Edition #39d Newsletter

This newsletter was born on February 1st 2000, which means that it is almost two years old.
In this time I have personally written 130+ articles and edited five times more, on a very wide range of pharmacy related subjects, which also means that my writing/editing schedule has been a busy one
Along the way I have persuaded 17 people to write for the newsletter, and for their efforts, I am extremely grateful.
They fit their writing into their busy schedules, for irrespective of age, they are all actively working in, and for, the pharmacy profession.
The writers contribute of their own free will and all have insider knowledge of the subjects they write about. They range in age from 21 to 67 years and encompass attitudes of youthful exuberance to worldly wisdom, acquired over many years.
The writers pick their own subjects, and inject their own personal views.
They are only asked to qualify their writing in one aspect i.e. if they are critical of the problem or subject they write about, they must be prepared to put forward a potential solution.

To our discredit, we have only succeeded in attracting one female writer, and we hope to rectify this in 2002.
Are there any takers?

Over the last 12 months, it has been extremely interesting and a privilege, to receive each writer's material for editing and publishing.
I noted that as the year progressed, the authors unified their points of view, and influenced each other through their respective articles.
I am hopeful that this has had a flow on effect to our readers.
The motivation to write is often prompted by an "irritation" factor about some aspect of professional life.
This "irritation" is conveyed to the reader, which sometimes produces a defensive response, to close out whatever message was being communicated.
If you look at the "reader's survey" published in this edition, at least 11 percent of people admitted to this fact.
We are trying to encourage pharmacists to give voice to their feelings about all things professional. By closing out a thought process, which, at first experience, appears overwhelming, you simply isolate yourself and fragment further the body of the profession.
By articulating a considered response, you contribute to a collective solution that assists in promoting and progressing the vision of the pharmacy profession as a whole.
Official pharmacy organisations will respond to these collective thoughts, because each of you, as individual members of these organisations, will be able to clearly articulate your wishes, and influence the leadership to formulate policies which reflect your aspirations.
Publications such as Computachem E-Newsletter represent one channel of organised communication that pharmacists can share.
Each person writing for this publication has the same vision and aspirations as you do. Collectively, we are trying to make pharmacy more relevant for the new millennium, by making our own personal contribution.
All of us have a vested interest in a successful pharmacy profession for our livelihoods; our children, if they have joined the profession; and for the future generations of young pharmacists joining our ranks.
If we fail to effectively communicate our vision to ourselves, our official organisations, the wider community and to government, then we will self destruct.
I don't know about you, but I will never give in and consciously allow events to direct my professional life.
I will always fight back, because the alternatives are simply not acceptable.

It was, and still is my belief that most pharmacists have come under extreme stress in recent years, due to unsustainable workloads, and because the expectations anticipated by government, official pharmacy and pharmacists themselves, have fallen short.
A recent posting on Auspharmlist ("120 scripts per day, then close the door") drew 32 responses at the time of writing this article, and appears to have struck a universal nerve. It is probably a record number of responses to an individual posting, and all the responses should be read.
I also recommend that you read the complete set of Peter Sayer's articles on the subject, and bookmark them for continuing reference.
Roy Stevenson, Rollo Manning, Ken Stafford and this writer, also have a range of articles illustrating these stresses.
The Auspharmlist response demonstrates that the personal measurement system under which we operate, is out of balance.
In turn, this causes distress, because of this feeling of letting yourself down.
Measurements such as the number of scripts you personally can dispense per day, or the retail skill of deriving a high average cash sale, are two performance measurements that pharmacists are being told they must abandon in favour of generating new indices to measure the new services.
GST and cash flow pressures have added to the disarray, and now we have the current stupidity about getting nit-picking details right for Medicare cards.
This has left little time to even begin to think about the new services, let alone perform them.

So when writers like myself, and my team of 17 like minded essayists, get to work and confront pharmacists with a mirror image of themselves; and what must happen to get above all the noise; they may get irritated!
Because we are adding a new dimension to what appears to some pharmacists, a totally insoluble mess, we get a reactive process going.
Some get angry, some switch off, others try to engage us with some of the positives in their professional life.
Most feel that they cannot afford the luxury of stepping outside their busy workload and take the time to view what they are doing from the "outside looking in". They are reluctant to leave their "comfort zone".
Earlier this year I wrote about this trend(see Psychotherapy - a Management Tool Essential), not just happening in pharmacy, but globally.
Global competition in all western countries, is driving working people, particularly management, to perform to the extreme, just to sustain their lifestyle and protect their jobs.
They are not just "running on the spot", they are slipping behind!
I pointed out that many management consultants were adding a psychology degree to their armament, because of the high level of depression being encountered in the workplace.
Managers accept guidance from qualified consultants, because this is a traditional source of advice.
To go to a psychiatrist and undergo suitable therapy is definitely not a viable option, because of the stigma attached to this process.
I would recommend that you revisit the article set written by Leigh Kibby, who is a specialist consultant in the "soft management skills".
His corporate work deals continuously with the problems illustrated.
Also, in the last edition, I wrote about the "slave trade", because that is what workers and small to medium enterprise (SME) business owners are becoming part of, and governments are filling the role of "slave driver", because of the legislated work they pass on to business.
It often appears to the small to medium enterprises (SMEs), that governments seem to favour global enterprises ahead of their own home grown version, and there has been a massive transfer of profits from small business across to the larger, generally global, enterprises.

The concept of pharmacist stress was really driven home to me when I noticed a couple of my own clients were suffering from depression and burnout.
So the problem, from the newsletter perspective was, how could we lift our clientele out of this situation?
Group therapy is often beneficial, so we decided to add a Forum to our publication to see if we could get some discussions going, negative or positive.
This has not happened to any great extent, and there are probably quite a string of reasons, such as "too busy", or the technique of using a Forum is "too new", or there is a need to remain anonymous, or people are just "too depressed" to be motivated enough.
Whatever the reason, we have decided to invest more time in 2002 to see if we can get a community established, who are willing to share views, and we have made provision for them to be anonymous or have full identity.
The "reader's survey" results, published in this newsletter, give some indication that people are willing to participate.
It is my belief that if you are able to identify and measure a problem, the problem is 90 percent solved. However, problems do not have immediate solutions, and they do have to be worked at over time.
Posting the problem on a Forum, or reading about a potential solution in one of the newsletter articles, is a tentative first step. The writers will aways respond to a request, or a criticism, or offer some limited free advice from their respective specialties.
You may even take the next step and engage some of the writers who run consulting practices, and who can assist in many specialised areas.
I, for example, provide a "cut down" version of a consultancy format called "business coaching"; a quick, cheap and efficient way of problem solving, and setting direction for your business and personal life. It involves all the elements of the new Internet technology and the specialties are "change management", "corporate development", "website development" and "marketing".
Its reach is quite wide for anyone who wishes to participate i.e. anywhere in Australia, provided you have an Internet connection.
A visit to the Computachem site via the home page, and checking the navigation bar, will direct you to the appropriate details. Anyone who wishes to have a free trial of this service should contact the writer at neilj@computachem.com.au

It is obvious that many pharmacists are a bit bewildered by the new Internet technologies and the impacts they are having, or will have, on the way business and professional procedures are conducted.
The engine driving this change in Australia is government at all levels.
Eventually, you will not be able to talk to any branch of government, or do business with them, unless you are compatible with their web technologies.
Government is not interested in the fact that you may have to invest in totally new computer hardware, and software, at an exorbitant price, and they are not interested if you do not have the basic skills to find their website on the Internet.
You will have no choice...."shape up, or ship out"!
Even big business is finding it all a bit bewildering.
But at the end of the rainbow there is the promise that web based technology may deliver a real level playing field, where some of the disadvantages that SMEs have had inflicted on them, will disappear through savings generated, and the opportunities that will open up (even the ability to do business with the government at all levels).
The continuing changes will be (already have been) massive, and will impact all levels of business and society at large.
Pharmacy will not be allowed to escape these changes.

As we close out the year 2001, which has been a difficult year for Australian pharmacists, we are afforded a holiday period where we may, if we are lucky or well organised, spend a happy and peaceful period, relaxing with friends and family. As we emerge from this process and make some New Year Resolutions, let us hope that 2002 will provide a clearer, and more positive pathway to a fulfilling and better motivated professional life.
Your input and planning will be required to "kick start" this process.

On our side, we promise to give you a more organised e-magazine (the newsletter has grown up) on a monthly basis for 2002, coupled with as many interactive "tools" that we are able to develop.
The departure from a twice monthly newsletter is required, to properly research and write relevant and timely material, usually pitched in advance of actual need.
We will also be recruiting some new writers and tilting the subject matter toward the interests expressed in the "reader's survey" (overwhelmigly IT subjects).
We would also like to expand our community of readers, and we would ask that you recommend us to your colleagues, to encourage them to subscribe to a unique and free publication, trying to light up the way ahead.

On behalf of all the newsletter writers I extend our best wishes for the coming festive season and the new year.
Thank you for your support.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all at Computachem

Neil Johnston

Ends
Back to Article Index
Newsletter Reader's Forum