Phar ad midterms

is done to help employees,

whether new or old, to meet the

changing demands of their jobs. It

benefits both the employees and the

organization as it can improve the

quantity and quality of work done by

the employees. It can also make the

job more interesting and meaningful

and boost the employees' morale and

sense of accomplishment (Holdford,

2003). Excellent pharmacy service

organizations invest in the training and

development of their employees.

Training and development serve

different purposes.v

is to improve

the performance of employees in their

current tasks and jobs, whereas

development is to prepare employees

for new responsibilities and positions.

2 forms of training

involves

welcoming new employees. presenting

a positive first impression, providing

information that will allow them to

settle into their new responsibilities,

and to establish early expectations of

performance and behavior (Umiker,

1998). It also involves familiarizing

new hires with the company's or

department's mission, goals,

expectations, and cultural norms

helps current employees

keep up with the development of the

organization, learn new information,

develop new skills to perform better,

and refresh capabilities that may have

diminished over time. Although

pharmacists are highly trained

professionals, the changing nature of

medical and business practice requires

constant training throughout their

careers.

requires long-term

preparation for the future needs of the

individual and the organization.

An important and initial decision the

management must make, with respect

to training, is to assess and consider

whether any of the employees are

prepared for advancement in the

future, If particular individuals have

been considered for later promotion, it

is important that they develop early on

in their training process. The training

program for these people will be

considerably different from employees

who do not have those opportunities.

also show

employees that the pharmacy owner is

concerned about them and their development

Rather than being

viewed as "warm bodies," they are

considered as part and parcel of the

pharmacy in which the employer is

willing to invest both time and money.

Such a perspective helps solidify long-

term employer-employee relationships.

Unless the trainee is allowed

to do something, and in most cases

that means making decisions, the

individual will never fully develop. It is

difficult to imagine a manager doing

well after being thrust into a high-level

job without even having made actual

business decisions.

One-shot, short-term training

programs do not tend to be effective.

The training needs to be continuous,

even after the employee has been

promoted. Since technology and

management methods change, the

employees must also be periodically

updated so that their ideas and skills

do not become obsolete.

Trainees who are not

allowed to make errors without

receiving severe penalties in their

development process will feel stifled

and will not reach their full potential.

Pharmacy owners must encourage the

blending of a degree of creativity and

innovation with cautious decision-

making.

Recognition

should be given to the unique

strengths and weaknesses of each

new employee, and the development

of the training program needs to be

oriented to the individual's strengths

and weaknesses.

Trainee' errors need to be

corrected quickly and their

performance appraised periodically.

Employees like to know how well they

did, where they made mistakes, and

how to better prepare themselves for

the future.

Pharmacies rarely need to hire people

who can make immediate

contributions. Because of this, OJT

offers a distinct advantage. While the

employee may not be working full time,

at least some productivity is gained

during the training period.

For this method to be effective,

it must be carefully planned and

supervised. Training involves showing

how to do the job and allowing the

employee to actually perform the

tasks.

in

pharmacies can be used where there

are two or more middle management

positions. Here, employees trade jobs

on a relatively frequent basis during

the training period so that each has an

opportunity to manage a whole

spectrum of positions. Not only do

employees gain a broader perspective,

they develop as well expertise in major

aspects of the pharmacy's operations.

Examples are chain pharmacy

operations, over-the-counter

operations, how to handle products,

gifts, and cards, etc.

If management is training a

person to assume a top-level position,

it may be practical to make the trainee

an "assistant to." While similar to OJT,

this differs in the sense that the trainee

is not fully vested with specific

responsibilities. Rather, he or she does

various jobs and essentially watches

and learns the various processes and

procedures, and performs in a staff or

advisory position.

For top management positions within

the pharmacy, and typically for those

positions that extend beyond the

prescription department, this "assistant

to" approach may be better than OJT

by reducing the possibility of errors.

The dangers of this approach are that

the trainee may be overly influenced

by the manager and stifled in bringing

new ideas to the pharmacy. In

addition, the person may be incorrectly

running errands and handling

unimportant tasks rather than learning

the mechanics of management.

In some

instances, the employee development

process may include training off the

premises. Seminars, college courses,

and the like may better prepare

employees for serving the pharmacy's

needs. These are usually paid for by

the pharmacy and may be taken

during working hours. Although this

approach is seldom used as the sole

source of training and is quite

expensive, it does serve to bring new

ideas to the pharmacy.

must also be trained. While this

process may be less time- consuming,

complex, and expensive than training

future managers, it certainly is no less

important.

After all, non-management people are

the mainstays of the pharmacy. If they

are ineffective or inefficient in

performing their tasks, the entire

operation will be affected.

Consequently, in many respects, the

five guidelines described in the

preceding section apply here as well.

This is the

most frequently used training method

for non-management. Jobs tend to be

routine, and employers typically do not

want to invest considerable sums of

money in training. Although OJT does

demand management time, it does not

require much in terms of cash outlays.