It’s fair to say that the whole PL-UK team were severely hacked off on Monday. A locum we have supported through lots of issues went behind our backs to secure a placement with a client we have previously placed her with. The client concerned had no idea they had been hoodwinked by another agency and ended up paying pay over the odds for a locum they had working for them two weeks previously. Good on her, I hear you say. Not so, I reply. The locum concerned was already getting a fantastic rate from us and this deviousness will come back to bite them in the bum eventually as we were one of only two agencies willing to find her work. Make that one!
However, Tuesday was another day. We placed two locums in long term placements on rates they were delighted with (and so they should be!) They were professional and organised and deserve the rates they will be paid.
The moral of this story is: I understand that everyone wants to be paid the best rate they can for the work they perform but it’s always best to think long term in the locum game.
Having practiced now for 18years both in the U.K and in the USA, I have often found myself wondering what we really do to earn our salaries. In a time when the practice of pharmacy has become more and more automated and patient contact continues to diminish, it is easy to stand back from the counter and wonder what kind of a difference we are really making. The role of the pharmacist continues to evolve, albeit not at the rate we envisioned in our halcion days in pharmacy school. We have seen Nurse practitioners’ numbers triple, Physician Assistant schools multiply and various other allied health fields spring up and yet, it may feel as if we still spend most of our days folding paper, counting pills and scanning our lives away, especially in retail.
There are definitely many issues that I have with what the role of the pharmacist has become both in our own eyes and also in the eyes of our physician colleagues, nurses and the general public. It seems that there is a disconnect between their views of our roles in the healthcare field and what we are actually able to do with the current system. That is a lengthy discussion best saved for a future date.
However, I want you to think about this. All highly paid professionals that I can think of are reimbursed based on the 99% rule. Lets look at some examples to illustrate what I mean. A commercial pilot flies thousands of hours using a completely automated system. He does the same thing over and over again and works within industry established guidelines, rarely ever having to think independently about what a course of action should be. Then a man single handedly, losing both engines on initial ascent, turns the correct way and lands a plane in the Hudson river, saving hundreds of lives. A lawyer spends countless hours preparing routine paperwork over and over again and then, once in a while, a case comes along that makes a huge difference to someone who is a victim or even a huge group of victims. A family doctor sees hundreds of routine cases that could easily be treated using minimal training and knowledge and then, once in a while, he catches something that saves a life. How often does this happen. Maybe 1% of the time. Does it make the rest of the 99% of routine plodding worthwhile?
We are a golden example of this. We have all had that moment when we find something that is not correct. We have all caught mistakes, overdoses, interactions. We have all made a difference. No one else in the pharmacy could have done it. It required a specific training. The buzz that we felt made us feel whole again. It doesn’t happen every day, but it does happen.
We need to work together to create a practice that concentrates our talents and training. We need to be on the ball, stay away from complacency and build our skills to maximize these moments.
By: Darius Randeria, R.Ph ; M.R.P.S ; BPharm (London)
AHS PharmStat, Vice President, Staffing
dranderia@ahspharmstat.com
We are looking for NVQ 3 qualified pharmacy technicians to work in secure establishments in North and West Yorkshire. Must be CTC level cleared. Call Linda on 0333 123 3344 for more information
At PL-UK we get asked this a lot. It all depends on the area you live in, the sector you work in and your additional expertise.
For a standard locum booking you should be looking for at leat £25 per hour for emergency bookings rising to £30 plus 2 hours in very hard to fill areas. For bookings you make well ahead closer to £22 per hour may be the norm, especially in the South, £25 in the North.. If you book direct with the supermarkets and larger chains expect a slightly higher rate initially but this will drop as they get you on their booking direct hook – they don’t make £millions of pounds of profit by paying the best rates long term!
For really good rates specialist knowledge is the key. For locum prescribing advisors we are currently securing rates of £40 per hour plus one hour’s travel time, In the hospital sector specialist knowledge at AFC banding 8a will secure similar rates. And the thing is, these people are excellent value for money. One of our locum prescribing advisor’s has saved two practices over £80,000 per annum each in three months working just two days per week!!
Agency Workers Regulations – how does it effect me?
The simple answer is it doesn’t. …. in most cases. For more expert guidance than I can supply as a pharmacist rather than a legal bod please click on the link below. http://www.pcg.org.uk/cms/documents/01109%20PCG%20A4%2020PP%20BROCHURE%20SINGLE%20PAGES.pdf
One in a lifetime opportunity – pharmacist required in Tonga
We have been approached by a not for profit pharmacy in the Kingdom of Tonga asking us to recruit a pharmacist to work at one of the health centres in the Kingdom. This opportunity will definately not come up again for if you fancy a complete change of scene and an opportunity to live on [...]
Just a quick post to remind all pharmacist that they need to renew their GPhC registration by the 31st October. So you still have a month to pay but if you are anything like me, if you don’t do it now, there’s a chance you’ll forget!
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