Just think about it… people go to cash advance store.. usually because they are in some sort of financial bind… all with the good intention of getting themselves out of the financial hole that they somehow have gotten them into. They have two – three weeks to get their financial act together and pay back the money advanced plus any fees. As often the case, the money is not there to pay off the entire amount…. so the money advanced is “rolled over” for another couple of weeks.. with additional fees. Repeat this cycle a few times and “the financial hole” is so deep that there is no way to “get even” without selling something.. like their car, wedding ring or something else of value.
Now picture if you will, the newly RPH graduate or a RPH that has been out of school for a few years. The first, has student loans that is equal to a year’s or more of the salary.. the latter still has most of the same student loan, plus monthly payments for all sorts of things that has been acquired since graduation… new car, house, credit card debit.. those “must have” things that makes life worth living.
The RPH goes to work or has been working for one of the “mega chains”… at first.. the requests from management seems at worse .. questionable…but you go along.. without saying anything. What is a little compromising of our ethics.. after all .. we have all this debt that we need to pay off and besides all the other RPH’s go along with the mandates.. maybe my ethics are a bit too strict?
Time passes and the edict/mandates from corporate become more and more legally/ethically questionable…
At some point… you realize that you have traded in your ethics for a on going paycheck and then corporate management comes in with the “final blow”… that one last edict that has “cross the line”.. that is – in your opinion – going to put patient safety at a major risk… you are told.. ” if you don’t do what you are told… we will find someone else who will try… your ethics is now gone.. and the only thing that you have left is YOUR SOUL… do you sell your soul?? You have little/no documentation – in writing – on all your expression of concerns about company edicts and patient safety… it is now just your word against those in upper management – that have already sold their soul to the corporation – Are they going to admit that you had expressed concerns… or deny that there were any conversations over the time frame regarding patient safety issues.
If you sell your soul.. the only thing that you have left is your license.. and if you harm a patient .. with a med error.. because you have caved to the corporation’s demands.. the BOP will not give it a second thought to take that from you as well… and the corporation will continue with business as usual… how will you continue with “life as usual”?
Filed under: General Problems
This is the modern definition of indentured servitude. I know of at least one pharmacy student that has said they will work in pharmacy only as long as it takes them to pay off their $150k based on what they have seen since entering pharmacy school.
We now have too many pharmacy schools graduating too many pharmacists who are in too much debt. Corporations love it. Disposable pharmacists! Wear one out, throw them away and get a new (indebted) one. The cycle will be repeated endlessly until pharmacists regain control of the profession.