PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS and the PHARMACY DEPARTMENT
The success of a hospital pharmacy department depends on hiring the "right" people to start with and also having a system in place to ensure the continued performance of all staff members.
Performance Appraisals
Annual evaluations of performance should be conducted by the supervisor, coordinator or director of the pharmacy for other pharmacy staff members. Checklists can be used as a tool to "measure" performance. The pharmacy staff member may be asked to fill out a questionnaire to be used as a guide for the assessor to use to evaluate work performance. The results of the checklist along with feedback from fellow employees may be discussed confidentially with the employee.
Because of their personal nature, performance appraisals are often viewed with apprehension by the employee. However, the discussion with the supervisor should not be seen a fault finding session. Instead, it should be viewed as an opportunity to improve the overall performance of the department as well as an opportunity to review an employee's progress and to set future goals.
When you are working in the role of a Pharmacy Technician and preparing for a performance review you should be ready to discuss what you do well, what you need to improve upon, what you want from the job and what your future aspirations are. This is a good chance to talk one-on-one with your supervisor. The outcome of the meeting should be mutually agreed upon objectives. For instance, the discussion may bring to light the employee's desire to upgrade their knowledge and skills which may be in line with the goals of the department. The discussion may be documented to ensure that the "action" items highlighted during the meeting are followed through.
A final thought, not all topics discussed during a performance appraisal may be work-related such as the technician's theoretical knowledge, practical skills and quality and quantity of work. Topics may also include attributes about the employee him/herself (e.g. attitude, initiative, autonomy, punctuality, manner of dress), social aspects (e.g. relationship with other employees and cooperation) and desire for growth (e.g. potential and ambition).
Purpose of the Pharmacy Department
As mentioned earlier, drug use control (or safety) is the main purpose of a pharmacy department. Drug use control includes everything to do with medication from "start to finish. " This means its purchase, storage, distribution and ensuring optimal use of the medication by the patient.
Functions of the Pharmacy Department
A pharmacy department in a hospital is a busy place encompassing many activities including: drug procurement (order and storage), safe preparation and distribution of drugs, control of drug use, drug information evaluation and communication, monitoring and assurance of appropriate drug use (DUE = drug utilization evaluation), development and maintenance of the hospital formulary, monitoring drug expenditures, maintain patient medication profiles, providing pharmacotherapy (patient drug therapy monitoring) and participating in research projects involving investigational or special release drugs.
Provision of Pharmaceutical Services
The provision of pharmacy services can be accomplished in two ways. First, by employing staff members within the hospital which is typically the case with Pharmacy Technicians and staff Pharmacists. Alternatively, agreements can be made with an outside source to provide a pharmacy service (e.g. sterile compounding services) or clinical pharmacy services (e.g. Pharmacist consultants).
Pharmacy Management Structure
The structure of a pharmacy's management is dependent upon the size of the hospital and the pharmacy department. It is similar to the organizational structure of the hospital itself in that it may consist of multiple layers of management. The management structure will also be dependent upon the products and services provided by the pharmacy department.
CHECKPOINT Question TWO: Visit the website for the pharmacy department at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto (SickKids). Read about "What we do." How might the description provided be the same as other pharmacy departments? How might it differ? Why does SickKids hospital have such a "robust" compounding service?
The success of a hospital pharmacy department depends on hiring the "right" people to start with and also having a system in place to ensure the continued performance of all staff members.
Performance Appraisals
Annual evaluations of performance should be conducted by the supervisor, coordinator or director of the pharmacy for other pharmacy staff members. Checklists can be used as a tool to "measure" performance. The pharmacy staff member may be asked to fill out a questionnaire to be used as a guide for the assessor to use to evaluate work performance. The results of the checklist along with feedback from fellow employees may be discussed confidentially with the employee.
Because of their personal nature, performance appraisals are often viewed with apprehension by the employee. However, the discussion with the supervisor should not be seen a fault finding session. Instead, it should be viewed as an opportunity to improve the overall performance of the department as well as an opportunity to review an employee's progress and to set future goals.
When you are working in the role of a Pharmacy Technician and preparing for a performance review you should be ready to discuss what you do well, what you need to improve upon, what you want from the job and what your future aspirations are. This is a good chance to talk one-on-one with your supervisor. The outcome of the meeting should be mutually agreed upon objectives. For instance, the discussion may bring to light the employee's desire to upgrade their knowledge and skills which may be in line with the goals of the department. The discussion may be documented to ensure that the "action" items highlighted during the meeting are followed through.
A final thought, not all topics discussed during a performance appraisal may be work-related such as the technician's theoretical knowledge, practical skills and quality and quantity of work. Topics may also include attributes about the employee him/herself (e.g. attitude, initiative, autonomy, punctuality, manner of dress), social aspects (e.g. relationship with other employees and cooperation) and desire for growth (e.g. potential and ambition).
Purpose of the Pharmacy Department
As mentioned earlier, drug use control (or safety) is the main purpose of a pharmacy department. Drug use control includes everything to do with medication from "start to finish. " This means its purchase, storage, distribution and ensuring optimal use of the medication by the patient.
Functions of the Pharmacy Department
A pharmacy department in a hospital is a busy place encompassing many activities including: drug procurement (order and storage), safe preparation and distribution of drugs, control of drug use, drug information evaluation and communication, monitoring and assurance of appropriate drug use (DUE = drug utilization evaluation), development and maintenance of the hospital formulary, monitoring drug expenditures, maintain patient medication profiles, providing pharmacotherapy (patient drug therapy monitoring) and participating in research projects involving investigational or special release drugs.
Provision of Pharmaceutical Services
The provision of pharmacy services can be accomplished in two ways. First, by employing staff members within the hospital which is typically the case with Pharmacy Technicians and staff Pharmacists. Alternatively, agreements can be made with an outside source to provide a pharmacy service (e.g. sterile compounding services) or clinical pharmacy services (e.g. Pharmacist consultants).
Pharmacy Management Structure
The structure of a pharmacy's management is dependent upon the size of the hospital and the pharmacy department. It is similar to the organizational structure of the hospital itself in that it may consist of multiple layers of management. The management structure will also be dependent upon the products and services provided by the pharmacy department.
CHECKPOINT Question TWO: Visit the website for the pharmacy department at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto (SickKids). Read about "What we do." How might the description provided be the same as other pharmacy departments? How might it differ? Why does SickKids hospital have such a "robust" compounding service?