I am a CVS Pharmacist. I was told at hiring that customer satisfaction was primary and staffing was great. They neglected to tell me that patient safety does not mean more than profit. In spite of my efforts to be cheerful and professional, the conditions are the most horrible that I've worked in. The workload is RIDICULOUS and management is COMPLACENT and hardnosed. In my professional opinion, the working conditions at CVS are physically dangerous to both the pharmacist and the patients receiving prescriptions.

I am currently working 14 hour days with no breaks and insufficient support. When a technician calls in sick, no one will help you cover the hours and you literally have no time to call around looking for help, let alone eat or go to the bathroom.

Very often, 1 pharmacist and 1 technician has to cover a drop off window, a pickup window, a consultation window, a drive up window, 6 phone lines, fill prescriptions, ring them up, ring up non-prescription items and call dr's offices. Management refuses to give you more technician hours.

Labor Laws must be changed to cover Pharmacists. CVS and other pharmacies get away with such terrible working conditions because labor laws don't cover pharmacists. We are in the same category as doctors and lawyers and are exempt from breaks,overtime,etc. There is a huge shortage of pharmacists and the conditions are the main reason. Industry is blaming short staffing on the pharmacist shortage but my observations are that pharmacists are "dropping out" because the conditions are unbearable. The liability to pharmacists is huge and no amount of money is worth a job related heart attack!

Further, the short staffing could be alleviated by hiring sufficient supportive personelle and technicians. In this economy, so many people are out of work and finding responsible techs is no problem.

Also, it should be known that at least in my area, training for pharmacists and techs is basically nil. New pharmacists are put with new techs and neither have had adequate training on the computer software, insurances and ordering. All contributing to delays, mistakes and angry customers for frustrated staff that are trying their best. Short staffing and lack of training is a very bad mix and a public health risk in my opinion. I only wish that patients would consider "why" a person that spent 6 years in higher education has made a mistake or is miserable. Someone who made it through pharmacy school is not stupid or careless. Next time, think maybe he has a headache because he hasn't eaten in 9 hours, he's worked 14 hours without a break or he has 30 people that will be mad at him because their prescription isn't ready or they have to wait.

Some might say, don't work it if you don't want to put up with the conditions. Again, many of us did stop doing it but the economy has brought us back and unfortunately we spent tens of thousands of dollars and years of our life to become pharmacists. Most of us did this to help people, not hurt them.