Commissions

Businesses that pay based on commission annoy the crap out of me. I hate the feeling of being hounded/followed/watched/spied upon while trying to buy furniture or a car. I know how to shop. I know how to ask for help when I need it. Get away from me. I see you hiding behind the faux fern.

That being said, I think the next evolution in corporate pharmacy should come from paying bonuses on commission. They want us to push vaccinations and perform MTMs. I say pay us on commission. The more we do, the higher percentage we get. The more expensive the medicine, the higher our bonus. For the longest time, I was the only pharmacist who administered immunizations and pushed Zostavax in my area.

Corporations advertise the hell out of our services. Today, everyone offers the same services. The ads are on TV, radio, online, on the front door, on our phone answering system, on each cash register, in each aisle, our bags, and name badges and giant buttons on our smocks. What makes corporate think we can do a better job?

If you want me to do what our marketing department, which has a budget bigger than I do, cannot do then pay me. Simple. I will work harder to promote and score the big ticket items if there is some healthy competition to push me. Hell, get the patients in on it as well. Have them rush to the pharmacy and shout "Who wants to shoot me?!" Then they can watch us fight for the right to give the shots.

If we take this one step further, we could fight over who gets to fill the most expensive medications during the day.

Since we have already sold our souls to corporate, let's get rid of the rest of our dignity.