Brooklyn is a staff pharmacist at her hospital in the city and really enjoys the ability to coordinate with practitioners routinely. She enjoys the interactions which translate to better patient care that she gets to witness on an almost daily basis. She loves to help and learn all that she can by participating in rounds, P&T meetings and floor calls as often as they arise. Each day she loves to come to the pharmacy knowing that what she does makes a difference in patients’ lives.
She often longs of having an even bigger impact in healthcare and has considered obtaining her MHA or MBA and pursuing a position in management. While there may be a little less direct patient care involved, she knows that her same level of care and focus will translate to her future team’s behaviors and actions to elicit an even greater impact. In the meantime, she is perfectly content in her role and thrilled to know that the work she does will positively impact others.
As of recent, Brooklyn has been taking on more overtime work which has begun to be fairly exhausting for her as she works up to 60 hours per week and often “doubles” to keep the pharmacy operational. The pharmacy has expanded their operations to remote fill the new outpatient clinic the hospital built on which while exciting for the community and hospital has added a greater workload to the team. As a result, the hospital is opening a position for a new part-time pharmacist position to help support the new patient demand with the potential to expand further in the future.
To make the situation more challenging, her pharmacy director has just put in his job resignation notice last week and plans to leave the following week which means the hiring could be delayed until they get another director. Because of all the new changes in the pharmacy, the P&T committee meeting agenda has a very specific portion dedicated to problem-solving the current state of the pharmacy. Specifically, the P&T committee has identified the need for a new Pharmacist-In-Charge until they are able to secure a new director to replace the outgoing leader.
Brooklyn looks at the upcoming meeting agenda and begins to wonder; “This may be my shot! I can ask to be the new PIC and start making my dream a reality! But what about hiring a new staff pharmacist? I’ve never done that before! And even if I’m the new PIC, I would still need to interview for the director role. Where would I even start?”
If you were Brooklyn, how would you address the current work situation and fulfill the needs of the pharmacy while also pursuing your personal career aspirations? Share and discuss!
25 Comments
Danny Sharara · March 20, 2022 at 1:46 pm
Brooklyn has a lot to consider. On the one hand, the opportunity to become the PIC and thus assume a leadership role is aligned with her long-term career aspirations and this is important for her. On the other hand, Brooklyn has been working 60+ hour weeks and is approaching burn-out. A balanced way of approaching this situation might be for Brooklyn to pursue this opportunity while also strengthening self-care practices and asking for support and guidance from her current supervisor (before he leaves) as well as from other individuals with relevant experience. Brooklyn could ask for support with the interviewing process from HR or other experienced leaders and may also consider a peer interviewing process, which has the added benefit of being collaborative. Regarding Brooklyn’s anxiety about interviewing; I would first seek support that would normalize these feelings and then dedicate time to working on my CV and then doing mock-interviews with trusted peers.
Dina Norris · April 11, 2023 at 6:51 pm
I agree with you and felt that the work-life balance would need to be figured out prior to Brooklyn taking on this role. In addition I think that Brooklyn would need to come up with a staffing plan for the pharmacy before committing to take on the PIC role including hiring for her FTE.
Heather Lindell · May 18, 2022 at 7:26 pm
Brooklyn has a great opportunity for professional development. She had the question “but what about hiring a new staff pharmacist?” This is a great question she asked herself and hopefully it stimulated self-directed learning. Maybe it would even lead her to this leadership certificate to learn about how to approach this scenario. She obviously wants more since she is picking up extra shifts. Instead of doing more of the same (clinical pharmacy), engaging a stretch assignment (PIC) would scratch her itch to grow. The extra shifts of more of the same might exhaust her and burn her out. We don’t want that! Sounds like she does not have much time for self-care and wellness. She also pondered “And even if I’m the new PIC, I would still need to interview for the director role. Where would I even start?” Again, engaging self-directed learning and professional development in this area is key. She can begin by assessing her knowledge, skills, and abilities. If the job has been posted, she can review the post to determine the requirements for the job and where she fits. Although, if comparing oneself to the job description too critically that could lead to imposter syndrome and stop professional growth. Therefore, I would have to say to get a baseline comparison and have a trusted peer give you feedback. After assessing KSAs move on to creating an elevator pitch. She can also practice answering interview questions using the STAR (situation, task, action, result) method. She can practice with a friend, in the mirror, and record herself. For addressing the current work situation to fulfill the needs of the pharmacy she needs to continue to do her job to the best of her ability keeping in mind the mission of the organization. I would guess patient safety is within the values of the organization, therefore I would advise her to minimize the double shifts. She needs rest since this “has begun to be fairly exhausting for her.”
Ashley Martin · May 8, 2023 at 8:16 pm
I love how you bring up her needing to re-evaluate the continuation of doing double shifts from both the perspective of not only patient safety but also personal health. In our role as the last line before a medication reaches a patient it is imperative that we be at the top of our skills to help orevent errors. It is easy to get swept up in taking OT due to short staffing and suddenly what was one extra shift becomes multiple and you have hardly had a day off. to recuperate.
I also enjoyed reading your ideas about how she can begin to prepare for an interview for PIC. I personally went through an interview not too long after starting this course. While I got some self feedback by practicing in front of the mirror my most valuable feedback occurred when I practiced with others. Being able to implement the STAR method face to face with another person allowed me to make sure my answers made sense, see if it was a good example or brainstorm a better stronger answer and practice it. I believe letting the P&T committee know of her interest in the PIC role is also important. She has already built a relationship with the team and letting them know of her intent to apply can help them begin to think of her in that role while they are in the interview process.
Melissa · August 2, 2022 at 11:31 pm
Brooklyn has a lot going on and it seems like it is definitely too much for one person already, both mentally and professionally. Sooner than later, working 60 hours a week is going to lead to a decrease in quality in work. One thing I wonder about the situation, does Brooklyn have any other pharmacists working with her? If so, are they helping with the increased workload at all? Brooklyn should have a sit down with her current director and ask any questions she may have about the position and what he thinks are her areas of strength and opportunity. She may realize through the conversation that this is indeed the step she wants to go in or that she wants to stay where she is and pursue her studies first, as she has aspirations to move up, but is unsure if now is the right time. She can’t feel confident in her decision without having gathered information. If she decides to stay in her current position, she can always offer to help the new director and get hands on experience in interviewing and develop her leadership skills. If she decides to pursue the PIC, she would need to update her resume, being sure to include information she gathered from her meeting with the director (she may realize that she already has some of the skills required for the position). No matter which path she chooses, she needs to prioritize her workload, being sure that she adds time for a mental break.
Deborah Miskie · March 17, 2023 at 8:14 pm
I was also wondering the same thing about the other staff pharmacists. I am also wondering if Brooklyn took it upon herself to work the extra overtime hours to help with the workload, or if she volunteered due to any overtime pay. Hopefully the pharmacy works well as a team, and others could step up to help with the workload. Relief to staff will come since there is the approval of the new part time position to help, once the position gets filled. This could also be a workflow issue due to the new expansion of services that may need to be addressed.
Carol Campbell · September 18, 2023 at 5:51 pm
I also was wondering about the other Staff Pharmacists. Is the workload being distributed fairly or is it voluntary? Brooklyn is soon going to become burnt-out if she has not already. Hopefully the present Director takes the time to meet with Brooklyn and give her some insight into the current situation and if there is any type of game plan moving forward. Brooklyn should try to get as much information/insight into this new position so she can make the best decision for her career moving forward.
Lisa · August 17, 2022 at 4:56 pm
Brooklyn is in the right position to expand her professional career. She has the skills and knowledge of what is needed at her institution. Although she lacks experience in a manger role, now is the time to step into the PIC position. She shows a strong desire to lead and impact patient care through delegation and role modeling. I would suggest that Brooklyn explain her clear plan to the P&T committee.
First, she can describe her goal setting for the department, then how each goal will be prioritized.
The hiring of a new pharmacist takes precedence over other objectives. Brooklyn needs to reach out to her personal network and the networks of other executives at her institution to find candidates. She can also open the position internally to other pharmacist already employed at her institution. Finally, she can use external platforms if needed.
Brooklyn can also seek out a mentor from a pharmacist association or another executive at her institution to help with her transition. In the future, I would encourage Brooklyn to obtain her MHA or MBA if she would eventually like to move up to a director role.
Erin Houdek · January 13, 2023 at 11:36 pm
I agree that hiring of a new pharmacist would need to be a top priority. It is also important to consider that if she would be moving up into the PIC or director position, her current position would need to be backfilled as well. I would suggest reaching out to her personal network initially, even prior to potentially getting the new position, to spread the word of the opening(s). Utilizing the P&T committee for expanding that network could be valuable. There may be members of that committee with more experience and who have worked in other locations that can reach out to pharmacists from previous work experiences that they would approve.
Stephanie Matesic · January 29, 2023 at 10:50 pm
I also think that Brooklyn should apply for the PIC position. I agree that even though she does not have a lot of leadership experience, her passion and motivation may give her the edge over another candidate. I think Brooklyn reaching out to her personal network to try to find new pharmacists would also be an asset for her as a candidate for the PIC position because it would further show her dedication to the company and her job.
Jeffrey Tran · July 18, 2023 at 2:12 pm
Brooklyn is definitely in the right position to advance her career. She seems to have a solid knowledge base and motivation and passion to move into administration/management. I agree that her first step should be to set some goals for the department and then prioritizing each goal. She can use this as an opportunity to showcase her skills to management and prepare a plan for how they should move forward within the department. The hiring of new pharmacists definitely should be at the top of her list as she seems to be doing a lot of OT. We don’t know how much OT the rest of her team is doing, but if they aren’t volunteering, management could consider evenly distributing the OT via mandatory OT if there are not enough volunteers. I like what Stephanie mentioned below in that Brooklyn should try to seek partial reimbursement from her company. I know that various companies and healthcare systems offer tuition/training reimbursement.
Erin Houdek · January 13, 2023 at 11:17 pm
Brooklyn seems to be burning the candle at both ends as a result of the growing needs of the hospital pharmacy and her strong motivation to further her career. Her current 60+ hour schedule per week is not sustainable and is not a good example to lead by for other pharmacists working in this location. If this type of work schedule appears as an expectation, it will be difficult to hire a pharmacist as well as continue motivating the current employees to assist during the gap in help.
I would first start with setting goals for the pharmacy for both filling the pharmacist position and obtaining a reasonable work schedule that promote accomplishing the daily goals and requirements for appropriate patient care. Updating her CV and preparing herself for a potential interview would be a great step for her personally. She may also want to meet with some members of the P&T committee to manage up and gain assistance and advice from more experienced individuals with the hiring process and the promotion process.
I would also suggest that when looking at the needs of the pharmacy and the new position to make sure that it aligns with both her personal goals and the mission of the hospital pharmacy. A strong examination of the future position is necessary to ensure that she is going to pursue the appropriate path for her desires. It would be advantageous to discuss the position and obtain advice on hiring and management in general from the outgoing director prior to his departure. If she has a good working relationship with him, it would also be wise to remain in contact and potentially set up a mentorship with him, as he has made it to a director position in the hospital where she wants to future her career.
Stephanie Matesic · January 29, 2023 at 10:45 pm
Brooklyn certainly has a lot to consider with the current state of the pharmacy. First, I think she needs to reconsider working so many hours every week. It’s obvious she is very passionate about her job, but at the same time she needs to realize she is going to burn herself out at some point. As far as applying for the PIC position, I think she is in a perfect spot to do so. She seems like a very motivated worker, is obviously willing to go above and beyond for the company, and has a true passion for what she does. There is a learning curve that comes with every new job, so I don’t think she should let the fact that she has never hired any one before stop her from applying. I would recommend she strongly consider getting her MBA or MHA. She could even inquire about getting partial tuition reimbursement from her company. I think this would greatly benefit her in the future as she has a desire to get into a management role. As far as the current state of the pharmacy, the fact that they are short staffed is their biggest issue. The extra hours that Brooklyn has been picking up should be distributed evenly among all the pharmacists instead of burning one person out. They also need to determine where their biggest need is and try to find a hire as soon as possible without rushing the process too much and picking an unsatisfactory candidate.
Healthcare Leadership Certificate · January 30, 2023 at 7:05 pm
Great thoughts Stephanie! What specific steps would you recommend Brooklyn take to address the biggest issue you noted of being short-staffed?
Deborah Miskie · March 17, 2023 at 8:03 pm
Brooklyn seems to be a dedicated pharmacist, who enjoys her career, though she would like to pursue further goals in her field. She is considering the Pharmacist in Charge position, while the search for a new director takes place, as well as pursuing the MHA or MBA advanced degree. This position would provide her with some experience for the management position of director. It would be helpful for her to have a conversation with her current pharmacy director for some advice on her future direction. The current director would be able to provide some guidance and inspiration to help her determine whether to apply for the pharmacy director position. She could use the Locke and Latham Theory to sort out her goals using the clarity, challenge, commitment, feedback, and task complexity. Personally, she will need to look at her time management and prioritization. Brooklyn could also check with the employer to see what management training opportunities, or education reimbursement options she may have moving forward. She should also update her resume and CV to make sure it is up to date. Interviewing skills can be an area she works on using the STAR method, and practicing with a peer. She can also record and listen to the practice interview to fine tune the delivery of her responses, and to gain confidence.
Paul Carnes · March 29, 2023 at 12:40 pm
These are all very practical observations and perfect to the situation. I think that asking about tuition reimbursement for her graduate degree is something that many overlook when considering this option. Talking with the current Director that’s leaving may or may not be a great idea. I think a lot of that has to do with their professional relationship and also the circumstances of the Director’s leaving. It seems rather quick (only 2 weeks notice) so it may not be under the best of circumstances. In that case, if they have a good relationship, it would be good to get the current Director’s personal opinion on how Brooklyn would do. However, there is a chance that the current Director could impart negative feelings to Brooklyn based on the reason for their quick departure.
Paul Carnes · March 29, 2023 at 12:35 pm
I agree that Brooklyn has an amazing opportunity based on this timing. She needs to be careful that she dedicates enough time to herself during this time. If she becomes the PIC, she will need to stop doing as much staffing. If she’s working extra as the PIC, it’ll have to be on planning and pharmacy operations. She needs to know that she won’t be able to do both well. From an experience standpoint, being the PIC will at least allow her to gain experience on her resume even if she doesn’t become the Director when the time comes. She should jump in “with both feet” and give the PIC experience her all! As far as hiring a new pharmacist, there are many resources available to her to help with the process issues (human resources department, reference books and articles, etc.). She shouldn’t dwell on that. But it’s good that she recognizes her shortcomings as well as her strengths. There are many positive aspects to Brooklyn taking this opportunity.
Dina Norris · April 11, 2023 at 6:48 pm
Brooklyn is in a good position to be able to try new and exciting things at work. But this will likely come at the expense of work-life balance which she is already not managing very well. I feel that Brooklyn would need to have a clear plan for her role at the PIC and she would not be able to complete the functions of a staff pharmacist at the same time in this role. Prior to committing to this role as PIC, Brooklyn should sit down and comes up with a plan for her role as PIC as well as discussing the need to bring on addition staff pharmacist to cover not only the missing FTE but also the FTE that will be missing if Brooklyn becomes the PIC.
Healthcare Leadership Certificate · April 12, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Good thoughts, Dina. What specific actions should Brooklyn include on her plan for finding a replacement staff pharmacist?
Ashley Martin · May 14, 2023 at 11:50 am
Brooklyn has many different areas that are pulling or could pull her in many different directions as well as a lot of disruption in her work life balance. Working 60 hours a week for a prolonged period of time is unsustainable. She should re-evaluate how much OT she can safely work without compromising patient care. From there I believe it is important for her to begin prioritizing what is most important to her goal wise. She’s working a lot of OT, considering an MBA/MHA and thinking about becoming PIC.
I believe that becoming PIC is a good way to take the first step towards management. It is a way for her to have an immediate impact on the pharmacy and patients without the delay that a degree seeking program has. She is well prepared and positioned to present herself as a candidate to the P&T committee because she is already actively involved in rounds, floor calls and P&T meetings.
As far as the openings in her pharmacy go she should begin to think about those in her network that may be seeking a new position or if they may know someome to help fill the current opening.
Jeffrey Tran · July 7, 2023 at 9:08 pm
Brooklyn has a lot going on and this does seem like the perfect opportunity if she is truly interested in management as her long term goal. Agree with those above working 60+ hours per week will eventually lead to burn out and is unsustainable. It seems that there is some hiring that needs to take place and given Brooklyn’s experience, she might be the one to take over as PIC. One of the topics that stuck with me from the self-study material is finding the right person for the position and how a bad selection will ultimately be worse for the organization than not hiring someone immediately. This is much easier said than done, especially when you have multiple vacancies in critical positions such as what Brooklyn’s organization has. She can seize this opportunity to get into management so long as she has the support and mentorship from upper management to ensure she succeeds.
Healthcare Leadership Certificate · July 7, 2023 at 10:34 pm
Good thoughts Jeffrey. You are right not hiring a poor fit is easier said than done because of the temptation to fill the position with any body. However, a poor hire creates negative long-term impacts. What steps might Brooklyn or the new PIC take to actively recruit and build a talent pipeline for long-term success?
Jeffrey Tran · July 17, 2023 at 2:52 pm
That’s actually something admin at my facility is working through right now. I think considering to build a talent pipeline would be best. Looking at establishing affiliations with pharmacy schools and offering clerkship rotations would be great as they could offer positions to those that they like best. This will take some time and it seems Brooklyn needs help more immediately. She should start with online job announcements and participate in hiring fairs/recruitment events. At my facility, we are looking to establish a PGY2 ambulatory care program to recruit those that are interested in the specialty area to continue their learning and hopefully retain our good residents.
Carol Campbell · September 18, 2023 at 5:36 pm
Brooklyn is experiencing a common trend in the practice of pharmacy today. She is a hard worker and cares about her job and her fellow employees. It shows by the amount of hours she is dedicating to her patients and the hospital. Brooklyn needs to step back, take a deep breath and list the pros and cons of all her options. I would suggest she contact HR for some guidance on both the position of the PIC and also about the hiring process of a staff pharmacist. She could also talk to other supervisors/managers at her place of work for mentoring/feedback. If she is on good terms with the Pharmacy Director, she could also schedule some time to discuss what the Director Position entails and any words of wisdom/insight he may have.