made the right decision :)

@OhTheIronyOfItAll it can be so draining can’t it? Most days I come home and I feel like maybe I am just a bastard and that’s why I have so many issues with patients 😂

I feel like these days people have a huge sense of entitlement and they want everything NOW.
I do always try to remember that some of patients that come to us are unwell and understandably grouchy, nobody likes being unwell. Also, we don’t know the ins and outs of their lives, they could be going through hell which is why they’re lashing out. Or, they could just be an arsehole! It’s very hard not to take the things they say personally, it just wears you down after a while. I just can’t imagine talking to someone the way that they do.

You have my empathy.

Both my parents were retail pharmacists.

Degrees, training year, cpd every year.

Stood on their feet in freezing dispensaries (are dispensaries still always cold). Never got a lunch break.

My mum got treated like she was a had climbed out from a rock - the same way that some people treat all women who work on shops. It's awful.

My dad had it slightly better because pharmacists are men apparently.

I once muted the idea of doing pharmacy. I got days worth of being told not to.

I can only imagine how people treat well qualified, competent and experienced dispensers like you. I am sorry that people have been treated you like this.

@palindromeam

You have my empathy.

Both my parents were retail pharmacists.

Degrees, training year, cpd every year.

Stood on their feet in freezing dispensaries (are dispensaries still always cold). Never got a lunch break.

My mum got treated like she was a had climbed out from a rock - the same way that some people treat all women who work on shops. It's awful.

My dad had it slightly better because pharmacists are men apparently.

I once muted the idea of doing pharmacy. I got days worth of being told not to.

I can only imagine how people treat well qualified, competent and experienced dispensers like you. I am sorry that people have been treated you like this.

They are always cold! My underactive thyroid probably doesn’t help though! 😂 the shop floor air conditioning/heating system is controlled by head office but the dispensary is supposed to be controlled by us to keep meds at a stable temperature. I say ‘supposed’ because there is no bloody way that it actually works ❄️

I have definitely noticed that my male colleagues are always treated better than me by patients and even surgery staff.

I do feel very upset that I’ve got to the point where I’m ‘giving up’ but I’m so excited to have a couple of years with no responsibility! I’ve applied for a job at our local supermarket. They have been so helpful during the pandemic by donating tons of food and toiletries to families who lost their income and some of their delivery drivers even helped us deliver medication to our shielding patients so I know if I’m successful I’ll be working with a great team!

Seems like maybe a mix of the pandemic making people ruder than usual but also a rubbish manager? Seeing as how you've enjoyed other pharmacy jobs in the past? For one thing a good manager would have your back and be able to see how hard you've worked and not pick on the only targets you haven't met, and for another, can't believe she said your idea about co-ordinating with local dr's was rubbish! I think that's an amazing idea and might have solved a lot of your issues. Loads of employers would absolutely love to have a dynamic person like you on their team, in any sector, someone that actively thinks about how they can improve things rather than just moaning.

Really hope you get the supermarket job and get the chance to de-stress a bit. I know supermarket jobs can be hard too, but you've already had experience in dealing with twats, plus people will hopefully be in a better mood if they're just doing their shopping rather than worrying about their health. Plus at least if you're on the tills you'll be able to sit down!

@Poppynit two close relatives work in pharmacy and it sounds horrific at the mo. I don't blame you at all! Are there any local independent pharmacies? They seem to be treating their staff better right now

@thevassal thank you, I thought my idea sounded pretty fantastic too! I am actually going to email the surgeries tomorrow anyway regardless of what my manager has told me. What are they going to do, sack me?😂 I understand that my manager is under a huge amount of pressure too but it’s so important that you have your teams back.

@kitkatsky I think after taking a little break from pharmacy, I might go for an independent one, I’ve never actually worked in one before!

I think my favourite place that I’ve worked in was a Boots, I worked in a city centre store so it was absolutely manic but there was never a dull moment. It was quite target-heavy but at the end of the day, it’s a business. It has to be. The staff discount was fab, they paid me the most out of everywhere else I’ve worked and the fact that I could browse the premium makeup counters on my lunch break was also a bonus, don’t think my bank account agreed though 😬

Would you consider going back to the hospital, yep is a nightmare at times (always being blamed for discharges being delayed...) but very little public contact!

@poppynit You sound like a gem and it's a real shame that you feel you have to leave - but totally understandable from what you say.
It makes me so cross to think of customers treating you that way. Honestly, people can be utterly awful.

Definitely contact the GP surgeries! It's a brilliant, proactive idea and your manager should have applauded you for the initiative.

I hope you find a place in the future that allows you to enjoy the work again, as it would be a shame not to use the specialist professional skills you have. But in the meantime enjoy the break and know that you will be snapped up by any Pharmacy that actually knows what's good for them!

because it’s not worth the very few extra pennies an hour for the amount of responsibility when I could actually earn more working as a customer assistant in a supermarket. Absolutely no shame in working in a supermarket of course.

There might be pressure in the supermarket though - if they run out of kumquats/ certain birthday cakes/a particular special offer - sorry that was flippant of me. Your ex work place does sound very stressful :(. I think that everyone is stressed from Covid and of course taking it out on you. Once they have had their haircut/sat in a greasy spoon abd had a 'full english' they may return to normal (cannot wait until Tuesday when I go to the local caff).

Thanks for sharing this. I feel for you and will be more aware of the pressures on pharmacies. I’ve often wonder how pharmacists feel about the media campaigns to ask a pharmacist to diagnose your issues rather then bother a GP too.