Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Big Day.
So today was my Temple interview. Let me start by saying that I was really overstressed for it.
First off, I decided on buying a whole new suit, shirt, and tie. You see, I like to do my research before diving into anything. So I spent endless hours researching the basics such as best suit, shirt, tie combo to wear, etc. I have indeed learned valuable information about the interview process; applying it however, is another story.
Anyway, I was set on NOT wearing my black suit. From what I read, BLACK is too formal and especially "funeralish". I went to King of Prussia, Macy's specifically, for two consecutive day and picked up at Black CK suit with stripes. This made it appear to be more grayish than black. I literally spent 1-2 hours picking out a tie. Yes seriously, HOURS! I was going for a Red or a Blue tie. Blue, from my research is the most favorable in interviews. Blue necktie resulted in more job offers if you can believe that. I was set on Blue, but there are so many to choose from! The many different shades of blue and then the patterns. Should I get a solid, a strip, or (fill in the blank pattern)? in the end, I couldn't be more pleased with my pick. It was again a Black with stripes Calvin Klein suit, a Express 1MX white shirt, and a really nice striped Michael Kors necktie. I went with the full Windsor, (thank you internet how-to videos!).
To summarize, yes I went all out for this interview. New suit, tie, haircut, nail cuts, the whole shebang!
I won't give any details about the specific interview itself, but I like to note that I SHOULD have been more assertive in my reply to the questions. Only time will tell. I will find out in 3-4 weeks. Until then, I have to prepare for Tennessee!
P.S.
Something happened on Sunday that really got to me. It was my overnight Pharmacist, a recent new tech, and myself working. It was abnormally busy since it was after all Super Bowl Sunday. A British gentlemen, I'll assumed so from his accent, came in and was quite distraught. I can see it in his face. He was sweating and red all over. He mentioned that he part of a band and is from CALIFORNIA. He ran out of his medication. Worst of all, he has taken his wife medication by mistake. showed me the bottle, it was a mail-order. For some unknown reason the place was closed at 9pm (EST) - 6pm PST time. It was for HCTZ, so we generated and will call on Monday. We ran into an insurance issue and I called member services. They were closed. No related health care provider especially insurance member services should be closed at all, but its my opinion. I informed the gentlemen that I could not get the insurance to go through and gave him the option of paying out of pocket for it. It was a little over $10. He gladly agreed. So being the best pharmacy around, we banged it out in about 1.5-2 min.
Here's how it ended. He came over to drop-off, thanked me, and shook my hand. YES, he shook my hand. So much appreciation for doing your JOB. The accolades I received is overwhelming. It is times like this that scream, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life...
First off, I decided on buying a whole new suit, shirt, and tie. You see, I like to do my research before diving into anything. So I spent endless hours researching the basics such as best suit, shirt, tie combo to wear, etc. I have indeed learned valuable information about the interview process; applying it however, is another story.
Anyway, I was set on NOT wearing my black suit. From what I read, BLACK is too formal and especially "funeralish". I went to King of Prussia, Macy's specifically, for two consecutive day and picked up at Black CK suit with stripes. This made it appear to be more grayish than black. I literally spent 1-2 hours picking out a tie. Yes seriously, HOURS! I was going for a Red or a Blue tie. Blue, from my research is the most favorable in interviews. Blue necktie resulted in more job offers if you can believe that. I was set on Blue, but there are so many to choose from! The many different shades of blue and then the patterns. Should I get a solid, a strip, or (fill in the blank pattern)? in the end, I couldn't be more pleased with my pick. It was again a Black with stripes Calvin Klein suit, a Express 1MX white shirt, and a really nice striped Michael Kors necktie. I went with the full Windsor, (thank you internet how-to videos!).
To summarize, yes I went all out for this interview. New suit, tie, haircut, nail cuts, the whole shebang!
I won't give any details about the specific interview itself, but I like to note that I SHOULD have been more assertive in my reply to the questions. Only time will tell. I will find out in 3-4 weeks. Until then, I have to prepare for Tennessee!
P.S.
Something happened on Sunday that really got to me. It was my overnight Pharmacist, a recent new tech, and myself working. It was abnormally busy since it was after all Super Bowl Sunday. A British gentlemen, I'll assumed so from his accent, came in and was quite distraught. I can see it in his face. He was sweating and red all over. He mentioned that he part of a band and is from CALIFORNIA. He ran out of his medication. Worst of all, he has taken his wife medication by mistake. showed me the bottle, it was a mail-order. For some unknown reason the place was closed at 9pm (EST) - 6pm PST time. It was for HCTZ, so we generated and will call on Monday. We ran into an insurance issue and I called member services. They were closed. No related health care provider especially insurance member services should be closed at all, but its my opinion. I informed the gentlemen that I could not get the insurance to go through and gave him the option of paying out of pocket for it. It was a little over $10. He gladly agreed. So being the best pharmacy around, we banged it out in about 1.5-2 min.
Here's how it ended. He came over to drop-off, thanked me, and shook my hand. YES, he shook my hand. So much appreciation for doing your JOB. The accolades I received is overwhelming. It is times like this that scream, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life...
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Friday, July 25, 2008
A funny thread I like to share..
Since I'm an aspiring Pharmacy student, I tend to hang out at the Pharmacy section over at the Student Doctor Network site. I happen to come upon a very long, very funny, but rather true to life thread about working in a Pharmacy.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=117497&highlight=pharmacy+tech+rants+stories
I assure you that you will DEFINITELY get a kick by reading some of the reply. The thread is old and it is buried among thousands of others thread. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=117497&highlight=pharmacy+tech+rants+stories
I assure you that you will DEFINITELY get a kick by reading some of the reply. The thread is old and it is buried among thousands of others thread. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Burned out.
I recall with my last entry that I was in the process of obtaining a hospital pharmacy tech job. Initially, I thought, 'great another entry on my resume and applications for pharmacy school as well as another source for really great recommendation'.
Well, I've been working for about a month now and let me tell you: Wow, I'm tired. It's not that the job is very demanding, its the 2 other jobs beside it that's killing me. Recall that I have a 9-5 and then a chain pharmacy job, which is only once a week now, thanks goodness. I barely have time for anything. On average it's about 4 nights a week that I'm at the hospital after work.
A small update for now.
Well, I've been working for about a month now and let me tell you: Wow, I'm tired. It's not that the job is very demanding, its the 2 other jobs beside it that's killing me. Recall that I have a 9-5 and then a chain pharmacy job, which is only once a week now, thanks goodness. I barely have time for anything. On average it's about 4 nights a week that I'm at the hospital after work.
A small update for now.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
A new adventure awaits...(Hospital Pharmacy)
I am proud to say that in 2 months from now, I have worked in retail Pharmacy as a technician for a year. It may only be a year, but I have learn so so much. It is time for me to look at the other side of Pharmacy -- mainly hospitals. Recently, I have signed up for the PTCB (May 17th) and am planning on passing it with ease. I haven't study yet. But as like for an undergraduate final, I'll probably study 1-2 nights before.
On a random day 2 weeks ago, I searched for Pharmacy techs openings in the many surrounding hospitals. I found a position which is about equally the same distance as from where I live to where my BIG-CHAIN-Pharmacy is located at. I began to fill out the applications and at the end it asked for 3 references! Well I wasn't prepare with any. So I just went "dammit, and x out the window" and forgot about it. The next day, while at work, I received a call from the Hospital recruiting department. Somehow that application did went through although uncompleted (I believed so). I have to take a pharm-calc like test before they would even grant and interview. This was 2 weeks ago and I took the test yesterday. Of course I GOT 100%! Hey,a Bachelors is good for something right.
I'm excited about this hospital position. First, I know I would get pay at least 1.5 to 2 times as much as I'm making now. Money wasn't an issue at first, just the experience was worth it. Secondly, I will now have networking with pharmacy professionals in a hospital environment. Go. Go. Letters of Recommendations! (Yeah, this year cycle is over. No more hopes. Will apply EARLY this time around)
I have an interview with the Pharmacy staffs in 2 weeks. Finger crossed.
P.S. The Angriest Pharmacist is credited for newly added picture. I got the link to the site via his blog. It's awesome!
On a random day 2 weeks ago, I searched for Pharmacy techs openings in the many surrounding hospitals. I found a position which is about equally the same distance as from where I live to where my BIG-CHAIN-Pharmacy is located at. I began to fill out the applications and at the end it asked for 3 references! Well I wasn't prepare with any. So I just went "dammit, and x out the window" and forgot about it. The next day, while at work, I received a call from the Hospital recruiting department. Somehow that application did went through although uncompleted (I believed so). I have to take a pharm-calc like test before they would even grant and interview. This was 2 weeks ago and I took the test yesterday. Of course I GOT 100%! Hey,a Bachelors is good for something right.
I'm excited about this hospital position. First, I know I would get pay at least 1.5 to 2 times as much as I'm making now. Money wasn't an issue at first, just the experience was worth it. Secondly, I will now have networking with pharmacy professionals in a hospital environment. Go. Go. Letters of Recommendations! (Yeah, this year cycle is over. No more hopes. Will apply EARLY this time around)
I have an interview with the Pharmacy staffs in 2 weeks. Finger crossed.
P.S. The Angriest Pharmacist is credited for newly added picture. I got the link to the site via his blog. It's awesome!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Why Rite Aid Sucks...
Okay, maybe not all Rite Aid sucks, just the one close to where I live.
You may probably concluded at this point that I don't work for Rite Aid. So why does the nearest pharmacy, which happens to be Rite Aid, sucks? Read on, I'll tell you why.
Today I went to the dentist for a root canal. Long story short, I was given two prescriptions. Rite Aid was down the street, not far from the dental office, so I went there. It is a 24-hour store and so I expected the service to be comparable to where I work. I hand the tech my scripts , gave my information and such. She then told me that the wait time is about 2 hours. I look around for quick moment. I'm the only customer at drop-off. I stare at pick-up and notice 3 people standing in line. There was no one sitting at the wait area.
First of all, at my store, we would have had it ready in 5 minutes, 10 tops given the same scenario. Even with multiples customer standing in line at drop-off, we can still do it in 15 min. Yeah, I know we're JUST THAT AWESOME!
So I figure I'll come back and stop by KFC across the street in 2 hours. I came back again with my buddy. I gave the tech my name and such. The tech proceeds to check their idiotic and funny looking filing system . He/she can't find it. Tech ask me to hold on. So I stood there with disgust while he/she checks the computer. GUESS WHAT! My prescription was still in the to-be-check-by-pharmacist basket. What the fuck. After 2 hours, it's still not ready. I would at least expected it to be completed 30 or so minutes after I left. There weren't anyone there waiting! She/he then ask me to wait a COUPLE minutes.
Now, at this point if it were the store I would work at. I would have banged this out and hurried the pharmacist to check it in 2-3 minutes since it was our fault.
NOPE! It took ~30 freaking minutes to verify and check 2 scripts. Worst of all, they (all the other techs including the pharmacist)weren't even hustling or bustling. Seriously, accuracy is crucial and all but I dropped it 2 hours ago. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. It should be fucking READY TO GO. I don't know what kind of system Rite Aid have, but its fucking shitty as hell. Maybe it's just THAT store. I expect a 24-hour store to be much better than that. From what I can see, they have 3 techs and 1 pharmacist working at that time. They aren't understaffed.
On another note, the person at drop-off was SLOW AS HELL. I mean to go look for a person script and scan a couple of bar codes. This shouldn't take more than 2-3 minutes. I have to say that my average customer, (when I'm working pick-up) will be in and out in under 2 minutes providing there weren't any insurance problem.
I learned my lesson today. I'll never drop anything off there again. But if you must know why I didn't go to my store. It is because it's about half an hour away.
In conclusion: RITE AID SUCKS! (at least the one near me.)
P.S. I may be getting a job in a hospital soon! But sshhhhh, don't tell my Big-Chain-Pharmacy!
You may probably concluded at this point that I don't work for Rite Aid. So why does the nearest pharmacy, which happens to be Rite Aid, sucks? Read on, I'll tell you why.
Today I went to the dentist for a root canal. Long story short, I was given two prescriptions. Rite Aid was down the street, not far from the dental office, so I went there. It is a 24-hour store and so I expected the service to be comparable to where I work. I hand the tech my scripts , gave my information and such. She then told me that the wait time is about 2 hours. I look around for quick moment. I'm the only customer at drop-off. I stare at pick-up and notice 3 people standing in line. There was no one sitting at the wait area.
First of all, at my store, we would have had it ready in 5 minutes, 10 tops given the same scenario. Even with multiples customer standing in line at drop-off, we can still do it in 15 min. Yeah, I know we're JUST THAT AWESOME!
So I figure I'll come back and stop by KFC across the street in 2 hours. I came back again with my buddy. I gave the tech my name and such. The tech proceeds to check their idiotic and funny looking filing system . He/she can't find it. Tech ask me to hold on. So I stood there with disgust while he/she checks the computer. GUESS WHAT! My prescription was still in the to-be-check-by-pharmacist basket. What the fuck. After 2 hours, it's still not ready. I would at least expected it to be completed 30 or so minutes after I left. There weren't anyone there waiting! She/he then ask me to wait a COUPLE minutes.
Now, at this point if it were the store I would work at. I would have banged this out and hurried the pharmacist to check it in 2-3 minutes since it was our fault.
NOPE! It took ~30 freaking minutes to verify and check 2 scripts. Worst of all, they (all the other techs including the pharmacist)weren't even hustling or bustling. Seriously, accuracy is crucial and all but I dropped it 2 hours ago. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. It should be fucking READY TO GO. I don't know what kind of system Rite Aid have, but its fucking shitty as hell. Maybe it's just THAT store. I expect a 24-hour store to be much better than that. From what I can see, they have 3 techs and 1 pharmacist working at that time. They aren't understaffed.
On another note, the person at drop-off was SLOW AS HELL. I mean to go look for a person script and scan a couple of bar codes. This shouldn't take more than 2-3 minutes. I have to say that my average customer, (when I'm working pick-up) will be in and out in under 2 minutes providing there weren't any insurance problem.
I learned my lesson today. I'll never drop anything off there again. But if you must know why I didn't go to my store. It is because it's about half an hour away.
In conclusion: RITE AID SUCKS! (at least the one near me.)
P.S. I may be getting a job in a hospital soon! But sshhhhh, don't tell my Big-Chain-Pharmacy!
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