Top 7 Things to Consider While Hiring Pharmacists in 2023

Who is a Pharmacist?

A pharmacist is a specialist who works with other medical professionals to prepare and give individuals their prescription medications. This is an important role since it keeps individuals healthy and educated about their medications.

Pharmacists frequently work in pharmacies that are either a part of a retail establishment, a hospital, or a medical practice. Other employees, such as pharmacy technicians, and clerks, may be under their management.

What does a Pharmacist job Entail?

A pharmacist's main responsibility is to prepare medications for patients, dispense them, and provide crucial information about them. For instance, if a pharmacist fills a prescription for a drug that makes people more sensitive to the sun, they let the patient know when they pick up the prescription. The following are some additional duties that a pharmacist might have.

• Tell customers about over-the-counter medications: Pharmacists may be approached by customers seeking advice on non-prescription drug options. A pharmacist might suggest an over-the-counter painkiller, for instance, if someone asks for advice on what might help them with a stomach ache.
  
  
• Answer their questions: People may occasionally visit the pharmacy with inquiries regarding their prescriptions or dosage directions. They can get assistance from pharmacists in reviewing their doctor's instructions or give suggestions based on their own professional experience.
  
  
• Communicate with patients: A pharmacist may call or text a patient to let them know their medication is ready when they don't show up at the pharmacy to pick it up. Any changes to a prescription or insurance information may also be communicated.
  
  
• Manage pharmacy inventory: The ordering, stocking, and upkeep of pharmacy supplies may fall under the purview of pharmacists. They could create or keep a record of how much the pharmacy utilizes in order to aid in more precise ordering.
  
  
• Communicate with healthcare professionals: Pharmacists might talk to doctors and nurse practitioners to resolve questions about medications or insurance issues.

Duties of a Pharmacist

• dispensing medications as prescribed by doctors and other medical professionals
• reviewing prescriptions to ensure accuracy and evaluate their suitability for the patient
• providing information and advice about drugs, their side effects, correct dosage, and proper storage
• providing other health advice, such as guidance on stopping smoking
• keeping records such as pharmacy files, patient profiles, charge system files, inventories, and registries of poisons, narcotics, or controlled drugs
• planning, implementing and maintaining procedures for mixing, packaging, and labeling pharmaceuticals to ensure they meet legal requirements
• assessing the identity, strength, or purity of medications
• working with other healthcare professionals to plan, monitor, review, or evaluate the quality or effectiveness of drugs
• ordering and purchasing pharmaceutical supplies, medical supplies, or drugs.
• maintaining stock and storing and handling it properly
• analyzing prescribing trends to monitor patient compliance and prevent excessive usage or harmful interactions
• advising patients on medication brands, medical equipment, or healthcare supplies.

Skills of a Pharmacist

1. Detail-Oriented

When doing their daily duties, pharmacists should be extremely accurate. They must be meticulous in the handling of medications from the time they are made until they are prescribed.

They must verify both the patient's and the doctor's names while reviewing a customer's prescription. They need to carefully study the doctor's prescription and give the exact dosage of the relevant drug. Being precise guarantees that no mistakes occur, which could potentially cause damage to patients.

2. Communication Skills

Every qualified pharmacist needs to be a good communicator. They should be able to engage with patients and medical staff effectively. The majority of a pharmacist's interactions with patients revolve around writing prescriptions for medications. The need for a particular drug and any potential adverse effects must be explained to the clients.

3. Strong hand in Maths and Science

Excellent talents for becoming a pharmacist include science and math. When working as a pharmacist, they must put their expertise from these domains to use. They can comprehend how medications are made and how they affect the body thanks to their in-depth knowledge of biology and chemistry.

For pharmacists, having strong mathematical abilities is an essential technical ability. They will be able to estimate dosages, package the appropriate quantity of pills, and order medication accurately if they have strong arithmetic skills.

4. Great Analytical Skills

Having great analytical skills will give an upper hand to the candidate to identify problems in the area of duty and offer practical solutions. A top applicant should be able to comprehend the patient’s history and the medications prescribed by the doctor. Having great analytical skills also enables the candidate to recognize adverse side effects of the drug, if any are present.

7 Things to Consider While Hiring Pharmacists

1. Consider their Skills and Strengths

A potential pharmacist candidate should possess strong communication and interpersonal skills. Because a pharmacist is a very public job, they need to deal with hundreds of customers(with different personalities), possessing good verbal skills will definitely be an add-on for your ideal candidate.

They should also be detail-oriented. The job involves different chemicals, formulas, and dosages that should be handled very delicately. And not to forget their subject knowledge. A strong suit in both Maths and Science is a prerequisite for potential candidates.

2. Look for their Qualifications & Licenses

We know it is a skill-oriented recruitment world, but you cannot just throw qualifications and degrees into the dump. Take a peek at the candidate’s certificates and degrees and check if they have proper licenses and knowledge to run as a pharmacist at your pharmacy.

3. Go for Experienced Candidates

While freshers bring new perspectives and a new vibe to your organization, look for experienced candidates who have greater skills and exposure to the industry. Look for candidates who have worked in other sectors of the healthcare industry as it establishes professional connections in the industry.

4. Ask these Questions

• Why do you want to become a pharmacist? - Look for understanding and passion in the candidate’s answer.
• A customer asks about an over-the-counter medication you’ve never heard of before. How would you handle this situation? - Check if your candidate has the ability to handle such situations and has problem-solving ability.
• A customer returns to the pharmacy with a bottle of prescription medication that is partially used and says it doesn’t work. How would you address the issue? - Look if the candidate has the communication skills to pacify such customers.
• You’re out of stock on medication for a customer who is extremely difficult. How would you explain the situation to the patient? - An ideal candidate should be aware of their inventory and should be able to manage the situation effectively.
  
  

This was about what you can look for in candidates before hiring them. There are some things that you as a recruiter should also take care of.

5. Use Pre-employment Tests

Pre-employment tests have created a buzz in the recruitment industry. They are detailed assessments that are created by keeping each job role in mind to assess and evaluate the ideal candidates.

You as a recruiter should use a Pharmacist test to gauge your candidate efficiently. This is a sure-shot method to score the best candidate for your job role.

6. Craft an appealing Job Description

An appealing job description with clear requirements and qualifications will attract only the apt candidates to your job opening. This will make resume parsing easy and you can easily vet each candidate equally.

7. Offer Competitive Compensation

According to Salary.com, the average Pharmacist salary is $146,278, but the range typically falls between $137,828 and $155,808.

You as a recruiter should always stay on top of your game and offer handsome salaries to your employees. You can do so by forming relationships with your competitors and learning their offerings.

To Conclude

Hiring can be a daunting task and you as a recruiter should gear up for the upcoming recession and Gen Zs entering the market. You will require a whole new set of skills and patience to recruit any candidates in the future.

Pull up your socks and start using AI-based recruitment software to lighten your load and hire the best candidates.

We at HireQuotient provide pre-employment assessments to hire the best candidates for you. Book a demo today!