Good Dispensing- Have a Learner's spirit!

No matter how well trained you are, there will always be things you would need to learn.  

There will always be changes in technology that you need to update yourself with.  

There will always be changes in legislation that you need to read what you might consider boring but it is so important for you to understand and abide by it as you provide support to pharmacists.  

There will always be new SOPs that you will be required to read, understand the meaning, understand why these details are there for you to follow and follow them.

There will always be new services that will require you to be motivated to gain knowledge and be involved in these services in one way or another.

There will always be new OTC products that come out that will require you to know about and give advice on.

So please make sure you have a learner's spirit before you decide to take a job or train as a dispenser and please ensure you keep this spirit alive as the years go by.  No matter how good you are, how knowledgeable you are, how confident you are, there will always be things you do not know and there will always be things that you will need to learn in order to do an amazing day-to-day job!

Good Dispensing-Using splits whenever possible

If a patient is in a real rush or if one of the staff members called in sick it is acceptable to not use splits.  

But when you see the 10 splits of trimethoprim, why are you using a new box instead of the splits? 

Or when you see the splits of tamsulosin or perindopril or fluoxetine, why do you never use the splits?  Why is it that there are 20 boxes with just 2 tablets/capsules left on the self?

Why use splits?  

They take space on the shelves.  So if you use them, the shelves are tidier and there is space for all the new boxes to be placed on the shelves instead of the excess drawer.

It reduces the amount of out of date medicines and hence the medicinal waste too.

There is a sense of achievement when you manage to combine the splits to make a full box of 28.

There is a sense of achievement when you reduce the amount of split boxes on the shelves.

There is a sense of fun when you combine, like lego or tetris pieces, the different pieces of splits.

You take an active role in contributing towards targets of keeping stock under control.

You put a smile on your pharmacist's face and you make you managers even happier!