The Ultimate Cheat Sheet on Training Your Pharmacy Employees

As the owner of an independent pharmacy, you need to make sure your staff is properly positioned and trained, so they can deliver top-quality service to your customers. The first thing you need to do is to hire excellent people who believe in your company and share your values. Then, you must provide an environment where they can improve their skills. It isn’t enough to hire capable candidates and put them to work. As an outstanding employer, you will get the most from your staff when you empower them and learn to develop their existing talents. Fortunately, getting proper training in place may be easier than you think. Here are 5 ways to train your pharmacy employees:

1) Hire an External Consultant

With your everyday workload, training new hires may seem too time-consuming. For this reason, many pharmacy owners opt to hire a consultant or HR rep to come in and do the training process on their behalf. Having a productive staff will pay for itself in the long run, so it’s a good idea to keep the big picture in mind when considering this financial investment.

2) Provide Online Resources

As an alternative to hiring an external consultant, supplying your staff with online tools is a very cost-effective solution.Webinars and training videos bring the external consultant to you, often free of charge or for a nominal fee. With the flexibility to complete them whenever and wherever you want, online trainings can also be a great way to keep current staff engaged and up-to-date.

3) Setup Mentoring Relationships

Positioning new hires to be trained alongside your most trusted, seasoned veterans is a great way to introduce them to company processes. Since mentoring is such a powerful form of job training, your new talent can quickly gain valuable knowledge, attain new skills and learn best practices as they apply to your business. It can also increase and expand employee relationships, ensuring that a new person will experience a seamless transition onto your pharmacy team.

4) Encourage In-House Trainings

When an employee attends anexternal seminar, training or industry conference, company policy should dictate that the employee will relay the information they learned to the rest of the team. A brief, in-house training session will allow staff members to take ownership of what they learned, while promoting employee development and the dissemination of new ideas.

5) Start a Book Club

A book club is a great way to promote employee development and idea sharing. Combining the book club with a regularly scheduled staff meeting will ensure participation and allow your team to apply new concepts immediately. Ask one employee to choose the book and lead the discussion, while other team members collaborate in open dialogue. Here is a list of book topics that may be helpful for your pharmacy staff, both at work and in their personal lives:

• Improving Customer Service Skills
• Budgeting and Finances
• Developing Leadership Skills
• Understanding Government Regulations
• Accepting Change
• Learning about New Computer Programs
• Developing Highly Effective Habits

Training your staff properly is one of the most important things you can do to keep your pharmacy running smoothly and profitably. A huge mistake pharmacy owners make is thinking that employee training is a one-time event. Don’t forget – if you want to stay ahead of the competition, both pharmacy employees and owners need to learn and grow constantly. This industry is always evolving. The choice is yours – will you keep up with the changes or get left behind?

The best way for an independent pharmacy owner to remain on the cutting edge is to attend the industry-leading conference. The PDS Super-Conference will provide the most up-to-date information on industry trends, as well as the best training for pharmacy owners and team members alike.