Job of a pharmacist seems an easy position for many people, especially for those who have never tried it. They do not know that we have to deal with all kinds of patients (customers), and that many difficult situations can happen in a pharmacy, and especially in a hospital on a daily basis.
Employers prefer to hire people who see the job realistically, and are ready to handle all it has to offer, including the difficult duties. Tell them about the problems, and show them that you are ready to face every problem.
Elaborate on your answer
Interviewers may give you additional questions about problems, for example how you would spot and deal with drug seeking behavior. And if they do not ask about it, you can go ahead and talk about the particular problems. Let’s have a look at some good answers.
This job is not easy. One has to talk to all kinds of people–some of them not particularly intelligent. It can be difficult to satisfy every customer, and one can feel discouraged in work. This is the biggest problem I see in a job of a community pharmacist.
Being unable to read a prescription is a serious problem. I prefer to have contact details of all medics and officials in the area, to have an option of calling them and confirming the prescription. Drug seeking is also a common problem, but they taught us at school how to spot it, and I know what I would do if I spotted it.
Drug interaction is one of the common problems we face. It is important to keep your knowledge up to date, so you notice all possible interactions, and explain the situation to the customers. It may also happen that we do not have the medication the customer needs, or wants. In this case, we should offer them an alternative product. And if we do not have a good alternative, we should suggest them to visit another pharmacy.
Special Tip: My website offers great answers to eight common interview questions for pharmacists–which should help you to do well. If you want to do something more, however, if you want to ensure you did your best to succeed and get a job, you should check my eBook, the Pharmacist Interview Guide.
In the book you will find great answers to all 20 difficult pharmacist interview questions, and winning interview strategies. You will also learn how to get rid of stress you experience before the interviews, and how to impress your interviewers. You can have a look at the book here.
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