It’s every pharmacist’s worst fear: To come home from a busy day at work and realize that they failed to consult with a patient about a potentially dangerous interaction, or filled a prescription incorrectly.
Workers at chain pharmacies across the US have told CNN that increased demand for prescriptions, shots and other services without sufficient staff to fulfill those orders has made it nearly impossible for the workers to do their jobs properly and has created potentially unsafe conditions for customers.
Mistakes happen, especially when workers are burnt out and busy. But when a pharmacist errs, the implications can be both legal – pharmacists can be sued for malpractice – and lethal. Errors can cost lives, tie pharmacists up in prolonged court battles and cost them their livelihoods.
This is the thing members of the public need to understand when they hear about healthcare understaffing and “shortages”
If we’re understaffed, it’s not just a matter of us working harder. It’s a matter of corporations gambling with your lives and exploiting our commitment to our professional licenses to prevent that from happening. When faced with this untenable situation, we have no choice but to quit, and a lot of people have left healthcare entirely because they’re tired of fighting with corporations rolling the dice.
At least part of the “shortages” you hear about are artificial, driven by these losses. Those people who left still exist, still have their training, and can renew their licenses and return to the industry if we can finally fix the horrific working conditions.