Post-Interview Notes and Reflection

Q1. Can you walk me through your typical day?

A1. As soon as I get there the first thing I do is getting the keys from the store manager and disarming the pharmacy. Then I open up the pharmacy section and check the temperature logs on the medical refrigerator. And start filling prescriptions and verifying if they are the right ones. I give flu shots, answer any prescription question customers have.

Follow up: Where did you learned to give flu shots?

-I learned it in my school and got my license there as well.

Q2. How would you describe your organization?

A2. Healthcare professional. Always trying to provide the most updated, safe, and medical treatments.

Q3. Who do you communicate with within your organization?

A3. Mainly my pharmacy team, (4-5 technicians depending on the day).

Extra?'s - When is it the busiest?

-Opening time, lunch time, rush hour after work, closing time is usually when it gets packed. Some people prefer to walk-in and some people are just too lazy to get out of their car so they just use drive-through.

FOLLOW UP: Can you give an example for when you interact with them?

They ask me questions about insurance and medication, and procedures.

1.Pharmacy protocols

2.If one medicine is interchangeable with another one

Q4. Is there ever a time you communicate with people outside your organization?

A4. No, mainly just within my organization

             -if so, who are they, and what do you usually communicate with them about?

Q5. What is the best part about your job?

A5. Closing the pharmacy, “Best feeling of the day,” and some customers are really grateful for the knowledge that I have and just the feeling that I can help.

Side Q.?’s. Can you tell me a funny or a memorable incident that happened in your job?

A. There is this famous woman who calls the CVSA often and asks irrelevant questions. There was this one time when she called us and told us her story about how she cooked some food (don’t know what it was) and it was extremely hot but ended up swallowing it and she was crying on the phone that her esophagus was hurting. She was asking me if she needed to go to the ER for this or if there was some type of medicine she can take. I ended up talking to her on the phone for 15 minutes and in the end she ended the phone call with saying, “I think I’m fine now.”

Q6. What is the worst part about your job? If there is anything.

A6. Anything that has to do with my getting involved with the customers insurance. “Rejections – non-formulary (medications that’s not formulary), prior authorization (when they need)”

Q7. Can you tell me about any projects that you’re currently working on or that you recently completed? (Can be a personal one)

A7. Making a photo-book of strangers which will I take portraits of random people living in the city. About 100-500 of random photos.

Q8. You got your Masters in USPA, what made you go there?

A8. Reputation, history, the vest amount of network due to its history, and being the first pharmacy school in US.

Follow up: If there was a 2nd option where would it be? Templez, only because it’s close

Q10. Who or what inspired you to go to USPA?

A10. Brian(cousin) – he told me about his schedule and how he makes # figures, working five days and off 10 days, with that I could make “decent” money, and I will still have time for my hobbies.

Q11. What are some things you read or write in your workplace?

A11. Not really, unless it’s an update on a protocol or a CVSA/company policy,

Follow up: Was there any change in protocol or CVSA/company policy that changed recently? A. Nope, not ever since I started working there.

Q12. Can you name a few problems that tend to rise in your job?

A12. Insurance problems, customers wanting to refill certain medications early, technician drama (they hate each other)

Follow up: How to resolve?

Insurance problem – he would call the doctors to change the medication that the insurance allows or is willing to pay for.

Technician drama – I try not to get involved. It's just too much for me.

Q13. Could you name 3-5 people you talk to?

A13. Sharon, Dean, Beth is who I usually talk to and I never send out emails. We all just communicate by texting each other through phone or calling each other. 

         Follow up: Could you briefly explain what you would talk to them about?

1.Sharon CVSA – Scheduler (three weeks in advance of future schedule) depends on the scheduler, sometimes give a month advance

Email about taking days off, scheduling shifts, picking up shifts,

Extra?’s. How flexible can it be?

-If I can find someone to cover, I’m likely to get off on the days that I want.

2.Pharmacy manager -Dean – floater but he goes to that specific store a lot, “home store”

3. Lead technician – Beth- (talk about how they are understaffed, and nothing gets done, so much work)

Reflection

This was definitely a one of a kind experience for me. Even though we are really close I still wanted to make sure that I had set up the environment so it felt like a legit interview. I thought he would kind of joke around and give goofy answers but before the the interview I had told him about the rule of seven seconds and to talk after that and don't give me any responses before that seven seconds. There wasn't any moment where I had felt like something wasn't working right because I know this person so well to the point I know if he's joking or being serious. One thing I was surprised about was that he doesn't send much, or even any, at his work place. The only reading he does is reading up on new protocols or new CVSA policies, which there wasn't any so far. They mostly communicate with each other buy texting or calling each other.