What Steps Do You Take To Remain Up
The world of prescription medications is always changing. New drugs are released regularly across a variety of categories, and pharmacists do need to keep up with the latest advances.
With this question, the hiring manager is trying to find out what you do on your own to ensure your knowledge remains current. Usually, the best approach is to discuss the various mechanisms that help you do that.
EXAMPLE ANSWER:
Remaining up-to-date on new medication is greatly important to me. To make sure I am well-informed, I subscribe to a variety of trade publications and newsletters. Additionally, I am a member of a pharmacist professional organization, providing me with a strong network of other professionals who frequently share details they discover.
I also follow thought leaders on social media and various article platforms. When possible, I attend industry conferences. Finally, I believe continuing education isnt just a requirement, but an opportunity to ensure any knowledge gaps are filled, including in regards to emerging treatment options.
Question #: How Do You Advise Patients On Drug Interactions
Many patients attending their local pharmacyespecially elderly onesmay be using multiple prescription and OTC medications at the same time. Your knowledge of these drug interactionsand how to prevent adverse outcomeswill likely come up within any set of pharmacist interview questions. Practice before going in:
- What are the most serious drug interactions you’ve learned about?
- How do you help prevent interactions from occurring?
- How do you check or double-check on any interactions before giving a prescription?
How You Could Answer
“First, I want to mention that I’d advise any patient to try and stick with one pharmacy, so that we have all their medical and dietary information readily available in our system when preparing a prescription. If I have a new patient, I’ll ask what medications they’re currently taking and what they’ve taken in the recent past, along with some questions about lifestyle and nutrition. So, for instance, if they’re being prescribed an anticoagulant, I’ll tell them to avoid overeating foods high in vitamin Ksuch as kale, broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, beef liver, and even chickensince very high levels of vitamin K in these patients can increase clotting and bump up the risk of stroke.”
How To Answer Pharmacist Interview Questions
Okay, youre here for the example pharmacist interview questions and answers we know that. But before we dig into those, we need to go over something incredibly important: how to tackle pharmacy interview questions.
If you dont have a great strategy for handling questions, you might stumble during your meeting with the hiring manager. Theres always a chance the hiring manager will ask a question you didnt expect. If you dont have a formula for answering the pharmacist interview questions and youre caught off-guard, you might not offer the best answer. And thats no good.
Luckily, you can craft an amazing formula for success. With that and a few practice pharmacy interview questions, and youll be ready to go.
Begin by tracking down that pharmacist job description. Scour it for helpful details, particularly anything discussing must-have skills and traits. Youll learn a ton about what the hiring manager wants to find in a candidate, giving you clues about what theyll probably ask.
But theres still more to learn. If you head to the organizations website and social media pages, you can find out about its priorities. Some hiring managers are even going to ask what you know about the organization directly, so, at a minimum, this will help if you encounter that question.
However, even if you dont, its ridiculously useful. You can position your answers to align with any priorities you discover. That may let you stand out from the pack.
MIKE’S TIP:
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Do You Know The Dea Rules About The Distribution Of Medication
In addition to learning more about you and your personality, the hiring manager uses the job interview process to determine how knowledgeable you are about the field. One of the most important aspects of being a pharmacist is staying up-to-date on the Drug Enforcement Agencys rules for storing and distributing persecution medicine.
Some hiring managers may assume you know the rules and forego asking the question, but others may want to make sure. Either way, you should keep well-informed about these rules and regulations to get the job and do it well.
Unitedhealth Group Clinical Pharmacist Interview Questions
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May 5, 2022
I applied online. I interviewed at UnitedHealth Group
Interview
You will receive an email from HR with your availability and then be assigned an interviewer. The interview was through a video chat and was roughly 30 minutes.
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at UnitedHealth Group
Interview
Ive applied enough times with UHG that I didnt think Id hear back from anyone. Surprisingly I got an interview request two weeks after my submission. Not from a recruiter but straight from the supervisor. I was also asked to send a copy of my covenant agreement for review since I was working with a competitor. I interviewed a week later on Microsoft teams. I thought it went well. The two supervisors I talked with were very friendly and professional. I didnt feel nervous speaking with them. They said Id hear back by the end of the week. I didnt. So I followed up on Monday. I got an email saying my agreement review is fine then another email from the recruiter saying theyre giving me an offer. Overall it took maybe 4 weeks from submission to offer.
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Question #: How Do You Maintain Excellent Customer Service When Dealing With A High Volume Of Patients
Great customer service is key to any pharmacy’s success and will probably turn up during your first round of pharmacist interview questions. Prime yourself by assessing the following:
- How do you work under pressure?
- What do you do to reduce stress during hectic workdays?
How You Could Answer
“I run through two mantras during busy seasons or crazy days when there are lines of patients waiting: Stay organized and stay focused. I tell my staff the same thing. When I see a surplus of patients coming in, I always check on each technicianand my pharmacist colleaguesto confirm that we’re all on the same page. If customers are complaining, I’ll head over to the counter, ask if there’s anything I can do while they wait, and offer them water. And if we have particularly complex prescriptions, I’ll ask some coworkers to hang around the front and answer customer questions, so that I can zero in on filling them. When I’m finished, I’ll ask another pharmacist to verify my work, and I’ll go to the front to let the patients know that their prescriptions will be completed shortly.”
Common Pharmacist Interview Questions: The Advanced
As tough as the above questions are, theyre not too far removed from what any professional can expected to be asked during a job interview. While its essential to have ready answers for them, you should also be prepared to answer questions more specific to your experience and career trajectory as a pharmacist. Some of these questions could be:
- What made you decide to become a pharmacist?
- How do you stay up-to-date with new drugs and other trends affecting this profession?
- Describe your specific experience with patient immunization.
- How do you help educate patients so they better self-manage their medications?
- Describe a situation when you helped a patient understand complicated medical info.
- Do you have experience working with a large group of patients at the same time? If so, how did you manage that?
- Are you prepared to identify drug-seeking behavior or resistance to medication among patients?
- Do you have any experience managing disputes among technicians?
- How would you respond if a customer asked about an over-the-counter drug that youd never heard of?
- In your view, whats the most serious challenge facing the business side of pharmacy?
> Pro Tip: If asked about an opinion on an ethical or political matter, be careful to discuss only the on-the-job aspects without getting sidetracked on potential red-flag subject matter.
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How To Organize Your Answer
Hopefully, the brainstorming exercise above was able to help you figure out your answer to this question. If you’re still unsure, you might want to think about it some more or reach out to a career advisor for assistance. They can provide additional strategies and valuable insight that would help you through this process. Once you have discovered what made you choose pharmacy from an infinite number of other career paths, it’s time to structure your answer. As with all interview questions, you want to give a coherent, concise, and compelling answer.
You can do that by dividing your answer into three parts. This makes it easy for the interviewer to follow, and it will lead you to create a narrative in your answer, thus making it more memorable. We recommend using this structure for your answers:
What Would You Do If A Consultant Or Gp Does Not Want To Change A Medicine You Believe Is Not Appropriate For A Particular Patient
This question should be anticipated for junior or newly qualified posts, says Dennis Lauder, chief pharmacist at NHS Frimley Health Foundation Trust. Any answer to such a question should consider how to demonstrate confidence and assertiveness in the situation and how they would maintain a dialogue with fellow professionals, he adds.
Candidates attempting this type of question should not include any suggestion of direct criticism of the prescribing habits of fellow professionals, Lauder explains, but notes that answers should also not imply that a GP or consultant should not be questioned.
Gurjinder Bhella, chief pharmacist at Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, agrees. A common pitfall is to say that the doctor knows the patients and is more experienced so I would not challenge him, he says. We always ask this question twice to push the candidate: The medic insists now what do you do?
However, this type of hypothetical question may be challenging to score, particularly if an employer is trying to compare a large number of candidates, so it may be avoided in interviews given by community pharmacy multiples or other large pharmacy employers. Bernadette Brown, owner of Cadham Pharmacy in Scotland, says she would be more likely to phrase the question as: Tell me about a time where you had to withhold dispensing a product owing to patient safety concerns and how you resolved this with the prescriber. How did you communicate your concerns?
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Why Do You Want To Be A Pharmacist Sample Answer #2
I want to become a clinical research pharmacist to pursue research on cancer drugs. As much as I admire retail pharmacists, I do not want to work as closely with patients and serve my community the way retail pharmacists do. Instead, I want to use my eye for detail and great research skills to join the efforts of those working to improve the effectiveness of the drugs we currently have on the market.
When I was seven years old, my older brother died from heart failure after several years of chemotherapy. At the time, all I knew was that I had lost a sibling, and I told my mother that when I grew up, I wanted to do something that would help other people keep their siblings alive. Everyone assumed that I wanted to be an oncologist, and if I am being honest, I thought about it for a long time. Then my research led me to the world of pharmaceuticals. I started learning more about drug interactions and the research that is currently being done to maximize the benefits of cancer drugs while minimizing their side effects.
As soon as I found out it was a possible career path, I switched gears, and I never looked back. It is perfect for me because it’s a career path that will allow me to explore the aspects of pharmacy that I enjoy while conducting research which I also love. And it would still give me the opportunity to work towards what I set out to do after losing my brother.
Want to know how to answer other common pharmacy school interview questions? This video is you:
Good Questions To Ask At The End Of A Pharmacist Interview
When your interview comes to an end, youll have a chance to ask some questions yourself. Having a few ready is a must, as it shows youre engaged and interest in the role. If you dont know what to ask, here are some questions you can keep at the ready.
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Where Do You See Yourself In Five Years
A common pitfall is focusing an answer based on what the candidate thinks the organisation is looking for, says the Boots spokesperson. It is far preferable to answer based on where the candidates passions lie to ensure the best fit for a role.
Demonstrating loyalty and continuity is important to community pharmacy employer Bernadette Brown
For Brown, demonstrating continuity and loyalty is important. I once interviewed a girl with loads of red flags. She had several jobs and in each one she got an extra qualification and then left not long after they had trained her, she remembers. A great answer is that they are looking to have a career with me and we can look to find ways to fulfil those goals together. If I can see a way to help them progress and give them the opportunity to flourish, they are much more likely to want to be with my company in five years.
A common pitfall is focusing an answer based on what the candidate thinks the organisation is looking for
Why Do You Want To Be A Pharmacist
This question is a source of frustration for many pharmacy school applicants because it is deceptively simple. The answer feels like it should be obvious. After all, you applied to pharmacy school, and you must have your reasons for doing so. You most likely discussed those reasons in your pharmacy school personal statement. So, then you may wonder why interviewers tend to ask this question again during pharmacy school interviews.
The ‘why do you want to be a pharmacist’ question is very popular in admissions interviews to pharmacy school because it allows the interviewer to gauge your commitment to the profession. Your response gives them a chance to evaluate your priorities, ability to self-reflect, and reasons for pursuing pharmacology.
Pharmacy school is not easy! It involves a very rigorous and demanding curriculum, and if you do not have the correct attitude and motivation to pursue a career in pharmacy, it becomes even more challenging. Admissions officers want to make sure that they admit students who are genuinely motivated and committed to becoming pharmacists. Your answer to this common question helps them determine that.
It is paramount that your answer is genuine and displays intrinsic motivation. In other words, your response should show the admissions board that you are genuinely interested in the field of pharmacology and the work and ideas you’ll be advancing, rather than being motivated by external things like money, authority, power, etc.
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Pharmacy Manager Interview Questions
Pharmacy managers ensure that pharmacies are managed in compliance with pharmaceutical industry regulations, and they expertly assist and advise pharmacy customers. They also oversee pharmacy employees, perform inventory checks, and order supplies.
When interviewing pharmacy managers, look for candidates with demonstrable pharmacy management experience and those who favor a customer-oriented approach. Avoid candidates who fail to keep up with new pharmacological products, or with amendments to approved drug and controlled substances lists.
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Ready To Find A Fulfilling Pharmacy Job
Now that you’ve gone over our list of prospective pharmacist interview questions, you can concentrate on your job search. Monster will give you a booster once you create a profilewe’ll send you essential career tips and free, customized alerts on openings at pharmacies in your area.
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Explain How You Process Your Prescription
- Prescription Drop off: Once prescription is received, immediate communication begin with doctor and insurance company, to make sure that we have the required authorization to dispense the medicine.
- Benefits Investigation: With speciality prescription, we take additional steps and information to understand the benefit and work with patient insurance plan and doctor to get him on therapy as soon as possible
- Prescription Pickup: If patient is waiting for a prescription to be authorized, we will call to schedule a pickup at a target that is convenient for the patient
Question #: How Do You Keep Up With Pharmaceutical Trends
The pharmaceutical industry is constantly progressing with new drug classes and research into how to prescribe, use, and tolerate medications. Your potential employer’s pharmacist interview questions may ask about how you stay up to date on pharmaceutical news, so make sure to express your dedication to the field and consider:
- What sources do you regularly look to for pharmaceutical news?
- What are some recent trends you’re excited about?
How You Could Answer
“I’m subscribed to the American Pharmaceutical Review, so I read that on a regular basis to get info on new trends and the latest research. That’s where I learned about new findings in antibody-directed therapy and immuno-oncology drug delivery. I also consult other publications, such as Pharmacy Times, Pharmacy Practice News, and The Medical Letter.”
“Most recently, I became a member of the American Pharmacists Association. Besides enjoying their Pharmacy Today publicationwhich has an informative ‘New & Approved’ section covering new approvals of prescription and over-the-counter medicationsI also receive clinical updates, patient-care resources, access to meetings and virtual events, and networking possibilities from them.”
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