It started out years ago… mostly auto assembly plants started working with outside suppliers and shippers that the parts of the finish product shows up hrs/days before it is needed.. so that the assembly plant does not have to sit on a bunch of inventory … many of us fail to realize that the auto “builders” actually manufacturers little to none of the parts for the vehicle/ finished product.. that is why they call them assembly plants.
The last place that I was a PIC/RPH for… they told me up front that they expected 24 turns a year… when the average pharmacy turns its rx dept 12 times a year… I felt comfortable that once the volume was built.. I could achieve that number.. in fact… most months I was floating in the mid-30’s… we did a whole lot of auto-refills and on Monday(s).. I would sell around 50% of the dollar volume on the shelves.. This Rx dept was only open 37 hrs a week.
When I had discussions with the CFO.. he seems to have different opinion – or at least I perceived a different opinion – of inventory turns… I often got the impression that his idea of turning the merchandise was get a Rx… order the product.. fill the Rx.. and if the quantity of the Rx was for a whole bottle.. so much the better…
Today we seem to have seemingly “progressed ” to “just in time” staffing… we project volume to be expected on a given day.. and schedule appropriately and we even cross train staff so that everyone can basically perform all functions of the Rx dept…
We never put into the formula… staff not showing up and/or calling in sick… all of a sudden our “just in time staffing” .. turns into “just not enough staffing”.. you can shift around only so much cross trained staff… when staffing levels are less than anticipated needs.
One of the places that I temp at… has done some staff shifting… more like some staff consolidation… you know.. you fire one person and dump all their duties on another staff member that already has a full plate of duties.. and of course.. you do this with “salaried staff”… so you can run them 24/7 and never have to pay any extra wages… Seeming to be working well for this company since their stock price is now 2.5 times what it was 5 yrs ago.
They have this one person whose title is “production manager” .. and of course, is a non-pharmacist and all of those in the pharmacy – including pharmacists – are suppose to answer to this person.. in regards to getting orders out the door..
Last week is a typical example of this “just in time staffing”…. on Friday there is normally 3 -10 hr shifts of RPH’s – total “open hours” is 16 hrs… except on this particular day.. the “mid-shift” RPH… called in sick.. and of course… you don’t have anyone to call in and pick up the shift.. because everything is “just in time”..
So we have “lost” 1/3 of the scheduled RPH man hours for this day… I am closing RPH… responsible for the second run of the day and all the end of day stats get done… of course, the second run of the day is “running late ” DUH!
I find this person looking over my shoulder about 1 -1.5 hrs after the second run should have been done.. “why isn’t the run done yet?” You got to be kidding me… lose 1/3 of the RPH staff and you are wondering why the second run is not on time ? Don’t go there…!!!
Of course, the nurse in the nursing homes.. are expecting their orders at a certain time… not two hours late.. so we have some LTCF… upset.. because… everything was scheduled “just in time”…
Filed under: General Problems
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