Are Your Pharmacy Staff Dependent on You?

This coming Fall, my kiddos will be starting Kindergarten. And even 5 months away, there’s a flurry of preparation. I’ve filled out what feels like a mountain of paperwork, copied all of their records twice, and attended orientations meant to prepare the little ones and their parents for the upcoming change.

Throughout this process, I’ve realized just how much I’ve inadvertently been doing for my kids, rather than teaching them how. Little things like making sure that they can turn jacket sleeves right side out so they don’t hold up the recess line or knowing that they can peel a banana on their own at lunch time.

These things just never seemed like a big deal. It’s faster to help the kid get their coat on than it is to put down the car keys and take the time to walk them through doing it themselves. And when lunch is on the table, well it just makes sense to have it accessible from the start. But what felt easier at the time was really just past me finding a way to give me future me a massive headache.

You likely encounter situations like this in your pharmacy every day. It’s easier to just do a thing than it is to teach a thing. But easier in the moment is really harder in the long run. Instead of nurturing skills, you’re creating dependency.

Of course, these actions are often not intentional. Pressed for time and resources, we almost always take the path of least resistance. Luckily, the path of least resistance doesn’t always have to lead straight to your door. There are other avenues to explore.

Vendor Resources – When it’s time to help one of your staff members get to the next level, a good place to start is gaining a true understanding of what resources you already have available. Maybe that’s another team member that can step in and help. Maybe it’s taking advantage of benefits offered by your pharmacy technology providers. At RMS, we have all kinds of resources meant to help our customers grow. And we encourage users of all levels to take advantage of them. From our library of blog articles, white papers & Ebooks, to our Customer Center, to our product guide and even our support line. We believe that a point-of-sale provider should be a partner in helping pharmacies succeed, and a big part of that success is sharing our knowledge.

Invest in training – Self help is an awesome way to start, but sometimes your pharmacy team might need a bit more. This is where it can be beneficial to take learning to the next level by scheduling formalized training with your pharmacy technology providers. Whether conducted remotely, or on site, dedicated time with an expert in your systems can be incredibly valuable for both experienced and new users.

This week, I encourage you to take a step back and evaluate whether you really need to be the one to do everything you’re doing. Do you have untapped resources? And if so, how can you help them get to the next level?