Recruiting and retaining employees in the pharmacy field can be a significant challenge.
In today’s competitive job market, it’s crucial for employers to consider a new approach that goes beyond the traditional “triple aim” in healthcare, which focuses on enhancing patient experience, improving population health, and reducing costs. Now, a fourth priority has emerged: provider experience.
A successful healthcare system requires a satisfied, engaged, and productive workforce because happy healthcare workers translate to happier and healthier patients.
Showing care for employees
One way that specialty pharmacy leaders can combat burnout and improve conditions is by showing concern for employee satisfaction. Pharmacists are more likely to feel content if they know their employer genuinely cares about their well-being.
A practical step is for managers to provide their staff with surveys and encourage honest feedback. This approach helps to truly understand the underlying problems, rather than just hearing surface-level inconveniences or complaints. This is a critical element in pharmacy recruitment and retention. Often, a solution or a clear path toward one becomes apparent.
Investing in employee career goals and setting relevant expectations can yield committed employees who feel valued beyond their paycheck. This can be mutually beneficial for employers, as even underperforming employees might be inspired to improve with a simple change in responsibilities or daily schedules.
Achieving a work-life balance is also essential, as it has a significant impact on job satisfaction and influences many healthcare workers’ career decisions. Managers and organizations that recognize this aspect can reap the rewards of a content and engaged workforce.
To enhance recruitment and retention in pharmacy, consider the following strategies:
- Develop career advancement opportunities
- Implement training programs to enhance skills
- Support employees by covering the costs of meeting registrations and memberships
- Simplify logistical aspects of their work to reduce stress and increase job satisfaction
Reducing administrative burdens
In the context of enhancing recruitment and retention in pharmacy, it’s crucial to consider the impact of technology on job satisfaction and stress levels among pharmacy staff.
The vast majority of physicians say administrative tasks are the leading cause of work-related stress and burnout. Ironically, electronic health record (EHR) technology that is meant to improve things has been shown to worsen professional satisfaction, adding time-consuming data entry on top of patient care.1
VPL TrajectRx™ offers a solution to empower pharmacies by providing cloud-based shipping solutions. These clinically-minded solutions assist pharmacy teams in handling prescriptions, tracking them to their destination, and communicating shipping updates to patients.
With TrajectRx, pharmacy staff can get a better handle on all aspects of medication shipping. When you incorporate TrajectRx into your pharmacy’s daily operations, your pharmacy team can experience the following benefits:
- A reduction in inbound call volume with SMS shipping notifications
- Time savings in the shipping process due to an efficient integrated workflow
- Track and trace all deliveries and focus only on those that may need triage early on in the shipment process
- Less stress in the logistics part of their day, resulting in increased job satisfaction
Additionally, VPL TrajectRx offers transparency in shipping rates, allowing you to optimize your shipping costs. As a result, this can free up resources for investments in automation, staff rates, and other strategies.
Watch our platform video below to see how it works:
Seeking assistance with pharmacy recruitment and retention?
To discover how VPL can enhance your medication shipping workflow and recruitment and retention in your pharmacy, contact us today.
